The words squeezed her heart and gave Tessa a bittersweet jolt. “I don’t know how I ever thought I could do this business alone, Lacey,” she said, giving her a light hug. “You’re awesome.”
“Aww. You know I’m in heaven and it isn’t just the job.” Lacey slowed her step and looked hard at Tessa. “I love your style and spunk. I really do.”
The compliment warmed her for so many reasons. She clicked with this girl, and she trusted her. And trust didn’t always come easy to Tessa.
* * *
Tessa pulled into the driveway,easing the car to a stop as she caught sight of an unfamiliar SUV parked near the garage. Her fingers tightened on the steering wheel as she shifted into Park, exhaling slowly through her nose.
“She’sback,” Tessa sang, throwing a look at Lacey. “With offspring.”
Lacey smiled as she unlatched her seatbelt. “Nolie’s a doll,” she said. “A little shy until you get her going, then she never shuts up. Very smart and sweet. Much sweeter than?—”
“Her mother?” Tessa joked.
“I was going to say her namesake—Maggie and Nolie both share the real name of Magnolia.”
“Huh. Not sure I knew that.” Tessa sighed, leaning back against the headrest for a beat before reaching for the door handle. “I’m actually looking forward to seeing if I can help the kid. I only meet adults with dyslexia, but someone who’s just figuring out the wobbly life? We might connect.”
“I know you will,” Lacey said, reaching over the console. “You better, because I don’t want to have to talk you into not leaving again. You can’t be punished for something your father did.”
She shuttered her eyes. “Whatever he did, he had a reason. We may never know it, but I have faith that he didn’t act on impulse or intend to hurt anyone.”
Lacey nodded a few times. “I believe that, too, and even though I’m a Lawson, I’m on your side.”
“Thanks, sweetie, but let’s hope there are no ‘sides’ to be on.”
Lacey shrugged, twisting to grab her purse from the backseat. “It all happened long before me,” she said. “I never knew my grandfather. I only know that Eli hates him, Maggie worships him, and my mom feels like she was cheated out of having a father.”
“Why does Eli hate him?” Tessa asked. “I didn’t think that man was capable of hate.”
“True,” Lacey conceded. “Especially Uncle Eli, who is a man of faith, even if he’s quiet about it. Let’s just say the fact that his father went to prison for criminal behavior makes him uncomfortable.”
“I know that.” Tessa gazed at the SUV, the weight of the encounter a few nights ago pressing on her chest.
The things Crista had said weren’t small. Her accusations had cut deep.
Even though Crista had walked that back a bit during their early-morning coffee chat, the tension between them remained a wound barely scabbed over.
Lacey pressed her arm. “She can flare fast, but she’s always sorry.”
“She didn’t exactly apologize the next morning,” Tessa said, pushing the car door open. “But she tried to be civil. I will, too.”
Inside the house, the cool air washed over them as they walked through the open foyer and into the main living area.
Vivien looked up from where she stood near the kitchen island, her face lighting up in a welcoming smile. “Hey, you two! How’d the meeting go?”
Eli was seated at the counter, nursing what looked like an iced tea, and in the dining area, Crista stood near the table, watching over a little girl who was fully engrossed in a coloring book.
Tessa felt an unexpected pang in her chest as she took in the small, dark-haired child, her tiny fingers gripping a purple crayon as she worked furiously. There was a quiet intensity to her. And for the first time, Tessa saw Crista not as a storm of emotions but as a mother, standing protectively near her daughter.
Crista glanced up, her expression unreadable. “Lacey. Tessa.”
Nolie looked up, her whole face bright. “Spacey!” She ran to Lacey, who held her arms out, obviously used to the nickname that Jonah had apparently hung on her.
They were all the Lawson cousins, Tessa remembered. Jonah, who wasn’t here at the moment, Lacey, Nolie, and the great and awesome Meredith, who she’d yet to meet.
Lacey crouched down and got face to face with Nolie. “So, skipping school for a beach vacay, huh, kiddo?”
