All of Me: A Small Town Romance (The Bridesmaids Club Book 1)

Chapter 10

Tess looked at her watch for the tenth time in as many minutes. It was Tuesday evening. After work, she'd gone for a long walk. By three o'clock she was so tired that she'd come home and started baking. She knew if she sat down she'd fall asleep. But with Connie and her sister arriving soon, she couldn't afford to be caught having a nap.

Molly had finished taking the last photo of the dresses at eight-thirty last night. Within an hour, everyone had gone home. But Tess' mind hadn't slowed down. It was close to eleven o'clock before she'd finally fallen asleep.

She added chocolate chips to the second cookie mixture and rolled the dough into balls. If she didn't bake for a living, it would have been therapeutic, but all she could think about were the other things she needed to do tomorrow. Maybe she needed a vacation. While her imagination ran over the possibilities of where she'd go, someone knocked on her back door.

Wiping her hands on a dishcloth, she went to see who it was. Molly stood at the top of the stairs with Logan a few steps below. Last night, they'd decided to come back to capture the moment Connie chose which dresses she'd take.

"Look who I found in the parking lot." Molly smiled at Logan, then looked at Tess. "Are you ready for Connie's visit?"

Tess moved out of the way so they could come inside. "As ready as I'll ever be. I was going to make a cup of coffee. Would you like one?"

Logan left a pen and notebook on the kitchen counter. "I can make it. You're busy baking."

"It's okay. I can do it." Tess was happy to make them a drink, but Logan was already pulling mugs out of the pantry.

"I know how to make coffee. Go back to your cookies."

"Make a cup for me," Molly said as she checked her camera.

Tess moved back to her cookie dough, finished rolling the balls, then slid them into the oven. Logan left a hot mug of coffee beside her.

She didn't know what it was about him, but she could feel his eyes following her around the kitchen. It was as if she had a radar attached to her body whenever he was around. It didn't feel uncomfortable. It felt different. She was used to people watching her. Used to people taking notice of what she did and how she did it. But she wasn't used to Logan.

Today he was wearing a white shirt, black trousers, and black dress shoes. He'd rolled the sleeves on his shirt past his elbows and undone the top two buttons at his neck. He looked rumpled and sexy—two things that were guaranteed to make her heart flutter.

"Hard day at the office?" she asked.

"Long day at the office. Have you heard from Connie?"

Tess sipped her mug of coffee. "She called me at lunchtime to make sure it's still okay to meet us here."

Molly checked the time. "She shouldn't be far away."

Tess watched Logan closely. He still looked tired, as though he'd had even less sleep than her.

He ran his hand across his jaw and frowned. "I had a shave."

"But no sleep," Tess added. She took her cookie jar out of the pantry and held it toward Logan and Molly. "This is my six o'clock pick-me-up treat. Rolled oats, pumpkin seeds, coconut, cranberries, dates, sliced almonds, and maple syrup."

Molly looked in the jar and took one of the nut and fruit bars. "Yummy. Can you email me the recipe?"

"Sure." Someone knocked on the back door. Tess left the jar on the counter and headed across the apartment. She smiled when she saw Connie and her sister. "Hi. Are you ready to see the dresses?"