by Gina Wilkins
And why hadn’t she told him she would miss him in return? Because she realized now, as she climbed into the sheets still warm from his body, that she would miss him very much, even though she would see him again in only two days. And that was a bit daunting, indicating that she was investing a great deal in this budding relationship.
Apparently he wasn’t the only one getting a little nervous with the speed and intensity with which this momentous development was taking place between them.
Chapter Seven
With Scott out of town and it being Heather’s last day, Friday was particularly busy at work. By the time Tess arrived home, she was already tired, though she still had a party to get through that evening. A fairly momentous party, actually. She would be spending the evening with all of Scott’s family for the first time since they’d become lovers. She doubted he’d shared such details with his relatives, but would they be able to sense the differences between her and Scott?
Scott arranged to pick her up at seven thirty, giving her just enough time to freshen up and change into the green dress she’d bought at Complements. He’d texted that he would be on time, but she knew he was rushing to make it after driving all afternoon from Joplin. She turned in front of her mirror. She’d followed Jenny’s advice of thin black tights and heeled booties, and was glad she had. The dress was a bit shorter than usual for her, though perfectly appropriate for a party this time of year.
“Let me guess,” Scott said when she opened the door to him a few minutes later. “Another purchase from your friend Jenny?”
Her coat draped over one arm, a small gold clutch in her hand, she smiled. “Yes. I bought it the same day as the red one. My holiday splurge for the year.”
“And worth every penny,” he assured her. “You look great. I suppose it would ruin your lipstick if I were to kiss you right now?”
She tilted her face up to him with a smile. “I can reapply it.”
Grinning, he swooped in. “Always resourceful,” he murmured just before his lips covered hers.
It was so good to kiss him again. Just to be with him again. Though they’d spoken by phone several times for business and once just for themselves, it still seemed as though the past two days had passed much too slowly. She’d had dinner with Jenny and Stevie last night and both had commented that she’d been unnaturally distracted.
“You’re thinking about Scott, aren’t you?” Jenny had accused her.
Feeling her cheeks warm, Tess had shrugged sheepishly. “A little.”
“This courtship is moving fast, wouldn’t you say?” Jenny had asked with raised eyebrows. Both she and Stevie had studied Tess’s face closely when they’d gotten together, and Tess wouldn’t be at all surprised to know that her friends could tell she and Scott had taken the next natural step in their relationship.
“It’s not as though he’s someone I just met,” Tess had replied logically.
“True. It’s just a big change, and it’s happened almost overnight.”
Tess could have responded that once Scott got a plan in mind, he rarely saw a reason to delay implementing it. She was his new plan, she’d thought a bit wistfully. And he seemed quite satisfied with how it was coming along.
Stevie, who’d been so perky and bubbly that Tess had wondered if there was some overcompensation involved in the cheeriness, grew a bit quieter when Scott’s name came up. “I talked with him a little at the Holiday Open Home,” she’d confessed. “I have to admit I was trying to read his feelings about you, just for my own curiosity.”
Lifting her eyebrows, Tess had asked, “And...?”
“And I still don’t know,” Stevie had said. “He’s a hard guy to read. He told me he values you highly. When I told him I’d hate to see you hurt, he assured me he would hate that, too.”
Tess didn’t know how she felt about Stevie issuing warnings on her behalf. She was certainly capable of taking care of herself, of course. Still, it was so characteristic of Stevie to feel protective of her friend. Hiding her annoyance, she’d let it go.
It was the same tonight, though as she entered the engagement party, it was nervousness she hid, this time behind a forced smile. Scott’s hand at the small of her back was reassuring, reminding her she wasn’t in this alone. They’d passed the test of whether they could continue to work efficiently despite their personal relationship. Tonight it was important they not be seen as boss and office manager, but as equals. To that end, she held her head high and her shoulders back as she and Scott entered Trapnall Hall, the historic antebellum home that had been rented for tonight’s event.
Built in 1843, the Greek Revival–style brick house had been meticulously restored, and served as the Arkansas governor’s official receiving hall. Tess had been here a few times in the past for various events—business gatherings, a couple of weddings, a charity fashion luncheon, among others—but it had been a while and she was struck again by the beauty of the place. Decorated for the holidays and the reception, it was undeniably the perfect setting for a momentous celebration. The guests mingled around impeccably set round tables with white cloths and glittering tableware, and Tess was secretly relieved to note that her green dress with its touch of glitter had been just the right choice for the evening.
She suspected that Scott’s family had been waiting for them to arrive. The whole clan descended on them almost immediately, greeting them both with warm smiles and cheek kisses.
Short and plump, Holly Prince was towered over by her husband and three sons, adored and healthily feared by all of them. Tess had always liked the cheerful, gregarious woman, but suspected no one had better hurt anyone in Holly’s family lest they feel her wrath. Her husband, Barry, like their sons, was tall and naturally slender. His thinning silver hair topped a face that Tess had always thought looked like Scott in one of those age-progression drawings. Eli and Jake bore a resemblance to their dad, but Scott was his younger duplicate.
“We’re so happy to have you here with us this evening, Tess,” Holly assured her. “You look lovely. What a pretty dress.”
Scott’s sister-in-law Libby studied the green dress with envious dark eyes. “I’ve been looking for something similar for a Christmas party next week. Do you mind if I ask where you got it?”
Tess was always happy to plug her friend’s boutique. She chatted for a few minutes with the Prince women until Holly towed her into the room to present her to other guests, including the happy young couple. No one seemed surprised Scott was there with a date, reminding her that he’d never had trouble finding female companionship, an uncomfortable thought she immediately pushed away.
Tess and Scott dined at a table for eight with his parents, two brothers and their wives. Because she already knew everyone, Tess was able to join in the lively conversation easily enough, though it once again amused her that the Prince clan tended to talk over one another when they got deeply involved in a topic. They were so obviously close-knit, sharing quick grins and private jokes and good-natured insults, yet making Tess feel welcome among them.
She could see both Libby and Christina felt close to their in-laws, as comfortable in the circle as if they’d been born into the family. Tess suspected the ease was partially a result of Holly and Barry Prince’s warm, laid-back parenting style. Scott had informed her his parents had been fairly strict when their sons were in their formative years, but they made it a practice not to get overly involved in their adult lives. They were always there for their sons and grandchildren, but they kept their advice and opinions to themselves unless asked—a policy that served them well with their daughters-in-law, Scott had added with a smile.
Dinner was followed by half a dozen heartfelt toasts from family and friends of the bride-and groom-to-be and then a twenty-minute performance by a smooth-voiced, Arkansas-born pop singer who’d performed well on a nationally televised talent show. The party
pretty much ended with the resulting applause.
Scott gave her a sign that he was ready to slip out as soon as possible. She thought he was probably tired after being in meetings for two days, then on the road for four hours that afternoon. He got delayed for a few minutes of conversation with his father, and Tess hovered patiently nearby, watching in amusement as various starstruck party guests posed for snapshots with the singer.
Her attention lingered for a moment on the engaged couple, who were saying goodbyes to departing guests at the door. They were holding hands, she noted, their fingers interlocked at their sides. Every few minutes their gazes held and they smiled just for each other. They looked young and happy and visibly in love, she thought with a funny little pang she couldn’t quite define.
“Tess, it was lovely to see you this evening,” Holly said warmly as she, too, prepared to leave.
“You, too, Mrs. Prince.”
The older woman patted her arm. “Please, call me Holly. There’s no need to be so formal now that you and my son are seeing each other.”
Was that Scott’s mother’s way of giving her blessing? Tess smiled but had no chance to respond before Scott returned to take her arm. “Okay, now we can leave. We’ve done our duty, right, Mom?”
Holly rolled her eyes comically. “Yes, Scott. You may go now. Thank you for coming. I know Bethany and her family were happy to have you here.”
“As if I’d have had the nerve to skip it,” he muttered, kissing his mother’s soft cheek with a fond impertinence that displayed absolutely no wariness of her. “G’night, Mom.”
She stroked his cheek. “Good night, sweetie. Drive carefully.”
Tess bit her lip as another twinge rippled through her. Maybe she was just weary from a long, busy week, but she was feeling a bit more sentimental than usual tonight.
“You’ve been quiet since we left the party,” Scott observed as he walked her to her door a short while later. “Is everything okay?”
“Of course.” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and smiled faintly up at him as she unlocked her door. “Just tired, I guess. Probably not as much as you, though. You’ve had a very long day, haven’t you?”
He didn’t look entirely reassured. “No one said anything to you? Upset you in any way?”
“Of course not, Scott. Everyone was very nice. Frankly, I was expecting some personal questions or comments, but between dinner, speeches and the musical performance, there wasn’t a lot of time for personal conversations.”
“Yeah, that worked out pretty well, huh? Folks could get used to seeing us together without getting nosy about the details.” He looked rather pleased with himself, as if he’d arranged that in advance.
She stepped inside her living room and looked over her shoulder. “Are you coming in?” she asked when he seemed to hesitate.
He took a couple steps forward, his smile faint. “Sorry. I’m a little slow this evening.”
“You’re tired.” She studied his face, seeing dim shadows beneath his eyes, slightly deeper than usual lines around the corners of his mouth. To what lengths had he gone in order to get back in time for the party? “Go home, Scott. Get some sleep. I know you have that project manager meeting in the morning. Are you sure you don’t need me to be there?”
“No, I’ll text you if we have any questions for you. I’m sure you have things to do.”
She nodded. “I do have shopping to finish and errands to run before Dana’s party. Um, you’re sure you still want to—”
“I’m going to the party with you,” he said flatly, brooking no argument. “I keep my word.”
She offered to drive the next evening, but he insisted that would be out of her way. “The party starts at seven, right? So I’ll be here around six thirty.”
“No rush,” she assured him with a wrinkle of her nose. “It’s not as if I care if we’re the first ones there.”
He chuckled and shook his head. “I’m not having your sister blame me for making you late. I’ll be here on time.”
He continued to stand in the center of the room, one hand squeezing the back of his neck. She got the distinct impression that he was torn between staying and leaving. But just as she hated sending him away, she knew it was best tonight.
“Go get some rest,” she repeated quietly. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
He reached out to pull her into his arms. “I am tired,” he admitted. “I’m afraid once I get horizontal I’ll be out for a while, and I do have that early meeting. So maybe it’s best if I head home.”
Nestling her cheek into his shoulder, she gave him a hug, savoring the feel of him before she had to let him go. “We’ll see each other tomorrow.”
He kissed her lingeringly, then took a step back. “Maybe we should start thinking about having only one place to go to when we’re not at the office.”
Was he really talking about moving in together? They’d been moving fast to this point, but that was kicking the relationship into hyperdrive!
He laughed wryly in response to whatever he saw on her face. “You don’t have to respond to that tonight. Just leaving you with something to think about.”
“As if you haven’t given me enough to think about lately,” she muttered with a shake of her head. “Go get some sleep, Scott.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
She moved to lock the door behind him. “Scott?”
He turned just on the other side of the doorway to look at her. “Yes?”
“I’m glad you’re back. I missed you.”
This time he was the one who seemed caught unprepared. After a moment, he said simply, “Good night, Tess.”
He turned and walked away before she closed the door.
He’d been in an odd mood this evening, she thought as she secured the locks. Maybe it was simply that he was exhausted.
It would have been nice if he’d said he missed her, too.
* * *
Tess’s phone rang late the next morning just as she was loading a few bags of groceries into the backseat of her car. Slamming the door, she lifted the phone to her ear as she slid into the driver’s seat. “Hi, Jenny,” she said, having checked the caller ID screen before answering.
“I’m just calling to let you know that Scott’s sister-in-law came into the shop this morning looking for a party dress. She ended up buying two outfits and some accessories, even a couple of Christmas presents. She said to tell you thanks for sending her to me, so thank you from both of us.”
“You’re both welcome.”
“We were very discreet and didn’t gossip about you and Scott.”
Tess chuckled. “I appreciate that.”
“She did, however, make it clear that the family approves of you and Scott dating.”
“They seemed okay with it at the party.”
“More than okay, I think. They think you and Scott are a good match.”
A good match. A great team. Inevitable. The labels echoed through her mind.
Their relationship sounded so ordinary when described that way. Unexciting. Even calculated. Was that how their friends and families saw them? The way Scott saw them?
“I’m glad to hear they approve,” she said, keeping her tone steady.
“You’re okay? You sound a little funny.”
“I’m in my car in a parking space. Just finished running some errands and buying groceries.”
“Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean to catch you at a bad time. We’re going to have to get together soon, right? I want to hear details of how things are going with you and Scott, of course. And we need to talk about Stevie. I’m getting a little worried about her.”
So Tess wasn’t the only one who’d noticed that Stevie hadn’t quite been herself lately. “I’ll call you to set something up,” she promised.
“Great. Gavin has three days off, so I’m planning to work here until three or so this afternoon and then he and I are heading up to the cabin until Monday evening. We’re looking forward to a few days away. But as soon as I get back, you and I are making plans, okay?”
“Absolutely.”
She put her phone in the console after disconnecting the call and backed out of the parking space. Her errands were done, so her intention was to head straight home and rest awhile before the party. Tonight was going to be a more emotionally stressful event than the previous ones. She expected her family to be much more nosy and critical than Scott’s had been. Would her sister be able to tell by looking at them exactly how much had changed in the past couple of weeks?
Her concerns about the evening were driven from her mind a few minutes later when a car ran a stop sign in an intersection near her condo and crashed into the back-passenger side of her car. Her seat belt tightened, holding her in her seat, and she gripped the wheel with white-knuckled fists as she brought the car to a stop. The jarring, sickening sound of the impact rang in her ears, her heart pounded and her knees shook beneath the steering wheel. After a quick visual self-exam that told her she was still in one piece, she opened the door with trembling hands to assess the damage to her car and the other driver. To her relief, she could see that he was already out of his car and seemed unharmed.
She was grateful no one was hurt, but really she hadn’t needed this today, she thought with a groan. As she leaned back against her dented car, one thought rang through her mind: Was this an omen for how things would go tonight?
* * *