For some reason, that made my chest tighten.
“It’s fine,” I said, and stepped in. The vinyl sighed under my weight. When she slid in beside me, her thigh brushed mine. That single point of contact sent a spark up my leg and lit up places I had no business paying attention to.
I shifted a fraction to the right. She shifted a fraction to the left at the same time, as if we shared one nervous system, and our knees bumped under the table.
She sucked in a little breath.
“Sorry,” I muttered.
“No, that was me,” she said quickly. “I moved.”
We both went still. Maddy watched us with far too much interest for a kid who claimed to be bored by adults.
The hostess dropped menus in front of us and left us in the care of a young waitress who looked about sixteen and already exhausted.
“Be right back for drinks,” the girl said.
Maddy leaned forward, chin in her hands, eyes bright. “This is so fun.”
I let my head fall back against the booth for a second. “Define fun.”
“You, out of the house, in public, with a person who is not Holt or one of the other guys,” she said.
Tessa snorted softly beside me. She seemed to catch herself immediately and pressed her lips together, eyes down on the menu. Her shoulder still touched mine. She did not move away.
The waitress returned for drink orders. Maddy asked for a chocolate milkshake. I asked for coffee because I needed something to hold onto. Tessa hesitated.
“Vanilla milkshake, please,” she said finally.
Maddy lit up like she had won a prize. “Excellent choice. Their shakes are life-changing. Dad pretends he only drinks coffee, but he likes them too.”
“Keep talking, kid, see what happens,” I said.
She grinned.
Once the waitress disappeared again, Maddy slid her menu aside and zeroed in on Tessa with laser focus. “So, you're Ray’s niece? I sure am sorry he’s gone; he was one of my favorite people.”
Tessa tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear, not quite looking at either of us. “Yes, I am, thank you for your kind words. He was pretty special.”
“But you’re out there all alone,’ she said softly.
“My friend Dani is here for now. But I don’t mind being there alone. I was raised in that home, so it’s comfortable.”
“That’s kind of cool.”
Tessa blinked, like it was the last word she expected. “Most people haven’t used that term.”
“What do they say?” Maddy asked.
The corner of Tessa’s mouth turned up in something that was not quite a smile. “Mostly that I’m in over my head.”
I watched her face as she said it. The way her throat moved when she swallowed. The quick flash of pain that she covered with dry humour. My jaw clenched.
“People talk a lot,” I said.
“They do,” Tessa murmured. “Small towns.”
I knew she was talking to Maddy, but I felt the edge in it like it was aimed at me, too. I had good intentions, she knew that, but intentions did not always land the way you wanted.
