Tessa stood back and looked Jess over. “You look fabulous—as always.”

“You’re just too sweet,” said Jess, embarrassed to be complimented. “You are the one who looks fabulous! I would never have had you down as the one who’d settle into small town life with a husband and kids and everything. It suits you.” The Tessa she had known had always been the nurturing kind, but she’d never talked about wanting to settle down.

Tessa grinned. “I never thought I could have what I really wanted; it just took coming back here to find out that not only was it possible, but it’s so much better than I ever even dreamed.”

She did look well, marriage and motherhood obviously suited her.

“Anyway, what about you? What have you been up to? Where have you been? Last I heard you were in Arizona. I’m thrilled you’re here, but when I sent you that email about Gina I hardly expected you to show up a day later.” She smiled. “And especially not in the company of a gorgeous guy like that! I’m sorry I dragged you away, but you have to tell me all about him.”

“I wish I could! I don’t know the first thing about him.”

Tessa looked puzzled so Jess explained how she’d met Sully at the gas station in Tahoe and then been shocked to see him again on Main Street when she arrived in Hope Falls. She shrugged. “We’d just gotten to a first name basis when you showed up.”

“What’s he doing here? How long is he staying?” asked Tessa.

Jess shrugged again. “Like I said, we hadn’t gotten that far.”

Tessa stared off into the distance. They’d rushed back here to her house from Sue Ann’s because she’d asked her sister-in-law to watch the little ones while she came out to meet Jess. Now the children were sleeping, and they were sitting outside in the back yard. “Who would know, who would know, who would know?” Tessa muttered to herself.

“You’re still talking to yourself, then?”

“Of course.” Tessa smiled. “That won’t ever change. Maybe I should call Sue Ann. She’d be able to fill us in on this Sully of yours.”

“No, don’t do that!” Jess didn’t like that idea at all. She didn’t want to go snooping around, and besides, she had a feeling life would throw her a line. You didn’t just bump into someone like that three times in one day without it leading somewhere. She wasn’t one to force things along. She’d rather wait and see what happened. He had said he’d see her around. And she believed him.

She looked up at the sound of a man’s voice from inside the house.

“I’m back!”

Tessa’s smile lit up her face. “Out here,” she called in a much quieter tone. She turned to Jess. “I can’t wait for you to meet Jake.”

When he stepped outside, Jess smiled. He was a good-looking guy, to say the least. He went straight to Tessa and dropped a kiss on her lips, his smile matching hers. Jess felt like a spare part for a moment. They were lost in their own little world. They appeared to be having an unspoken conversation, and she had no idea what was being said. She didn’t feel uncomfortable. It did make her wonder what it would be like to have that kind of connection with someone.

Jake turned to greet her. “Hi. It’s good to meet you.”

“You, too,” she replied. “And thank you.”

“What for?”

She laughed. “For doing what I thought was impossible. For making my friend happy.”

He smiled at Tessa. “She’s the one who made me happy.”

Tessa smiled back. “It took us long enough, but we got there.” She squeezed Jake’s hand. “Do you know anything about a guy named Sully who’s staying at Sue Ann’s?”

“He came then, did he? Eric said he might, but he didn’t think he’d actually take the time off.”

Jess exchanged a look with Tessa.

Jake looked at their expectant faces. “Oh. Sorry. He was Eric’s roommate in college. He works for the FBI. He transferred to the Sacramento field office a while ago and had kept threatening to come visit. From what Eric said, his boss died, and he was talking about taking some time off. He lives for his work, so Eric didn’t believe he’d come.”

Jess nodded as she took in all this information. So, she hadn’t been too far off the mark thinking he was like a bodyguard. He worked for the FBI.

Tessa smiled at her. “So now you know.”

Jake looked at his wife inquiringly.

“Jess met him on the way up here, then again at Sue Ann’s. They were about to get to know each other over a cup of coffee when I showed up and spoiled things.”

Jess held up a hand. “You didn’t spoil anything. I came here to see you!”

“I know, but I felt like I spoiled things. The look he gave you when we left…”

Jess felt herself blush.

Jake laughed. “Well, I’m sure you’ll see him again. He’s here to visit my brother, and even if he weren’t, it’d be hard not to run into each other in this town.”

Jess didn’t want to make a big deal out of it. Even if it felt like one. She meant what she’d said. She’d come here to see Tessa, and to meet her husband, who seemed like a great guy and was obviously deeply in love with her. She shrugged. “We’ll see. Enough of that, though. I want to hear all about how you two got together.”

Jake and Tessa exchanged another look that left her feeling like they’d checked out, gone to a place where no one but the two of them existed. She had to wonder what that would be like, to share a secret inner world with someone. She just didn’t need to wonder what it would be like if Sully were the one she shared it with. That was crazy thinking!

~ ~ ~

Sully looked around him, taking in his surroundings as he walked down Main Street later that evening. This place still felt like a movie set. He liked it. He’d enjoyed catching up with Eric earlier, but he hadn’t wanted to join him this evening. Apparently Eric played hoops once a week with his brother and what sounded like a whole clan of brothers-in-law and extended family. Sully played, but he didn’t feel like meeting a bunch of people and making small talk tonight.

He wanted to be by himself. He had a lot of thinking to do. He smiled. Instead of reflecting on Patrick’s death and Patrick’s advice as he’d intended to, all he wanted to think about was the beautiful ditzy blonde he’d met today. Jess. Jess Archer, according to Eric.

He was intrigued. She was beautiful, but by his usual standards that was all he should find attractive about her. By her own admission she was a scatterbrain and from what he could gather, she was a drifter. She’d told Sue Ann in the café that the motorhome was her home. He’d gathered from Eric that she was a photographer, an old friend of his sister-in-law who was also a photographer. That was as much as he knew about her, well that and the fact that she was kind and compassionate, judging by the way she’d helped the old guy in the wheelchair. None of that described the kind of woman he normally went for. His usual type was more high-powered, well dressed, composed. And now that he thought about it, kindness and compassion hadn’t been notable qualities in any of the women he’d dated. He shook his head as he walked—what did that say about him?

Who knew? He sure as hell didn’t. All he knew right now was that he couldn’t get her out of his mind. He stopped and stared, wondering if the motorhome pulling into a spot a little further down the street was a product of his imagination. Apparently not. He watched her climb out and hurried toward her, wondering as he did if she’d be as pleased to see him as he was to see her.

The smile on her face when she turned and saw him answered that question in no uncertain terms. “Well, hello again, again!”

“We’ve got to stop meeting like this,” he said.

“We do?” she looked disappointed.

“Don’t get me wrong. I love bumping into you every time I turn around, but I was thinking we could maybe plan something, too.”

She grinned. “I’d like that.”

Wow. She really was different from his usual type. She wasn’t going to play coy, or make him work for it. He was a little taken aback.

“So, what do you think we should plan?”

“Well, I was about to go back to the café and get some dinner. Have you eaten? Would you like to join me?”

She looked him up and down. For a moment he thought she was about to refuse, but then she smiled. “Sure. I was coming in search of something to eat.”

“Great, let’s try this again then, shall we?” He offered her his arm as he’d done this afternoon and started walking toward Sue Ann’s.