Tempting Tessa Page 4

Jake: Tuesday update – things went great today. We are still on schedule to finish tomorrow. The outside work is complete. All that is left is to paint the ceiling and install the flooring.

  Tessa: Thanks for the update, Jake.

  Wednesday morning, we run into a crew scheduling issue. Our commercial job is ready for us ASAP this morning, as the groundwork is finished and they need us to come in and start on the footings so that concrete can be poured. I was really hoping this issue didn’t come up, but I must send my crews over to that job site. I will figure out what I can do to get a couple guys over to Tessa’s house to finish. Thankfully, all we have left is to paint the ceiling and install the wood floor. If push comes to shove, I can do both myself. The more I think about it, the more I like that idea. I send her a quick text to let her know of the delay and that I’m working on getting it fixed.

  Jake: Hey Tessa, ended up with a scheduling snafu this morning with our commercial job needing us today. My crews will not be at your house until later this afternoon. If they need to be there in the evening is that ok with you?

  I know she is working and don’t expect to hear from her right away. A few hours later I get a text back from her.

  Tessa: Oh, no worries. The evening is fine. I won’t be home with Ty until around 6:30 or 7ish. I would just ask that they be gone by 8 so I can get him to bed. We have to be up early tomorrow for me to get back to work.

  Jake: Absolutely, thanks for being accommodating about this.

  Tessa: Anytime

  I get through the rest of the afternoon and load my truck with the tools I’ll need to lay the flooring and head for Tessa’s house. It’s been awhile since I laid a floor myself, so I’m thankful no one is around when I’m starting. I don’t want to look like a fool. I am about ¾ of the way done when Tessa and Ty get home. When she walks in and sees me laying the flooring she’s shocked.

  “Hey Jake, I didn’t expect to see you here! Oh my goodness, the floor looks amazing!” she exclaims as she walks into the kitchen.

  I chuckle at her excitement. “Yep, you got the boss today. My guys were all worn out and going to be at the job site until after 6 tonight, so I figured I would just come over and get the flooring done.”

  “Well, thank you, I really appreciate it.”

  “Do I get to help with the hammer now?” Ty comes running into the kitchen with his hardhat on and hammer in one hand.

  Both Tessa and I burst out laughing. “We don’t need a hammer for this job, but if your mom is ok with you handing me the boards, you can be my helper,” I reply to him.

  Ty looks up at Tessa with big puppy dog eyes and says, “Please, Mom, can I? I promise I won’t get hurt.”

  “Ok, Ty, as long as you listen to Jake and do everything he tells you to.”

  “Yes! I get to help!” he exclaims as he jumps up and down all excited.

  “Thank you for letting him help you,” Tessa says as she smiles down at me.

  “No problem at all.”

  “I’ll be right back, I need to go get out of these scrubs.”

  Tessa

  My cheeks flush as I turn and walk away, seeing the heat in Jake’s eyes as he not so subtly looked me over has my body tingling everywhere and feeling like a love-struck teenager. I hurry upstairs to my room to change. After I’ve freshened up, and yes, that included fixing my mascara and reapplying a swipe of lip gloss, I head back down to find Ty and Jake working along each other just perfectly. They don’t hear me approach so I just watch and listen to them. Jake is amazing with Ty. He tells him what he’s doing with each step and lets Ty get him each piece as he needs it. My heart fills as I see them interact.

  I’m caught off guard when Ty blurts out, “My daddy lives in Heaven. We can’t see him except for the pictures momma has around the house of him. Did you know my daddy?”

  I can tell Jake didn’t realize what happened to Ty’s dad. I’m a little surprised that Luke never told him that my husband died. Maybe they figured it was my news to share.

  “I’m sorry to hear that, Ty. I don’t think I ever met your daddy. I grew up here, but I have been gone for a while and just moved back.”

  Jake notices me at this point and gives me a look that says sorry about the topic, but I just mouth to him that it’s ok. I’ll let him know later that I heard Ty bring it up and it isn’t a secret. I guess he hasn’t been into the family room, as we have the flag from Matt’s funeral, as well as his pictures up in memorial, along with his urn.

  Jake finishes the floor with Ty’s help and they get everything picked up. I am seriously in love with my new kitchen floor! It’s just about bedtime for Ty, so perfect timing.

  “Ty, 5-minute warning until it’s PJ time. You can skip a bath tonight and take one at Gram and Gramp’s tomorrow morning.”

  “Ok, Momma,” he says to me as he looks up at me with his daddy’s hazel eyes. He is such a spitting image of Matt that it takes my breath away sometimes. His smile is contagious and I smile back at him. Seeing how easily he interacts, how easygoing Ty is. It sure has made single parenting a lot easier over the last five years.

  “I’ll get the last of my tools loaded up and get out of your way,” Jake says as he starts to gather his tools up and finishes cleaning up from installing the flooring.

  “No problem, it will only take me a few minutes to go get Ty ready for bed. Would you like to stay for a beer?”

  “I would love that, thanks for the offer,” he says as he smiles up at me. The sparkle in his blue eyes has my body tingling again and has me smiling back at him.

  “I’ll meet you back down here in the kitchen in just a few minutes. Beer is in the fridge, help yourself.”

  “Good night, Ty, thanks for the help tonight,” Jake says, reaching his hand out in a fist, looking for Ty to give him a fist bump.

  Ty fist bumps back. “Thanks for letting me help! It was the best night ever!”

  Jake and I both laugh at Ty’s silly antics as I usher him upstairs for PJs and bedtime. It takes me about 15 minutes to get Ty changed, his teeth brushed and his nighttime story read. He was still so excited from getting to help Jake that he was having a little bit of a hard time calming down. After rubbing his back for a few minutes, he calmed down and passed out. I headed back downstairs to find Jake seated at the kitchen island with a beer in his hand.

  “Sorry it took me so long. He was still so excited about getting to help you tonight.”

  “Tessa, please don’t ever apologize for taking the time you need with your son. I can tell you are a great mom, and it sounds like you’ve had it all on your shoulders for a long time now.”

  Where did this man come from? Could he be any more perfect?

  I’m so shocked by his reply that it takes me a little bit to respond. I know I have to keep my emotions in check.

  “Thank you, you were great with him tonight,” I say to him as I grab a drink for myself.

  Jake

  We move to the living room so we can sit on the couch and talk while being more comfortable. We sit next to each other and Tessa turns to face me.

  “It really wasn’t a problem. Hey, did you and Caroline pick what day works best for the baseball game?” I ask as I rest my arm along the back of the couch. I’m not touching Tessa, but it wouldn’t be much of a stretch to do so.

  “We looked at the dates, but never picked one. She was going to have Luke text you the ones we had narrowed it down to so that you could check your schedule before we bought the tickets.”

  “Bastard never texted me.” I laugh. “I looked myself and I didn’t see any conflicts with my schedule for any of the Saturday or Sunday daytime games. So I’m open to whatever day works best with everyone else.”

  “Sounds great, I’ll get with Caroline and we’ll finalize a date. I’ll text you with the info since it appears we can’t depend on Luke to keep you in the loop,” she says teasingly. “I wanted to let you know that I heard Ty bring up Matt to you. I’m sorry that you were in the dark about that. I
just figured that Luke or Caroline had filled you in on the fact that my husband died a few years ago.”

  “It’s not a problem. I’m sorry to hear that he did. Do you mind me asking the details?”

  “Not at all. Matt was a firefighter and died from his injuries sustained when the roof of a building collapsed in on him and one other firefighter. Matt was trapped for over an hour. The other firefighter was also trapped for about an hour, but he wasn’t pinned like Matt was and he survived. Matt saved 5 people’s lives that day with the donation of his organs.”

  “Wow, I’m so sorry to hear all that, but it’s amazing that he saved so many lives. I know firsthand the importance of organ donation as I had to have a kidney transplant as part of my recovery after my accident in the military.”

  “Do you mind if I ask about your injuries?” she asks as she looks over at me making eye contact.

  “Not at all. I lost the lower part of my right leg below the knee. As you can see, I have been fitted with a pretty kick ass prosthetic. I have different ones that I use depending on what I’m doing. I also had lots of shrapnel wounds. Some of the shrapnel went deep enough to damage my kidneys. I lost one completely and the other was damaged enough to put me on the transplant list. I went through dialysis for a year until I was moved to the top of the list and a match was found. Once I received the new kidney, I was able to come off dialysis and have been building my strength back to live as normal a life as I possibly can.”

  “Wow, you have such a positive attitude about life for having gone through so much,” she says as she looks at her watch and yawns. “I can’t believe it’s already 9:30. I need to get to bed or I’m going to be a zombie tomorrow.”

  “Thanks for the beer and conversation. I can tell you’re exhausted and I should get out of here so you can get to bed.”

  “Thanks for the adult conversation. I don’t usually get any after Ty goes to bed,” Tessa says as she walks me to the door. I’ve had such a great time with her tonight. I would love to kiss her goodnight, but I don’t want to push her too fast. Now that I know her husband died and it doesn’t appear she’s dated much since he died, I know I need to take things slow.

  As we reach the door and say our goodbyes I lean in and kiss her cheek. “Good night, Tessa, sleep well.” I force myself to walk out the door. That kiss got my cock to spring to life, so it looks like a cold shower is in my future tonight.

  Tessa

  Jake just left and cue my hormones. That kiss he gave me on the cheek has me floating in the clouds. I don’t know how much longer I’m going to be able to keep my hands off him. I can already tell that the next time he makes a move I won’t have the willpower to turn him down. Maybe I have overcome the grief from losing Matt. I know he would want me to move on and be happy, but I just feel so guilty thinking of another man in a romantic way. I head to my room and continue to think about my growing feelings and attraction to Jake as I get ready for bed. I have another long day ahead of me tomorrow, and if I don’t get to sleep soon I will be dragging ass.

  3 Weeks Later

  The past few weeks have flown by. Tomorrow I turn 30, yay me! I let Caroline take control of planning my birthday celebration. I know she wouldn’t just let me celebrate it with a bottle of wine while sitting in my sweats on the couch watching re-runs, so I figured I would just let her plan it. I must admit I’m excited to see what she has planned. I’ve been told to be ready by noon for an afternoon of pampering and then a fun-filled night. My parents offered to keep Ty for me overnight so I don’t have to worry about getting a babysitter for him or worry how late we will be out. During the day, Luke is going to have him over to play with Jack and Oliver while we are out getting pampered.

  I wake up bright and early to Ty crawling into my bed. He climbs in and immediately wraps his arms around me. “Happy Birthday, Momma!” he says happily to me.

  “Thanks, buddy, how about we go make some pancakes for breakfast?” I ask Ty as I cuddle him closer to me.

  “Can we have sprinkles on them for your birthday?”

  “Sure, why not!”

  We cuddle for a few more minutes and then head down to the kitchen. Ty loves to help me cook, so I let him stir the batter and add in the sprinkles. We finish our breakfast and I send him up to get dressed for the day while I clean up. I’m not sure what Caroline has scheduled for our day of pampering, so I need to text her and find out so I know what I need to do to get ready.

  Tessa: Hey, what’s on the pamper agenda today? Should I shower now or will I have time after we go to the spa?

  Caroline: Happy Birthday bitch!

  Tessa: Thanks!

  Caroline: You will be able to shower at the spa after our massages, and before hair and makeup. Dress comfortably. I have your party outfit ready and will bring it with me for you to change into once you are done!

  Tessa: What are you dressing me in tonight?

  Caroline: It’s a surprise!

  Tessa: Am I going to live to regret allowing you to take full control of tonight’s festivities? LOL

  Caroline: Never! You know I’m only doing this all out of love. You need to relax and let loose every once and awhile. You deserve it.

  I knew she was going to say something that would make me cry. She’s an amazing best friend and even though we give each other a ton of crap, I don’t know what I would do without her in my life.

  Tessa: Thanks, C. I’ll see you soon. I need to finish getting Ty ready and pack his overnight bag. We’ll be over soon.

  I head upstairs to check on Ty and find him mostly dressed. After he’s finished getting dressed we pack his overnight bag for my parents’ tonight. He’s super excited to stay the night, as well as to spend the day with Jack and Oliver. Once I’m done getting him packed, I get myself changed and ready to go celebrate turning 30 in style. I’ve decided I’m going to embrace whatever Caroline brings my way. After all, a girl only turns 30 once!

  We arrive at Caroline and Luke’s house and Ty runs off to find Jack and Oliver. As he runs off for the playroom I call after him, “Hey, Ty, I’ll be leaving soon with Caroline. You be good for Luke and then for Grams and Gramps tonight. Come give me a hug and kiss goodbye. I don’t think I will see you until tomorrow sometime.” After saying goodbye to me, he runs off to go play with his friends.

  Caroline and I take that as our cue to head out. She has quite the smirk on her face, so I can only imagine what she has up her sleeve for today.

  “Have a great day, ladies, and happy birthday, Tessa,” Luke says to us as we are getting ready to walk out the door. “See you both later, don’t do anything that requires bail money,” he tells Caroline. Oh, how well he knows his wife!

  The spa that Caroline has booked us at is pretty fancy, the package she booked includes door to door service, so as I step outside her house a limo pulls up to pick us up. I didn’t expect all this, so to say I’m shocked is an understatement. We get into the limo and there is a bottle of champagne waiting for us on ice. She pops the top and hands me a glass of the bubbly.

  “To turning 30!” she toasts and we clink glasses.

  As we pull out of her driveway, she reaches up and turns up the radio. We are both huge country music fans and Something Bad by Miranda and Carrie comes on. We both bust out laughing as they are both some of our favorite artists. It’s funny, I feel the song is a little fitting for today. I have a feeling she could find something bad for us to get into.

  We arrive at the spa and are ushered into a private dressing room area separate from the normal women’s locker room. We are greeted by our host for the day and given a list of the treatments we are booked for. We are getting massages, facials, manicures and pedicures, and then hair and makeup.

  After a 90-minute massage to start out my afternoon, I’m feeling very relaxed and this is just the start! I’m then whisked into the next room for my facial. Once that is completed, I’m taken to the shower room. Holy shit, the shower they have is heaven. I don’t even know how many show
er heads this thing has, but they are everywhere and they are awesome. I might have to get an estimate to redo my master bathroom.

  After the shower, I meet back up with Caroline for our manicures and pedicures. We are both so relaxed. I will forever be grateful to her for this amazing birthday.

  “Enjoying all this pampering so far?” she asks me as we relax in the pedicure chairs sipping on more champagne.

  “Um, yes! You are the best, Caroline. That shower was amazing, I need one of those in my house.”

  “I know, I could have spent hours in that thing. So after we are finished getting pampered, we can then dress for our evening festivities. Our dinner reservations are for 6 o’clock.”

  “Sounds like a great plan. Thanks again for everything you’ve done for me today,” I say to her with a huge smile on my face.

  “No sweat, Tessa. That’s what best friends are for.”

  We both relax in the big massage chairs that we’re in for our pedicures and manicures as the staff continues to pamper us. Once we are done with that, we are taken to the hair and makeup area.

  “Do you have any requests on how you want your hair styled tonight?” my stylist asks me.

  “Not really, I’ll let you work your magic,” I tell her.

  She ends up giving me beautiful curls and pulling half of it up and leaving the rest down. It’s beautiful and makes me feel fantastic. My next stop is the makeup chair. I don’t usually wear a lot of makeup, so I don’t want them to go crazy. I still need to feel like myself.

  “Hi, Tessa, I’m Paige and I will be your makeup artist today. Is there anything you want in particular?”

  “I don’t usually wear much, just some mascara and lip gloss. I was thinking maybe a smoky eye, but nothing super dramatic.”

  “I can work with that. Do you have a lip color preference or do you want me to pick?”

  “I’ll let you work your magic and pick what you think will look best.”