Page 19 of Homebody (The Long Road Home #21)
Chapter Eighteen
D ean flipping on the blinker and slowly braking to a stop in front of her apartment tugged Tessa out of her own head and the kaleidoscope of emotions she was feeling.
“We’re here,” he announced needlessly.
She nodded, releasing her seat belt. Her magical day…date…whatever this was, was coming to an end and she didn’t know how to feel about that.
“Yes, we are.” Turning in her seat, she faced Dean. “Thank you. For everything today,” she said with all sincerity.
Her bad girl persona might be false but her gratitude for all he’d done was not.
“It was nothing.” He dismissed her comment with the wave of one hand.
“No. It was definitely something. I can’t believe you arranged all of that. It was amazing.”
Dean lifted one shoulder. “Eh, Liam organized most of it. His contact arranged for the local volunteers to help us distribute the food to the people in the tent city.”
“Which he only did after you came up with the idea to repurpose the church’s food leftovers. You knew I wanted to help those people and you figured out a practical and safe way for us to do that. Dean, you deserve the credit. Not just Liam.”
“Well, I guess that is all true. Okay, if you insist, I’ll take the credit instead of Liam.” Dean grinned.
She returned his smile before sobering again. “I just wish we could do what we did today every day.”
His eyes flashed. “Oh, I guess with everything going on I forgot to tell you.”
“Forgot to tell me what?” she asked.
“They’re going to keep doing it. The volunteers.
I mean there’s not food served at the church every day but when there is, the church is going to call the volunteer coordinator to come get the leftovers and distribute them.
But more importantly than that, they approached the owner of the diner and Mudville House and the Muddy River Inn and all those places agreed to wrap up food for pickup rather than toss it all. ”
Her mouth dropped open as she shook her head. “That’s a huge endeavor. How could they organize it all—volunteers, transportation—so quickly?”
“A local organization was looking for a project to take on. The timing was right.” He shrugged.
“I don’t know what to say.”
He laughed. “You don’t have to say anything. You don’t exactly have a poker face. I can see how you feel. Hell, I can practically hear what you’re thinking. I’m glad what we did today made you happy.”
It had, but she hoped it wasn’t true that Dean could read her mind, or at least her expression. If he could he’d know everything she was lying about.
So much lying. Including how she was lying to herself about her feelings for him right now. This man had done something incredible. Had given her the most absolutely perfect gift.
Still, a big looming if hung over her like a shadow. If he wasn’t leaving again so soon. If she hadn’t been paid by his mother. If she wasn’t lying to him about who and what she was.
If all that wasn’t true, Dean could be it for her.
The one.
The guy she would happily close her laptop for. The only man in—was it really two years?—she’d happily break her vow of celibacy for.
For once, she really wanted to be that girl who didn’t care about consequences or tomorrow. Just now. The kind of person who said to hell with any regrets she might have tomorrow.
A real bad girl would lean in and kiss him.
No, more than that. A true bad ass woman would crawl into his lap, straddle his thighs with hers, tangle her fingers in his hair and crash her mouth into his.
In the end, it was obvious Tessa was not that person. In the battle between her bad girl and good girl, it was clear. The bad girl had lost.
She forced a small smile and said, “I should go. Thank you again. Really.”
“You’re welcome again. Really.” He smiled.
Her gaze dropped to his lips. The lips she’d never taste.
As the clean manly smell of him made her want to lean in closer to Dean, she did the opposite. She turned in her seat, opened the door and scrambled out of the car.