Jed looked up. "Yeah, but then people started shooting at us."
32
Tess
I hadn't gotten much sleep after learning that heavily armed guards had been shooting at my boyfriend and his grandpa, but I hadn't gotten much since Sunday morning either, so it was nothing new.
I'd told them about Emeril being in the clear and about Mrs. Lovesberry. Jack had told me about his two separate adventures at the site. We couldn't figure out why they'd protect a construction site like it was Fort Knox, but Jack planned to talk to Andy about it.
Jack was also going to confront Rooster about the missing two hours since Rooster had hired him. Also, because I just didn't want to watch Rooster's face if it turned out he was guilty.
I knew he wasn't guilty, though.
Iknewit.
But … that two hours had given me the slightest itch of doubt, and Ihateditches. Doubt or otherwise. And I loved Rooster, so I'd take the easy way out and let Jack do it.
Anyway, I had important plans for the morning.
But first …
"Happy birthday!" I flipped the last batch of pancakes onto the platter and then set them on the table next to the bacon and fried potatoes. "Oh! I should put a candle in your pancake!"
Jack laughed. "No, you definitely should not. Poor Jed will be sad that he went home early and missed this."
"Also, I'm going shopping!"
"You're what?"
"Going shopping with Molly! I love shopping with my best friend, because she talks me into poor decisions, instead of practical ones."
"What does that mean?" He looked up from where he was feeding Lou her breakfast, a look of mild concern on his gorgeous face. "What kind of poor decisions?"
"Remember that red dress I wore on our first attempt at a date?" It was the sexiest and most expensive thing I'd ever worn, and Molly had forced me to buy it. On my own, I would have found something cheaper and less—everything. And the look on Jack's face told me how much I would have regretted that.
His eyes went glazed, and a slow, wicked smile spread across his face.
"Tess, I can honestly say I'llneverforget that dress. Where is it? Can you wear it today? Or, you know, every day?"
It was my turn to laugh. "Yes, because wearing that tiny dress to Aunt Ruby and Uncle Mike's for Shelley's birthday party is exactly what I'm going to do."
He walked over to me and pulled me into his arms. "Then how about you wear it after the party? When we're here, all alone?"
His kiss left me a little breathless and wondering what we'd been talking about. "Um, huh?"
"Red dress. You and me. Tonight. I'll buy the champagne. You deserve champagne in that dress."
I pulled away from him and raised an eyebrow. "Only in that dress?"
He gave me his best innocent face. "Of course not! You deserve champagneoutof that dress, too."
"Eat, foolish man. This is your first breakfast as a thirty-three-year-old."
He pulled out my chair and then sat in his. "Thank you so much for this. You didn't have to go to so much work on your first day off, though."
"I was happy to do it. Happy birthday." I reached over and touched his cheek. "I love you."
Amber glints appeared in his piercing green eyes, a sign of deep emotion. "I love you too, Tess. In fancy dresses or blue jeans, in your Donald Duck pajamas or in your Dead End Pawn sweatshirt. I love you, and I still can't believe I was lucky enough to find you."
