“Eeuww.”
“Hey,” Tess said. “You asked. If you don’t want to hear the answer, don’t ask the question.”
Rosie gave her a suspicious, sideways glance. “How come you’re talking to me like this?”
“Like what?”
“Telling me all this stuff.”
“Why wouldn’t I? If I don’t want to answer one of your questions, I’ll just tell you to mind your own business. It’s called conversation, kid, remember? People do it all the time.” She took another sip. “Besides, talking to you is kind of interesting. I wonder if you’d keep me interested past the first few dates.”
“Girls don’t go on dates.”
“Yes, they do. I go out on girl dates with my girlfriends all the time.” She took another sip. “What do you think this was?”
“You just picked me up from school.”
“Hey, we kicked some butt, we got some snacks. We’ve been stuck together in this car for half an hour.” Tess tilted her head back and drained the last of the coffee. “That’s longer than some of my dates have lasted.”
“Time for me to go.”
“Rosie.”
The kid climbed from the car and then turned to face her. “Yeah?”
“You’re not going to tell your dad I think he’s sexy, are you?”
“Puh-leeze.” Rosie rolled her eyes as she slammed the door.
Tess waited until she walked into her building. And then she leaned her head against her window and glanced at the figure staring down at her from the third floor. “She’s not so bad, Quinn. Fiesty, but I can relate.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
TESS PERCHED on a stool at the wide kitchen island at Chandler House late Saturday afternoon. With the sun peeking below the awning and Aretha on the radio, Tess was certain there were no problems in the world that couldn’t be solved with a plate of Julia’s snickerdoodles and a tall glass of ice-cold milk. She’d figured out the answers to plenty of life’s questions in this particular spot. So she was certain that if she concentrated hard enough-and ate enough cookies-she could figure out what to do about Quinn, too.
Not that she wanted to do anything about him except hold on tight and enjoy the ride for as long as it lasted. She’d had a week to calm down and think things through after her flight from his apartment, and now she knew what she wanted: an affair. With him. And since her usual method of handling an affair-comfortable boundaries and a casual distance-had worked every time in the past, she reassured herself it would probably work again this time. Boundaries would be important with Quinn.
Distance would be essential with his kid.
So now that she had things figured out, all neat and tidy, why was her stomach looping in knots, and why were so many cookie crumbs catching in her throat? She grabbed for her glass.
“What time did you say Miss Addie and that fool Charlie were getting here?” Julia rolled her marble pin across a sheet of pastry dough. “I want to get this pie in the oven before I head to town.”
Tess glanced at the clock fixed to the wall above the big steel-fronted refrigerators. “Any minute now. And why is Charlie a fool?”
“I’ve seen her beau. Any woman who would drag her feet about marrying a man like that needs her head examined.”
“She loves Jack. She just isn’t looking forward to getting dressed up and having everyone stare at her.” Both concepts were completely alien to Tess, but she’d stick up for Charlie because she was a loyal friend.
Loyal to a fault, as Memere was fond of reminding her.
“Then they should have decided to elope,” Julia said.
“She suggested that, but Jack doesn’t want to sneak away. He says he wants plenty of witnesses so she can’t back out of the deal later.” Tess sipped her milk. “He also says he wants to watch her walk down the aisle to him.”
“With a scowl on her face, most likely.”
“Probably.” Tess smiled. “Definitely.” She set an elbow on the counter, rested her chin in her hand and sighed. “I think it’s romantic.”
“The words
Tess smiled around the rim of her glass as she finished her milk. She wondered if all these doubters-herself included-would dissolve in tears at the sight of Charlie in white, clutching a fistful of flowers.
Julia draped the pastry over one of her wide pie dishes and began to fill it with shaved apple slices. “It’s been too long since Miss Addie came around for a visit. I miss her.”
“Well, you’ll get to see both of them now.” Tess scooted off the stool at the sound of a car in the drive beyond the kitchen door. “They said they’d meet me here.”
Julia wiped her flour-dusted hands on her apron. “They’ll be wanting some of my cookies.”
“Why do you think they told me to meet them in the kitchen?”
A few moments later, Julia had her arms around “her girls” and was offering cookies and milk, just like old times.
Addie pulled out a stool next to Tess, and Charlie slouched against the island across from them. “Mmmm,” Charlie said as she bit into a snickerdoodle. “Let’s skip those fancy frosted cakes and have these at the wedding.”
“Snickerdoodles on the south lawn.” Julia shook her head as she slid her pie into the oven. “Miz Geneva would never recover.”
Charlie licked a milk mustache from her upper lip. “A couple dozen of these might make a nice wedding present.”
“I can do better than that,” Julia said.
“Okay. How about a couple dozen every week for a year?”
“Enough about the cookies.” Tess pulled a notepad from her tote. “How about the cake?”
“Ooh, the cake. I’ve got some pictures.” Addie rummaged through her scuffed, sagging tote and hefted a thick pile of bridal magazines onto the counter.
“Not the magazines.” Charlie shoved her milk aside and buried her face in her crossed arms. “Anything but the magazines.”
“Let me see, sweetie.” Julia slid onto the stool next to Addie and opened a bloated magazine bristling with sticky markers. “Now, isn’t that pretty?”
“We could use fresh flowers to decorate the tops of the layers,” Addie said. “Fresh flowers would work, wouldn’t they?”
“They add a nice touch.” Tess licked her fingers and craned her neck to peer at the photo over Addie’s shoulder. “I like the way those are draped and swirled over the edges. What do you think, Charlie?”
“I think I want another snickerdoodle.” She crossed the kitchen to the oversize bin near the cooktop.
Julia set the oven’s timer. “I’m leaving you in charge, Miss Addie. You see that this pie gets pulled out and set on the rack when that buzzer goes off, or you’re going to have me to answer to.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Addie grinned as Julia lightly flicked her arm with a tea towel.
“All right. Let’s get down to business,” Tess said when Julia had gone. She opened her notepad and clicked a pen. “Where do we start? Cake? Flowers? We should probably start with the flowers, because-What?” she asked when she saw the look that passed between Charlie and Addie.
“I heard you got sent to the principal’s office at Adams Elementary School,” Charlie said.
“Oh, that. That’s not exactly what happened.” Tess tried to wave it off, but Charlie crossed her arms and rested on the island, settling in to hear the whole sordid tale. “How did you hear about it?” Tess asked.
“Jason Cardoza’s mother was dropping off some flyers at the school office,” Charlie told her.
“And who is Jason Cardoza?”
“One of the boys on Jack’s Little League team.”
Tess narrowed her eyes. “Sometimes I think this town’s grapevine needs some serious pruning.”
“What we want to know is, what were you doing at the school?” Addie asked.
“Picking up Quinn’s daughter.”
“Hmm.” Charlie gave Addie another of those annoying looks. “Interesting.”
“There was nothing ‘interesting’ about it,” Tess said. “I was doing him a favor. That’s all.”
“You’re turning red.” Addie studied her over the rim of her glass. “You wouldn’t be turning red if it was just a favor.”
“Maybe she’s been doing other favors for Quinn.” Charlie wiggled her eyebrows. “Favors we don’t know about. Yet.”
“We could ask her,” Addie suggested.
“I have an idea,” Tess said as she stood and gathered her things. “Why don’t we continue this interrogation outside. You can plan for the wedding and torture me at the same time.”
“Okay.” Charlie straightened and headed toward the door leading to the back hall. “Dibs on the thumbscrews.”
“We can’t go outside yet,” Addie said. “I have to wait for the pie. And we don’t mean to torture you,” she told Tess. “We’re just curious about what’s going on between you and Quinn.”
“What makes you think something’s going on? What?” Tess asked. “There’s that look again. Stop giving each other that look.”
“What look?” Addie asked.
“The we-know-she’s-hiding-something-from-us look.”
“Guilty as charged.” Charlie returned and swung up on one of the stools. “So-what are you hiding from us?”
Tess tried staring them down, but she was outnumbered. “All right, all right. For crying out loud.” She inhaled deeply and blew out a put-upon sigh. “There was…this…kiss.”
“I knew it.” Charlie slapped the counter. “I knew there was something going on the night you two came over for dinner.”
“Just a kiss?” Addie asked.
“You sound so disappointed,” Tess said.
“She’s not.” Charlie shook her head. “I’m not. It’s just that we’re a little worried about you. Usually you’re…”
“Getting more than kisses?” Tess asked.
“Happier.” Addie ran her hand down Tess’s arm. “Aren’t you happy, Tess?”
