Davis did it.
He fixed it for me. He replaced everything he could for me.
No doubt. No question. And if he didn’t do it, he was heavily involved.
“Are you breaking your no-dating rule?” Tillie Jean whispers to me.
I shake my head.
“Are you sure?”
“You can’t date someone without them wanting to date you back.”
“Do you believe him when he says he’ll still show up for your wedding tomorrow?”
“Yes.” I think.
“Will you?”
I half laugh, and it almost turns into a sob. “Yes.”
“Nigel’s been in town a few more times, but Chester’s chased him away every time. He started using the stalking words, and apparently even Nigel’s smart enough to understand you can’t get away with that shit here. You want us to hang out a while?”
“Yes.” I freeze.
That was too fast.
“I mean, not if you have other things to do. And it’s obvious you have a lot to do. Mayor duties just got mayorier for you. Sorry. And you’re welcome. And sorry.Oh my god, what did Cooper put in that coffee?”
“Lack of sleep and adrenaline crash powder.” Tillie Jean hugs me. “We’ll hang out. Look. Max is already using your couch.Oooh, when did you get all of the streaming services? I thought you only had two. Now you can watch ‘In The Weeds’ and get caught up so we can talk about how terrible it is and why people might like it so much.”
I blink at the screen.
And then it gets blurry.
Because I definitely didn’t pay for those.
Which means someone else likely did.
“I hate men,” I whisper to Tillie Jean. Then my eyes fly wide, and I peer around her to Max. “But not you. You’re…fine.”
I wince.
TJ laughs.
Max takes it all in stride with a smile.
He has to, I suppose, if he’s truly happy with Tillie Jean, and I’m sure he is.
You can tell by the way he looks at her.
And he doesn’t go around town telling people all of her little faults that annoy him or the things that he thinks she can do better. He went around town while she was running for mayor telling everyone all the good things she’d do for Shipwreck if she was elected. He brags about her paintings. Every time she does something very Tillie-Jean-ish, he smiles, shakes his head, calls herTrouble Jean, which makes her smile wider, and then he quietly finds a way to help her.
They don’t have a nanny because he’s stay-at-home-dadding with Rosie while TJ’s doing her mayor duties, though Rosie’s hanging out with Grady and Annika and Miles right now.
The last time I was at their house, he was making dinner.
And the Tillie Jean I know today shines brighter than the Tillie Jean I knew when I moved here, which is saying something.
