Chasing Dreams
Page 16
“Hey, Sis,” Jack greeted as he approached the table she was sitting at. “Uh-oh, what the hell happened?”
Tessa loved her baby brother. He was actually more protective of her than Adam, and that was saying something. She watched as he eased down into the booth across from her, his muscular body folding into the seat awkwardly. There was a reason he’d garnered the nickname “Tiny” in high school. Of course, she didn’t dare call him that because Jack had always hated that name, but at six-foot-six-inches, he wasn’t necessarily small.
“Did you know that Luanne was selling her father’s land to Cooper Krenshaw?” she asked, forgoing any pleasantries.
Jack’s eyebrows shot downward as he stared back at her. “What? I thought you were buying the land?”
Tessa had told Jack about the situation a couple of years before when she wanted to rent the house she was currently living in, which happened to belong to Jack. He’d grown up in the house, and when his father met their mother, they’d bought a bigger place just on the other side of town. After Jack graduated from high school, his father had given him the house, but for reasons Jack wasn’t willing to talk about, he never moved back there.
So when Tessa had needed a place to stay, she felt compelled to explain why she wasn’t looking to buy a house at the time and since they’d all been so worried about her because of Richie’s death, she had told Jack everything.
“Well, it looks like that isn’t the case,” she whispered, fighting the urge to cry.
“What about the money you paid him?” Jack asked, his voice lethally low.
“Oh, Luanne assured me I’d get it back. Said she was getting twice as much as Mr. Deluth was willing to sell it to me for.”
Tessa had been close to Jerry Deluth, helping him out for years when he needed it. After all, he had been the reason her entire life took a radical shift in course when she was a teenager, so she felt as though she owed him. Because they’d spent so much time together, Tessa figured he’d been inclined to make her such a good deal. Now that he had passed on, she knew there was nothing she could do about it.
“Have you talked to Cooper? Does he know?”
Tessa hesitated, staring over at her brother. “No, I don’t want him to know.”
“Why the hell not? Maybe he’ll back out and you can still get it,” Jack argued.
“First of all, Cooper plans to open an equestrian center.”
“Are you fucking serious? Did Adam tell him about your plans?”
“Not that I can tell, no. After talking to Luanne, I didn’t get that she did either, but I don’t know for sure.”
“Don’t you find it strange, Tess?”
Yes, she did. She thought it was more than a little coincidental that Cooper descended on their small town with the same end goal as her. She didn’t answer, she just shrugged.
“Hey, Tess. Jack. What can I get you two?” Miranda Wynter asked when she approached the table.
Tessa forced a smile, hoping her friend wouldn’t notice that something was wrong. Miranda spent her days waitressing at Charlie’s and on Thursday and Monday, and sometimes extremely busy weekend nights, she helped out at the bar. It went without saying that the two of them were close, and Miranda would likely bombard her with questions if she thought Tessa needed someone to talk to.
“You hungry?” Tessa asked, turning to Jack.
“Was that rhetorical?” he laughed and then turned his signature grin at Miranda. “Have you ever known me not to be hungry?”
Miranda laughed, her eyes lingering on Jack for a surprisingly long time. Forgetting all of her worries momentarily, Tessa stared up at her friend. The woman she’d known since grade school looked like… She looked like she was crushing on Tessa’s younger brother.
Oh, hell.
Jack didn’t seem to notice because he glanced between the two of them, gifting Miranda with the million kilowatt smile before saying, “I’ll take a cheeseburger and onion rings if you don’t mind.”
“I’ll have the same,” Tessa added. “And two sweet teas.”
“Sure thing,” Miranda grinned as she jotted the information down on a well-worn notepad. “Be back in a minute.”
“So, you’re not gonna tell this guy that he’s stealing your land?” Jack asked when Miranda walked away.
“I think she likes you,” Tessa whispered, ignoring Jack’s question.
True to form, Jack peered around the room, looking hopeful, but when his eyes met hers again, he just looked confused. “Who?”
“Miranda.”
There was a dark cloud that appeared in Jack’s midnight blue eyes, but he quickly shifted it away. “I seriously doubt that.”
Tessa tilted her head, studying her brother for a minute. She didn’t think he would hide anything from her, but she had to wonder. Knowing that if she pressed him for details he would just shut down, so she dropped the subject.
“Why don’t you want to talk to Cooper?” Jack asked again, reminding Tessa why they were there in the first place.
“Technically that land wasn’t mine. Yet. And I’m not sure what the point would be. It’s not like he wouldn’t buy it anyway.”
“You don’t know that.”
Ok, so she honestly didn’t know that, but for some reason, Tessa didn’t want to interfere. Maybe that made her chicken or weak or whatever, but part of her held out hope. The simple fact that Cooper Krenshaw had the money to build an equestrian center, and he planned to work with disabled kids… how could she argue with that? It was her life’s dream and just because she was financially hindered didn’t mean Cooper couldn’t do the same thing she had planned, only sooner.
“So…” Jack started after a few seconds of silence, obviously realizing like a loyal brother should that she didn’t have more to say.
And the way Jack was looking at her now, Tessa didn’t need to be a mind reader to know where the conversation was headed. Not that she was finished talking about Cooper and the land, but she knew this subject was touchy. She could see the concern etched in Jack’s ruggedly handsome features.
“Yes, I talked to Adam,” she told her younger brother flatly, swallowing the golf ball sized lump that automatically sprung up any time she thought about what Adam was going to do.
Tessa loved her baby brother. He was actually more protective of her than Adam, and that was saying something. She watched as he eased down into the booth across from her, his muscular body folding into the seat awkwardly. There was a reason he’d garnered the nickname “Tiny” in high school. Of course, she didn’t dare call him that because Jack had always hated that name, but at six-foot-six-inches, he wasn’t necessarily small.
“Did you know that Luanne was selling her father’s land to Cooper Krenshaw?” she asked, forgoing any pleasantries.
Jack’s eyebrows shot downward as he stared back at her. “What? I thought you were buying the land?”
Tessa had told Jack about the situation a couple of years before when she wanted to rent the house she was currently living in, which happened to belong to Jack. He’d grown up in the house, and when his father met their mother, they’d bought a bigger place just on the other side of town. After Jack graduated from high school, his father had given him the house, but for reasons Jack wasn’t willing to talk about, he never moved back there.
So when Tessa had needed a place to stay, she felt compelled to explain why she wasn’t looking to buy a house at the time and since they’d all been so worried about her because of Richie’s death, she had told Jack everything.
“Well, it looks like that isn’t the case,” she whispered, fighting the urge to cry.
“What about the money you paid him?” Jack asked, his voice lethally low.
“Oh, Luanne assured me I’d get it back. Said she was getting twice as much as Mr. Deluth was willing to sell it to me for.”
Tessa had been close to Jerry Deluth, helping him out for years when he needed it. After all, he had been the reason her entire life took a radical shift in course when she was a teenager, so she felt as though she owed him. Because they’d spent so much time together, Tessa figured he’d been inclined to make her such a good deal. Now that he had passed on, she knew there was nothing she could do about it.
“Have you talked to Cooper? Does he know?”
Tessa hesitated, staring over at her brother. “No, I don’t want him to know.”
“Why the hell not? Maybe he’ll back out and you can still get it,” Jack argued.
“First of all, Cooper plans to open an equestrian center.”
“Are you fucking serious? Did Adam tell him about your plans?”
“Not that I can tell, no. After talking to Luanne, I didn’t get that she did either, but I don’t know for sure.”
“Don’t you find it strange, Tess?”
Yes, she did. She thought it was more than a little coincidental that Cooper descended on their small town with the same end goal as her. She didn’t answer, she just shrugged.
“Hey, Tess. Jack. What can I get you two?” Miranda Wynter asked when she approached the table.
Tessa forced a smile, hoping her friend wouldn’t notice that something was wrong. Miranda spent her days waitressing at Charlie’s and on Thursday and Monday, and sometimes extremely busy weekend nights, she helped out at the bar. It went without saying that the two of them were close, and Miranda would likely bombard her with questions if she thought Tessa needed someone to talk to.
“You hungry?” Tessa asked, turning to Jack.
“Was that rhetorical?” he laughed and then turned his signature grin at Miranda. “Have you ever known me not to be hungry?”
Miranda laughed, her eyes lingering on Jack for a surprisingly long time. Forgetting all of her worries momentarily, Tessa stared up at her friend. The woman she’d known since grade school looked like… She looked like she was crushing on Tessa’s younger brother.
Oh, hell.
Jack didn’t seem to notice because he glanced between the two of them, gifting Miranda with the million kilowatt smile before saying, “I’ll take a cheeseburger and onion rings if you don’t mind.”
“I’ll have the same,” Tessa added. “And two sweet teas.”
“Sure thing,” Miranda grinned as she jotted the information down on a well-worn notepad. “Be back in a minute.”
“So, you’re not gonna tell this guy that he’s stealing your land?” Jack asked when Miranda walked away.
“I think she likes you,” Tessa whispered, ignoring Jack’s question.
True to form, Jack peered around the room, looking hopeful, but when his eyes met hers again, he just looked confused. “Who?”
“Miranda.”
There was a dark cloud that appeared in Jack’s midnight blue eyes, but he quickly shifted it away. “I seriously doubt that.”
Tessa tilted her head, studying her brother for a minute. She didn’t think he would hide anything from her, but she had to wonder. Knowing that if she pressed him for details he would just shut down, so she dropped the subject.
“Why don’t you want to talk to Cooper?” Jack asked again, reminding Tessa why they were there in the first place.
“Technically that land wasn’t mine. Yet. And I’m not sure what the point would be. It’s not like he wouldn’t buy it anyway.”
“You don’t know that.”
Ok, so she honestly didn’t know that, but for some reason, Tessa didn’t want to interfere. Maybe that made her chicken or weak or whatever, but part of her held out hope. The simple fact that Cooper Krenshaw had the money to build an equestrian center, and he planned to work with disabled kids… how could she argue with that? It was her life’s dream and just because she was financially hindered didn’t mean Cooper couldn’t do the same thing she had planned, only sooner.
“So…” Jack started after a few seconds of silence, obviously realizing like a loyal brother should that she didn’t have more to say.
And the way Jack was looking at her now, Tessa didn’t need to be a mind reader to know where the conversation was headed. Not that she was finished talking about Cooper and the land, but she knew this subject was touchy. She could see the concern etched in Jack’s ruggedly handsome features.
“Yes, I talked to Adam,” she told her younger brother flatly, swallowing the golf ball sized lump that automatically sprung up any time she thought about what Adam was going to do.
