She knew that she looked ridiculous out here in the parking lot, a grown woman carrying on the way she had decades ago,but it was worth it to see Tess’s mood shift from the sad one of a few moments ago to this lighter, laughing version of Tess that Bree had come to know at the cabin.
“Give me aT. Give me anE. Give me anS. Give me anS.Now what does that spell? Queen bee and not princess.” Bree did a final bit of butt twerking just because she was enjoying Tess’s delight so much.
When Tess finally regained control of her mirth, she looked around the lot and said, “As entertaining as that was, I should probably drag you back inside for dessert before someone recognizes the booty-shaking cheerleader in the Maria’s Café parking lot as the Honorable Judge O’Brian. And for the record,you’rethe princess.” Tess took Bree’s hand and led her back into the restaurant where Gabby waited.
“There you two are. Is your meeting done?” Gabby asked.
“It is. And your math?” Bree looked at the schoolwork spread out in front of Gabby. “I have my heart set on pie à la mode before we get you home.”
“Okay, just one more problem that I need to finish while we wait for our dessert to arrive.”
It seemed so natural when Bree suggested she and Tess share a piece of blackberry pie with ice cream, and Tess agreed. The waitress collected their order, and Gabby quickly finished her homework and slapped her textbook closed as the plates arrived. They chatted and ate, then collected their belongings and headed to Tess’s car to deliver Gabby home first.
Before Gabby hopped out when they reached her house, she said, “Hey, Tess. It was nice meeting you. Thanks so much for driving me—and such a cool car. I owe you. Will you come to my school play with Aunt Bree? I’ve got a big role and I’d love for you to come.”
“It was my pleasure, Gabby. Let me talk to your aunt.” Tess pressed her lips together and looked over at Bree.
“We’ll figure it out, Gabs. You do owe her.” Bree waved at Rachelle in the open doorway as Gabby slammed her car door and headed toward her mom.
Tess pulled away from the curb and drove for a while before asking, “Do you need a ride in the morning?”
“Hank said he’s free tomorrow, so he can drop me off at the courthouse. He can also deal with my car problem. We saved him this evening with Gabby, so he owes me—and I owe you.”
“It was my pleasure to drive tonight. And the evening had its highlights, even if it started as a meeting about something we still need to try to figure out. I’m not sure what’s going on. That guy’s approach and the bag offering is concerning.” Tess glanced over at Bree, and then her expression shifted as she raised an eyebrow. “The cheerleading was…exceptional.”
“Hey, I didn’t end up head cheerleader for nothing.” Bree smiled. “Will you come to Gabby’s play?” The request was out of her mouth before she’d thought about it.
Bree could list the reasons she needed to keep her distance, but the reality was that spending time with Tess made her happy. Yeah, she was offering Tess mixed signals, but she was hoping that maybe they could manage to reach some middle ground they could navigate over the coming weeks, not just allow the door to completely slam on the two of them right now. While it surprised her, she had to admit that her feelings for Tess were chipping away at her adamant stance regarding her personal life.
“Is it a meeting or a date?” Tess’s tone gave nothing away. She had honed that neutral delivery down to perfection.
Bree didn’t want neutral, but she knew she probably deserved it. “There’s no just going to watch Gabby? Do we have to label it?”
Tess groaned as she pulled into Bree’s driveway. “I’m not good at this.”
“At what?”
Tess closed her eyes for a moment. “At leaving what happened in Tahoe in Tahoe. At being cordial…amiable…friendly. At a reset.”
Bree reached over and brushed her knuckles gently across Tess’s cheek. “I know it’s not easy.” Bree couldn’t say she understood all her own feelings either. She climbed out, not sure what else to say, then leaned back in. “Thank you, Tess.”
Tess nodded but didn’t look at her. “Tell Gabby I’ll come to her play. She’s a sweet kid.”
“She is.”
“So, for her. We’ll schedule a meeting.”
Bree watched Tess back out into the street and drive away.
By the time Tess arrived home, it was after ten. She hadn’t processed the entire day yet and decided to sit with a glass of wine on the couch to unwind and give the felines a chance for some attention. Or maybe they were offering her a sounding board.
“So, last night we sat here, and I told you that I’d kissed Bree. That she’d kissed me back, then pushed me away. I told you that was the end of setting myself up.”
Louise rumbled a persistent purr, and Thelma rubbed against her arm. Tess almost spilled her wine. She set the glass down and rubbed an ear of each cat. They didn’t deserve a rebuff. They’d probably had a long day too. Besides, she found their attention a balm to her turmoil.
These were fur baby perks that she was learning to appreciate, the simple acceptance that was based on her skill with a can opener and how dedicated she was to petting them.They couldn’t care less how diligent she’d been in creating a life that had proven her professional worth, a life designed to allow no place for her youthful heartache or the admission of loneliness she’d worked to ignore until the shooting.
“Then this evening it was Maria’s Café, all in the scope of duty as the presiding judge—checking out the scene of a suspicious incident impacting a judge and maybe the courthouse,” Tess told an attentive Thelma.
