He laughed while Logan pulled himself together. “I’m messing with you both. I wish you could have seen the looks on your faces.” He grinned unapologetically and took another bite of his roll.
“I’m sure they’ll figure things out in their own time,” Dad said.
“Without your help,” Mom added from the kitchen. She walked in with a cheesecake for dessert. She cut off a quarter of it and placed it on a plate for Jenkins, who had already overstayed his welcome, in Tessa’s opinion.
Logan changed the subject by asking about Jenkins’ new job, and Tessa closed her eyes while the four doctors in the room compared people they knew and what kind of hours they worked. Their words drifted into a haze in the background, until she felt something cool on her forehead. She opened her eyes to see Mom standing over her. She moved her hand from Tessa’s forehead to her cheek.
“You’re burning up,” she said.
“Yeah, I don’t feel very well,” Tessa admitted.
“I’ll take you home,” Logan said. While Tessa’s mom ran to grab some medicine for Tessa’s fever, Logan and Jenkins exchanged numbers. They laughed at something, the sound grating in Tessa’s head.
Within a few minutes, Tessa was in Logan’s car with a promise to her mom to call her the next day to let her know how she was feeling.
“I really liked your family,” Logan said as they drove away from the house.
And they’d really liked him. Other than being sick, it had gone exactly as she’d hoped. Even Jenkins had been on his best behavior. Logan fit in well, and was everything she’d always hoped to bring home to them.
So why did she find herself constantly thinking about a pair of striking blue eyes every time she closed her own?
Chapter 33
The day after the wedding, Henry had dropped by his dad’s house to discover that Ava had been cooking non-stop for hours. There were enough cookies, muffins, and breads to fuel a ward party. He ended up forcing her out of the house for a late movie and then stayed the night in his old room, which hadn’t changed much since high school.
Unfortunately they’d both woken up with raging sore throats and fevers. A trip to urgent care confirmed they had strep throat. All thanks to Ava’s brilliant plan to bring a sick guest to their dad’s wedding. A quick call to his dad confirmed both he and Clarissa were well and happy, so her plan had backfired in spectacular fashion.
Being sick had the unintended consequence of giving Tessa some space for a few days. But maybe that was a good thing, so he didn’t scare her off.
He slowly felt better, and once he did, he holed up at the school to work on his dissertation until Kent forced him to go home for a while. He arrived at his empty apartment, glad he’d come home for a change in scenery. His mind was wandering more than usual in the office. He grabbed three kinds of apology cookies Ava had delivered earlier and then set his laptop up at the table.
Dr. Kent had sent him an article to go over, something Henry usually enjoyed. Once again, thoughts of Tessa distracted him. He really wanted to text her. He missed their talks.
And once he heard from her and knew she was okay, maybe he could finally concentrate on his work. He had an idea. He called the building scheduler for the stake center to see if they could squeeze in one more practice on the stage before the road show.
“Let me call around and see what I can do,” Brother Michaels said. “I’ll text you if I hear anything.”
Henry ate another cookie while he read another line of his article. He jotted down a few notes for his dissertation, things he already knew, but he needed something to do with his hands. After twenty minutes his phone buzzed, and Henry grabbed it from the table.
Brother Michaels: Next Wednesday. Agave Ward says they’ll move mutual to the park so you can have the stage.
Perfect. Henry texted him back a profuse thanks, and then found Tessa’s name on his phone.
Henry: The stake is giving us the building next Wednesday for practice.
He waited a few moments for an immediate response, and when he got none, he deflated again. Alright, Henry. You’ve done what you can do for now. It’s time to focus.
After another column, he finally got into the article, and was startled an hour later when his phone buzzed. He grabbed it again, doubly surprised to see a text from Tessa.
Tessa: A pox on your sister.
He laughed out loud.
Henry: Why are we cursing Ava with a pox?
Tessa: One word... STREP.
Henry: Oh no.
Tessa: How did you get out of it?
Henry: I didn't. I got sick on Sunday night. So did Ava.
Tessa: I'm trying to feel bad for her. Really. I am.
Henry: What about me?
Tessa: I always feel bad for you. :p
Henry: Ha. Ha.
He shook his head, unable to wipe away the smile on his face. He loved when she was playful like this. All of the cares from the previous days fell off of his shoulders.
Henry: Remember that drunk guy who came to the wedding?
Tessa: No.
Henry: The one who punched me.
Tessa: What?! Someone punched you?
Henry: You're so funny today.
Tessa: It's the meds. My dad hooked me up with the good stuff.
Henry: ANYWAY. Ava confessed she invited him to come.
Tessa: I have no words right now.
Henry: Yeah. She tracked him down on Facebook and convinced him to interrupt the wedding during the ceremony. But he got drunk and lost track of time, so he showed up during the reception instead.
Tessa: Your sister scares me.
Henry: She's an evil genius.
Tessa: Does your dad know?
Henry: No. She feels terrible about my nose. And the strep throat. She's promised me a week of meals when she feels better.
Tessa: A *family* of evil geniuses.
Henry: Emphasis on genius.
Tessa: Riiiiight. I’m also suffering. Does that mean I get meals as well?
Henry: I’ll share mine.
He waited a few moments for a response, disappointed when it wasn’t right away. He knew his mind was too wrapped up in Tessa to even think he could concentrate enough on his article. He closed his laptop and rinsed his plate off in the sink, and then spent another few minutes straightening their front room before another text came in.
Tessa: How are you feeling now?
Henry: Mostly better.
Tessa: Good enough to run road show practice by yourself? Or do we need to cancel?
Henry: No. I can do it. Did you see my text about next week?
Tessa: Yes. Thank you!
Henry: Two more road show practices…
Tessa: Don’t remind me! How is memorizing your prince parts going?
Henry: Okay. Want to help me practice?
Tessa: Um. I don’t think I’m up for that today.
As soon as he sent the text, his memory jumped to the last time Tessa had helped him practice. Their kiss, even if it had been for the sake of Tessa trying to prove a point, had woken up a longing in him that had been dormant. And with Tessa, it was more than the desire to kiss her again, it was an urge to make her laugh, see her smile, listen to her fears and dreams, and to be a part of her life in any way he could. Even if that meant responding like Pavolv’s dogs every time he heard his phone buzz.
Tessa: Before I forget...
Henry: What?
Tessa: I rescheduled your blind date for Friday.
Henry groaned. Not this again. Tessa was not going to let it go. He’d finally come to terms with his feelings for Tessa and wasn’t going to let her waylay him into something he didn’t want to do. Especially something that would let her push him away.
Henry: I'm not going on a blind date.
Tessa: You already said you would!
Henry: That was before.
Tessa: Before what?
Henry: Before I decided I have a no blind date policy.
Tessa: Then your ag
reement applies retroactively.
Henry: I thought you were in school to be a doctor. Not a lawyer.
Tessa: I heard it on Judge Jenny this morning. Don't tell anyone I was watching.
Henry: My lips are sealed.
Tessa: You. Have. To. Go.
Henry: Or else?
Tessa: I will... giggle in your ear like a giddy freshman for the rest of eternity!
Henry: I accept my punishment.
Tessa: HENRY WHITE!
Henry: Why do you want me to go on this blind date so much?
Tessa: I already promised her you'd go.
Henry: Unpromise.
Tessa: This is important to me. Please.
The pleading tone in her text struck him right in the heart. She was so used to people blowing off the important things to her, for what they wanted or didn’t want to do. He closed his eyes. He did not want to go on a blind date. Not one single bit. But he couldn’t say no to Tessa, even for this. Even if he suspected that, in large part, this was another effort of hers to push him away.
Henry: Fine. But you have to come, too.
Tessa: No.
Henry: It's a package deal. We both go or neither of us goes. It's your choice.
Tessa: Fine. It's a double date.
Henry: Who are you bringing?
Tessa: Logan. How hard did that guy hit you?
Henry: You can do so much better than him.
Tessa: Ha.
Henry: I'm serious.
Tessa: *rolls eyes* Thank you.
Henry: You are the most frustrating woman sometimes.
Tessa: Thank you. I think.
There was more Henry wished he could say about how incredible she was and all the goodness he saw in her, but that wasn’t a conversation for text. He checked his watch, surprised to see how much time had gone by. He had office hours in forty-five minutes. Regret pulsed through him at having to end their conversation.
Henry: I'm heading out to the school in a few minutes. Can I bring you anything?
Tessa: I'm good. I've got meds, water, my phone, and my voodoo doll of your sister.
Henry: All the important things. Talk to you soon.
An idea formed as he grabbed his laptop and keys from the table and left the apartment. He wanted to help Tessa feel better, and maybe there was some way he could.
Chapter 34
Tessa buried her face into her life-changing pillow (it was like sleeping on a divine cloud) and held her breath for as long as she could. Layla and Addison were at class, but for the first time in three years, Tessa had skipped hers. She'd had a fever for two days, starting Monday night. She'd finally dragged herself to her dad's office to get checked out—strep throat, thank you Nate and Ava—and he prescribed antibiotics, a couple of pain pills, and at least twenty-four hours of rest.
Which meant twenty-four hours of non-stop thinking.
Logan had been solicitous in calling her since he’d brought her home from her parents’ ill. He was like a new, attentive boyfriend, and she did everything she could to banish the image of him kissing Dawn from her mind. She herself had kissed Henry, so it was hypocritical to care he’d kissed Dawn.
And her family loved him. He fit in perfectly with everything she’d ever planned. She was crazy to even let her mind drift from him for a moment to someone else.
But she couldn’t deny how her heart had leapt when she saw Henry’s text about the road show. And their entire exchange had left her with a smile on her face. A friendly sort of smile one would reserve for a friend for whom she felt deep friendship.
And sometimes wanted to kiss.
She ran a hand over her face. This had to stop. At least Henry had agreed to go on his blind date. She sat up in bed and took another sip of her sports drink. Why couldn’t Henry cooperate and go on his blind date with Chelsea alone? Now she had to go along like a chaperone and watch every interaction between them, all because Henry decided he had a no blind date policy. Who made policies like that anyway?
Grumpy entomology majors. That’s who.
Except he wasn’t normally grumpy. At least not with her. Her stomach warmed at his concern for her, and how he’d made her feel better with his witty texts. She loved how smart he was; how he always managed to keep her on her toes, while making her feel completely comfortable all at once. It was a paradox, like Henry himself.
She finally managed to drift into a restless sleep, thoughts of Henry still on her mind. She floated in a space at the edge of slumber, falling into dreams of being with Henry at the wedding, him holding her in his arms, his mouth pressed against hers, every tendon, every muscle and nerve ending alive and longing for more.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Her eyes lazily opened while she held onto the warm feelings from her dream for another minute. The door banged again, bringing her fully awake and a blush to her face even though no one else would know what she'd dreamed.
"Layla! Addison!" Her voice croaked, dry from sleeping with her mouth open. Lovely. The pounding came at the door for the third time and she swung her legs over the side of her bed, dizzy. She glanced at the clock. It was almost seven in the evening. She'd been sleeping for three hours.
She stumbled into the front room and peered through the peephole. Henry stood there with a paper bag in one hand and a DVD in the other. Once again, seeing him in his made-over state startled her, and she wondered if she'd ever get used to it.
She opened the door and his eyes widened as he took her in from head to toe. Mortified, she stumbled back from him and raced to the bathroom, looking at herself in the mirror. She hadn't had a shower in two days. She wore checkered pajama pants and a bright green girls camp t-shirt with a faded Friends Forever (like with Henry!) logo in the corner. Her hair had been pulled into a pony tail at some point, but that was before she'd slept on it, and maybe spilled some of her red sports drink in it too.
Henry knocked on the bathroom door.
"Go away," she said as nicely as she could while dying inside. Why had she answered the door? What had she been thinking?
"I've got soup and a movie. Some romantic comedy Ava said is hilarious," he said in an enticing voice.
"Please, Henry."
He was silent on the other side of the door. "Is this because of your hair?" he finally asked. "Because I don't care what it looks like."
She pulled out the rubber band from her hair and finger combed through it before retying it up. She then splashed water on her face and made sure all wayward traces of make-up were gone. What she wouldn't give for some foundation and blush, though. She cracked the door open enough for him to see her face but not the rest of her.
"I don't want to get you sick."
One side of his mouth turned up. "I’m already on antibiotics."
She didn't respond, and he sighed. "If you want me to go, I'll go."
She nodded, feeling her eyes well up with tears as she did. She wanted him to go, she wanted him to stay. She wanted to lie down and forget she existed, and she wanted to live fully for the first time in her life.
He leaned so close her breath hitched in her chest. Before she knew what he was doing, he kissed her on the forehead, leaving behind a sizzling imprint. "I’m here if you need anything." He backed up a step and she shut the bathroom door between them.
She heard him shuffling around in the front room for a minute, waiting for him to leave the apartment before coming out of the bathroom. She hated that she worried so much about what she looked like or what others thought of her, but it wasn't something she could stop doing all of a sudden. Still, she wished for him back in the apartment, to have someone to talk with and laugh with while she ate her soup. She found the soup on the table with a spoon beside it, and a note written on the back of the receipt.
You are beautiful. Feel better.
Her knees turned week, and she sat in the closest chair, holding the note close to her chest. Had anyone ever done something so nice for her? He was a builder, an encourager, someon
e who saw the best in people and forgave easily. He made her feel things lately, impossible things, that didn't make sense, but she wasn't ready for it to stop. Not yet. Not today at least, so she could reread the note over and over and pretend she was the kind of person Henry believed her to be.
Chapter 35
Henry ran his hand through his trimmed hair, rubbing the stubble at the back of his neck. He was still getting used to the shorter look. Ava had helped him pick out some new clothes once she was feeling better. It had been nice to see her smile, even if it was because he’d handed her his credit card and gave her permission to spend whatever was necessary. He winced when he thought of the hit his savings account took.
He felt like he was making his very uncomfortable debut into the world without his shell, every vulnerable part of his endoskeleton revealed. He didn't realize how attached he’d gotten to those old clothes, his shaggy hairstyle, and keeping his facial hair unkempt.
That night for the double date he didn’t want to be on, he wore a blue polo shirt Ava insisted matched his eyes perfectly and a pair of jeans that looked like they'd already been worn for a year by someone else, but Ava said were in-style. They were comfortable, at least. More comfortable than the eighties style, white-washed jeans he'd found at the thrift store and had been wearing for the past year.
Henry's renovation was supposed to be Tessa's project, but Ava had jumped in where Tessa hadn't, and here he was. Completely different, but still the same. He popped a piece of spearmint gum into his mouth even though they were going to be eating dinner soon, but he needed something to focus on while he waited for the girls to arrive at the restaurant.
Logan stood three feet away from him, doing something on his phone. They'd driven separately to the restaurant, neither of them wanting to spend more time together than they had to. Henry didn't understand what Tessa saw in him, other than things that were on the surface—things that could be changed.
One Little Kiss (Christian Romance) Page 18
