Page 22 of Tessa's Trust

Anna nodded. “If you say so.”

I did. We worked quietly for about half an hour until another knock sounded on the door. More family members arrived, and soon all the furniture was out of the apartment. It really didn’t take long at all, and my cousins left to deliver furniture either to the dump or my new place in the valley.

After we’d cleared the bedroom, I headed to the kitchen, trying to gather whatever dishes hadn’t been broken, just as a more timid knock came from the door. “Open that, would you, Bobbo?” I called out.

He was just finishing wiping down some scuffs on the baseboard. There was a chance I’d get my deposit back, considering all the damage had been to my belongings.

“Sure.” He reached up and opened the door before stiffening. “Oh, uh, hi.” He fumbled to his feet and towered over Kelsey Walker.

She blushed a bright pink and then looked around the now-empty room at Anna, Aiden, Rory, Bobbo, and me.

“Oh, good. Kelsey, I’m glad you’re here,” I said, running over and patting her arm. “Thank you for coming to help.”

She bit her lip. “I came as soon as I could, but it looks like you’re almost done.”

I swallowed. “Yeah, I am, and I was going to take everybody out to lunch, but something’s come up.” I opened my eyes as if I had just come up with the best idea ever. “Bobbo, do you mind taking Kelsey to lunch? I feel terrible that she made the drive for nothing, and I really do need to get over the pass before my cousins put everything in the wrong place.” I was only half-kidding about that.

Bobbo straightened even more and stared into Kelsey’s pretty blue eyes. “I’d love a luncheon date.”

Kelsey faltered and then stared way up at him. “You own that farm, right?”

“I do. I have alpacas,” he said. “They’re the best animal for the environment, you know?”

She gasped. “I’ve never seen an alpaca.”

My heart started to warm. This was a good idea. Anna cut me a look and then rolled her eyes. I didn’t care. Sometimes, an Irish gal just knew things. I’d inherited the gift from Nana O’Shea. She occasionally knew things, and so did I. “I really appreciate it.” I reached into my back pocket for a card. “Here. It’s for Smiley’s Diner. I have a lot of coupons.”

“Oh, we don’t need a coupon,” Bobbo said gallantly, holding out his beefy arm for Kelsey. “Let’s go eat at The Clumsy Penguin. I’ve heard they’ve got a great lunch soup.”

“The Clumsy Penguin?” Her smile was cute and lit up her whole face. “I love that place.”

It was a fantastic idea. The Penguin was a charming bar and restaurant that sat at the edge of Lilac Lake, which made for a romantic background.

“Are you sure?” Bobbo asked me, his eyes quizzical yet also full of hope.

“I’m positive,” I said. “You guys go have fun.”

His smile was wide. He looked huge next to the petite Kelsey Walker, but considering her sister was in jail, and the rest of her family didn’t seem too kind because of it, she could probably use some cover. Bobbo could handle that. Besides, they made a somewhat cute couple. A little odd, but in my experience, the odder the couple, the happier they were.

“All right, let’s go.” He gestured her out. “If you need any more help, Tessa, let me know.”

“You’ve got it,” I said cheerfully. The room seemed bigger once he’d left.

Anna shook her head. “You have always been such a matchmaker.”

“I have?”

“Yeah. Always.”

Rory snorted. “You have. You even matched up Uncle Brett, remember?”

“Well, yeah, but he and my second-grade teacher were perfect together. They’ve been married for decades now.”

“Uh-huh.” Rory shook his head. “All right, we have everything. Let’s drive over to the valley.”

“Okay,” I said. “My car’s still over there. I need to get it.”

“We’re going to argue about where you’re staying,” Rory muttered.

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