Page 19 of California Dreaming

Now he just had to find a way to make her fall for him.

Chapter Nine

Tessa set the brown paper bags on the doorstep and fumbled in her pocket for the door code, which she hadn’t yet memorized. It had been fun shopping for Archer, even if it had taken a while to shake off the tingle she felt every time she remembered who her new client was and that she’d sleep in his house tonight.

Opening the door, she called out what she hoped sounded like a professional hello, picked up the bags, and walked down the hallway to the open-plan living area. She’d gone to town on the leafy green veggies and chosen only the best cuts of organic meat and fresh fish to help Archer get the protein he needed to heal. Later, she’d sit down and make her own comprehensive meal plan, but first they needed to get through his daily exercises. She had a feeling that Archer wasn’t going to be the most patient of clients. Nonetheless, she felt confident she could handle him.

The sound of laughter popped her out of her thoughts. Was Archer entertaining his Hollywood buddies already? She couldn’t leave him alone for a moment. Didn’t he realize that he needed to actually rest while he recuperated? Otherwise, his already ambitious healing target of ten weeks was going to be impossible.

She entered the room, mentally preparing a professional but firm lecture—his second of the day!—but was shocked when she saw three of the Davenport women seated around Archer, drinking tea and indulging in treats.

For a split second, a pang of longing shook her. If only her family was like that. Tessa had one older sister, Cheryl, who was very successful. She was married with three daughters. But these days, Tessa rarely saw her sister or her sweet nieces.

Since Tessa had been widowed, and then had run into money troubles, her sister acted like her dire financial situation was a virus she could catch. Rather than supporting Tessa through a difficult time by actually being around to talk things through, Cheryl sent care packages of her cast-off clothes. It was nice of her, but given that her sister’s taste was expensive and fancy—all silk dresses and ruffled shirts that were no use to Tessa at all—she’d started taking the designer clothes to thrift stores for store credit. It was the only way she could keep her wardrobe updated, while allowing any spare income to be saved toward a watercolor workshop. Over time, however, she had come to love thrifting. It had become the gift her sister didn’t know she’d given.

“Hi, Tessa,” Mila said. “We were just talking about how good working with you is going to be for Arch.”

There was a kind and respectful note to Mila’s voice that made Tessa feel certain they hadn’t been gossiping about her in an unkind way.

Archer said, “They were reminding me I have to do exactly what you tell me.”

She could see the visit from his female relatives was doing him good. In fact, now that he looked more cheerful, he looked even hotter. Seriously, she needed to get over her crush—and her hormones—ASAP.

Betsy got up and gave Tessa a warm hug, then said, “Let me help you with these groceries.” She helped carry the bags into the kitchen, all the while talking about how pleased she was that her son was going to get such excellent care. “Margaret speaks so highly of you,” Betsy said as she unpacked the healthy food with an approving look.

“I grew very fond of her,” Tessa said. “And she made excellent progress.”

“All down to your expertise, I’m sure.” Betsy opened another grocery bag and showed Tessa where everything was kept in the kitchen and the separate pantry. Clearly, Archer’s mom was over here a lot.

When they’d finished, Erin called her over. “Come sit with us.” She patted a seat next to her on the sofa. “We brought some freshly baked goods. Well, at least Mom and I did. Mila brought grapes, because she’s always super conscious about good nutrition.”

“Rightly so,” Mila said. “Arch needs actual nutrients, not chocolate chips.”

When Mila gave Tessa a warm smile, any discomfort she felt at suddenly finding herself in the midst of the female side of Archer’s family melted away. But she shook her head at the invitation to sit and instead offered to make the women more tea.

Mila stood. “I’ve got to make some calls.” She turned to her sister. “Don’t you need to get back to the paper? Or do hard-nosed journalists keep their own hours these days?”

Tessa could tell that Mila meant no malice toward her sister. There was such warmth between them all that Tessa felt her heart ache again at the knowledge that she’d probably never have anything like that kind of relationship with her sister. And then there was Archer, still looking super hot, even with cookie crumbs in his lap.

“We should all be going,” Betsy agreed. “We don’t want to tire Arch out.”

With that, the women gathered their things. But before they left, Erin turned to Tessa and said, “Mila and I have coffee every Tuesday morning. It’s a nice way to catch up with each other. We’re meeting tomorrow, and it would be lovely if you could come too.”

Erin named a fancy coffee shop Tessa had often walked past but never entered, and a thrill raced through her just from being invited to join Archer’s sisters. It was as if she already belonged in their fold. She smiled and thanked her. “I’d like that a lot,” she said, “but I might be needed by Archer.”

Of course, as soon as the words left her mouth, he told her to go.

“You need time off too,” he said. “I can get by for an hour on my own.” He gave a mischievous grin. “After all, I have been coping on my own until now. And please call me Arch, Tessa.”

Tessa nodded at his request, even as she held back a sigh. He certainly hadn’t been coping so well when she’d first arrived and found him stranded on the stairs, but at least she had gotten things off to a good start with a no-nonsense approach—even if she felt gooey to the core every time she glanced his way.

The Davenport women said their good-byes, and Erin pressed a business card into Tessa’s hand. “Text me,” she urged, “so I have your number.”

Tessa smiled down at the business card for the Sea Shell, Carmel’s weekly newspaper. She’d been in town for weeks, and was close to Margaret Percy, but it felt like she’d just made her first friend her own age.

After the women left, she offered Arch one more chance to take something from the plate of goodies before she put them away. “You’re not going to bust me for eating junk food?” He sounded surprised.

“No. Seeing your mom and sisters did you good, I can tell. And a couple of cookies aren’t the end of the world.”

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