As Love Blooms (32 page)

She flew up the stairs and tore open the door.

“Tessa, wait!”

The slamming door echoed in his ears. Good grief, for a man who made his living making things grow, he sure knew how to rip a tender shoot out by the roots.

What a fool he’d been.

 26 

Tessa dashed into the parlor, and Aunt Sam immediately looked up from her needlework.

“I heard you come in with, shall we say, great force?” Aunt Sam passed her a handkerchief. “Is there a problem?”

Tessa crossed her arms over her chest. “Men are fools.”

“Well, dear, it seems you’ve learned one of life’s greatest lessons.” Aunt Sam stuck her crochet hook into the ball of yarn. “The second part of that is even fools are right sometimes.”

“Right?” Tessa huffed. “Are you taking his side?”

“No, of course not. You haven’t even told me what happened.”

“He accused me of playacting.”

“You? I can’t imagine.” She bit back a smile.

“But it wasn’t like that.”

Aunt Sam patted the empty spot beside her. “Come sit. Tell me about it.”

Between tears and sniffles, Tessa laid the whole afternoon before her aunt. Aunt Sam listened while Tessa told her about Reese’s former girl, Laura, and how he’d been tricked by her.

Tessa blew her nose. “I understand that Laura hurt him, but it’s not fair to get angry at me for what she did.”

“No, it’s not.” Aunt Sam patted her hand. “Reese seemed like such a steady fellow.”

“Oh, he is.” She sighed. “Like an oak.”

“And he didn’t seem to mind your dramatic flair before, right?”

Tessa shook her head. “I don’t think so.”

“Then when he comes to speak to you, listen.”

“Why would I do that? After what he said, I should—”

“You should listen.” She released Tessa’s hand and stood. “I believe there is something behind what he said to you today. Perhaps it’s something that has been bothering him for some time, or perhaps it’s a recent occurrence. Either way, you must get to the bottom of it. You cannot change who you are, and no man should ask you to. At the same time, he must decide if he can get past how Laura used him. It is a moment of decision for him.” She stood. “But for now, I recommend what I consider the best therapy there is for an aching heart.”

“What’s that? Cake?”

“No. Bicycling.”

“You want to go riding now?”

“It’s for your own good, dear.” She headed toward the door and turned. “Are you coming? If he returns, you won’t want him to find you pining away.” She raised her fist in triumph. “You want him to know you will go on living with or without him.”

“But I can’t.”

“Oh, but you could and you would. It wouldn’t be easy, but God is your source of joy, not a man.” She lifted her hand and waved her fingers back and forth. “Now, go change. I’ll meet you outside in five minutes.”

Riding with Aunt Sam proved more of an athletic endeavor than Tessa expected. For a nearly sixty-five-year-old woman who’d suffered an apoplexy, she certainly didn’t let anything slow her down.

She also enjoyed long cycling jaunts, so over an hour later, they neared the house once again.

Aunt Sam stopped her bicycle on the driveway and picked up a man’s leather glove. “Is this Reese’s?”

“I think so. He must have dropped it when he brought me home.” Tessa took the glove and climbed off her bicycle.

“He might need it tomorrow. I could have Henry take it to his house. Do you have the address?”

“It’s in Frogtown. I know the street but not the house number. Maybe I should go along and show Henry which house it is.”

Aunt Sam grinned. “Sounds reasonable.”

A few minutes later, Tessa sat in the back of Aunt Sam’s Cadillac, holding the leather glove in her hand. Would Reese be home when she arrived? If not, Mrs. Baxter would certainly give it to him.

“What street, miss?” Henry asked from the front seat.

“He lives on Dale. It’s a Queen Anne home painted in yellow, pink, and blue.”

“I’m sure we’ll find it, miss.” Henry began to hum.

As they turned onto Dale Street, Tessa began to search for the boardinghouse. Nerves wadded her stomach in a ball. Reese might not appreciate her visit. Her heart flared as she thought about him, but she was quick to snuff it out. Reese could set things right or tell her goodbye.

“Please wait here, Henry. I ought to be only a minute.”

She found the Henderson brothers sitting on the porch of the boardinghouse. The older one, Albert, had a shock of red hair and wore a faded yellow shirt. The younger one’s hair was slicked back with far too much men’s brilliantine pomade.

Albert stood up as she approached. “You’re Reese’s girl, aren’t you?”

She chose not to answer. Right now she wasn’t sure what the answer was. “Is Reese home?”

“Nope.” Albert’s gaze made her uncomfortable, and she wished she’d taken time to put on a skirt rather than wear her cycling outfit.

“But his car is here.”

“Well, he’s not.” He leaned on the railing and nodded toward the street. “Who’s that?”

“My driver, or rather my aunt’s driver.”

“Quite an automobile. Must be worth a penny or two.”

She held out the glove. “I’ve come to bring Reese this. We found it on the driveway, and I thought he might need it. Will you see to it that he gets it?”

“Sure.” He stepped to the side. “Bring it on up here.”

A gentleman would have come down the stairs to retrieve it, but this man was clearly no gentleman. On the top step, she held out the glove again, but the young man took a step back, which forced her to step onto the porch if she wanted to deliver it.

“Sir, would you kindly stop playing games. Please take this so I can be on my way.” She thrust the glove out.

But instead of taking it, Albert clasped her wrist. “What’s your hurry? Why don’t you spend a little time with Clem and me while you’re waiting for your pansy lover to appear?”

She yanked her arm, but he held fast.

“Let go of me.” She steeled her voice but kept it quiet, knowing that if she raised it Henry would come running.

“He’s funnin’ you,” Clem told her. “Give him a little peck on the cheek and he’ll let go.”

“A kiss? Is that all?”

Albert leaned his cheek forward, ready to receive his prize, but instead of delivering it, she drove the heel of her shoe into his instep. He yelped and let go of her.

“Why, you little—”

“Uh, Albert, you’d better watch it.” Clem pointed toward the sidewalk, where Reese was returning with Lafayette.

Tessa rubbed the place where his hand had clasped her wrist and willed her heart to calm. She met Reese’s mica-hard gaze, and a whole new fear washed over her.

What if Reese didn’t want to see her? What if coming here was a big mistake?

 27 

Reese’s heart seized. Why was Tessa standing on the front porch of the boardinghouse, and what were the Henderson brothers doing with her?

“Come on, boy.” He ran the rest of the way and stopped at the foot of the steps. “What’s wrong?”

“Everything is fine.” Tessa looked at red-faced Albert. “Isn’t it, boys?”

Albert sent her an angry glare but clamped his mouth shut.

Reese looked from her to Albert, his ire growing. Something had happened, but before he could ask more questions, Tessa stooped and picked up a glove from the porch floorboards. “I found this on our driveway.”

“So you came all the way over to Frogtown to return it to me?”

“I was afraid you might need it in the morning.”

“You’ll see me then.”

She lowered her gaze to the glove in her hands. “Maybe.”

“What do you mean?” His gut clenched. Was she saying it was over? Would she at least let him apologize for his callous words?

Clem chuckled. “It sounds like she doesn’t plan to meet up with you tomorrow.”

Reese glared at him and took Tessa’s elbow. “Let’s go in the parlor and talk.”

“No girls in the house after six.” Albert put his hand against the screen door. “You know the rules. After all, you made them.”

“Then we’ll go for a drive.”

Tessa took a deep breath. “I was going to have Henry drop me off at Hannah’s.”

“This late?”

She nodded. “Remember, she wasn’t at church this morning. I need to check on her.”

“Then I’ll take you. I’ll let Henry know. You can wait for me here.” He glanced at the Henderson brothers. “On second thought, why don’t you wait for me at the car?”

When Tessa agreed, hope grew inside him. A few minutes later, he found her squatting next to the Model T, rubbing Lafayette’s head. “I wish you could tell me what you and Reese were talking about on your walk, boy. What kind of bee got in his bonnet today?”

“I don’t wear bonnets.” Reese chuckled behind her. He helped her stand and opened the door on the Model T. However, it was Lafayette who bounded in first.

“Lafayette.” Reese tried to sound stern. “I don’t remember inviting you.”

“I don’t mind if he comes along.” Tessa gave the dog another generous pat.

Reese flipped his hand. “Hop in the back then, you lucky dog. Tessa gets the front seat.”

After Reese had started the automobile and climbed in, he eyed the large square box wrapped in brown paper and tied with a lopsided satin ribbon sitting on the seat beside Tessa. “Curious?”

She attempted to look disinterested. “It’s a gift.”

“Yes, it is, and it’s for you.” His lips curled as he watched her try to hide her excitement. “But why don’t you wait until the Henderson boys aren’t watching us before you open it?”

Conversation remained sparse on the way to Hannah and Lincoln’s. Reese took the opportunity to ask if the Henderson boys
had bothered her, and she insisted it was nothing she couldn’t handle. He wanted to pry further, but she seemed to think the discussion closed.

He pulled the Model T to the side of the street and picked up the package. “I bought this a few days ago, but I decided to give it to you the next time I saw you.”

Tessa tugged the ends of the ribbon, then peeled back the brown paper to reveal the pale blue, one-pound tin of Oreo sandwich biscuits. She traced the letters on the tin. “You remembered.”

“But I forgot some things about you that are a lot more important.” He drew in a long breath. He had to make her understand. “Tessa, I’m sorry for what I said today.”