She bobbed her head, and her braids swished across her shoulders. She glanced side to side at Kit and me. “Have you been here long?”
“Just arrived,” I replied.
She brightened. “Oh, good! I may get some dinner while I’m here. Mind if I join you?”
I opened my mouth to respond, but Tessa’s voice came through first.
“Rosie!” Tessa crowded in bearing two plates of roast and vegetables. When she set them on the table, I noticed the one she gave to Kit was full to overflowing, easily double the portion of mine.
Rosie turned toward her. “Tess, you’re working tonight?”
“I am.” She nodded. “What good luck. And good company.” She waved her now empty hands toward us. “Between you and these fine gentlemen, we could have quite the dinner party, don’t you think?”
With a giggle, Rosie hefted her basket up for Tessa’s inspection. “I brought the tart order.”
As Rosie started to lift the kerchief covering, Tessa swatted her hand. “We can take them to the back later. For now, let’s sit. Get to know one another.”
With a flounce of her apron, Tessa shimmied into the wooden booth seat beside Kit, scooting over until her hip bumped into his. He startled from sipping his whiskey and slid closer to the wall, creating a gap Tessa immediately closed. Once she had him thoroughly pinned in, shepropped her elbows on the tabletop and motioned for Rosie to follow suit.
“Do you mind, Penny?” Rosie looked at me, her warm brown eyes wide.
I fumbled for reply long enough that Tessa snapped, “Rosie, sit!”
Resting the tart basket on the floor, Rosie sat beside me. We were often in close quarters in her kitchen, elbow to elbow over the counter or stove, so I didn’t mind as she crushed against me, following Tessa’s hand flapping encouragement to trap me the way Kit was.
Satisfied at last, Tessa gave the loose strands of hair framing her face a toss. “Kit,” she chirped and turned toward him so they were nearly nose to nose. “I’ve heard so much about you from Penny’s ramblings. Perhaps you’d like to tell me a bit about yourself?”
While he’d retained his grip on the tin cup of whiskey, Kit had been pushed nearly a foot away from his plate. It was in front of Tessa now, wisping trails of steam into the air.
He shifted and frowned. “Currently, I’m hungry and would like to enjoy my meal while it’s warm.”
I huffed a laugh and dragged my own plate closer so I could stab my fork into a lump of roast. The sooner I finished eating, the sooner we could get out of here and I could admit to Kit he was right and we should have spent the evening at home.
“I know all the recipes here,” Tessa bragged. “Plus more. A good woman is a good cook, my mother says.”
Kit grunted and made a feeble grab for his plate. Tessa caught his outstretched hand in hers and clasped it on the table. A growl crept up my throat and got caught on the piece of onion I was trying to swallow. I coughed andsputtered until my eyes watered, and Rosie handed me my stein of ale to wash the food and bad feelings down.
When I looked out again, Kit had removed himself from Tessa’s grasp.
She seemed undeterred, though, and continued to ply Kit with questions. “I hear Penny brings home all kinds of pastries, but a fine man like you needs meat to stick to his bones. Perhaps I could make dinner at your house sometime. Roast duck, or a basted turkey, or ooh!” She clapped her hands with delight. “I make the most succulent ham!”
Kit tipped back his whiskey, emptying the last of it in a single swallow. When he set the cup down, it clinked loudly against the table.
“Think I’ll get another,” he muttered, then stared pointedly at Tessa. “If you’ll excuse me.”
“I’ll refill it for you!” She made a grab for the cup, but Kit swung it out of her reach.
“No need. I’d like to stretch my legs.”
Tessa frowned, crestfallen, and slid out of the booth seat to allow Kit a speedy exit. I scooped another forkful of stew and put it in my mouth as he dipped into the crowd.
Tessa dropped back into her seat with a huff. “You could help, you know,” she said to me.
I swallowed. “Help? With what?”
Tessa turned her glare on Rosie beside me. “Rosie, tell your beau to make me look good here.”
“Beau?” I echoed, raising a brow.
