Tessa’s POV
“How long have you been there for?” Joseph asked, eyeing me carefully.
“Long enough to hear about a cookout tomorrow,” I said, a faint smile playing on my lips. “Are we going?”
“No.”
He began to walk toward the stairs, and I could tell he wasn’t planning on saying anything else on the subject.
I stood to my feet quickly, following him up the stairs.
“No?” I asked disappointment in my tone. “Why not?”
“It’s too soon to throw you in the mix of things,” he answered. “The others are wary of your presence, and I don’t want to put you in danger.”
“I should probably break the ice at some point,” I told him once we got back to the bedroom. “That’s the whole purpose of me being here, right? To see if I c
