Page 33 of Homebody
And that fact had come from her neurological research. The real reason she was so interested in the homeless situation, country-wide, not just in this area.
He turned his head to look at her in the passenger seat, before focusing back on the highway and what little traffic surrounded them. That didn’t prevent him from asking, “You hear that at the salon too?”
Darn.Caught again.
Panicking, she swallowed. “I, uh, wrote a paper on it for one of the college kids who hire me to do their work.”
He smiled and shot her a sideways glance. “Ah. Of course. Your second job.”
She lifted a shoulder. “It helps pay the bills and keeps a roof over my head. And it buys me beer and going-out clothes. You know, the necessities.” She forced out a laugh.
“And keeps you out of the homeless encampment?” he joked.
“Yes. That too.” She glanced down at the bag of leftovers in her lap, remembering the times she’d survived on packages of Ramen noodles from the dollar store because money was tight. “I feel bad. If they’re homeless, they’re probably hungry too. And here I am bringing home half of my meal because it was so big.”
He lifted a brow. “I’m sorry but I’m not turning around so you can deliver your doggy-bag to someone in one of those tents back there. I’m not without empathy but my priority is keeping you safe.”
She wasn’t used to anyone else being responsible for her or her safety. But Dean had taken it upon himself to be, at least for tonight. She liked the feeling. Too much. She knew better than to get used to it.
“I know. I wasn’t suggesting that. One meal for one person wouldn’t solve the bigger problem anyway.” She let out a sigh. “It’s such a shame. Restaurants, bakeries, stores, they all throw away so much food. I live across from the diner. I see what goes in the dumpster every night. That food could really help those struggling. There has to be a way to connect those with excess and those who don’t have enough.”
That tidbit hung in the air between them and she regretted immediately saying it, especially when she noticed the sway of his head as he shook it.
Her cheeks heated. She’d gone too far this time. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything.”
“No. You’re right. It’s just… you’re certainly a surprise.”
She swallowed. “Me? Really? In what way?”
“I’m in the military. I know the statistics regarding veterans and mental health and homelessness. But I would have just driven right by that encampment and gone on with my life. And here you are coming up with an incredibly smart and viable solution to feed people in need. You’re so damn empathetic and civic-minded…” He let out a short laugh. “You’re kind of putting me to shame here, Tess.”
She sucked in a breath. Ruby and Red would flip out if they knew she’d just insulted Dean. She’d told them she was no good at date talk. This was proof.
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to?—”
“No. Stop. You’re fine. I’m joking. And I shouldn’t joke because it’s a serious situation. So I’m sorry for that.”
This conversation was too deep. Not to mention too revealing and proof that she was capable of screwing anything up, even the last twenty minutes of what had otherwise been a near perfect date.
She needed to be more careful. And as she saw the highway sign for the exit for Mudville, Tessa doubled down on her resolve. No more slip-ups.
In fact, it would probably be safest if she didn’t talk at all.
Chapter Sixteen
Tessa preceded Dean up the stairs and onto the sweeping wrap-around porch of the big pink Victorian. Leading him around, they passed the big wide double front doors of the main entrance and continued on to the single side entry door that led to her apartment.
She took out her key and tried to stop her hand from shaking as she aimed it for the lock.
The door, thank goodness, opened. Old keys in old locks didn’t always cooperate. She was grateful this time it had worked. She had plenty else to be stressed about.
Swinging the tall wooden door wide, she stepped inside first then motioned for him to follow. “Come on in. Sit down… wherever. I’ll, uh, get you that beer.”
“Sure. Thanks,” he called after her as she made a beeline toward the living area doorway.
Rushing off to the kitchen seemed like the perfect excuse to get away from him for long enough to catch her breath.
The only problem was that stashing the plastic bag holding her box of leftovers and then grabbing two cans from the fridge didn’t take nearly enough time. Definitely not long enough for her to stop her heart from racing or her hands from trembling.
