All of Me - Leeanna Morgan (the snowy day read aloud .TXT) 📗

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’d been 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 stopped working over-time. It had been close to eleven o’clock before she’d finally fallen asleep.

Logan and Molly were coming back this afternoon to capture the moment Connie decided which dresses she’d take. Sally had parent teacher meetings and couldn’t make it. Annie was practicing for her bowling tournament.

Tess planned on having a long hot bath after everyone left, then heading straight to bed. She needed a decent night’s sleep, otherwise she’d have to do something crazy, like close the café and take a vacation.

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 more than she thought she did. While her imagination ran over the possibilities of where she’d go, someone knocked on her back door.

Tess wiped her hands on a dishcloth and went to see who it was. Molly stood at the top of the stairs with Logan a few steps below her.

“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 in the same room as her. It didn’t feel uncomfortable, it just felt strange. 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 she had.

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 out to Logan and Molly. “This is my four 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 out one of the nut and fruit bars. “Yummy. Can you email me the recipe?”

“Sure. I can send it to you too, Logan.”

“These taste great, but I’d never get around to baking them. Can I put an order in at the café and freeze them?”

Tess thought about the ingredients. “I can’t see why not. I’ll experiment and let you know.”

Someone knocked on the back door. Molly jumped off the sofa and headed toward the door. “That will be Connie.” She introduced herself to Connie and her sister, and brought them into the living room.

Tess put the lid on her cookie jar and turned to the two women. “Hi. Are you ready to see the dresses?”

Connie nodded. “I’m so excited. I couldn’t sleep last night.” She remembered her sister standing beside her and did some hurried introductions.

Tess smiled. “It’s nice to meet you, Denise.” Connie’s sister sent them all a wide smile. She looked so much like Connie that they could have passed for twins.

“What you’re doing for Connie is amazing,” Denise said. “We don’t know how to thank you.”

“We’re just happy we can do something for you. Did you bring your bridesmaids’ measurements?”

Denise opened her bag and pulled out a piece of paper. “Here they are.”

Molly picked up her camera. “Do you mind if I take a few photographs? Logan and I would like to do a follow-up story for his newspaper.”

Connie looked at her sister. “I don’t mind. I’d like everyone to know what you’re doing for us.”

Denise nodded. “I feel the same.”

“That’s great,” Tess said. “Let’s get started. I’ll take you through to my spare bedroom. If you want to bring anything out to the living room, that’s fine.” She walked into the bedroom and tried to imagine what it must be like for Connie.

Connie had told her she’d spent months with her bridesmaids choosing a dress design that would suit her three sisters and best friend. She’d started a special savings account with her fiancé and paid for the dresses out of that. They’d wanted their families to enjoy the wedding, but after the burglary they’d needed to scale everything back. Replacing some of the other things the thieves had stolen had been more important.

“Have the police found any of your belongings?” Molly asked.

Connie shook her head. “Not yet. I’m not feeling too positive about them finding anything.”

Tess opened the double doors to her spare bedroom closet. Because the rooms inside the apartment were huge, her grandpa had added extra large closets. Little did he know that fifty years after he’d built them, his granddaughter would be filling one of them with bridesmaids’ dresses. Her grandma would have been proud.

“Oh, wow.” Connie’s mouth dropped open and Denise had tears in her eyes.

“They’re beautiful,” Denise said as she pulled the first dress out. “Are you sure you want to give us four dresses? We could bring them back when we’ve finished with them.”

Tess saw Molly lower her camera. “We’ve got twenty-two dresses for you to look through. Whatever you choose are yours to keep.”

Connie looked at one of the red dresses Sally had picked up yesterday.