Jakob agreed. “Who knows what can happen in a day, right?”
Numbness had swept into Tessa’s body, and she nodded her thanks. Paul dropped enough cash on the table to pay for his and Tessa’s lunches. “Let’s get home.” He looked around the table. “I’ll be in touch later this afternoon. I have a few ideas to go with yours.”
They said good-bye, and Tessa apologized again for being out of sorts. During the car ride to the apartment, she couldn’t pull her thoughts out of the doldrums. She hadn’t lost the house, and she reminded herself of that over and over again. It just wouldn’t be rehabbed the way she had hoped, and it definitely wouldn’t be ready for Anna’s wedding.
Paul parked on the street in front of the diner. “Do you mind if I run to the library for a bit of research?” Tessa shook her head. “I’ll be back soon.”
Tessa nodded and closed the door. When she rounded the corner of the building toward the exterior steps that led to her apartment, she halted. Crazy Kate sat on metal stairs, holding a pink bag from the candy shop.
“Right on time,” Crazy Kate said as she used the railing to pull herself onto her feet. She held out the bag toward Tessa.
Tessa’s shoulders sagged. “The house—”
“I know,” Crazy Kate said. “Inside.” She tossed her thumb over her shoulder, indicating the apartment. “I’m too old to sit on metal stairs all day.”
Tessa grabbed the offered bag. “What’s this?”
“Comfort. Now come on,” she said, turning around and walking up the stairs.
Tessa followed her. Crazy Kate stepped out of the way long enough for Tessa to unlock the apartment, and then they both entered. Tessa dropped her purse onto the kitchen table.
“Want something to drink?” Tessa asked.
Crazy Kate pointed to the couch. “You sit. I’ll make tea.” She pulled a metal tin from a fabric bag hanging on her shoulder.
Tessa obeyed and opened the pink candy bag, finding it full of caramel creams. Her bottom lip quivered. Crazy Kate bustled around the kitchen, putting a kettle of hot water onto the stove and grabbing two mugs from the cabinets. While the water heated, Crazy Kate sat at the kitchen table.
“Lavender,” Crazy Kate said. “It helps bring peace to the mind. I’ve brought a mix of dried lavender from home—what my mama planted—and Cecilia’s from downstairs. The combination should be what you need.”
Maybe a mix of dried herbs would give her exactly what she needed, even if she couldn’t even pinpoint what that was. “You know what happened to the house?”
Crazy Kate nodded. “Yesterday I knew—”
“Yesterday? Why didn’t you tell me? Or anyone? We could have done something.” Tessa’s throat tightened, and she clenched her fists in her lap.
Crazy Kate chuckled. “Done what? Cut down branches in a storm? Be sensible.”
“What about the spear?” Tessa said. “Should we have returned it sooner? Did this happen because I took the spear?”
Crazy Kate shook her head. “You can’t stop what has already been set in motion. This was necessary.”
“Necessary for what?” Tessa’s voice squeaked as she stood with her chest constricting. Tears blurred her vision. “The house is destroyed! Now I can’t fix it!”
Crazy Kate stood from the table as the kettle whistled. She dropped a mesh bag of dried tea into the kettle and set it on the counter to steep.
Anger and frustration rose so violently in Tessa that she stomped into the kitchen. “How can you act as though you don’t care? The house—the one you’ve been protecting for years—has been torn apart, and youknewit would happen? All of my plans are ruined!”
Crazy Kate looked at Tessa as though she were a child throwing a tantrum. “Robert Burns said, ‘The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry.’ Sit.” She pointed to a kitchen chair.
Tessa glared at her but dropped into the chair. She swiped her fingers across her wet cheeks. Crazy Kate poured tea into two mugs and then brought them to the table.
“Drink.”
Tessa lifted the cup. The steaming liquid warmed her throat and then her chest as it flowed into her body. Her shoulders lowered from her ears.
Crazy Kate cupped her hands around a mug. “We can’t plan for everything, Tessa. Misfortune can sometimes be a blessing in disguise. It can become an opportunity.”
Even as Tessa’s heart rate slowed, she still struggled to control her emotions. A sob hiccuped its way up her throat. “An opportunity for what?”
