“Sounds like a neighborhood kid prank to me,” Eric said. “What some might term juvenile delinquents, although I have to confess that while I’d certainly be slapping their hands now, it could have been something I might have done as a teenager. It’s a good thing we mature. At least most of us.”
“I guess the ones that don’t grow out of that kind of behavior help keep the courthouse doors open,” Alan added.
“Well, I’m sorry that happened to you.” Callie offered Bree a sympathetic look. “I bet that upset you. It would me. I doubt it was work related, but it makes me happy not to be dealing with mostly probate and civil cases. Although you never know what’s going to trigger someone.”
The wordtriggertook Bree directly to thoughts of Tess’s shooting. To her need to maintain Tess’s safety and her uncertainty of how to do that.
“You’re right, probably kids,” Vera said. She scooted her chair back and collected her takeout container for the trash. “Well, back to the bench. I’ve got a full afternoon.”
“So do I,” Eric said.
They all stood up, cleaned their places, and headed out. Bree wasn’t sure what she’d learned, but at least she was getting toknow her colleagues better. She had a full afternoon too, and then Hank’s birthday dinner.
“Hi, Aunt Bree.” Gabby gave Bree a hug. “Where’s Tess? She could have come to Dad’s birthday dinner. Maybe she’d even have brought one of those dope chocolate cakes, so we’d have a choice besides the lemon one that Mom made him.”
Bree inhaled and centered herself. She’d expected that she wouldn’t get off without Tess coming up for discussion tonight, and she realized that it would have been fun to have her here. Tess just kept growing on her. She was so comfortable with Tess, and she didn’t just find her attractive. Bree was attracted to her—there was a difference. Very attracted.
“So, you’re still planning on whale watching together, right?” Gabby asked.
“Yup, thanks to your play, Tess has a prize to redeem, and she asked me to help her out,” Bree replied.
“We’d hate to have her win a coveted raffle prize and not redeem it,” Rachelle dryly remarked. “So you’re saying that you’re just helping her out so that it doesn’t go to waste?”
Hank threw Rachelle a gaze. “Never say my little sister isn’t a Good Samaritan.” They all laughed.
“No ganging up on me,” Bree said.
“I like Tess,” Gabby declared. “She’s sophisticated. Classy. Sort of uptight until she relaxes, but she’s actually pretty nice.” Bree couldn’t disagree with Gabby’s assessment. Then Gabby continued. “I might not have guessed it, but when I see you with her, it works. For both of you. And you both need a love life.”
“Can’t argue with that,” Rachelle muttered.
“Tess really fit in at the barbecue. You looked reallycomfortable with her. I get why you dumped Aunt Cora, but Tess is completely different,” Gabby said.
“That’s enough, Gabby. Bree’s love life is hers to decide,” Hank said.
“It’s complicated.” Bree shook her head.
“Adults.” Gabby clucked her tongue before heading out of the kitchen.
Hank gave Bree a questioning look. “Tess is a bit reserved until she warms up to you, but once she does that, it becomes pretty obvious that there’s a whole lot that she’s trying to keep hidden. There’s a whole lot to her, in a very good way.”
Bree nodded. “I’m not disagreeing with you. But there’s way more involved with this than I can tell you right now.”And so much more than I can tell her too.
“Probably not my business, but that never stopped me from trying to make it my business before. Do you see a resolution?” Hank asked.
“Now I know where Gabby got the busybody gene,” Bree replied.
“Certainly not from me.” Rachelle smiled and pointed at herself.
“Can we just get on with the birthday celebration and leave my love life alone?”
“Well, if you’re willing to call it alove life, we can leave it at that,” Hank said.
Bree put her head in her hands and dramatically shook it back and forth in an exaggerated show of false pique. “And to think I moved from LA to be closer to family.”
She chuckled, but that chuckle masked all the anxiety she was feeling. She’d moved north to leave her failed love life behind. And now she was worried that she could end up with failure on her hands with Tess. Hurting Tess would hurt her too. Really hurt.
“You know I never expected this to happen in my personal life right now—Tess—and I’ve been afraid that I’m not in the right place in my life for it. But I also wonder what I’ll miss if I push her away because I decide that I’m not ready.”
