Chapter 1
As another tear plopped onto the keys of her laptop, Tessa Jacobson sighed in frustration. Was she ever going to stop crying? It sure didn’t seem like it. Three weeks had passed since Davis had broken up with her and moved to Nashville with his band, and as each day came and went, Tessa still felt her heart continuing to break.
Tessa was crushed. According to Davis, it was for the best that they broke things off, and it wouldn’t be good for either of them to attempt a long-distance relationship, but she completely disagreed. How could he so easily toss seven years together down the drain like that?
What compounded the pain was the fact that not only had he left her, but he was sharing a two-bedroom apartment with the rest of the band – including Shauna Reagan, their lead singer and a girl that Tessa never really liked.
Sure, Davis promised he still cared for her, that there was no one else involved in his decision to end things, and that the breakup was what was truly best for the both of them, but that didn’t stop Tessa from fearing that Shauna had probably already sunk her claws into him. After all, Davis was a musician, and a good-looking one at that. Why wouldn’t Shauna try to steal him away?
I guess it isn’t stealing – he isn’t mine anymore, she thought as she dabbed her eyes with a tissue. After a deep breath to steady herself and a sip of hot tea, she attempted to finish the announcement currently filling her computer screen.
Tessa knew she was going to have to start pulling it together. She was at work, for goodness’ sake, crying in her cubicle. Mr. Hart, the editor of The Clearhill News and her boss, had been understanding and tolerant so far, but the good people of Clearhill, Georgia, needed their newspaper three times a week, no matter what was going on in Tessa’s personal life.
However, no matter how hard she tried to focus, the words just wouldn’t come. How could she write up engagement announcements for several happy couples with her heart feeling like lead in her chest? She scanned through her other assignments, looking for something to work on that would better fit her current mood. She would just have to go back to the announcements later.
When she’d managed to get a couple of paragraphs into a write-up about an upcoming road closure, Tessa heard her phone vibrate from its place inside her top desk drawer. Her hopes rose for a fleeting second, hoping it would be Davis, even though he hadn’t contacted her since the day he left. When would she ever quit hoping it was Davis?
It, of course, wasn’t him, but Tessa was pleased to see that it was Natalie, her best friend since childhood, wanting to have lunch together in a little while. Natalie was a paralegal at a lawyer’s office just two blocks from the newspaper.
This was one of the things Tessa loved about living in a small town – everything was in walkable distance, but the atmosphere was homey and cozy, unlike bigger cities. She’d studied journalism at Georgia State in downtown Atlanta, so she knew what it was like to live in both worlds, and moving back home to Clearhill had definitely been the perfect choice for her after she graduated. It would take something really special to get her to move back to a big city.
With her spirits livened a bit, she spent the rest of the morning pounding out the road closure article before leaving to meet Natalie at the Corner Café, their favorite place for lunch.
Scanning the crowded bistro, she spotted Natalie at a small table near the window. Natalie waved, and Tessa hurried over, draping her emerald-green pea coat over the back of the metal chair before sitting down.
“Hello, lady,” Natalie said with a grin gracing her flawless face, pushing a cup of cinnamon hot chocolate, the Corner’s signature drink, towards Tessa.
Tessa and Natalie, while both beautiful, were completely opposite in looks. Natalie was blonde, fair-skinned, tall and wafer thin, while Tessa was dark-haired with a peach complexion and a petite, hourglass figure.
“Quit trying so hard to cheer me up,” Tessa muttered, but she couldn’t help but smile after taking her first sip of the delicious warmth.
“Tessa, as your best friend since third grade, it’s my job to cheer you up and remind you that this whole situation is really in your best interest,” Natalie reminded her for what seemed like the twentieth time.
“I’ve heard you, Nat. Loud and clear – over and over. It still doesn’t make it any easier. Davis and I were together for seven years, since our senior year of high school.”
“You are wearing rose-colored glasses, honey. Are you counting your entire junior year of college when you two were broken up because you caught him cheating on you...red-handed? I think you’re having selective memory issues, and I’m here to remind you of all of the bad stuff that you happen to be conveniently forgetting.”
Natalie was, thankfully, the harsh dose of truth Tessa needed. Things with Davis hadn’t been perfect, and it was good to be reminded of that quite often while in the midst of her current heartbreak.
Tessa noticed the sun reflecting off the three-carat rock that graced Natalie’s hand, courtesy of Natalie’s perfectly wonderful fiancé. Of course, Tessa was beyond thrilled about her best friend’s engagement, but she’d just lost a relationship with someone that had meant the world to her. Even if Davis wasn’t always worth the love and affection she’d freely given him, it was impossible not to mourn the loss. It was easy for Natalie to point out how Tessa was much better off without Davis, but Natalie had someone to share life with, and Tessa was very much alone now.
After their food arrived, the conversation took a change for the better in Tessa’s opinion. She was tired of talking about what was wrong with her love life. Camera crews were setting up just across the street on the town square’s grassy lawn, providing the perfect distraction from their current topic of discussion.
“What do you think they’re filming now?” Natalie asked, before taking a bite of her sandwich.
Tessa pushed her salad around, trying to remember what movies had been on the filming schedule that the town’s Chamber of Commerce had sent over to the newspaper office. The chamber wanted the newspaper to keep the town’s filming status front and center, so it was part of Tessa’s job to know what was happening.
“I think it’s a love story with Nate Wilder and Ansley Madison. The name of the movie, according to the list, is In Her Arms,” Tessa finally remembered.
“Wow. They are really big stars. I wish Clearhill would have become the Hollywood of the South when we were teenagers and I had time to care more,” Natalie replied, referencing the name Clearhill had taken on about a year ago, thanks to the numerous movies and television shows that were constantly filming in the area – especially downtown where she and Natalie worked and lived.
“I know, right? Between the newspaper and my shifts at The Grille, I don’t have time for stargazing, but I sure wish I did.”
“How’s it going at The Grille?”
“Crazy busy. I make too much money to quit – even if I do hate serving.”
“Yeah, I definitely miss the extra money, but I agree, being a waitress sucks,” Natalie said. She had left The Grille three months earlier after getting a raise at the law firm. Tessa wasn’t that lucky. The Grille was the nicest restaurant and bar in Clearhill, and the tips she earned in two evenings were sometimes more than her weekly pay at The Clearhill News.
Noticing that the lunch hour was quickly coming to an end, the girls finished up their lunch, and hurried back to work. Time always flew faster during lunch than it did during the rest of the day, but Tessa made sure to keep a close watch on the time since she did have to be at The Grille as soon as she closed the newspaper office at four.
A couple of minutes before it was time for her to leave, Tessa changed into her black shirt and pants so that she could power walk over to The Grille and get right into the swing of things once she arrived.
Despite the swift pace of her life at the moment, she was thankful that her two jobs kept her busy enough to keep her mind off of the fact that she was still getting over a terrible breakup. As long as she kept going, she figured at some point her heart would eventually start healing.
At the stroke of four, Tessa gathered her things, and sprinted out of the door, making sure to lock it behind her. She was the last one to leave on Fridays. Everyone else cut out at noon, but she used the extra time to proof her articles, and she enjoyed the peace and quiet.
The air had grown significantly colder as the afternoon waned into early evening, and when she burst into the restaurant’s back kitchen door, she’d never been more thankful for the excessive warmth coming from the fired-up ovens and stove tops.
Tessa put her bag and coat on the shelf in the tiny storage closet and donned her little ruffled apron. She went to the small powder room and applied her favorite red lipstick, stuck in a pair of diamond studs that were a Christmas gift from her parents two years ago, and pulled her long, glossy hair into a sleek ponytail. She knew that looking good exponentially increased her take, especially during happy hour.
With one last turn to make sure she was presentable, Tessa headed out to the floor with the biggest smile she could muster plastered across her face. The crowd was already thick, with every high top and table in her section filled with locals who were thankful that the workday was over and were ready to get their weekend started.
A couple of hours into her shift, Tessa slipped into the kitchen to take a quick break. Of course, table nine still needed their bottle of Merlot, and twelve was waiting on their rib eyes, but with the rush of happy hour turning into the flurry of the Friday evening dinner crowd, if she didn’t take a step back to breathe, at least one of her patrons was going to end up with their order in their lap and not on the table where it belonged.
“Come on, Tessa. We’ve got this. Only four more hours to go!” Natasha, another waitress, sarcastically joked as she picked up a couple of baskets of artisan bread.
Tessa smiled and shook her head, grabbing up the steaks that had come up while she had been hiding in the back of the kitchen, and headed back into the fray.
On and on the crazy pace went, every table packed, Tessa being tugged in twenty different directions nonstop, until, finally, around 10:30, the dinner rush was blessedly over. From that point until they closed at eleven, it would probably be pretty quiet, with only a few random guests coming in for desserts or drinks.
Tessa used the time to help the bartender restock, and to count and recount her totals. At ten minutes until closing, all she could think about was going home and drawing a nice warm bath. That is, until she saw, from her position behind the bar, that the hostess was leading someone to her section.
Damn, she thought. There went the possibility of her leaving on time tonight. Tessa ducked into the kitchen to grab a basket of bread for her guest. Better to get on top of things quickly, and hope that she could get out of here before midnight.
The man seated in her section had his back to the kitchen; but as Tessa walked towards the table where he was seated, she could tell that he wasn’t from Clearhill. He was definitely either part of the filming crew or an actor – they had a more polished, yet edgy style that was unlike anything she’d seen before in her small town. It wasn’t that the Clearhill townspeople weren’t put together or anything, it’s just that the film industry folks were different – different but cool.
Maybe staying late won’t be so terrible, after all, Tessa mused. She was actually kind of excited to get to interact with someone from one of the movie sets.
“Hi, my name is Tessa and I’ll be your server tonight. Can I start you off with something to drink?” Tessa had the hardest time getting through her normal spiel when she realized that not only was she serving someone from the set, she was waiting on Nate Wilder, one of the most well-known, up-and-coming actors in Hollywood.
Keep it together, keep it together, she inwardly chanted. The last thing she wanted was to come across as a crazy fan. She only mildly followed celebrity gossip – just the random perusal through a magazine while waiting in line to check out at the grocery store – but still, who wouldn’t be slightly star-struck given the circumstances?
“Hi, Tessa, it’s nice to meet you. Can you tell me what you have available on tap?” Nate responded with an easy smile. Tessa rattled off a list of The Grille’s offerings as she took in his gorgeous, chiseled face, dark brown hair and piercing blue eyes. He was every bit as hot as every movie had made him out to be.
“I’ll take the southern pecan ale – that sounds interesting,” he replied after she had explained the different beers on tap.
Tessa laughed. “It’s really good, I promise,” she smiled, feeling more at ease the longer she was around him. She couldn't help but put emphasis on her description of the pecan ale when she listed the offerings – it was her favorite, and he must have picked up on that.
“I’m going to take your word for it,” he joked back, giving her a wink.
Tessa headed to the bar to get his beer. She was immediately surrounded by three other servers.
“Is that Nate Wilder?” one of them asked.
Tessa nodded. “Y’all need to get it together. He is just a customer like any other, and we can’t make him feel weird, or he won’t ever come back,” Tessa reminded them.
A moment later, Tessa set the tall pilsner glass in front of Nate, and hoped that he would like the craft beer as much as she did, especially since he ordered it off her subliminal recommendation.
“Thanks,” he said and took a sip. “This is so good. I looked over the menu, but I think I’d rather you surprise me with whatever you suggest. I can trust your judgment now that I’ve tasted this,” he said before taking another sip.
“Are you kidding me? What if you totally hate what I choose? The pecan beer is my favorite – everyone loves it – but food is a whole different ball game,” Tessa replied, astounded.
“I’m not that picky, I promise,” Nate laughed.
Tessa arched an eyebrow at him. She was still surprised that they were having such an easy conversation, and that the initial nervousness of serving a celebrity had dissipated.
“Alright then, I’ll be back shortly with a crowd favorite.” Tessa began to head for the kitchen.
“I’d rather have Tessa’s favorite,” Nate called out as she retreated.
Tessa stopped in her tracks. Was he flirting with her? She didn’t know how she felt about this. He could have any girl he wanted – did he consider it a game to pick up random waitresses?
Tessa turned around to face him. “I’ll bring you my favorite, then,” she replied with a professional smile before continuing on to the kitchen where the cook staff waited with anticipation.
“What does he want for dinner?” the head chef, Art, burst out excitedly as soon as she entered the kitchen.
“He told me he wanted my favorite meal here,” Tessa replied, still confused.
“Your favorite is the shrimp and grits, isn’t it?” Art asked, already starting to gather ingredients, not caring in the least about the underlying meaning of the actor wanting Tessa’s favorite dish. Tessa wasn’t surprised that Art already knew her favorite, she ordered it pretty often.
“Yep, it is. Hope he isn’t allergic to shellfish,” Tessa said as she prepped a Caesar salad, her favorite pairing with shrimp and grits.
“What do you think it means that he wanted your favorite?” Natasha asked from her perch on a stool. She had already cashed out for the evening, but obviously wasn’t leaving with such a famous person still in the building.
“I guess he wanted a suggestion,” Tessa nonchalantly replied.
“Or he thinks you’re hot,” Natasha pointed out with a silly grin. Tessa playfully shoved Natasha, and rolled her eyes. There was no way Nate Wilder was interested in her. He was Nate Wilder, for crying out loud. He could have any girl he wanted and he probably knew it, which didn’t make his attention seem all that appealing to Tessa.
“I’m just going to do my job and treat him the way I would treat any other customer,” Tessa told Natasha as she squared her shoulders, and went back out to serve her famous guest.
Tessa had a feeling it was going to be a lot harder to act like she wasn’t interested than she initially thought it would be as she took in the sight of Nate’s face lighting up with a smile when he saw her coming. She felt her willpower instantly turn to mush.
“Hello, again,” Nate commented as she placed the salad bowl on the table.
“Um, hi?” she ventured, unsure of how to respond to his flirty banter.
Tessa’s uncertain question made Nate laugh. “You are a breath of fresh air, Tessa, and you don’t even know it,” he said on a more serious note.
“Thanks for the compliment, but I’m not sure what you mean by it.”
“I’ve been flirting with you since the first moment we met and you either haven’t noticed or you don’t care,” he pointed out.
Tessa thought for a moment before answering him. Should she be honest and risk pissing him off? She weighed the options before figuring she should just go with honesty. This whole experience so far had been surreal anyway.
“I did notice, and I do care. I care enough about myself to know that hopping into bed with you would be a monumental mistake,” she replied frankly. Tessa knew this was definitely not the answer he was expecting, but she went ahead and laid her cards out on the table – she wasn’t about to have her heart broken into even tinier pieces.
“Oh, I’m sorry, but you have it wrong. I apologize if I came off that way – I’m not like that at all. I’ve been acting this way because I’m genuinely interested in getting to know you. I don’t know anyone around here, except for the cast and crew, and since we will be in the area for a few weeks, and tonight I was lucky enough to be seated in a beautiful and feisty woman’s section, I thought it would be nice to hang out and maybe get to know one another,” he explained, casting his eyes down.
Tessa felt guilty. She had gone and made assumptions about Nate that weren’t founded. “I’m really sorry I jumped to conclusions like that – it’s just you have to know where I’m coming from. You can hang out with anyone that you want to, have any girl in Hollywood, and you are hitting on a waitress in Clearhill? I assumed you were just looking for a one-night stand, so I wasn’t about to let myself be drawn in – no matter how attractive you are,” she told him.
“Well, now that we have gotten this awkward conversation out of the way, can I have your phone number?” he said after a few seconds, obviously rallied from her initial rejection.
“Are you kidding me? After all that I just said, and after basically assuming you were a sleazeball, you still want my number?” Tessa couldn’t help but display her shock. Most guys would have run for the hills after this conversation.
“I like your frankness – most girls just tell me whatever they think I want to hear. You haven’t done that, that’s for sure,” he quipped.
Tessa stared at him for a second before a giggle escaped her lips. Seriously? What was she doing? This gorgeous man was sharing playful banter with her and it was as if she was making it her personal goal to push him away.
With a new determination not to be such a Debbie Downer anymore, Tessa took out an empty ticket from the pocket of her apron and scribbled down her name and number.
“Here,” she said, handing him the note, “I’m not sure if we can get our schedules to line up, but I’d love the chance to get to know you better, too.”
When Nate took the paper from her, his fingers brushed over hers, and Tessa felt a ripple of involuntary attraction shoot through her body. At the unexpected turn of events, she decided now might be the best time to check on his order. She could feel a blush spreading across her cheeks.
“Are you free tonight?” Nate asked her just as she turned, thwarting her getaway.
“Ah, yes, I suppose I will be,” she said, turning to face him again.
“Would you like to get a late-night cup of coffee with me?”
“Nope.”
Tessa didn’t realize her glib response would disappoint him so much. She placed her hand lightly on his shoulder.
“I would like to have a cup of hot cider or cocoa with you, instead?” she offered, smiling warmly.
“Not a big coffee fan?” He responded now with the light banter she was hoping for.
“Oh no, I love coffee, but I’m not typically in the mood for it so close to midnight. Another thing – nowhere around here other than the Waffle House is open, but I live in walking distance. Would you like to come over and hang out?” she asked.
“That’d be great. I’m not due back for shooting until tomorrow. It will be nice to just relax a bit with such a lovely woman.”
Nate’s ease at spouting kind words both fascinated and infuriated Tessa. It felt amazing to hear such great compliments, but it also made her just a little uncomfortable.
“I’m sure your order is up. I’ll bring it right out.” She literally bolted for the kitchen before he had a chance to surprise her with anything else.
Swinging through the kitchen doors, she nearly knocked down the rest of the wait staff – all of them finished with their shifts and simply hanging around to find out more about Nate Wilder.
She pushed through them, trying to keep as much information as possible to herself. The last thing Tessa wanted was more attention in regards to her relationships. Not that there was any sort of relationship at this moment with Nate, but it seemed like that could, despite her thinking the idea was completely out of left field, actually be a possibility in the very near future.