Page 13 of Second Chance Spring in Paradise

I close the menu and hand it back to her. “Then I’ll take a hamburger, extra sauce, and fries.”

“I guess I’ll have the same, since I’m not in the mood for chicken fingers.” Tessa smiles and hands her menu to Britta. “I suppose my Aunt D must have earned her way to the hidden menu. I used to eat a chicken pot pie kind of thing every time we came here.”

“It used to be on the menu until a few days ago,” Britta says, tucking the menus under her arm and looking pointedly at me. “It was someone else’s favorite, too.”

She leaves, and I let out a long sigh.

“You want to tell me what all that was about?” Tessa asks, giving me a look that says it’s one of those questions you can’t say no to.

“My cousin Dakota and Adam were supposed to get married a couple of days ago. The day you and I, uh… met, in fact.” I feel my cheeks warm as I remember seeing Tessa—all of her—for the first time. “She ran out on the wedding, and I might have helped her escape.”

Tessa’s eyebrow goes up. “Escape? Is Adam a monster or something?”

I shake my head. “Not at all. One of the nicest guys you’ll meet. Unless you’ve pissed him off. Dakota just changed her mind about marrying him, is all.”

“On their wedding day? Are you sure it wasn’t just cold feet, and she would have been fine if she’d gone through with it?” Both eyebrows are up now, rising above the rims of her glasses.

“No. She’d been telling me for months she wasn’t sure she wanted to go through with the wedding, but she didn’t know how to tell Adam with his mom being sick and everything.” Talking about it brings up more feelings of guilt and questions about whether I should have tried harder to get her to break things off before the wedding day.

“Wow. And here I thought nothing exciting ever happens in small towns. I guess drama happens everywhere, but I’m sorry you got caught in the middle of it.” A slow smile spreads across Tessa’s face and somehow brushes away my guilt over things I can’t change.

We talk a little longer until Britta comes back with our food. Then we fall into a comfortable silence while devouring our hamburgers and fries. I’m a little surprised Adam didn’t sabotage my dinner with a burned patty or soggy fries, but everything is as delicious as it always is. I glance toward the open kitchen and see Adam and Britta’s brother, Bjorn—aka Bear—next to Adam at the grill. He tips his chin to me, and I know I’ve got him to thank for my food.

When Tessa and I are both close to done with our burgers, I reach into my laptop bag. I pull out the MLS listings I printed out and slide them across the table to her. “I found some places to show you.”

I could have emailed the info to her, but I think it’s important to have something physical to look at and study when a client is considering buying a home. It’s a big decision.

When I was riding broncs, I always studied the horses I knew I might be matched with in a rodeo before I got there. People need to know what they’re getting themselves into.

“Aunt D’s place isn’t available, then?” Tessa asks while scanning the pages with little interest.

“Unfortunately, no. According to Zach, anyway. He didn’t give me much info, but he said you shouldn’t plan on buying anything in the Little Copenhagen.” I’m disappointed for her. And maybe a little for myself. As much as I try to fight it, I like the idea of her sticking around.

“Hmm.” She looks closer at the listings, but I get the sense she’s not really seeing anything.

“I tried to find some comparable places, close to the lake.” I reach across the table and pull one of the pages from the bottom of the pile, and set it on top. “This one is really nice. Turn key. You wouldn’t have to do anything to it, and it’s walking distance to the lake.”

Tessa is shaking her head before I finish. “It’s too expensive. They all are.”

“Yeah, they’re a little out of the price range you gave me, but they’re the lowest-priced houses on the market right now.”

“I guess I thought things would be cheaper here.” She slides the pages across the table to me, and I feel like she’s handing back a piece of my heart. And not because I could use a commission right now.

That’s the surprising part to me. I should care more that I’m losing a potential client here, not that I’m losing the potential to get to know Tessa better.

“I can’t do it, Rowdy.” She looks so sad, I can’t help feeling sad with her. “I’m writing a book for the first time in two years, but I don’t know if my agent will be able to sell it. My income is always unpredictable, but right now all the odds are stacked against me. I’ve got to be careful with the little money I have.”

I puff my cheeks and let out a long breath. “I’ve been there, too.” Riding broncs for a living means embracing the unpredictable.

“It was a pipe dream to think I could get a second home here with my finances the mess they are.” Tessa lets out a sad laugh. “I don’t even have a first home. I’m living in an apartment in L.A.”

“That sounds like pure hell. No wonder you want a place in Paradise.” I don’t mean to criticize her life choices, but the idea of living in a cramped apartment leaves me feeling claustrophobic.

Tessa tosses her head back and laughs. Her hair trails over her bare shoulders and down her back. The thin straps of her white shirt are bright against her golden-brown skin, pressing tight into it, like they might snap. But her laugh is no delicate thing. It’s loud and tinny like a brass horn and probably the best laugh I’ve heard.

“That’s a good question.” She shakes her hair over her shoulder. My eyes are so glued to the pocket between her neck and collarbone that I’ve forgotten my question. “Probably because I have a big life there, even if my living space is small.” She crosses her arms on the table, leans forward, and I have to fight hard to keep my eyes up. “But I’m all ears, Rowdy Lovett. Tell me how I could live a big life in a small town.”

She’s flirting with me. Her eyes dance between blue and gray, a smile plays on her lips, and I’m here for all of it.

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