“Got everything?” he asked, his voice rougher than intended.
“I think so.” She patted the sketchbook. “Including this.”
Matt pulled away from Rachel’s house, intensely aware of Tessa beside him. Every breath she took, every small shift in her position, every sigh. His resolve crystallized into certainty—he couldn’t let her walk away. Not without knowing the truth. Not without giving her the chance to choose him.
“Ready?” she asked, tilting her head slightly.
Oh yeah!his bear said with enthusiasm.
“Yes,” Matt answered, hoping she couldn’t hear the double meaning in his voice.
He started the engine and drove away, heading for the restaurant where he would spend another shift in her company. Then he would take her to the lookout and ask her out on a proper date.
Aria and Lucy will be pleased,his bear said.
As they went around a sharp corner, her hands clasped the sketchbook on her lap as if it contained something precious. Heloved that about her—the way she poured herself into her art, the way she created beauty with her pencils just as he did with food. Different mediums, same passion.
“So, how was Rachel?” Matt asked, breaking the comfortable silence.
“Rachel?” Tessa half-turned toward him, blinking as if pulled from deep thoughts.
Perhaps dreaming of us as we are dreaming of her, his bear said hopefully.
“Yes, how is her ankle? She looked a lot better before we left this morning,” Matt elaborated.
“Oh, yes, it is,” Tessa replied, nodding. “She still thinks she should be back at work the day after tomorrow.”
Was that disappointment he heard in her voice? The thought made his bear rumble with satisfaction.
She turned to him, her eyes meeting his briefly before he returned his attention to the road. “It’ll give me more time to work on my art, which is why I am here. I mean, as well as to see Rachel and the girls.”
Was that a challenge? Matt wondered. Was she pushing him, trying to read what he was thinking? Whether he wanted her to stay?
And if he gave her a reason, would she?
Yes,his bear rumbled.
Matt was beginning to believe that was true.
Chapter Thirteen – Tessa
Tessa had drifted through her shift in a state of confusion, waiting tables and talking to diners on autopilot as she tried to sift through her emotions. Thankfully, Monday lunch service was a lot slower than the ones she’d experienced on the weekend.
Not that she didn’t behave with utmost professionalism. She didn’t know any other way.
But still her thoughts drifted to Matt, who seemed to be looking at her every time she cast a glance in his direction.
And every time Matt caught her gaze, a flutter stirred in Tessa’s chest. She was certain he wanted more from her—the way his eyes lingered just a moment too long, how his smile softened when she approached.
And if she was honest with herself, she wanted more from him, too. So much more.
As she loaded the last of the lunch dishes into the dishwasher, her hands moved mechanically while her mind wandered. She’d spent years putting her own dreams on hold after her dad was killed and her mom was injured in a car accident when she was still so young.
So many years had gone by where she lived a life that was never her own. Not that she resented the time she’d spent caring for her mom.
They’d had a strong, loving relationship. One she missed every day.
“Lost years,” her mother had whispered from the hospice bed, her once-strong voice barely audible over the steady beepof monitors. “Promise me you won’t waste any more time, Tess. Follow your heart with your art. Follow your dreams.”
