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

Chapter 22

"What are you doing?" Annie stood beside Tess, staring down the same stretch of sidewalk as Tess.

"I'm waiting for the newspaper to be delivered."

Annie looked at her watch. "It's usually here by now."

"That's what I thought. Did Logan tell you to hide it again?"

"Not this morning. Why are you so annoyed with him? He's only trying to help."

Tess stalked back into the kitchen. "He's not helping. He's created a huge mess, all because he wanted his story on the front page of the newspaper. He doesn't care about who he steps on to get there."

"That's not true. He wouldn't have sent you to Yellowstone with his mom and Dylan if he was like that. He didn't even mention your name in Saturday's story."

"I don't care, not anymore. I just want today to be over so we can go back to everything being normal."

Annie washed her hands in the sink. "Depending on what Jilly wrote in today's newspaper, I don't think your life will ever be the same."

Tess looked at the bowl in front of her. "I thought I'd left all of this behind three years ago."

"Life has a funny way of catching up with you." Annie glanced at her watch again. "Why don't you ask Becky or Emily if their newspapers have arrived?"

"I'll see Becky in a few minutes. I don't think Emily will be at work yet."

Annie tied her apron around her waist and frowned at the list on the wall. "What time did you arrive this morning?"

A column of green smiley faces sat beside most of their usual Monday morning dishes. "I turned on the ovens at four-thirty. I couldn't sleep."

"No kidding. Did Logan stop by the café?"

"I told him I didn't want to see him again."

Annie shook her head. "I love you lots, Tess, but sometimes you're so stubborn that you can't see what's in front of your nose."

"I see plenty." Tess added another cup of flour to the muffin mixture on the counter.

"Only when you want to."

Tess reached for the sugar. "I never used to stand up for myself. I didn't want to hurt people's feelings or make them feel bad. Maybe I've been overcompensating. But I'm so angry with Logan that I don't know what else to do."

"What are you so angry about?" Annie asked softly.

"He used me. All this time I thought he liked spending time with me, but all he wanted was a story."

"You don't really believe that, do you?"

"I'll tell you after today." Tess' head shot up when someone knocked on the front door of the café. She looked at Annie and started moving quickly out of the kitchen.

Molly stood in the doorway waving a newspaper in the air. "I'd usually say good morning, but you're probably looking forward to reading this. It was sitting beside your front door." She handed Tess the Monday edition of the Bozeman Chronicle.

Annie joined them at the front door. "I've got two questions for you. What are you doing up so early and do you want a cup of coffee?"

"I'd love a cup of coffee and I'm up early because my sister needs help. The Hillcrest Community Center has planned some special events this week. They want a dozen flower arrangements delivered by ten o'clock this morning."

"I didn't know you knew how to arrange flowers."

Molly grinned at Annie. "When we were teenagers, Becky and I helped our nan in her florist store. We made bouquets and boutonnieres by the dozen each weekend."