Page 66 of Tessa's Trust

I dropped by Donna’s house to change into dark jeans and a winter-white sweater before borrowing gold earrings and a pretty necklace from her. One cool thing about Donna was that she was willing to share.

She wasn’t home yet, but she’d left a note that she’d gone into the office and would see me later that night. Donna was a very successful realtor and worked as many hours as I did. Catching sight of the time, I made sure my hickey was covered by more makeup and then dashed out to my car to drive to The Clumsy Penguin around Lilac Lake.

The Clumsy Penguin was actually one of my favorite bars. It was out on a twisty road past the lake, so only locals knew about it—at least in the wintertime. The floors were uneven wood, and the expansive windows overlooked the blistery cold water of the lake. Even though it was after Christmas, lights still sparkled around every window, and the air had a festive feeling.

I walked inside, and heat instantly rushed me, warming me. A quick glance around showed that Hank had secured one of the few tables over by the window, away from the dartboards and pool tables. I was somewhat bemused and a little delighted to see that he had brought his own red-and-white-checked tablecloth to cover the scarred wooden table. He stood as I entered. I smiled and shed my coat to drape over my seat.

“Hi, Hank,” I said.

“Hi.” He waited until I sat before doing the same. He put his back to the window, which meant I could look out at the vast and mysterious lake.

“The tablecloth is a nice touch,” I said honestly.

He straightened his sweater. “Thanks.” For our evening, he’d worn dark jeans and a green sweater that brought out the very pretty green hues in his eyes. They were green and brown with hints of gold. He was definitely the best-looking of the three Brando brothers, and it was odd that they shared the same gene pool. His hair was a light brown, and his bone structure rugged. He had the body of an athlete. I supposed competing professionally as a snowmobiler forced him to keep in shape. His skin was smooth but burned by the weather, giving him that outdoorsy hot look some guys got naturally.

Smiling, he reached to the side and dug into a backpack to bring out two candlesticks, which he planted on the table. Scrambling for a match, he lit them both. “There we go,” he said. “Now, it’s a date.”

I grinned. I couldn’t help it. Something about Hank was intriguing. He was a couple of years younger than me, which meant he was probably in his mid-twenties. I didn’t know much about him. “How did you get into snowmobiling?”

“I’ve been snowmobiling since I was about four years old. It’s a passion for me,” he said. “I was lucky enough to turn it into a career, and hopefully the endorsements will keep coming for a while. I’ve won a couple of good pots, and my aunt Sadie is teaching me how to invest.”

It was the perfect segue. I was almost sorry to move from the date portion to the business bit of the evening. However, considering I was still wearing Nick’s marks on my body from the previous night, it was the appropriate thing to do. “Speaking of Sadie…” I started.

Hank smiled. “How about we have a regular date and talk about murder, theft, and espionage later?” His grin flashed a dimple in his left cheek.

I smiled. “That’s fine, but I’m kind of, maybe, sort of almost seeing somebody.”

His laugh was a low chuckle, and several patrons, all women, turned our way to admire it. I could see them from the corner of my eye. “Yeah, I read the newspaper article,” he said.

I ducked my head. “Oh, it’s so embarrassing. I swear I didn’t murder anybody.”

He laughed. “I didn’t think you did, or I wouldn’t be here. But based on your description, I take it you and Basanelli haven’t made it official?”

“No. Our lives are too different. I honestly have no idea what I’m doing,” I admitted.

“Well, then, let’s see if we can figure that out together.”

Oh, yeah, Hank Brando was charming. There was no doubt about it. I stared at him and wondered what exactly he was looking for in life. We ordered pizza with a pitcher of beer and drank it happily. Our conversation was free-flowing, and I enjoyed it. He had ambitions to own real estate and invest wisely, which he had been learning from his Aunt Sadie.

“You need to talk to my sister Donna. She’s an excellent realtor.” I dug into my purse for one of her cards to hand over.

“I remember Donna,” he said. “I always thought she was as glamorous as any movie star. I was in junior high when she was in high school, but she really made a statement.”

I smiled. “I know, right? She’s still like that.”

Where our grandmother looked a little like Sophia Loren, I’d always thought Donna looked like Isabella Rossellini, or to be fairer, perhaps Rossellini looked like Donna. Donna was unique, all herself, and she was pretty cool. The door opened, and I looked over my shoulder to see Bobbo and Kelsey Walker enter.

“Your brother’s here,” I murmured.

Hank nodded. “Yeah. I told him we were coming on a date, and he wanted to provide backup; you know, in case anything were to happen.”

My jaw dropped open. “Like what?”

Hank’s eyes twinkled. “Like somebody shooting at fish.”

I wrinkled my eyes and fought the urge to smack my head. “You know, I can’t really blame you,” I said honestly. “Weird things happen sometimes.”

Bobbo waved, as did Kelsey, and then they walked over to the dartboards and started playing.

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