“Back here,” Tess called out. “It’s fine. I found the culprit.”
Her brother came to her side, took in the scene, and pressed his lips together. “Got a squatter?”
“Two,” Tess said, nodding to a brown and white mutt. “They were just leaving.”
Garrett had been scrambling to pack up his stuff, but upon seeing Nick, abandoned his belongings.
“I’ll get that junk later.” He snatched up the dog and practically ran toward the door. “Sorry, again, Tess,” he called over his shoulder. “Be back at one for my shift.”
“Think I scared him straight?” Nick laughed.
“Ithinkhe peed his pants a little,” Tess said. “You terrified him.”
“Hey, all I did was show up.” He shrugged. “I can’t help it if I’m that intimidating.”
“All right. Well, thanks for coming so quickly. I’ll talk to him later.”
She settled into her small office and called Mr. Moody.
“I was hoping to get an update,” she said when he answered. “Any news from the buyer?”
“I asked the attorneys to reach out to them the same day I talked to you. So, when was that? Last Monday?” Moody grunted, and Tess heard papers shuffling. “I’m still waiting for a reply. The problem is that I’m getting married on Saturday and leaving town for a month after that. According to the contract, the buyer has ten days to respond. That’s next Monday. If they wait that long, I’ll already be in Santorini. It’s kind of turning into a cluster, Tess.”
“I know. And I’m sorry to be such a pain. I really appreciate you trying.”
Moody let out a slow breath. “I get it,” he said. “This is partly my fault. I should’ve offered it to you in the first place. I’ll give you the number to the attorney’s office and leave instructions with them to contact you directly when they receive a response. Probably Tuesday at the latest.”
“Thanks, Mr. Moody. Good luck getting married again.”
The conversation hadn’t sounded promising and left her bummed out. At least she’d know one way or the other by early next week. Even if it turned out to be bad news, ending the suspense would be a relief.
Tess had only been working for a couple of hours when Faith called.
“It’s too nice a day to be inside,” she said. “Let’s go golfing.”
One of the best perks of Tess’s job was the flexibility. As long as she got her work done, no one micromanaged her—a benefit she would probably have to give up if she left here.
“I’m in,” she said without hesitation.
“Good. I figured you would be. Juliet already made the tee time. See you at eleven.”
She was almost finished with the upcoming week’s work schedule when Logan popped in.
“Hey,” Tess said. “What are you doing here?”
“Thought I’d surprise you,” he said. “Buy you lunch.”
“Oh. I wish you’d have called. I’m on my way out to golf with the girls.”
“Business must be good if you’re able to take off at a moment’s notice.”
“Yeah. I guess.” It felt like he was trying to ask a question with his statement, but Tess couldn’t tell what, so she brushed the feeling aside. “I don’t really have set hours. Just have to get things done.”
“Well, it is a beautiful day.” He glanced around at the papers on her desk, as if searching for something specific.
“You’re acting weird.”
“What?” His eyes quit wandering and snapped to hers. He shook his head. “Sorry, don’t mean to be.”
