Page 64 of Book Club Confidential

“He’s good.” He’d been on her mind more than ever since their family dinner, so she’d made a point of checking in more often. “My brother’s home, so he has company again.”

Nina’s features froze briefly before easing into a relaxed smile. “How’s Devin these days?”

“Sober,” Tessa said. “I’m praying nightly that it sticks, and so far it has.”

“He’s back, sober, and living with your dad,” Nina summarized. “And you’re okay? How are you managing that?”

“Therapy,” Tessa said. She’d resumed her weekly appointments and readily plunged back in.

Nina bobbed her head in approval. “Smart.” She watched Tessa another long moment, maybe wondering about her mom now that she’d mentioned sobriety.

“How about you?” Tessa asked, changing the subject before her pleasant day took a turn toward the emotional.

Nina looked in the direction of Peyton’s new office. “How bad am I for enjoying that?”

He hung up his desk phone, then dragged both hands through his hair.

“I don’t want to answer,” Tessa said.

Peyton stood and turned in their direction.

“Oh,” Nina said. “I’ve got to go.”

Peyton’s office door opened, and Nina seemed to dematerialize.

Tessa returned her focus to the project before her. Whatever had Peyton riled up this time had nothing to do with her, and she was glad not to be involved.

She looked at the columns on her laptop screen. She’d created two solid campaign plans for Grant’s new office headquarters, then created various similar scenarios for his related companies. Using the same fonts and color schemes, with the imagery adjusted to reflect the individual business, would give clear visual clues of connectivity between shops, while emphasizing the best parts of each store.

A bubble of pride swelled in her chest as she reviewed the work. All of Grant’s investments were in local storefronts, and those were her specialty. She’d sent a few teasers to Grant via text when he asked about her day, and he’d liked them all.

He’d been messaging randomly to ask what she was working on, or if she knew an obscure piece of local trivia. She looked forward to every text. And they went head-to-head on local trivia. She might’ve finally met her match in that category, but she’d never let him know. She was far too competitive for that.

If investing ever fell through for Grant, he could probably teach classes on everything anyone could want to know about their town, the surrounding area, and the region.

She imagined him in a sweater vest and round framed glasses. Coffee in one hand, pointer stick in the other. Maybe standing before a white board and lecturing on the impact of the Great Depression on coastal Virginia. Nerd, she thought.

She would take his class any day.

Peyton rounded a nearby cubicle, catching her eye and heading her way.

“Tessa?” Millie’s voice reached her a moment before she burst into view at the end of the white tile hallway. She startled Peyton into a human statue as she jogged past him. Millie ran on tiptoes, barely hindered by the long pencil skirt trapping her legs at the knees, or the narrow heels of her cute white ankle boots.

Peyton frowned when Millie grabbed Tessa’s arm and hauled her onto her feet.

“Whoa,” Tessa said, closing her laptop and using the desk to gain her balance. “Hello.”

“Are you busy?” Millie asked, already dragging her away. “Do you have a minute?”

“Um—” Tessa hurried along at her side until they reached the rear wall of windows several yards away.

“What’s going on?” Tessa asked. “Tell me Cyndi Lauper announced a stop in Harbor Heights on her new tour.”

“Ohhhh,” she breathed the word long and slow. “I wish. But no. Much worse. He’s on his way into the office, and he’s pissed.” She stretched the final word until she sounded like a cartoon snake.

Tessa looked over her shoulder. Peyton was nowhere to be seen. “Xavier?”

“Yes.” Millie released Tessa and rested both palms on her hips. “If you have a client to visit, now’s the time.”