Page 36 of Homebody
“Don’t worry. I’m not bringing you here to get saved. Or for church service,” he assured.
“Then why are we here?” she asked, the curiosity evident now in her tone outweighed her confusion.
Motion in his peripheral vision caught Dean’s attention as, at the perfect moment, the back door of the church swung wide. He couldn’t have planned the timing better himself.
“That’s why.” He hooked a thumb toward the back door.
One woman and two children, arms laden with aluminum food containers and paper shopping bags appeared, exiting the church by the back door. Following closely behind the procession a tall dark-haired man was visible.
Liam Walsh.
They’d been friends for a decade, even if Liam was Army and Dean Navy.
Dean swung the car door open and stepped out to wave to Liam who, hands occupied carrying an overloaded cardboard box, tipped up his chin in reply.
“What’s happening?” Tessa called out from where she’d stubbornly remained seated inside the car.
Leaning low to peer through the open driver’s side door, Dean saw the frustration in her expression and decided to end her suspense.
Smiling, he said, “We’re feeding your homeless.”
Her dark brows rose high. “We’re what?”
He didn’t have time to reply as his friend stepped up to the car. He rested the box on the hood and extended his now free hand to shake Dean’s. “Sinclair, are you sure you’ve got room for all this stuff in this tiny excuse of a car of yours?”
Hereallymissed the Bronco currently sitting unused back on base in Virginia, parked in the lot outside his barracks room.
“Notmy car, Walsh. It’s on loan.” Dean made that point very clear, especially since he’d recognized Liam’s bad-ass black Jeep parked a few spots over. “But yeah, we’ll make room. The back seats fold down and it’s got a decent trunk… considering.”
“If you say so.” Liam chuckled.
Dean moved to open the trunk and the back door to allow the three volunteers who’d accompanied Liam to stow what they were carrying.
“Thanks for helping me with this,” Dean said as he saw how much food there was.
All of it left over from the bake sale the day before and the community breakfast held earlier that morning at the church.
All food that might have gone to waste otherwise, rather than feeding those who needed it. The very scenario Tessa had lamented on their drive back from Cooperstown. Only this time Dean, with a lot of help, was able to do something about it.
Liam shook his head. “No thanks necessary. It was nothing. I just called my contact at Veterans’ Affairs. She set everything up. I’m actually pretty ashamed I didn’t think of doing something like this.”
“I can’t take credit for coming up with it myself. Someone gave me the idea to begin with.” Dean smiled. “And I’m pretty sure the local church isn’t on your radar, Walsh.”
“Are you calling me a heathen, Sinclair?” Liam asked.
“Well…”Dean laughed. “Nah, I’m just saying you probably don’t have a direct line to the schedule of food-related church events like I do through my mom. And I know you. Since you left the military your head is always buried in your work. I can’t even get you to return an email half the time.”
Liam cringed. “Guilty as charged. On all counts.”
By now Tessa was out of the car. She was silent as she watched the conversation, but that didn’t mean she went unnoticed. Liam’s focused turned toward her.
“Liam, this is my… friend Tessa.” Ignoring the raised brow and interested glance Liam shot him at the wordfriend, Dean continued. “Tessa, this is Doctor William Walsh. Although back when I met him he was just a plain old Army medic.”
“A plain old Army medic, huh?” Liam laughed before turning back to Tessa. “Pleasure to meet afriendof Dean’s.”
The smirk. The emphasis on the wordfriend. It was all evidence that Liam believed he and Tessa were not simply friends. That there was something more between them.
Liam was wrong. Dean and Tessa remainedjust friendsbecause nothing had happened between them the other night in her apartment. Dean had finished his beer and taken his leave without so much as even a friendly kiss on the cheek, proving that an invite inside did not equal an invite to bed. It was good it hadn’t because he might not have been strong enough to say no had Tessa asked him to stay.
