“Time for me to get back to work.” He put his hand on her shoulder and looked into her eyes. “I hope to see you around.”
Say something. Don’t let him leave without getting his number.
But he was already gone, heading straight for Emma and her horse. He patted the girl’s leg, his face filled with pride as he helped her down, loosening the girth so Emma could walk the horse out and let him cool off a bit.
Tessa watched as the pair walked away.
Just as he disappeared from her view, Mike looked up, straight in her eyes and winked. He had winked at her! Her heart soared. She beamed her smile at him. She felt like a giddy teenager.
*****
Tessa felt like she had missed her chance, but she also remembered the feeling when Mike had winked at her, and knew that if it was meant to be, she would see Mike again.
She fell into a routine of hiking the various paths around the hills and enjoyed the fresh air. She hadn’t hired anyone yet to clean her house, so she pretty much rocked the housecleaning and fell into bed exhausted every night.
She was finishing up tidying the kitchen when the buzzer from the front gate rang. She walked over to the security panel beside the door leading into the kitchen. She pressed the talk button and said, “Hello.”
A friendly woman, about forty, waved at the camera.
“Hi. We haven’t met officially, but I wanted to invite you to a gala at the country club coming up on Saturday. Can I come up?”
Relieved that the camera wasn’t two-way, Tessa wracked her brain, trying to figure out what a gala even was. The woman waited expectedly, friendly smile plastered on her face as if it was painted on.
Tessa released the latch on the pedestrian gate to the side of the main gate, letting the woman in. Tessa grabbed two bottles of spring water and headed out into the courtyard. She wasn’t going to make the woman walk the entire way, and she wasn’t about to let this stranger into her home to snoop around.
The pretty blond leaned forward, walking up the steep hill with little effort. Tessa had seen the woman before, just not dressed so smartly. In place of her jogging suit and well-worn running shoes, the woman wore a chic business suit and cream-colored pumps with a fashionable red bottom.
Tessa handed the woman an ice cold water and offered her a seat on the comfortably padded outdoor lounge in the rose garden.
“You’re Tessa, right?” the woman asked, sipping the water.
“Yes. You’ll have to forgive me, I’m horrible with names.”
“Jeanette. Jeanette Rice. I live down the street.”
Tessa remembered now. She’d met the woman more than once, though she was almost unrecognizable all dolled up with her hair down and straightened.
Jeanette handed her a thick folded card with gold trim around the edges. Fancy. Tessa flipped it over and read the invitation.
Please join us for an evening to benefit St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital
Cocktails begin 18h00
Dinner served 20h00
Silent Auction, Dancing 21hoo – 01h00
Saturday, June 24th, 2001
Castlewood Country Club
Jeanette smiled warmly t Tessa. “I hope that you won’t hold it against us that the benefit will be at the Country Club. They donate their club and servers for the evening. It’s a lovely place.”
“It sounds great,” Tessa replied.
Jeanette leaned in closer and asked, “Are you the mysterious woman who won the lottery and disappeared?”
Tessa considered denying it, but the twinkle in Jeanette’s hazel eyes said that she already knew. She didn’t want to start off a friendship by lying. Tessa decided to take a chance. She nodded and smiled.
“Yes. Is it that obvious?”
“No, Not really. I’m just very observant. You don’t seem poor but you kind of have that skittish, newly into money, deer in the headlights look. Coming into that amount of money can be daunting and it can be hard to find your place in this world, especially coming from humble roots.”
“That’s the nicest way I’ve ever heard the ghetto described.”
Jeanette laughed out loud. “We’re not all stuffy old rich ladies. Some of us are self-made.”
The two women talked easily, and Tessa found herself enjoying Jeanette’s company. She was down-to-earth and easy to talk with.
Tessa admitted that she had no idea what to wear to a gala.
“Oh honey, I can help you with that. My husband swears that shopping is my life’s work. How about tomorrow? Pick you up about one?”
Tessa smiled and nodded her head enthusiastically.
Jeanette stood up, and smiled.
“I have to leave, but I wanted to tell you something I learned when I first came into money that saved me loads of heartache. People are people, old or young, rich or poor, they don’t change. There are assholes amongst the rich just as much as the poor; perhaps more so. But, they can only make you feel what you let them. Where you got your money is none of their concern, and your status as nouveau-riche, that’s the new fancy term for people coming into money, doesn’t diminish you as a person. Old money spends just as well as new money. Don’t let people make you feel lesser than.”
Tessa had to give the woman credit, she was very perceptive. She had zeroed in and pinpointed the thing that had held Tessa back. It quashed her fear with her kind words. She threw her arms around Jeanette, squeezing the woman tightly.
“Honey just remember, we all sit to take a crap.” She laughed and walked to the gate, waving her hand in the air, as she walked through the wrought-iron gate.
Tessa smiled as she walked around her rose garden and back to the house.
*****
Jeanette was right on time, pulling up the gate in a sleek, white jaguar sedan with toffee-colored leather seats. Tessa hadn’t known what to wear, so she settled on a chic, powder blue pantsuit with a plunging neckline. A simple tennis bracelet and a chunky butterfly pendent completed the look. Her ballet flats were dyed to match and complimented the outfit perfectly.
Jeanette whistled when Tessa stepped into the car.
“You look hot,” she declared, winking at Tessa and smiling wide. “It’s going to be fun to dress shop with you. There are so many more options when you’re twenty, and with your skin tone.”
Jeanette drove towards the highway, exiting on a busy street before turning down a narrow lane that dead ended in front of a small boutique.
“We don’t have to go anywhere for lunch. This boutique serves snacks and champagne as you shop,” Jeanette declared as they got out of the car. Tessa had never heard of this before but she wasn’t surprised.
A smartly dressed man opened the door for them, welcoming Jeanette by name. Tessa looked around, in awe.
Along one wall, hung dresses of every imaginable style, all in a wispy peach fabric. The other three walls had shelves upon shelves of fabric, organized by weight, type and texture, as well as color.
A tall and stocky man emerged from behind the counter, his smooth, bald head shiny under the fluorescent lighting. He smiled wildly when he saw Jeanette, going to her immediately.
“Wade. It’s so nice to see you. This is Tessa.”
He air-kissed Jeanette before taking one of Tessa’s hands in his and twirling her slowly.
“Oh yes. Beautiful. I can do so much with this. Tell me, are you feeling brave today?”
Tessa smiled. “As brave as one can feel in a dress shop.” shrugged. “Why not?”
Wade smiled. “Come with me, dear.”
He whisked her around the room, picking up bolt after bolt of fabric and holding it up.
Did she like this color?
How did she like the feel of this fabric?
How daring was she willing to be?
Was she willing to trust him?
The man who had opened the door for them approached her at one point, holding a plate with little hors d’oeuvres and a flute of champagne. With all the whirlwind of i
nspecting the material and Wade speaking a mile a minute, Tessa didn’t have an appetite. She took the champagne, and sipped it slowly. Her first taste of champagne and didn’t think she should gulp it.
Tessa answered all the questions, giddy with shared excitement. Never before had she had a dress tailor-made just for her.
Wade loaded several bolts of fabric into a small cart before leading her to a sewing area, complete with a small stage, a mannequin and tape measures of every length hanging off a stand with arms of various lengths sticking out.
He chattered on while he measured her, adjusting the bust of the mannequin to match her measurements. He even measured her feet.
“When do you need this, Tessie?”
Tessa didn’t correct him. “Um, Friday I guess?”
“Is this for the gala?”
“Yes.”
“Well you’re lucky I have some free time in the next four days. Come in Friday morning and try it on. I can make any adjustments and deliver it to you by Saturday. I will bring the perfect accessories. Oh, and get a pedicure. Light blush, and don’t get fake nails, just a regular manicure and same color as your toes. I’m picking the shoes.” He winked at Tessa. She was overwhelmed and so thankful he was being so kind and helpful. She would have been a disaster figuring this all out on her own. She loved the idea of being pampered.
He shooed them out the door and pulled out a colored pencil for each bolt of fabric in the cart and got to work, drawing on a large tablet of paper. He didn’t lift his head when they left, he was already too deep into his work to notice the world around him.
They got back into the car and Jeanette smiled at Tessa.
“Well?”
“I feel like a princess. Thank you for bringing me here. I can’t wait to see what he comes up with.”
“I’ve never seen him quite that excited before. I can’t wait to see what he comes up with.”
Jeanette dropped Tessa off at her gate and Tessa let herself in. It had certainly been an interesting day. Tessa changed into something more comfortable. She had plenty of time to get in a hike, and she wasn’t about to pack on any weight in the next few days when Wade was working so hard on his creation.
She strapped on her running shoes, grabbed a bottle of water and left the house. She was starting to feel better about her life, and that was motivating. She still didn’t know what she wanted to do with her new-found wealth, but she felt less intimidated by the money.
Which was good considering she was only twenty-six.
She hit the trail, taking a left this time, where she normally took a right. She had thoroughly explored all of the southern trails over the last few weeks, it was time to give the northern trail some attention.
The narrow trail wove through the dense tree line, meandering around without much direction. Her music piped through the earbuds, drowning out the sound of her feet as the connected with the well-maintained trail.
When she jogged across a heavy wood bridge, the steady beat of her pounding sounded along with the music in her ears.
The north trail proved to be much prettier than the south trail, and Tessa resolved to jog this trail more often.
She saw a group of horses up ahead and nearly groaned aloud. The man from the show, the one who had yelled obscenities at her, was heading up a group of horses coming up the path towards her. Their eyes locked and a sneer curled the edge of his lips.
He held up his hand to halt the others behind him, giving Tessa a disdainful look as she slowed to a walk and assessed the situation.
There was nowhere for her to stand and the horses couldn’t very well turn back on the narrow trail. She was going to have to turn around and head back the way she’d come.
Without a word to the angry rider, she did a quick about-face, almost sprinting back the way she’d come in an attempt to put some distance between her and the horses. She was almost to the fork between the two trails when she heard her name from behind her.
*****
“Tessa?” The man’s voice was tentative, and Tessa hoped that she had misheard whoever had said it. She didn’t want to get into a confrontation with that many people alone, though she didn’t feel like she’d done anything wrong. It wasn’t like the trail was marked for horses only.
“Tessa, wait.” The voice was more urgent this time, calling out loudly from within the pack of horses lining the trail.
Tessa turned and looked, but she couldn’t see passed the other horses. She went to climb onto a short boulder, thought better of it and stood her ground. The trail was extra wide where she stood, giving the horses and riders plenty of space to move passed her.
When the first two riders passed her by, she could finally see who had called out to her. She was shocked to see Mike, sitting atop the horse that she’d watched his niece ride over the short jumping course.
His smile was wide, and it was obvious that he was happy to see her. He pulled to the side, letting the horses in line behind him pass so he could talk to her.
“It’s nice to see you, Tessa.” His smile was broad and open, and Tessa wondered again at how handsome the man was.
“I’m glad to see you, too.”
His horse started to get antsy as the other horses moved away from him. Mike looked at his riding companions and back at Tessa before smiling apologetically.
“I’d love to stay and chat, but this guy doesn’t like to be alone. I hope to see you around.”
He turned to go and Tessa frantically searched her mind for something to say, or some way to connect before he was gone again.
“Can I go with you?” she blurted out.
“On the horse?” he looked doubtful, understandable considering her history with horses.
Sure, why not, she thought sarcastically. “Yes. Sure. Why not?” She almost groaned. She couldn’t believe her mouth, running away with her at the sight of Mike. It was like all her commonsense fled as soon as he flashed that winning smile.
Mike called to his friends to hold up, dismounting and offering Tessa a leg up.
“I thought I might sit in the back,” she stammered, wondering what the hell she was thinking, offering to get on the beast in the first place.”
“We haven’t got all day, Mike,” the lead rider called, rolling his eyes dramatically.
Mike ignored him, motioning to Tessa again, his smile patient and steady.
“It will be safer for us both if you ride in the saddle and I sit behind you. I’ll steer. You’ll be fine. Calypso is a good mount.”
She had already asked to go, there was no turning back now. Besides, she was just telling herself it was about time she lived a little. What better way to start living than by putting herself in mortal danger.
She put her right foot in the stirrup, grabbed the front of the saddle to pull herself up. Mike chuckled softly and stopped her.
“Wrong foot.”
“I was just testing you,” she quipped.
“Sure you were.”
Tessa could hear the leader grumbling up ahead.
“Don’t mind Steve. He’s an ass.”
He cupped his hands together and lifted her up. She settled in the saddle, her body already trembling, she just wasn’t sure if it was from being close to him or in fear. Mike put his foot into the stirrup and swung up behind her, landing softly on the horses back and taking up the reins.
He held one rein in each hand, his arms one either side of her. He made a soft kissing sound and the horse stepped forward. Tessa grabbed Mike’s arms. Her fingers digging into his flannel shirt.
“You can’t fall, just relax. The more relaxed you are the more relaxed Calypso will be.”
“What do I hold on to? Where is the horn?”
“It’s an English saddle, there is no horn.” His breath was warm on her ear, his voice deep and sultry.
Slowly, Tessa removed her nails from his arms and relaxed her back against him.
“That’s better. Nice and easy.” His voice was soft and steady,
and Tessa wondered for a moment if he was talking to the horse and not her.
“I’ve been hoping to run into you again,” Tessa started. “After you left, I realized I didn’t even know your last name.”
“It’s Taylor.”
“That probably wouldn’t have helped me find you.”
“Why were you looking for me?”
Tessa’s heart pounded faster.
“I guess I just thought-” she trailed off.
“You thought what?”
His mouth was almost on her neck, his voice low and seductive. She wasn’t misreading his intent now, of that she was certain.
“I thought you might want to join me for a late lunch.”
“Absolutely.”
His lips touched her neck as he spoke, but he didn’t kiss her. Tessa felt a thrill of heat rush through her, and she struggled to keep her hormones at bay with him this close.
Does he have any idea how sexy he is?
He leaned back, giving her space. Which was good, because she’d been about to throw herself at him.
They rode along in the quiet, with Mike pointing out interesting plants and animals along the way. Tessa listened with rapt attention. She had never seen most of the animals he was pointing out in real life, and she was surprised by how different this part of San Diego was from Alta Loma. Bonita was only about ten miles away, but those ten miles made a world of difference.
*****
Tessa’s bottom were starting to ache when the barn finally came into view. She loved being pressed up against Mike but was more than ready to get off this horse.
They were a few yards away when Steve whistled loudly. A man appeared out of the barn, moving quickly to hold the reins while Steve dismounted. Steve walked away without so much as a backwards glance, leaving the man to care for his horse.
Three more men appeared from around the barn, taking horses from their riders and leading them off to untack them and rub down their coats.
Tessa waited, but no one appeared to take Calypso away. Mike swung his leg behind his body and dismounted down in one clean motion, holding out his hands to help Tessa down.
“I can get down on my own,” she said.
“I know.” His eyes twinkled mischievously as he clamped his hands on her waist and pulled her out of the saddle.
Two Wolves For Lizette Page 27