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Grabbing a blanket from the back office, he draped it around Tessa’s shoulders. This woman had come crashing into his life and changed him. He wanted to deny it at first. But the evidence was there. She was something special to him.
He pondered what that meant as he headed back up to his apartment.
Chapter eleven
Thesoftmorningraysof light streamed through the windows of the shop, awakening Tessa. She sat up, stretching. Something fell from her—a blanket. She looked down at it, bemused. It took only a few moments before a realization came to her. Daniel must have brought her a blanket when she fell asleep last night. She couldn’t fight a smile. It seemed that the grumpy one was truly softening.
Daniel was nowhere to be found, though. She looked around but failed to see him among the shelves. Perhaps he went to grab a few hours of sleep. She couldn’t blame him. Her crisis had woken him the night before, and they had stayed up quite late, welcoming the early morning as they talked.
Despite the weariness that she now felt, Tessa had enjoyed her time with Daniel. In the past, spending a night talking with a guy typically led to them wanting more. Daniel, though, had been content to just spend time with her. It was a welcome change. She smiled slightly to herself as she rose from the ground.
She checked her phone, making sure that she hadn’t missed a call from the vet while she was sleeping, but there were no missed calls. No news was probably good news for the most part, she figured. But she would call them soon anyway, after some coffee.
Tessa shuffled to the back office in search of the coffee machine. It wasn’t as good as Lily’s, but she didn’t exactly want to show up at the diner in yesterday’s clothes. Perhaps after a shower. Once the pot was gurgling, quietly churning out her beverage, Tessa leaned against the table and thought about the last several hours.
She had been distraught when she had awoken to a sick Pippin. Without a thought, she reached for her phone to call Daniel. When had that become an instinct for her? Somehow, her self-reliance had given way to something more.
Shaking herself from her reverie, she realized that the coffee was ready.Sweet caffeine, she thought as she poured a cup for herself, inhaling the sweet aroma.
Before she could take a sip, though, her phone buzzed in her pocket. Her heart stuttered. This was the moment of truth.
“Hello?” She answered, pressing the phone to her ear with trepidation.
“Miss Winters? This is the vet’s office. I just wanted to report that Pippin is doing much better and ready to be picked up.” The vet tech’s voice was cheery as she delivered the good news.
Relief washed over Tessa, and she took a deep, relaxed breath. “That’s wonderful. Should I come pick him up now?”
Before the vet tech was even finished answering in the affirmative, Tessa was out the door.
***
“Never scare me like that again.” Tessa scratched at Pippin’s ears with a smile on her face. “I don’t know what I would do without you, buddy.”
Pippin huffed in contentment and settled back down in the front seat. He seemed no worse for wear after the events of last night, but Tessa would be keeping a close eye on him from now on.
She sat back in the driver’s seat and tapped her fingers on the steering wheel. She could head to Lily’s for a big breakfast, but she would likely have to leave Pippin outside, and that didn’t sit right with her. Her stomach grumbled in protest, but she ignored it. The park it was.
She put the car in drive and headed in the direction of the park near the edge of town. Music blasted through the speakers, and she sang along to Frankie Valli at the top of her lungs. She almost didn’t hear her phone buzzing from the dashboard.
Snatching it up, she glanced at the screen. Not a call but a text from Daniel. She pulled the car into a spot outside of the park and opened the text.
Hey, if Pippin is doing okay, I was hoping you could meet me over at 14 Inglewood Street. I have something to show you.
Tessa read over the text a few times, curious. Finally, she sent a reply:This isn’t some plot to finally kill me off, is it?
She watched the bouncing dots on my screen as Daniel typed out his reply, a small smile on my face.
Yes, my plot is almost complete. Seriously, though. Come meet me.
Tessa texted back an affirmative reply and slipped her phone into her pocket. Turning to Pippin, she scratched at his ears once more. “It looks like we have an errand to run before we can play at the park, mister. Let’s roll.”
After plugging the address Daniel had given her into the GPS, Tessa realized that the house he had indicated was a mere block away. Wanting to give Pippin some fresh air, she left the car in the parking lot and headed out on foot. Pippin, fully recovered from his rough night, danced around her heels as they moved onward.
Fallen leaves crunched beneath her feet as she cut through a shortcut to the street. More leaves fell from above, and it gave the area a whimsical, magical feel that Tessa quite liked. Autumn had always been her favorite season, and this was why. There was just something so special about the scent of dying leaves and the warmth of a hot mug of cider.
She pulled her wool scarf closer around her neck as a cool breeze blew past. Her destination was just up ahead. Pippin, however, leaped forward, excited to be feeling better and going on an adventure.
“Wait up, Pip!” She darted up the path behind him and suddenly stopped as she caught a glimpse of Daniel up ahead.
