Tilly smiled.“I’m not saying a word.”
Her sister pouted.“You’re no fun.But seriously, if you need help, all you have to do is ask.You know that.”
“I do, and thank you for the offer, but”—she pointed at the pile of paper on the table—“it’s all being handled.”
At least she hoped it was.Because if it wasn’t, she was in big trouble.
Chapter Nine
Zach pulled upoutside Tilly’s house, noting the big black truck that was parked in the driveway.A truck that was dusty and looked like it belonged on a ranch and not in Tilly’s driveway.
Did she have a boyfriend who worked on a ranch?
He didn’t like the way that made him feel.The thought of Tilly with another man wasn’t one that sat well with him.The feeling was irrational, considering he had no claim over her.
Plus, she’d never made any mention of having a boyfriend, and he didn’t think that was something Tilly would keep from him.
Had he made a mistake by turning up unannounced?Maybe, but he’d slept till eleven—something he never did—and they’d lost half a day.
Now here he was twenty minutes later, stomach grumbling because he hadn’t bothered to eat.All he’d been focused on was getting ready and getting to Tilly’s place to find out what they needed to do that day.
He also wanted to know if she’d heard from any of the celebrities she’d contacted.He suspected that most of them would ignore the email.Or get some intern to check their inbox because they were too busy to worry about things like fan emails.He knew that was what his mother did.It was very rare she would even think about acknowledging an unsolicited invite to an event—unless the event would give her the attention she believed she deserved.
Man, could he go one day without thinking of his mom?
It didn’t appear so.He needed to work on that.He’d made the decision to put distance between them.Deep down he wanted to mend the relationship with his mother.She was his only family after all.
Maybe he should call her?Or at least answer one of her calls.The next time she rang, he’d accept it.Perhaps the distance between them had given her time to realize she’d been in the wrong, and she was calling to make amends.Highly unlikely, but he could wish.Just not right now.Now he had more important things to deal with.
Zach knocked on the door, rocking back on his heels as he waited.
Tilly opened the door.“Zach!Did you call or text and I missed it again?”
“No, I didn’t do either.I woke up late and came straight over.Did I catch you at a bad time?”He glanced at the truck in the drive.
“Not at all.My sister Chrissy is visiting, but she’s about to leave.”
“I was?I don’t remember saying I needed to go.”
Zach became aware of the woman standing just behind Tilly.Her hair was a caramel-brown color, darker than Tilly’s blonde locks, but he could see the family resemblance.
Tilly rolled her eyes.“Ignore her.Come in.Do you need something to eat?I can fix you some eggs and toast or something else if you want.Or did you eat something on your way over?”
A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.He liked Tilly’s verbal overload.Liked the way she didn’t seem to care if she sprouted words left and right without giving anyone a chance to say something.Her happiness was infectious, and he wanted to grab it and bottle it up so that when he was dealing with the aftermath of a bad incident, he could open it and have her happiness surround him.
“You don’t have to feed me.You already did that last night.”
Throughout this exchange, Chrissy watched him.Did she recognize him?His mother’s show was syndicated.He knew it showed on one of the local channels here because Tilly had watched it.Yet, on the odd occasions when he’d been out and about, no one had rushed up to him.
“You definitely need something to eat.Come on.”Tilly grabbed his hand, and the resulting sparks of awareness and warmth pulled him back to the present.
Once they were in the kitchen, Chrissy planted herself at the table, looking like she had no intention of leaving.Great, just what he needed—an inquisition from Tilly’s sister.Or was he being unfair to her?Was she just interested in the fact that a man had turned up at her sister’s house?
“You’re new in town, aren’t you?”Chrissy asked as he sat in the chair opposite her.
“Yep, been here a month.I work at the fire station.”
Chrissy nodded.“Right.Do you like Marietta?”
