He glanced around. “Meeting my brother. I’ve got to give him the keys to the UTV he’s supposed to fix.”
I cocked my head. “Why’s he here and not in Silverville?”
“He’s doing some work out of a garage on this side of the pass,” Nick said easily. “Didn’t mean to interrupt girls’ night.”
“You’re fine,” Tessa said, smiling.
Nick glanced at the paper still on the table. “That’s a pretty dress.”
“Thanks,” Tessa said. “Would you like to weigh in?”
“Not on bridesmaid dresses.” Nick’s laugh was low and warm. He straightened and smoothed a hand through his thick, dark hair. The guy was Italian, through and through. More importantly, he adored my sister.
Tessa smiled up at Nick. “What about the flowers?” she asked, turning back to the folded wedding notes on the table.
He frowned thoughtfully. “I liked the white ones.”
Her eyebrows rose.
“And, um, the purple ones?” He watched her carefully.
I wanted to help him out, but honestly, watching Basanelli dangle was too much fun. The guy was one of the best prosecutors in probably the entire state, maybe the whole damn country, and seeing Tessa tie him in knots would forever be one of my favorite hobbies.
He glanced my way, his expression cautious. “I don’t suppose Devlin’s around?”
“No.” I shook my head. “He’s working on a case. I texted that we were coming here, but I haven’t heard back.”
Nick straightened his tie. “Busy time of year.” He wore a full suit, a gray one with a red power tie.
“I take it you had court today?” I asked.
“Yeah. Felony hit-and-run. Should go to the jury in a couple days.”
I took another drink of wine. “That sounds stressful.”
He didn’t seem fazed. I liked that about him. Basanelli remained steady under pressure. His gaze darkened slightly, though, and that change was enough to warn me something heavier was coming. “The rumor around the courthouse earlier this morning is that Backleboff was in town trying to find a magistrate over here in Timber City willing to issue an arrest warrant for your grandma because he couldn’t find one in Silverville. I don’t know if he made it happen or not.”
The words landed like a punch. Backleboff could get a magistrate from any of the five northern counties in Idaho to issue the warrant. “You’re serious?”
Nick looked somber. “Figured I should give you a heads-up.”
I shook my head. “Gloria is acting like a shrew. What’s her problem? She has to be so jealous of Nana.”
“Can you stop the arrest warrant, Nick?” Tessa asked, her chin lifting with that same fire she used when fighting for the last cinnamon roll at family brunch.
Nick sighed. “No. I don’t have jurisdiction over another county’s prosecutor, not even a little. But…” His eyes met mine. “I’ll gladly give her a character reference during trial if it comes to that. As Elk County’s prosecuting attorney, I can at least help you on the stand.”
“That’d be great,” I said, meaning it. It was too early to be strategizing about trial testimony, but knowing he was in Nana’s corner helped more than I wanted to admit.
Tessa reached out, squeezing his hand. “Thank you.”
“Of course.” His mouth curved in a soft smile. “I love Nana O’Shea. She wouldn’t poison anyone, and she sure doesn’t need to sabotage somebody else’s pie to win.” He shook his head, looking genuinely disgusted.
I grinned into my glass. “All right, Basanelli, now you’re just laying it on thick.”
Before he could respond, the door opened again, and a gust of cold air swept in. Nick turned, spotting his brother immediately. “There’s Rick.”
He leaned down and kissed Tessa again. Longer this time, on the mouth, full of heated affection. Donna and I exchanged looks, both of us pretending to study our wineglasses.
