She barely had time to think about them or the impending Saturday night date until after she got off of work that afternoon. It seemed like someone had opened a floodgate, and the store stayed busy the rest of her shift.
On the walk back home, Tessa went back over lunch in the park and realized how much she’d actually enjoyed it. They’d been on their best behavior, and the meal had been delicious and much more filling than just the sandwich and banana would have been. It had stayed with her all afternoon, and even now she wasn’t nearly as hungry as she usually was on her walk home.
By the time she made it to her apartment, Tessa had talked herself into giving in to the date. It hadn’t really taken all that much to convince herself to go. She liked both men—a lot. Since spending even the small amount of time around them that she’d allowed them, Tessa had begun to feel lonely. She wanted more than what she had now. What harm could it be to go out just once with them? Maybe they’d realize how incompatible they really were and back off.
She gave a very unladylike snort at that frivolous thought. They were convinced that they could talk her into submitting to them. It would take her proving that she wasn’t going to take that kind of treatment before they got the message. She wasn’t going to play their games and really wasn’t looking to get serious.
Tessa had a dream deep in her heart that she rarely allowed herself to think about because she was scared she’d jinx it. In her perfect world, Keifer would decide not to reenlist when his next tour was up and want to settle down near her. They could even share a small house or apartment together until he found someone he was interested in. She missed him far more than she had admitted to the guys. She wanted a family again, and the only person she trusted to be her family was her brother.
When she finally laid down that night, for once, Tessa had no trouble falling asleep, and if she dreamed, she didn’t know it.
Chapter Four
Saturday proved to be just as busy as Friday had been. Tessa felt as if she’d run a marathon and had the aching feet to prove it. By the time she left Heavy Trinkets, it was nearly four, almost an hour later than normal. For once she didn’t have the spare energy to hurry home when she really needed to. At least by being so busy she hadn’t worried herself crazy about her date that night.
The walk home went by fast as well. She worried that she’d be late getting ready and stepped up her pace despite how tired she was. Later, as she was pulling off her work clothes, it dawned on her that she didn’t really remember the walk home, which meant she hadn’t been paying close enough attention to her surroundings. That was a very dangerous thing when walking alone in that part of town. She vowed to be more aware from now on and not let anything else take precedence over her safety. The fact that it wasn’t something she normally did only hammered home just how much the two men affected her that she became distracted when her safety was at stake.
A quick shower later, Tessa dried off and worried over her lack of dressy clothes.
Hell. Who am I kidding? Forget dressy, I just wish I had something other than faded jeans and T-shirts.
She had a few sweaters that weren’t as worn looking as the shirts, but it was too hot to wear them. Maybe she should have used a little of her savings to update her wardrobe. She huffed out a breath in disgust. It was too late now. Even if she’d given in and decided to go shopping, she really hadn’t had time.
Tessa had a little make up, but she rarely wore it. Tonight, though, she decided to add a little bit to make up for her decidedly not dressy outfit. She had no idea where they would go, but she hoped it would be the diner or maybe a bar and grill. That, she thought, she could handle without feeling completely self-conscious over her outfit. Having never been one to fuss over clothes, purses, or hairstyles, Tessa wasn’t sure if she’d be able to pick out something stylish or not.
Face it, Tessa. You’re not a girly girl and will never win any beauty or fashion contest. They’ll take one look at you tonight and realize just how big of a mistake they were making. I won’t have to push them away. After tonight, I’ll probably never see them again.
When she felt that she’d done the best she could with her appearance, Tessa poured a glass of iced tea and plopped down in the only chair she had outside of the one barstool where she ate her meals. According to the clock on the stove in the kitchen, she had a good forty minutes until they arrived to pick her up. If she didn’t find some way to distract herself, she’d chew her nails off and add ragged fingernails to the list of marks against her appearance.