Paul walked out of the bedroom, fresh-faced and clean-shaven. He grabbed his laptop from the coffee table. “Mind if I go ahead and finish this article? I’d like to send it off before dinner.”
As soon as Paul completed the story, he could leave. That’s what he’d said, after all. He was only there until his research was done. The idea of him leaving deflated her. She’d known Paulthreedays, and already she’d become attached. Lily, Anna, and Tessa had joked that Tessa could fall in love faster than lightning. But she wasn’tin lovewith Paul. Could she be falling in love with him? That was a possibility.
Even after he’s gone, I’ll still have the house, and that’s something to be happy about.“Are you eating dinner with your folks before you leave tonight?”
Paul frowned. “I’m not leaving tonight.” Then he narrowed his eyes. “Are you kicking me out? Is this because I drank the orange juice out of the carton?”
“You’ve been drinking out of the carton?” Tessa shook her head, refocusing her thoughts. “You said you’d like to send off the article before dinner.” Paul nodded. When he didn’t elaborate, Tessa added, “And you said as soon as you were done with the article, you were leaving.”
He leaned back against the couch cushions. “I did, but it’s Friday. I might as well see the weekend out. You should have seen Mom’s face this morning when I mentioned that I might stay until Sunday.” He shrugged. “I figured it wouldn’t hurt to spend a few more days in Mystic Water.”
Tessa opened the refrigerator just so she could hide the surprised smile on her face. She scanned the contents and then peered around the door. “Are you eating dinner with your parents?” she asked again.
Paul shook his head but continued to type. “Mom has some ladies function at the church. It’s Dad’s turn to help with Meals on Wheels, and his team is meeting”—Paul
glanced at his watch—“right now in the diner. I assumed you and I would be having dinner together.” He finally looked at her.
Tessa closed the refrigerator door. “What if I have plans?”
“Do you?”
She averted his gaze. “Well, nottonight, but sometimes I have dinner plans.”
Paul grinned. “I’m sure you do, but tonight you have plans with me. Give me an hour to finish up with the article and email it, and then I say we cook up Lady and the Tramp.”
Tessa tucked her hair behind her ears. “You don’t mean we’re eating dog, do you?”
Paul choked on a laugh. “Tess, you must really think Iama brute. First, you believe I’d eat Huck Finn, and now you think I’d serve up cocker spaniel and mutt.” He made a fist and mimicked a stabbing motion, hitting it against his chest. “You wound me.”
Tessa snorted a laugh. “You’ve been all over the world. How am I to know that you don’t eat dog?”
“First of all, it tastes like chicken—”
Tessa poked her fingers into her ears. “Don’t say any more.”
Paul mouthed. “I’m kidding.” Then he made the motion for her to unplug her ears.
“Is it safe?”
He winked. “It’s never safe with me.”
Now, that I believe.
“Lady and the Tramp is an old Borelli family recipe. It’s a fancy name for spaghetti and meatballs.”
“The meal from the cartoon movie.”
“Sound good?”
Tessa nodded. “Sounds great.”
He returned to his laptop, and Tessa grabbed her cell and slipped it into her back pocket. She watched Paul type for a few seconds. “I need to run over to Honeysuckle Hollow and make sure the cleaners finished. Charlie was going to drop off supplies to board up the windows. While you work, I might try to put those up myself. I’d feel better knowing the house was more secure. I’ll be back by dinner.”
Paul stopped typing. “That’s not an easy job to do alone. Give me an hour to finish this, and then I’ll whip up dinner. We can board up the house together.”
Tessa smiled. “I’d appreciate that. Can I do anything to help you prepare for dinner? I can make a grocery-store run.”
Paul stretched for his notepad and a pencil. Then he scribbled a list of ingredients onto the paper. He tore the page off the pad and handed it to Tessa. “Can you grab those last few herbs from Mom’s garden? I’ll probably be finished by the time you get back. Thanks, Tess.”
