She could tell she had made a mistake when he saw surprise and then confusion in his eyes.
He cupped her chin. “What’s going on?”
She tried to pull away. “Nothing. I just want to rest.”
His eyes narrowed on her. She could tell he didn’t believe her, but she didn’t know what else to say or do.
“Did you and Jade fight?”
She shook her head.
“Did something happen today that made you sad?” he asked.
That almost did her in. She had to blink furiously to dispel the tears that were filling her eyes. “No.”
“Baby, you’re scaring me. Tell me what’s going on.”
“Don’t be. I’m fine. I just want to be left alone.”
Damn, he still wouldn’t leave.
“Jade said you were here for more than twenty minutes before I came home, but the lights were off, and you didn’t say anything to me. So where were you?”
Absolutely nothing came to mind. She hadn’t even guessed he’d ask that. Tessa knew she was pushing him with all the lies, so she tried to stay as close to the truth as possible.
“I … I was here, but you were on the phone.”
“Yes, I was talking to Mac. He’s a friend. But then I got off the phone. Why didn’t you say anything then?”
“I-I don’t know. I started feeling sick.”
She could tell he didn’t believe her, but she wasn’t going to tell him the truth until she could think about it.
A thought popped into her head. “Has the house in Little Rock been sold?”
“No. It hasn’t even been put on the market.”
Good, at least she’d have a place to live. “Can I rest, please?”
“Yes, for a bit. But I think there’s a lot more we need to talk about.”
He bent forward and kissed her. A sob stuck in her throat, and she stiffened.
Nate sighed. “Rest. I’ll check on you in a bit.”
She nodded, turned away from him, and closed her eyes. Time and space were what she needed the most at that moment.
His footsteps receded down the hallway, and she finally relaxed.
Chapter Eleven
Nate walked into his office, filled a glass with bourbon, and sat in his chair. He tried to list everything that might have upset his little, but he couldn’t think of one.
Tessa always seemed happy, and he thought she liked living with him. She was making friends, and the girls found things to do during the day while their men worked. The women were even taking over some of the business paperwork, so that was less the men had to do.
He picked up his phone and called Cole.
“This is Cole.”