Chapter Twelve #2
Tess frowned. “I know I’m perceived as guarded and stodgy.
” Then she decided to move on from her insecurities, that she’d been excluded.
She wouldn’t have cared at all in the past—probably relieved not to participate—but she would have loved to spend more time with Bree, even in their agreed upon professional roles.
It was time that Bree had spent with the other judges.
Tess sucked in a deep lungful of air before she redirected the conversation.
“You know, there are a few things I’d like to chat about too.
Things I might be able to help you with. ”
“Is that so?” Bree smiled. “So what falls into our guidelines that you can help me with?”
“First, I want to know how it’s going. Is your workload okay?”
“I think we both work too hard, Especially you with your new admin role.” Some tease entered Bree’s tone. “Now, if things included a bigger paycheck, longer weekends…But I suspect those are out of your control.”
Tess chuckled. “You and me both. If I had that kind of power, I’d certainly use it. Just think how popular I’d be.”
“You’re already pretty popular with me.”
Tess fought to control her lip twitch. “Back to my query about you. How are you settling in to our fine town? Do you need a good dentist? Because I really like mine.”
“Rachelle gave me a referral to hers, a Dr. Jones. But if I’m not happy, I’ll let you know. Gotta keep these pearly whites looking good.” Bree gave Tess an exaggerated open-lipped smile.
Tess nodded and lingered a bit on Bree’s mouth before she cleared her throat. “I suspect you’ve found a hairstylist who works?”
“I have,” Bree replied. “But the information I’m dying for isn’t a stylist or a dentist. I want to know a good bakery. I’m trying not to feed my sweet tooth, but Rachelle only buys supermarket bread. I’d love to know where the best bread in town is.”
Tess put her finger to her lips. “Now, don’t ruin my reputation around here as someone who eats yogurt for lunch in an effort to maintain my figure, but if you keep it under wraps, I can tell you that there’s a great place, Bun Run Bakery, on the corner of Third and Breck Street, that has bread to die for. ”
Bree laughed. “Bun Run—that sounds more like the reason for your treadmill. And I’m not even going to go there about the best buns in town.”
God, they certainly couldn’t keep from flirting, Tess thought as she watched Bree’s eyes dance while she made a zip-across-the-lips gesture that indicated she was fully on board with the bakery secret.
“I’ll only open these lips to eat the entire loaf after I stop there on my way home from work tonight.”
“The entire loaf, huh? Good thing that robe of yours has a lot of room for expansion.”
“And I’ll blame you when I gain a hundred pounds from eating this bread you’re recommending.” Bree went silent for a moment and then returned to the start of their conversation. “I love chatting with you, but that’s not why I came to talk to you.”
“Okay. How can I help you, Judge O’Brian?” Tess asked.
“Huffington wasn’t there at the tavern either. I think Vera just invited us underling judges, not you two leaders,” Bree offered. Then she commenced to convey what she’d witnessed in the tavern parking lot while she waited for her brother to pick her up. Tess listened before she responded.
“Since I’ve already passed on what happened to you in that café parking lot to the police chief, I’ll do the same with this.
I don’t know what else to do because we don’t even know for sure if this is related to the court, who’s involved, or even what the apparent attempted offering was specifically about.
That seemed to be Chief Myers’s take as well, but at least now she’s been alerted. ”
“I agree, but I still wanted to keep you informed. As informed as possible anyway.” Bree paused, then she muttered, “I’d bet my new gavel it’s related to the courthouse. I don’t know exactly how, but be careful.” Bree fell silent.
Tess perceived something undisclosed in Bree’s delivery, but she had no clue what it might be.
“I’ve said it before. You need to be careful too.
There’s no telling what the danger is. You’re new here, so I know you’re not complicit in anything, but you’ve given those involved a message that you’ve taken sides by turning them down.
” Tess hated the thought of Bree as a target, of Bree in peril.
“I know you aren’t complicit either, Tess.”
“No, you don’t,” Tess replied. “Don’t make assumptions because they could get you hurt.” Bree’s intense blue eyes captured Tess’s and conveyed her resolve that she knew Tess wasn’t guilty of any wrongdoing, and Tess couldn’t bring herself to look away.
“I know I’ve hurt you, and yet you want me safe.
I’ve also seen you when you’ve shed that robe.
” Bree raised her eyebrows in a suggestive manner that elicited an inappropriate response of desire in Tess.
“You’re not complicit. You’re not guarded or stodgy either.
You forget, I’ve spent a week with Tahoe Tess. ”
Tahoe Tess? Tess felt the heat rise in her cheeks, and Bree had the audacity to perform a hint of a twerk.
“Well, maybe a little bit stodgy.” Bree laughed as she watched Tess flush.
“I thought we’d settled on a reset.” Tess knew there was a level of husk in her voice that wasn’t about cordial, or amiable, or simply friendly.
Bree shook her head. “Okay. No shimmying in the presiding judge’s office, even if she’s…” Bree didn’t finish the sentence, and Tess wasn’t sure whether she felt pleased or disappointed. Then she decided that she would like to know what Bree had been going to say, but Bree had sobered.
“Do we still have a meeting planned for the high school play?” Tess changed the subject to the next thing that was on her mind.
“You wouldn’t let down a kid, would you, Judge Fairchild? Gabby’s counting on it.”
It was Tess’s turn to shake her head. “Shall I meet you there?”
“No, the meeting starts with an early family dinner at the Rude Rooster Diner before the rest of the entertainment.”
Tess gave her a fake scowl. “How did we get from the kid doing math homework at our last meeting to dinner and a play with the kid’s family at our next meeting?”
Bree offered an innocent appearing shrug. “No idea, Your Honor. But I’ll send you the time that we’ll plan to pick you up.”
As Bree left, Tess wondered how her convictions had ended up so far off course.
Well, she wouldn’t let Gabby down, but Bree was just too enticing for someone who didn’t want her heart broken, for someone Bree didn’t really want a romantic relationship with.
Once again, Tess promised herself that she’d keep her emotional distance from Bree, but she knew that promise seemed to only go as far as Bree’s actual distance was from her.