Page 19 of Two Risks I'd Never Take Again

I whipped around and planted my hands on Garrett’s chest, which thankfully now had a shirt covering it. “Sorry. I didn’t realize you were behind me.”

“Do you like it, Tessa?”

Nodding, I smiled up at him. “I do. And if it didn’t cause you excruciating pain, I’d hug you.”

“Can I get a raincheck on that too?”

“Sure.” I followed him back inside. “Oh my stars! Look at the kitchen!” I loved to cook and bake, and this kitchen was a dream. “I’m definitely cooking this week.”

“Whatever you want. We can order more groceries tomorrow if needed.”

“I brought some with me. Speaking of which, I need to bring our stuff inside.” I rubbed his back. “This place is amazing.”

I rushed out to get the stuff, thinking about how fun it would be to call Delaney and gush about this place, but how would I explain being here? I needed to figure something out because as soon as Ava talked to Delaney, it wouldn’t be a secret that I was here with Garrett.

“Okay. I want to explore the rest of the house, but I really need to call Delaney. She’s probably worried, and then she’ll get Eli worried. That would be bad. I’m just going to tell them I’m with you.”

“I like the sound of that.” One side of his mouth twitched up.

“One week. It’s not like I’m pretending we’re a couple or anything. We—I meanyou—rented this amazing house, and we are staying here for a few days.” I buried my face in my hands. “It totally sounds like we’re dating.”

“Not to me.” He eased himself down to the couch. “Go call Delaney.”

I pressed her name in my contacts as I stepped out to the porch.

Delaney answered after one ring. “Tessa! Hey. Let’s switch to video. I want to make sure you’re okay.”

“I’m fine. Look where I am. It’s incredible.” I switched to video and showed her the view from the deck. “This is where I’m vacationing. Garrett rented a place on the edge of San Antonio, and I’m staying with him here.” I kept talking even though her jaw hung open. “I haven’t even walked through the entire house yet. There are like five bedrooms and a to-die-for kitchen. Did I mention the hot tub?”

“You and Garrett? Beau’s son?”

“Yeah. He’s a nice guy.” I kept the camera pointed out toward the view.

Delaney huffed. “I want to see your face.”

I switched the camera. “What?”

“You’re telling the truth. Why did I not know you were dating Garrett?” She sounded almost hurt.

“No one said anything about dating. We’re just spending a week together.”

She stared at me. “There is something you aren’t telling me. You have told me multiple times that you don’t date. And now you are spending a week with Garrett?”

“It’s just a week. I’m not dating him.” Just a week was going to be my new mantra.

“Put Garrett on the phone. I want to talk to him.”

“No!” I glanced back toward the house, making sure he was out of view. “You know Garrett?”

“Yes. He and Eli are friends.” She said it so matter-of-factly.

“Eli mentioned that. Not that you’d met Garrett. Just that they were friends.” I sat down on the outdoor sofa and pulled my jacket closed.

Delaney rolled her eyes. “I tried to get him to set you up with Garrett. But Eli said that ever since Mosquito Boy—”

“Skeeter.”

Her nose crinkled. “Was that his real name?”

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