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“Pretty much. He also called me a cunt while I walked out the door.”
I felt my hands curl into the fabric of the sofa. “He called you what? I’ll go punch his fucking teeth in.” I didn’t know how I would do that, of course. I’d have to get over there first. Maybe I’d call a cab, or an Uber. I was willing to brave a car if it meant I could smash this guy’s face.
Tessa smiled at me, a dreamy sort of smile. “You’re awesome when you’re angry, but he isn’t worth the assault charge.”
“He can’t just do that,” I ground out.
“He already did, but forget it. I’m not upset, I promise. I didn’t want to work there anyway.”
I remembered that today was the last day of the photo shoot, so she didn’t have any more money coming in. “Are you going to get another job?”
“That’s just the thing,” Tessa said, opening her bag and pulling out papers. “I don’t have to rush to get another job. Because I got these today.”
She handed them to me, and I read them over. It was from Mrs. Welland’s estate lawyer, informing Tessa that she had inherited funds from her grandmother. I looked at the number and blinked. “Holy shit, Tessa. Even after the taxes and the rest of it, this is a pretty good amount of money.”
“I know. It won’t set me up for life, but I can get by for a little while, don’t you think?”
“Sure you can.” I looked up at her, then remembered it was dinner time. She never ate at photo shoots. “Are you hungry? I’ll get you a sandwich.”
She watched me lever myself off the couch and into my chair with widened eyes. “Andrew, no. I can get it myself.”
“Relax, I’ll get it.”
“Andrew.”
I held up a hand. “Bea Arthur. Remember? You’re being an ass. I can make sandwiches, despite the fact that I’m catastrophically infirm.”
She slumped a little. “Sorry. And I love it when you use big words. Which reminds me, I actually came over here to have sex.”
“I know, but now you have to wait for it.” I wheeled to the kitchen. “Keep talking.”
She kept talking as I made her sandwich, ugly mustard and all. She told me about the phone call from her mother, the argument over the money. Then, after getting fired from Miller’s, she’d gone home and found the letter from the lawyer in the mailbox. She’d just gotten off the phone with him.
“So, that’s it,” she said as I put her sandwich, pickle, and ginger ale down in front of her. “My bills are paid for a while. Which is weird, because right before it happened I was thinking I’d like to do a job with my clothes on for a change.”
I watched her inhale the sandwich—she was freaking starving—and said, “Nurses keep their clothes on. At least, the ones I know always do. You could use that money to go to nursing school.”
She swallowed her last bite, looking troubled. “My mother says I’ll fail and waste the money.”
“Your mother sounds like she doesn’t do much mothering, to be honest. I know the type well.”
Tessa poked at the crumbs on her plate. “Andrew, I’m an underwear model and bartender. Do you think I’m smart enough to go to nursing school?”
“Yes,” I said honestly. “I’ve spent a lot of time in hospitals, and I’ve met a lot of nurses. They’re great people. Hardworking, dedicated, smart people. You’re just as smart as any of them.”
“Ugh.” She let out a stressed-out sigh. “I’ve always wanted to do it, but now that it’s actually possible, I’m pretty much terrified.”
“You’ll do great,” I said.
She would. She’d work hard, and she’d be a great nurse. And then she’d meet a great guy, and I’d be left in the dust. But I wasn’t going to think about that now.
Tessa leaned back on the sofa and looked at me, sweeping her gaze up and down. “So you feed me and pay me compliments. That’s your plan to get me into bed?”
I steepled my fingers beneath my chin. “Mustard is part of my plan for seduction.”
“And ginger ale.”
“You’ve been ensnared in my web from the beginning. Admit it.”
