Page 16 of Homebody (The Long Road Home #21)

Chapter Fifteen

I t was a forty-minute drive from Cooperstown to Mudville and Tessa was keenly aware of every one of those minutes and passing miles.

At the restaurant, facing each other, with food and the beautiful lake view and amazing architecture surrounding them to talk about it hadn’t been so hard to fill the silence. But here in the car, it seemed like an eternity.

She saw the sign for Oneonta and mentally adjusted the remaining time until they’d be home.

Twenty minutes and counting. Not that that made her feel any better, because she’d gone and invited him back to her apartment.

Stupid Ruby and Red. They’d insisted she buy a six-pack to keep in her fridge. Just in case he came inside, they’d said. They were so going to gloat that they’d been correct. He was coming inside, all right. And it was her own fault.

The pseudo-invite had just kind of spilled out. Her stupid mouth had a mind of its own sometimes.

It was definitely risky having him come in.

That was the exact reason she’d been watching for his car and ran outside to meet him on the walkway when he’d picked her up this afternoon.

So he wouldn’t come in and see that the vibe of her apartment was definitely more grad student poverty than party girl chic .

In the rush of getting ready for tonight had she even remembered to hide the massive mess that was her research?

Maybe it didn’t matter either way. He’d already caught her at the library surrounded by more notebooks than any part-time shop girl slash full time bad girl should own.

She had twenty minutes left to prepare her excuses and lies in case he questioned her about anything he saw in her apartment that didn’t fit her persona. Hopefully it was enough time.

“Wow. That’s new since the last time I was home.” Dean’s comment interrupted her worrying.

“Hmm?” She glanced at him.

“The tent city we just passed. I didn’t notice it on the drive there. I’m assuming it’s homeless people. In Oneonta?”

“Yes, sadly.” She nodded. “A lot of these tent cities have been springing up around the area lately.”

“Not enough jobs around here?” he asked.

“Perhaps. Partially, I guess. But actually, I’ve heard from our mayor that there’s not enough affordable housing available in this area to accommodate those who do have a job. They can’t afford to live near where they work, so they set up tents.”

He glanced at her. “You know a lot about this.”

Tessa tried to erase the deer in headlights expression she knew appeared when she got caught knowing something she shouldn’t—wouldn’t—if she truly was a party girl.

“Um, well, you know. A person hears things at the beauty salon.”

Phew. She’d come up with a perfectly reasonable excuse. She should have been happy with that and kept her mouth shut for the rest of the drive. But for some reason, she couldn’t.

She hesitated, then added, “You know, a not insignificant percentage of the unhoused in this country are veterans. A lot of them can’t keep a job because of psychological issues connected to brain damage caused by their service.”

And that fact had come from her neurological research. The real reason she was so interested in the homeless situation, country-wide, not just in this area.

He turned his head to look at her in the passenger seat, before focusing back on the highway and what little traffic surrounded them. That didn’t prevent him from asking, “You hear that at the salon too?”

Darn. Caught again.

Panicking, she swallowed. “I, uh, wrote a paper on it for one of the college kids who hire me to do their work.”

He smiled and shot her a sideways glance. “Ah. Of course. Your second job.”

She lifted a shoulder. “It helps pay the bills and keeps a roof over my head. And it buys me beer and going-out clothes. You know, the necessities.” She forced out a laugh.

“And keeps you out of the homeless encampment?” he joked.

“Yes. That too.” She glanced down at the bag of leftovers in her lap, remembering the times she’d survived on packages of Ramen noodles from the dollar store because money was tight.

“I feel bad. If they’re homeless, they’re probably hungry too.

And here I am bringing home half of my meal because it was so big. ”

He lifted a brow. “I’m sorry but I’m not turning around so you can deliver your doggy-bag to someone in one of those tents back there. I’m not without empathy but my priority is keeping you safe.”

She wasn’t used to anyone else being responsible for her or her safety. But Dean had taken it upon himself to be, at least for tonight. She liked the feeling. Too much. She knew better than to get used to it.

“I know. I wasn’t suggesting that. One meal for one person wouldn’t solve the bigger problem anyway.

” She let out a sigh. “It’s such a shame.

Restaurants, bakeries, stores, they all throw away so much food.

I live across from the diner. I see what goes in the dumpster every night.

That food could really help those struggling.

There has to be a way to connect those with excess and those who don’t have enough. ”

That tidbit hung in the air between them and she regretted immediately saying it, especially when she noticed the sway of his head as he shook it.

Her cheeks heated. She’d gone too far this time. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything.”

“No. You’re right. It’s just… you’re certainly a surprise.”

She swallowed. “Me? Really? In what way?”

“I’m in the military. I know the statistics regarding veterans and mental health and homelessness.

But I would have just driven right by that encampment and gone on with my life.

And here you are coming up with an incredibly smart and viable solution to feed people in need.

You’re so damn empathetic and civic-minded…

” He let out a short laugh. “You’re kind of putting me to shame here, Tess. ”

She sucked in a breath. Ruby and Red would flip out if they knew she’d just insulted Dean. She’d told them she was no good at date talk. This was proof.

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to?—”

“No. Stop. You’re fine. I’m joking. And I shouldn’t joke because it’s a serious situation. So I’m sorry for that.”

This conversation was too deep. Not to mention too revealing and proof that she was capable of screwing anything up, even the last twenty minutes of what had otherwise been a near perfect date.

She needed to be more careful. And as she saw the highway sign for the exit for Mudville, Tessa doubled down on her resolve. No more slip-ups.

In fact, it would probably be safest if she didn’t talk at all.