“Get out of there!” Mrs. Steele demanded, whacking the tent pole again.
“Grandma, hold on a minute. Give the people a few minutes. We obviouslysurprisedthem.”
“This ismyhouse, and I don’t have tolerance for people who break into houses and think they can sleep wherever they want anddowhatever they want. This is private property.”
Paul snatched his jeans from the bottom of the tent, yanked them on, and crawled out before Tessa could stop him. The old woman gasped, and for a moment, Tessa knew the two women shared common ground. The sight of a bare-chested Paul also made Tessa lose her breath. Tessa scrambled down to the bottom of the tent and tugged on her pants.
“Excuse me, ma’am, but I think there’s been a misunderstanding,” Paul said.
Tessa grabbed Paul’s shirt, lurched out of the tent, tripped over a pillow, and stumbled to her feet. She combed her fingers through her messy hair. Mrs. Steele’s baseball-size eyes stared at Paul’s bare chest, as did the woman with Mrs. Steele, whom Tessa assumed was her granddaughter. Tessa tossed Paul’s shirt to him.
Tessa stepped toward the older woman and held out her hand. “Um, hi, I’m Tessa Andrews. We’ve spoken on the phone.” Mrs. Steele turned her hazel eyes toward Tessa, and Tessa wilted beneath her glare. Tessa lowered her hand and pressed her sweaty palm against her thigh.
The bejeweled brooch pinned at Mrs. Steele’s neck sparkled like stars in the light. “Making yourself comfortable, I see.” Mrs. Steele voice warbled like an antique phonograph. “And what have you done to the front porch? That sad excuse for a ramp is a hazard. I could have fallen off.” Mrs. Steele toed the empty bottle of honeysuckle wine with her shiny low-heeled shoe and curled her lip.
Tessa tucked her hair behind her ears. She glanced at Paul and then took notice of the younger woman accompanying Mrs. Steele. Tessa guessed the woman was closer to her age, probably a little older, in her midthirties. Her thick chestnut hair framed a heart-shaped face with wide-set eyes, a thin nose, and cupid’s bow lips. Her expression was more welcoming compared to Mrs. Steele’s shriveled features.
Tessa stepped toward the younger woman. “I wasn’t expecting anyone from the family to come all the way here, but it’s nice to meet you. I’m Tessa Andrews. I’m the woman who bought the house. The bulldozer destroyed the front porch before it stalled out. That’s why there’s a makeshift ramp for now, but there are plans to rebuild the porch and stairs.”
The woman shook Tessa’s hand. “Nice to meet you, Tessa. I’m Dorothy. I’m here as Grandma’s traveling companion. It’s a long way to come on her own. She told me about you buying Honeysuckle Hollow.”
Mrs. Steele shuddered and pointed her cane at Tessa. “You’re the one whotriedto buy the house. But I’m not selling.”
“Grandma—” Dorothy gasped.
“Hush, Dorothy. I’ve had enough with this place. Just being inside here makes my stomach turn. I won’t rest easy until this place is a pile of dust.”
Tessa felt as though she were tumbling down a flight of stairs. “Excuse me?”
Paul pulled his shirt over his head and stepped toward Mrs. Steele. “You agreed to sell the house to Tessa. It’s my understanding you’ve both signed the real estate agreement. There’s no reason for the house to be torn down.”
Tessa’s heart slapped against her chest, followed by a wave of dizziness. “That’s not how you treat something just because it’s busted up and needs a little work. You don’t crush it. You work on it. Youhelpit.”
Mrs. Steele smacked the bottom of her cane against the floor. “It’smyhouse, and I can do whatever I want with it.”
Tessa’s throat tightened. “I sent you earnest money.A lotof earnest money, and you accepted it.”
“And now I’m backing out.” Mrs. Steele dug through her purse and pulled out a cashier’s check. “Here’s your money. Take it. There’s nothing in the world that would make me want to see this house restored.”
“What? Why?” Tessa babbled.
“Not that it’s any of your business, but I’ve enough days to stew about this, and this house doesn’t deserve to see another sunrise.”
A strong gust of wind smelling of lavender blew through the open front door, and the tent shivered and collapsed. Tessa pressed her hand against her chest and stared at the check but didn’t reach for it. “Can I change your mind?”
Mrs. Steele flapped the cashier’s check at Tessa. “What you can do is leave.”
Dorothy touched her grandmother’s arm, but Mrs. Steele shook her off and banged her cane against the floor again, shooting vibrations across the room.
Paul hooked his fingers around Tessa’s. “Let’s get our stuff together.”
“But the house,” she whimpered.
Paul grabbed the check from Mrs. Steele and gave it to Tessa. Then he pulled the pillows and sleeping bag out of the fallen tent. She tucked the check into her pocket and knelt beside him. “We’ll figure something out.” When Tessa’s eyes filled with tears, he squeezed her hand. “I promise.”
Tessa nodded but didn’t say anything more until they were outside loading her belongings into the back of the Great Pumpkin. Mrs. Steele’s actions were traitorous—a Benedict Arnold–style betrayal. Tessa closed the trunk and stared at the house. From outside, she could hear theclomp,clomp,clompof Mrs. Steele’s cane against the hardwood. “Sorry for getting so emotional in there, but I’m shocked.Howare we going to fix this?”
“I need to think,” Paul said, pulling his keys out of his pocket. “First off, is this legal? Can she back out?”
