Page 28 of Stripping Bare

7

Although Tessa wantedto gun her engine and speed all the way back to the city, she’d learned not to let those kinds of impulses overwhelm her. When things became too jumbled and messy, she couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t hold her thoughtstogether.

So instead of taking I-40, she found herself winding her way down from the property Jonah owned and into the quaint town of Steele Ridge. A cup of tea would be just the thing, especially since she’d barely touched the one at hishouse.

How had he known what type she preferred and why did he have it in his kitchencabinets?

Don’t read anything into it. Even the most experienced mental health professional would have a hell of a time figuring out why Jonah Steele does half the things hedoes.

She slowed and cruised down Main Street. The town wasn’t a metropolis by any stretch and had a less funky vibe than Asheville, but there was something about it—a sense of warmth and connectedness—with the sparkling storefronts and the Smokies standing watch over itall.

People weren’t bustling, but were taking their time wandering from the bakery to a handful of small shops. In front of the bakery sat a sandwich sign chalked with the day’s special—reindeer cookies—and a quote:Pain you must accept if love it is youseek.

“Apparently Yoda is handing out relationship advice these days,” she said toherself.

Tessa slowed to peer more closely at a shop named Triskelion Gallery. The window sign said “Reopening Soon Under New Management.” Then there was La Belle Style rocking outfits just as hip as anything Tessa had ever seen inSeattle.

She pulled into a metered spot in front of Blues, Brews, & Books. Inside, she slid into a seat at a two-top and pulled her laptop from her tote. Since Jonah wasn’t inclined to help her, she needed to reach out to people and do damagecontrol.

She considered shutting down the e-mail account Carson and the others had received the blackmail threats from, but thought better of it. That was the only connection she had to the hacker rightnow.

So she ordered her tea, smiling up at the pretty blonde when she brought it and biscotti to the table. “Thank you. Would you happen to have Wi-Fi?”

“Not a place in town that doesn’t these days.” The blonde laughed and scribbled a combination of letters and numbers on a business card. $30+33621e.

Looked like some type of strange math problem, but Tessa typed it in and connected. She set up a new e-mail address and gave it a gobbledy-gook password that she whispered to herself to make it hold in hermind.

However, she wasn’t willing to check her bank accounts for any strange activity over a shared Internet connection. That would have to wait until she was home. Instead, she pulled out a small notebook and sketched a mindmap.

Fake e-mails

Carson

Davey

Lauren

Blackmail

Suicide

Secrets

Hackedfiles?

Tessa

Her own name seemed to radiate from the page. But the problem was, she didn’t know exactly how the bubbles related to oneanother.

She’d walked out of Jonah’s house as if she had a plan and knew how to execute it, but the truth was, her brain wouldn’t stop churning. And that was something she tried to avoid at allcosts.

One thing at atime.

Letting her mind settle, she gazed around the restaurant-slash-bar with an adorable Little Free Library in one corner. What she’d seen of Jonah’s hometown so far, sheliked.

The front door opened and in walked a gorgeous, curvy woman wearing a sweater duster with crazy flowers embroidered all over it. The colors were bright and bold—yellow, red, black, andteal.

Tessa glanced down at her own gabardine slacks and Brooks Brothers blazer. In her pursuit of professionalism, had she abandoned her sense of style? Had she built up a sort of silk and woolarmor?