Page 18 of Loved By Tandy

“It is. It’ll be a bit before it opens for business. But it’s a fun idea.”

“And I guess this means y’all are talking civilly now?”

“Yep. Like old friends.” I pat his shoulder, then wander over to Tandy. “Hey there.”

She glances at me and rolls her eyes. “I thought we were meeting for dinner to talk about stuff.”

“We are. I’m still planning to pick you up like we agreed. But this seemed like something interesting, so I came. Is that bad?”

“Just don’t get in the way. Or cause any trouble.”

“Can do. And if you need another model, I can be out of this shirt and my undershirt lickety-split.”

“No one wants to see your wrinkles on a book cover, Matthew.”

“Wrinkles? I like to call them rivels of wisdom.” I bump my shoulder against hers. “And how would you know if my chest has wrinkles? Have you been peeping in my windows when I’m changing?”

“You are so infuriating. Take your grandson and go do something that makes you feel manly. The photoshoot isn’t a spectator sport.”

“Just here to help. I can wave those big palm fans if you need these models to have their hair blowing in the wind. And the chances of my dragging Zach away are less than zero. But I promise to behave.”

“I’m not sure you even know how.”

“Now there’s the pot calling the kettle black.”

Her lips curl into a smile. “Haley’s calling me. I’ll see you at dinner.”

“Can’t wait. And I like that outfit. It fits you well.”

She shakes her head as she walks away, but it’s the grin on her face that betrays her true feelings.

When one of the models drapes his arm around Haley, I race back over to Zach. “Let her handle it.”

He laughs. “I know. She made me promise that I wouldn’t do anything stupid.”

“Tandy told me almost the same thing.”

I waitfor Tandy to slide into the booth before sitting across from her. My notebook slaps the table, and the pencil rolls off and drops on her side. “Oops.”

She hands over the pencil. “So now you’ve seen the ranch. What do you think? Be honest.”

“Beautiful land. Having a river on the property will be great for what you’re wanting to do. Opens options for activities. Putting the love nest cabins so that they have a view of the water seems romantic. And that hill will be a great spot for your place.” I make a rough sketch of the property, marking the newly laid gravel roads and the winding river. Then I draw rectangles for the cabins and houses. “Putting a rec building here with a dining area and game room would work. You could have an office there, where people would check in.”

“You’ll help me make this dream a reality?” She leans forward, keeping her voice low.

“Oh yeah. You saw what we built at the winery.”

Smirking, she picks up a menu from where they’re tucked beside the napkin holder. “Stephanie must think I’m nutters. I went to great lengths to avoid you while you were building that place.”

“I remember.” I bump her foot with my boot. “But we’re good now.”

“We are. You were dumb, and I was impulsive. We’ve both grown since then.”

“Anything exciting happen after I left the photoshoot?” I open the menu but stay focused on her, waiting for an answer.

“Not really. Guys took their shirts off. They struck muscly poses. And Haley snapped pictures. She showed me a few. They’ll be great for book covers.” She wags a finger at me. “Be warned, I’m not in the mood for snarky comments.”

“Yes, ma’am.” I lift the menu so that she can’t see my face. “How do you find those guys? Do you just hand out business cards outside the gym and dance hall?”

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