leave for the day, and Tessa was in the middle of compiling reports for a client, when her cell phone started to ring. She was so wrapped up in her work that she nearly missed the call.
“Hello, hello?” she said into the phone, hoping she’d grabbed it in time before the person on the other end was sent to her voicemail. She hadn’t recognized the number off hand and hoped it wasn’t Sophie’s daycare or Mr. Abbott calling from a client’s office.
“Hi Tessa. It’s Brandon.”
Startled by the sound of his voice, her heart instantly began beating faster. She put her file to the side and tried to calm herself. “Brandon … hi. How are you?”
“I’m good,” he replied. “I’m sorry I haven’t had a chance to call. That flu really took its toll on the staff at the hospital, and I’ve been pulling double shifts to cover for sick doctors. I’ve barely been back to my house since I saw you and haven’t had a moment to myself to do much of anything.”
“Wow, that’s awful,” she told him, now feeling bad she’d bothered him with her desperate sounding phone call.
“Yes, but we’re finally starting to get back to normal. I got your message, and I’m so glad to hear Sophie’s doing better. I was hoping you’d get in touch with me to let me know how she was feeling … and to let me know how you were doing, as well.”
Feeling her cheeks starting to flush, Tessa tried to think of something interesting and witty to say. “I’m doing okay. I’m back to my regular work schedule. You know, getting paid pennies to count other people’s millions.” Crap. Now she sounded desperate and poor .
“So, I promised you a dinner if I remember correctly. Are you free Saturday night?”
“I am,” she replied, feeling tinges of fear creeping back in.
“Great. How about I pick you up at seven?”
She’d never hear the end of it from her sisters if she said no and already knew Holly would watch Sophie for her since all of this was her idea. “Seven is good.”
“I’ll see you then. I’m looking forward to it, Tessa,” he said in his swoon-worthy voice that both made her heart melt and bring forward her insecurities all in the same breath.
The line went dead before she was able to respond.
~~~
“Tell me again how Dr. Steam-worthy looked into your eyes and instantly cured Sophie?” Ben mocked while helping himself to a third helping of Holly’s lasagna.
Tessa and Sophie had stopped over to their place for dinner. It used to be a regular Wednesday night thing, but with school conferences and Sophie getting sick, it had been a while since they’d all seen each other.
Holly playfully swatted her husband across his head with her napkin. “It’s swoon-worthy, not steam-worthy, and he didn’t cure Sophie by staring into Tessa’s eyes. He’s an emergency room doctor, not some quack magician.”
Tessa shook her head and smiled before taking another bite of her dinner. She so adored Ben. He was like the big brother she never had. Of course she loved Max, too, but she never really had a chance to get to know him. She was only sixteen when he and Ava got engaged and moved across the country. Now that they were back here in Forest Hills, Max was hardly ever home because of his job as an airline pilot. They just didn’t hang out much, or at least not the way she hung out with Ben. They’d been close since before he and Holly even started dating. In fact, she was the one Ben relentlessly texted to get advice about her sister. Their relationship was special. Maybe it was because he was just a big goof … constantly in a good mood and always interested in what was going on in her life.
“Come on, Ben. It wasn’t so long ago you gave Holly the same look. You know what I’m talking about. I saw it at Ava’s wedding. You even kept it up after she kicked your ass playing pool. Just out of curiosity, have you won a game yet, Benny boy?
Glancing at his wife, he scowled. “She refuses to
“Hello, hello?” she said into the phone, hoping she’d grabbed it in time before the person on the other end was sent to her voicemail. She hadn’t recognized the number off hand and hoped it wasn’t Sophie’s daycare or Mr. Abbott calling from a client’s office.
“Hi Tessa. It’s Brandon.”
Startled by the sound of his voice, her heart instantly began beating faster. She put her file to the side and tried to calm herself. “Brandon … hi. How are you?”
“I’m good,” he replied. “I’m sorry I haven’t had a chance to call. That flu really took its toll on the staff at the hospital, and I’ve been pulling double shifts to cover for sick doctors. I’ve barely been back to my house since I saw you and haven’t had a moment to myself to do much of anything.”
“Wow, that’s awful,” she told him, now feeling bad she’d bothered him with her desperate sounding phone call.
“Yes, but we’re finally starting to get back to normal. I got your message, and I’m so glad to hear Sophie’s doing better. I was hoping you’d get in touch with me to let me know how she was feeling … and to let me know how you were doing, as well.”
Feeling her cheeks starting to flush, Tessa tried to think of something interesting and witty to say. “I’m doing okay. I’m back to my regular work schedule. You know, getting paid pennies to count other people’s millions.” Crap. Now she sounded desperate and poor .
“So, I promised you a dinner if I remember correctly. Are you free Saturday night?”
“I am,” she replied, feeling tinges of fear creeping back in.
“Great. How about I pick you up at seven?”
She’d never hear the end of it from her sisters if she said no and already knew Holly would watch Sophie for her since all of this was her idea. “Seven is good.”
“I’ll see you then. I’m looking forward to it, Tessa,” he said in his swoon-worthy voice that both made her heart melt and bring forward her insecurities all in the same breath.
The line went dead before she was able to respond.
~~~
“Tell me again how Dr. Steam-worthy looked into your eyes and instantly cured Sophie?” Ben mocked while helping himself to a third helping of Holly’s lasagna.
Tessa and Sophie had stopped over to their place for dinner. It used to be a regular Wednesday night thing, but with school conferences and Sophie getting sick, it had been a while since they’d all seen each other.
Holly playfully swatted her husband across his head with her napkin. “It’s swoon-worthy, not steam-worthy, and he didn’t cure Sophie by staring into Tessa’s eyes. He’s an emergency room doctor, not some quack magician.”
Tessa shook her head and smiled before taking another bite of her dinner. She so adored Ben. He was like the big brother she never had. Of course she loved Max, too, but she never really had a chance to get to know him. She was only sixteen when he and Ava got engaged and moved across the country. Now that they were back here in Forest Hills, Max was hardly ever home because of his job as an airline pilot. They just didn’t hang out much, or at least not the way she hung out with Ben. They’d been close since before he and Holly even started dating. In fact, she was the one Ben relentlessly texted to get advice about her sister. Their relationship was special. Maybe it was because he was just a big goof … constantly in a good mood and always interested in what was going on in her life.
“Come on, Ben. It wasn’t so long ago you gave Holly the same look. You know what I’m talking about. I saw it at Ava’s wedding. You even kept it up after she kicked your ass playing pool. Just out of curiosity, have you won a game yet, Benny boy?
Glancing at his wife, he scowled. “She refuses to
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