“With me? Towork?”
“It’s a brilliant idea. I’ve got time to kill while Mom and Dad work.” He opened the car door and sat in the passenger seat, grinning at her while he buckled the seat belt.
“Why does this suddenly feel like Bring Your Kid to WorkDay?”
Paul laughed, filling the car with his intense energy and causing the volume on the radio to rise and the engine to rev. When he started singing along with Taylor Swift, in a surprisingly pleasant baritone, Tessa wondered,Am I dreaming? Is there really a gorgeous man sitting in my car who wants to spend time with meandwho is shamelessly singing along with Taylor Swift?
Chapter 10
Honeysuckle Jam
Onherdrivearoundtown, Tessa tried several times to drop Paul back at the diner. Each time he refused. It wasn’t as though she minded his company exactly. It was the fact that he was a complete distraction, albeit a tempting one.
Paul scanned through radio songs like a man who didn’t have time to waste on any one genre for more than a few minutes. The rare moments when he found a song he loved, he blasted the tune so loudly that Tessa had to roll down the windows just to release the sound waves. On the corner of Poplar and Sycamore, every windowpane within twenty yards vibrated to the Doobie Brothers’ “Listen to the Music.” Mr. Morris, who was standing on the sidewalk retrieving his mail, shook a walking stick at their reckless music. When Tessa attempted to turn down the volume before she died of embarrassment, Paul grabbed her hand.
He shook his head and shouted over the music. “I love this song. It reminds me of driving through Sedona.”
“I don’t think they need to be reminded three counties over,” she shouted in response.
Paul laughed, released her hand, and turned down the volume. “Listening to music isn’t illegal within city limits. I like tofeelthe bass line in my body.” He thumped his fist against his chest for emphasis.
“How are you not deaf, Tarzan?”
“What?” he asked and then winked at her.
During the morning, Tessa made phone calls and stopped by a few houses to meet with clients. She wasn’t used to having someone listen in on every conversation she had and then offer his opinions afterward. Paul definitely had opinions about everything. She also drove them by the properties she wanted to look at for herself. Paul scratched off every listing on her short list of choices. Each one had a fatal flaw that he couldn’t overlook. She reminded him multiple times thathewould not be living in any of them, but still, he made her feel as though his opinion should be heeded.
Tessa parked in front of the dry cleaner and searched through her purse for the ticket. Her cell phone rang. Nell had given Tessa’s number to another one of her friends whose house had flooded. The family needed help finding a local place to stay, if at all possible. Tessa asked a few questions and jotted down notes on the family’s needs. She promised to call around and see what she could find, while doing her best to comfort the woman and assure her they’d find something as soon as possible.
“Do you also handle rental properties?” Paul asked.
Tessa dropped her phone into her purse and shook her head. “No, but I’ve been helping displaced families find temporary housing.”
“You’re working as a go-between for a rental company?”
“No,” Tessa said. “I just know a lot of the local landlords, and most of these families don’t even know where to start. I’m calling around for them.”
Paul’s surprised expression lifted his eyebrows. “You’re helping them because . . .?”
Tessa glanced at him, waiting for more. When he didn’t continue, she said, “Because it’s the right thing to do. And because this town helps one another in times of need.”
“Hmm,” he said, glancing out the window. “I thought that was only a thing in the movies.”
Tessa grinned at him. “With as much as you’ve traveled, I know you’ve encounteredgood people.”
“Sure,” he agreed, “in other countries, but not so much here.”
Tessa shrugged. “You stick around anywhere long enough, you’ll find the goodness.” She grabbed her dry cleaner ticket and flapped it. “I’ll be right back. Don’t do anything.” She eyed him warily.
Paul laughed. “Like what? Use the Great Pumpkin as a getaway car? You could probably outrun this behemoth on foot. You’d catch me before I could round the corner.”
Tessa frowned. “Don’t disrespect the Pumpkin. It’s all I have.”
“I’m kidding. This car is a classic. Don’t take everything I say so seriously. I promise I’ll sit here like a good little boy.”
Tessa doubted he’d ever beena good little boy. There was entirely too much mischief in his blue eyes. She paid for her plastic-wrapped clothes and loaded them into the trunk. As she slid into the front seat, her cell phone started ringing. “Hello?”
“Ms. Andrews, this is Trudy Steele.”
