His eyes lingered on her for a moment, something quiet and grateful flickering there. “Yeah. It helps more than I thought it would.” He cleared his throat. “Okay, next subject. What’s happening with your house?”
“Ahhh, the house—” she hesitated, then forced a smile. “Well, I picked a contractor, and the insurance company is covering the full cost. The crew is supposed to start next week. I’m keeping my fingers crossed it doesn’t take forever.”
“You’ll be back home in no time.” Something about the way he said it—solid, certain—made her believe it really would be.
They finished their sandwiches with the kind of quiet that didn’t feel awkward. Tess found herself watching the way the sunlight caught on his profile, the rough line of his jaw. He caught her staring, and instead of looking away, she laughed softly.
“What?” he asked, wary and amused all at once.
“Nothing. Just—this is nice.”
He gave her another of those almost-smiles. “Yeah. It is.”
She took a sip of water, then set the bottle down, her nerves buzzing. “So... tomorrow night. Want to come over for dinner and a movie?”
His brows rose, just a fraction. “You asking me on a date, Ms. Bingham?”
Her cheeks heated at his teasing tone. “Sort of, I guess. Andy will be home, though,” she added quickly. “So it has to be strictly above-board. No—” Her blush spread to her neck and shoulders. “—no hanky-panky with him around. We act like we’re just friends.”
For a moment, his gaze held hers, heat flickering there before he shuttered it. “Friends,” he repeated, his voice low. “I can do that.”
Tess smiled, though her pulse skipped all over the place. Friends. Sure. For now.
The kitchen smelled of garlic and roasted vegetables, and steam fogged the window over the sink as Tess stirred the pasta. She’d kept the meal simple—something hearty without being fancy. Andy already knew Brian was coming for dinner and hadn’t been thrilled about it, but she’d made it clear his opinion didn’t change her plans.
Dinner and a movie. That was all this was. Friends spending time together. Still, when the knock came atthe back door, her pulse fluttered like it hadn’t gotten the memo.
Brian filled the doorway when she opened it, casual in jeans and a button-down, a six-pack of soda tucked under one arm and a box of microwave popcorn in his hand. His smile was easy but cautious, as if he were testing the temperature of the room before stepping in.
“Hey,” he said. “Hope I’m not too early.”
“You’re right on time.” Tess stepped back to let him in. “And you brought reinforcements.”
“Figured Andy might not appreciate wine with dinner.” He set the sodas and the box on the counter. “And you can’t watch a movie without popcorn. I wasn’t sure if you had any in the house.”
Tess laughed softly. “I didn’t, so thank you for bringing both.”
Before he could say anything else, Andy appeared in the hallway. The teen didn’t bother hiding the scowl tugging at his mouth.
“Hey,” Brian said, his tone steady and friendly. “How’s the job treating you? Dan working you too hard yet?”
Andy shrugged, dropping into a chair at the table. “It’s a hardware store, not boot camp.”
Tess shot him a sharp look. “Andy. Brian isn’t an enemy. Be polite, please.”
He sighed, clearly put upon. “It’s fine. It’s work.”
Brian chuckled, unbothered. “That’s fair. I did my timethere too—my brothers and I all worked at the store in high school. Dan ran us almost harder than my drill instructors did in boot camp.”
A flicker of interest broke through Andy’s attitude. “You worked there?”
“Sure did,” Brian said, leaning against the counter. “Stocking shelves, loading mulch bags, and fixing the same damn display every week because customers couldn’t leave it alone. You’ll survive. We all did and turned out just fine.”
Andy didn’t look impressed. He gave a noncommittal shrug and turned to go back down the hallway.
“Andy,” Tess said before he could get too far. “Set the table, please. Dinner’s almost ready.”
“I’ll eat in my room.”
