CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Tess
Tess arrived at work early the next morning, eager to reach Mr. Moody.
It had been over a week since he’d promised to ask about getting The Outpost out of the deal, and patience was not her forte.
His wedding was on Saturday—two days from now—and if she didn’t get an answer before then, she’d have to wait another four weeks while he honeymooned.
As she unlocked the door and entered, she heard something in the rear section. Someone was here! Conveniently, there was a display of crossbows in the front window.
“Hello?” she called, picking up a light-weight model and an arrow, ready to load it if needed.
Crossbow slung over her shoulder, she walked toward the noise. “Who’s here?” she tried again.
In the back, by the camping gear, the model tent rustled. She pulled out her phone and texted Nick, telling him someone had broken into the store.
“I know you’re in there,” she said, loading the arrow, raising the bow, and pointing it at the tent entrance. “I’ve called the police. Come out now.”
The flap unzipped, and Garrett, one of her part-time teenage employees, crawled out with his hands raised. “Tess, I’m sorry. It’s me. Don’t shoot.”
“Garrett!” She lowered her weapon. “What are you doing here? Did you sleep here?”
He nodded sheepishly. “I know I shouldn’t have, but I didn’t have anywhere else to go.”
“Don’t you live with your parents? What happened?”
“It’s a long story, but I…sort of…ran away.”
“From home? Why?”
“I had to.” Garrett’s back stiffened in defiance. “I found a dog on the side of the highway, and my parents say I can’t keep him. I’m protesting!”
“How long have you been staying here?”
“Only a couple of nights. It’s only until I can convince them to let me adopt poor little Sherlock Bones.”
“Please tell me the dog isn’t in there with you.” A yappy bark answered from inside the tent, and Garrett hung his head. “Out. Both of you. I don’t have the time or patience to deal with this right now.”
“Tess?” Nick hollered from the front. “You in here?”
“Back here,” Tess called out. “It’s fine. I found the culprit.”
Her brother came to her side, took in the scene, and pressed his lips together. “Got a squatter?”
“Two,” Tess said, nodding to a brown and white mutt. “They were just leaving.”
Garrett had been scrambling to pack up his stuff, but upon seeing Nick, abandoned his belongings.
“I’ll get that junk later.” He snatched up the dog and practically ran toward the door. “Sorry, again, Tess,” he called over his shoulder. “Be back at one for my shift.”
“Think I scared him straight?” Nick laughed.
“I think he peed his pants a little,” Tess said. “You terrified him.”
“Hey, all I did was show up.” He shrugged. “I can’t help it if I’m that intimidating.”
“All right. Well, thanks for coming so quickly. I’ll talk to him later.”
She settled into her small office and called Mr. Moody.
“I was hoping to get an update,” she said when he answered. “Any news from the buyer?”
“I asked the attorneys to reach out to them the same day I talked to you. So, when was that? Last Monday?” Moody grunted, and Tess heard papers shuffling.
“I’m still waiting for a reply. The problem is that I’m getting married on Saturday and leaving town for a month after that.
According to the contract, the buyer has ten days to respond.
That’s next Monday. If they wait that long, I’ll already be in Santorini.
It’s kind of turning into a cluster, Tess. ”
“I know. And I’m sorry to be such a pain. I really appreciate you trying.”
Moody let out a slow breath. “I get it,” he said. “This is partly my fault. I should’ve offered it to you in the first place. I’ll give you the number to the attorney’s office and leave instructions with them to contact you directly when they receive a response. Probably Tuesday at the latest.”
“Thanks, Mr. Moody. Good luck getting married again.”
The conversation hadn’t sounded promising and left her bummed out. At least she’d know one way or the other by early next week. Even if it turned out to be bad news, ending the suspense would be a relief.
Tess had only been working for a couple of hours when Faith called.
“It’s too nice a day to be inside,” she said. “Let’s go golfing.”
One of the best perks of Tess’s job was the flexibility. As long as she got her work done, no one micromanaged her—a benefit she would probably have to give up if she left here.
“I’m in,” she said without hesitation.
“Good. I figured you would be. Juliet already made the tee time. See you at eleven.”
She was almost finished with the upcoming week’s work schedule when Logan popped in.
“Hey,” Tess said. “What are you doing here?”
“Thought I’d surprise you,” he said. “Buy you lunch.”
“Oh. I wish you’d have called. I’m on my way out to golf with the girls.”
“Business must be good if you’re able to take off at a moment’s notice.”
“Yeah. I guess.” It felt like he was trying to ask a question with his statement, but Tess couldn’t tell what, so she brushed the feeling aside. “I don’t really have set hours. Just have to get things done.”
“Well, it is a beautiful day.” He glanced around at the papers on her desk, as if searching for something specific.
“You’re acting weird.”
“What?” His eyes quit wandering and snapped to hers. He shook his head. “Sorry, don’t mean to be.”
“Okay, well, rain check on lunch?”
“Actually, lunch was just an excuse to sit you down and ask you out. For tomorrow night. You busy?”
“No,” Tess said. “That sounds great.”
“Fantastic.” He smiled. “I couldn’t find much to do around here, so it’s kind of a road trip. We’ll have to spend the night.”
“An overnighter, huh?” She raised an eyebrow.
“Two beds,” he blurted. “Two rooms if you want. Sorry, I didn’t realize how presumptuous the idea sounded until I said it out loud just now.”
Tess laughed. “Where are we going?”
“It’s a surprise.” He approached her and put his hands on her hips. “I am excited to spend some time with you though. Alone.”
“Me too.” She went up on her toes and kissed him. “See you tonight for our softball game.”
After the first nine, Tess and her friends took a break to eat a late lunch at the clubhouse.
“Thank goodness,” Faith said. “I’m starving.”
“I thought you were sick,” Juliet said.
“That was an hour ago.” Faith studied the menu. “Now I want something hot and greasy. Yes, I’ll regret it later, but little Zeriana wants what little Zeriana wants.”
“You cannot name your baby that,” Tess said. “Even if you got Nick to agree, I forbid it.”
“Probably not.” Faith shrugged. “It’s a work in progress.”
“Any word from Moody?” Alex asked.
Tess replayed the conversation from earlier that morning. “Either way, I should find out by next week. I’m not holding my breath though.”
“That’s a bummer,” Juliet sympathized.
“What about Logan?” Alex asked. “How’s it goin’ with him?”
“Fine,” Tess said. “It’s weird. We spend almost every evening together, but between softball games, council meetings, and dinner with you guys, we’re never alone. Tomorrow’s our first official date.”
“You nervous about that?” Faith asked.
Tess shrugged. “Not really. He won’t tell me where we’re going, but said to pack an overnight bag.”
“Overnight? Yowza,” Juliet said. “You gonna sleep with him?”
“I haven’t decided yet.” It had crossed her mind. Tess wasn’t a prude, but she also didn’t hop into the sack with just anyone. In fact, she was extremely selective. Logan was tempting, for sure. More than most. But she’d play tomorrow by ear.
“Better shave your legs.” Faith waggled her eyebrows. “Just in case.”
“You still think he’s hiding something from you?” Alex said. “What if it’s the serial killer thing?”
“I’ll share my phone tracking so you can find me,” Tess said. “If I’m not back by noon Saturday…”