Sameera encouraged Andy and Tom to walk ahead, explaining that she wanted to check out a few gifts for friends in Atlanta from a particular stall. Once the men had disappeared, and she walked around until she found a sliver of cell phone reception, she texted Nadiya.
Things are getting complicated. I need you, Nads. Please, call me.
She stared at her phone, willing her WhatsApp phone app to ring, but nothing. She checked her watch, and wondered if her sister was sleeping, or out with friends, or working on her dissertation—with Nadiya’s random hours, she could never be sure.
Next, she called Bee, but the phone rang several times before voicemail kicked in. She hung up and texted. Then there was nothing to do but find a seat on a bench at the edges of the market and worry about what Andy had explained to her on the ice, about the price he expected her to pay in exchange for working with him.
“Tom and his dad aren’t close,” Andy had said to her as they skated in slow circles. “I’m sure you’ve noticed the tension between them. I bet Tom has told you plenty of stories.”
Sameera kept quiet, but of course she knew all about the strained relationship between Tom and Rob. Still, admitting as much felt like a betrayal of Tom, especially since she didn’t know where Andy was going with this information.
Andy continued, “I love the guy, but Tom has always been hyperfocused on his own goals. That’s how he made his catering business a success in a crowded market. He’s the best at what he does, no question. I have a different superpower. I always see the bigger picture, which means I can see that Wolf Run, and Cooke Place in particular, is an unexplored gold mine. And I want it.”
“You ... want it?” Sameera repeated. She felt dizzy and had to stop to take a few deep breaths. “What does that even mean?”
“It means that for the past few years, I’ve visited Rob and Barb regularly, and done my best to make them like me. I’ve offered to buy the house several times and pay whatever they like—within reason, of course, but well over what the property is worth. Rob won’t even consider an offer, because he thinks Tom will eventually return home and take his rightful place as his heir.” Andy rolled his eyes. “You know how parents can be.”
Sameera had started to skate backward, away from Andy, almost without realizing what she was doing. He kept pace with her, his skating skills mediocre but up to the job. “I don’t understand what you expect me to do about this. I just met Tom. We’re not even together, like I told you.”
Andy’s snort conveyed his disbelief at her words. “If you’re not technically together, it’s only a matter of time before that state of affairs changes, sweetheart,” he said. “I’m not above using every tactic at my disposal. You talk to Tom. Encourage him to tell Rob, in no uncertain terms, that he has no intention of ever moving back to Wolf Run. That he will never again live at Cooke Place. It’s the truth, right?”
Sameera tried not to panic. How had this conversation so thoroughly gone off the rails? “I’m not the right person for this mission,” she said, trying to keep her voice firm.
Andy’s voice turned low and persuasive, threaded with a hint of fear. His dark eyes were intense on her face, and she couldn’t look away. “Sameera, I’ll level with you: I’m desperate. You’re right about my market share. My bubble tea shops haven’t recovered after the pandemic, andwith inflation, supply issues, and increased competition, I’m not sure they ever will. I have to pivot, and I have to do it quickly. I already have developers lined up. I’ve been talking with architects; the plan is ready to go. All I need is to secure the property. I plan to turn Wolf Run into a major skiing destination, an eco-resort like nothing ever seen before. Alaska is the perfect spot for it.”
Sameera blinked. Wolf Run, a tourist town? She couldn’t see it, but then again, her superpower wasn’t turning ideas into money, like Andy’s was.
“I could use a commercial litigator if I go ahead with this plan,” Andy said. “Especially one who has proven their loyalty to my vision. Tom will listen to you. He knows you have no stake in this decision either way. Will you help me?”
Andy’s words reverberated in her mind now, and they made her sick. All she had wanted was a chance to pitch him, or, failing that, some peace and quiet to catch up on her billable hours over the holidays. Instead, she was sitting in a tiny village in Alaska because her parents thought she was a liar, and her whale had just revealed himself to be a shark in disguise.
As a litigator, she was trained to quickly and thoroughly consider all options and figure out the best way forward, and she forced herself to do that now. It would be easy to tell Tom what Andy had asked her to do. But would Tom even believe her? They had known each other for about a week. He had known Andy for over a decade. It was highly likely that he would take his best friend’s side over hers, especially considering his recent coolness. The other option was to go along with Andy’s request. After all, Tom had never given any indication that he wanted to move back to Wolf Run—if anything, he had told her the exact opposite. Except she couldn’t deceive Tom in that way; it wouldn’t be right. Perhaps she should pretend to go along with Andy’s request, tell him she had talked to Tom, let his plans fall apart, and accept her reward? But if Andy was willing to blackmail his best friend’snew girlfriend to get what he wanted, he would hardly accept such an easy defeat.
Her head was starting to pound. The only thing she knew for sure was that she needed a vacation from this vacation.
Just then, two familiar figures came through the woods toward the market, and she recognized Esa and Cal. Her brother waved, and something in her heart clenched. At least this trip had brought her closer to him, enough for her to see how much her little brother had grown up, and how deeply she had missed him.
“We hitched a ride into town,” Esa said cheerfully. “Cal said I had to try Hilda’s doughnuts. What’s wrong?” His expression shifted from friendly to alarmed as Sameera’s eyes filled with tears.
“Nothing,” she said, brushing at her eyes. “Doughnuts sound amazing right now.”
Esa looked at Cal, who lifted his chin in acknowledgment before turning around and ambling toward the stalls. Her brother settled next to her on the bench with the air of a martyr—his sacrifice being doughnuts later instead of doughnuts right now.
“Why don’t you tell me what’s wrong?” he said. “And who I need to punch.”
It was strange talking to her brother about her rapidly multiplying problems, but once she started, she found she couldn’t stop. The story came spilling out—her fears over her job, meeting Tom at the firm’s holiday party, deciding to help each other, Tahsin’s interference and the resulting last-minute trip to Alaska, and now Andy’s outlandish request. Esa listened without interrupting, smiling only when she spoke about their mother’s machinations, with which he was also familiar. She skipped over a few parts, such as her kissing Tom, but otherwise left nothing out.
It was such a relief to tell someone that she immediately felt better. More than that, it felt good to confide in her brother, to feel closeenough to him that she could do so. Even a week ago, sharing such confidences would have been impossible. When she finished, Esa looked thoughtful.
“This sounds like the plot from one of those rom-coms you used to watch,” he said.
“Which one?” she asked.
“All of them?” he said, then laughed. She punched him lightly on his arm, flinching. Her brother must have started to work out, because his bicep was firm.
“I always believed you when you said you and Tom were faking it,” Esa said.
“Really?” she said. This was news to her. At least someone in her family could tell when she was telling the truth.
