She had nearly forgotten about Tom’s reaction to them on the ice, too consumed by Andy’s outlandish request to betray her fake boyfriend, but she recalled it now. Tom was jealous—and she wanted to laugh. Even if he was right, that Andy was the easier, if not the better choice in her family’s eyes, Sameera had zero romantic interest in Andy, and not only because of his complete disregard for his BFF’s family legacy, and willingness to throw Tom under the bus. She simply didn’t see Andy that way.
Sameera put a hand on Tom’s arm and turned to face him. “Your friend has charisma,” she said truthfully. “He’s rich, and my parents are entirely charmed. But I’m not interested.”
Tom rubbed the back of his head and looked sheepish. “I know we’re not ... that you’re not ... I know what we are, I mean. You can like whoever you like. Just ... watching the two of you skate together,I guess I felt a certain kind of way. But Andy’s a solid guy. I know he wouldn’t try anything underhanded. Forget I said anything.”
Don’t be so sure about that. Sameera wanted to cry, to tell Tom that actually, he should be worried. That his best friend had just asked his fake girlfriend to try to use her wiles to help him get his way. Tom’s words had only strengthened her resolve to tell him the truth.
But before she could reveal all, Tom continued, “It’s just that lately, things have felt different between me and Andy.”
Sameera paused. Tom clearly wanted to talk this out with her, and after Esa had so graciously allowed her to vent, she felt obliged to pay it forward. She also wanted to know what Tom thought was going on before she spoke any further. “That comment you made earlier, about him visiting Alaska without you. It made me wonder,” she said now.
“Of course you noticed that,” Tom said, smiling down at her. “You never miss a thing. I bet you’re hell in the courtroom.”
Her heart warmed at his compliment, and she raised her eyebrow, encouraging him to continue.
“Barb told me Andy has visited a few times in the past year or two,” he said, shrugging as if it were no big deal. Or that he was convincing himself it wasn’t. “I thought it strange he never mentioned it to me.”
That was because the reason he had visited was to try to convince Rob to sell Cooke Place, right from under Tom’s nose, Sameera thought grimly. Or maybe Tom wouldn’t mind?
“That does sound strange,” she said, trying to keep her voice impassive. “What did Barb say about it?”
“Just that Andy had been in the state and asked to drop by. He’s visited a few times with me over the years, so it’s not like he’s a complete stranger to the area.” Tom’s tone was casual, but she could tell that he was willing it to mean nothing while knowing on some level that it did.
Sameera thought quickly. “I thought you were estranged from your dad. That he cut you off when you dropped out of school.”
Tom nodded. “He did. We weren’t in touch for nearly a year. Gradually, we started talking again, though things weren’t the same. Mostly, I findout what’s up through Barb. We text, and she calls to invite me home for the holidays. Andy came with me a few times. Rob loves him, of course.”
Likely because Andy had gone out of his way to charm Rob. “Does Andy like it here? He made a joke about buying Cooke Place,” she said cautiously. She wasn’t sure what she was doing.
Tom laughed, shaking his head. “He makes that joke every time he visits. Tells my dad how much he loves the house, the property. Andy falls in love with places, but he soon moves on. That’s why he has four houses. Or maybe six.”
“You don’t think he’s serious about buying Cooke Place?” Sameera pressed.
“It wouldn’t matter if he was,” Tom said. “My dad would never sell.”
“Because he wants to pass it on to you. Except you don’t want to move back to Alaska. Do you?”
Tom seemed startled at the suggestion. “You know I don’t,” he said. He seemed troubled by the idea. “Do you think Andy was serious?”
Yes!she wanted to yell.Your friend is hella sus,as Esa would say. “What do you think?”
Tom’s clouded expression brightened. “Here we are,” he said.
Sameera had been so intent on the conversation that she hadn’t noticed where they were walking. Tom opened the door to Hilda’s Bakery, ushering Sameera inside.
“What are we doing here?” she asked. She wanted to continue their conversation, but Tom seemed content to let the matter drop, for now.
“I asked Hilda if we could make use of her kitchen this afternoon,” Tom said, and he sounded almost shy. “To make another video. Would that be okay?”
They could continue their conversation in between filming, she reasoned. Besides, he was adorable when he was trying to tamp down his excitement. “Yes, you dork,” she said fondly. “Let’s cook.”
Chapter Twenty
Hilda set them up in the back, after reminding Tom to tag the bakery’s social media account when he posted. “I thought we could make some dessert to take to Abu Isra’s place tonight,” he said once she’d left them alone. “How about something desi?”
“If you makegulab jamun, my mom will ask Abu Isra to marry us after dinner. She has agulab jamunaddiction,” Sameera joked, referring to the golden fried dessert that resembled doughnut holes soaked in rose-and-cardamom-flavored syrup.
“It’s bad enough Abu Isra is cooking for us on his day off. I don’t want him to officiate a wedding, too,” Tom said. “Pie it is.”
