style="font-size:15px;"> Smiling, Tess pumped her hand. “Tess McClellan. I’ve never actually done anything like this before.”
“Attended a luncheon?”
“Joined a women’s group.” She’d done it again—committed herself before she’d had a chance to think it through. Yet something about this woman encouraged Tess in a way she’d never hoped to be.
“It’s a lot of fun. I’ll introduce you to Terry Kingsley when she gets here. She’s this year’s membership chair.”
“That would be great.”
Another woman entered the room and greeted Cassie. Her gaze shifted over Tess, who smiled. The newcomer was an attractive woman, with every blond hair in place. Tess, with her tangle of red waves, couldn’t help but feel a little tug of envy.
“Hi, April, this is—”
“Tess McClellan.” Tess extended her hand.
“Tess has come to visit with us and maybe join our group,” Cassie said, adding to the introduction.
“April Emerson. How nice to meet you.”
“April’s our president. This is her fifth year. We all love her so much, we won’t let her step down.”
April’s shoulders relaxed and the smile she directed at Cassie seemed genuine. She handed Cassie a crisp twenty-dollar bill. “It smells wonderful, Cassie. Did you order the chicken amandine?”
“With asparagus and those seasoned potatoes you like.” She handed April her change, along with a ticket-like receipt.
April glanced around at the tables of chattering women. “Looks like almost everyone’s here. We should start soon. I think I’ll go get my food and sit.”
“We’re missing Terry. I want to introduce her to Tess, so we can get her signed up. We haven’t had a new member in a long while.”
April’s gaze again swept over Tess. “No, we haven’t.” Turning abruptly, she addressed Cassie. “Why don’t you finish up, then get your own food? I’d like to get started on time for a change.”
Cassie frowned. “Sure. I guess I’m pretty hungry. If Terry comes, she can find me.”
April left and Cassie shook her head. “She’s normally more friendly. She’s just going through a rough time right now.”
“Oh. Here—” Tess pulled her wallet from her bag. “I need to pay. There will be enough food, right?”
“Don’t worry about that. We always order a few extra meals for guests or speakers.” Cassie took Tess’s money, then handed her a receipt.
“Speakers? Who do you usually have?”
“Let’s see, last month a couple of women from the Garden Society did a nice talk on indoor gardens. And today we possibly have someone from Project Mentor. They’re on the schedule, but there’s a chance they might not show.” She shrugged. “It’s a new nonprofit organization, run entirely by volunteers. They take the big brother-big sister thing a little further— Look at me running on. We should grab our food. April will start before we get through our entrées.”
Closing the money box, Cassie motioned Tess toward several banquet tables laden with fresh bread, salads and serving dishes steeped in tempting aromas that made Tess’s stomach growl.
The food tasted as heavenly as it smelled, almost as good as one of Ramon’s creations. Tess swallowed a savory mouthful of the chicken and smiled as Cassie nodded in her direction. Her new acquaintance had led her to a table not far from the front, where a podium stood.
The women at her table had acknowledged her with cursory nods as Cassie had left to find a vacant seat nearby. Tess did her best to blend in as the women chatted to one another. She waited patiently for an opening in the conversation where she might add something witty or entertaining.
“Kevin is teething and he drools nonstop. Everything goes straight into his mouth and he soaks his little T-shirts right through, even though I keep a bib on him.” The brunette to her left leaned toward the woman beside her.
Not much Tess could add there. Frowning, she focused on the plump redhead to her right. “Then Daddy said he had corns on top of his corns and he would not walk another step. I thought Mama was going to skin him, right there. I have never seen her so angry.”
“Mmm, this asparagus is to die for,” Tess commented to no one in particular.
The others continued discussing teething babies and parents with foot problems. How could she jump in on any of these conversations? They were all talking about families—normal families.
What did Tess know about that?
In near desperation, she glanced across the table to where two women sat in deep conversation. “And he hates school. Doesn’t care for his teacher at all. It’s a battle to make him go every day. He complains about everything. He won’t do his homework. We have a teacher’s conference scheduled this week and I just dread it.”
Who was Tess kidding? She had nothing in common with these women. She could no more relate to their issues than they could relate to hers.
You see, I have this problem. I tend to collect men, first as lovers, whom I heal through sexual encounters, then as friends who stay on long after the loving. My sisters fondly call them my minions, because they do everything for me. I so much as hint at a need and it’s filled. But they can’t fill one of my most pressing needs—the need for female companionship. And though some may say that I do them all a great service in healing them, I feel I can do more to help my community. This is where you ladies come in.
Right, that would go over like a lead balloon. Why had she come? What made her think she could do this? Tess shook her head and looked over at Cassie. She waved and Tess relaxed a little. She’d made at least one connection, and that was better than she’d done all through high school and college combined. Maybe there was hope.
Cassie’s gaze swung to the door, and her smile faded. A sudden taut silence filled the air and Tess turned to see April glaring toward the back of the room. Tess followed the glare to a dark-haired man, standing just inside the door.
He was solid, with a strong build and virile presence that rolled over Tess in waves. Her gaze traveled up his length to lock with his. His eyes and hair were a nondescript brown and his features more angular than she preferred, but still she was entranced and surprised at her own reaction. Certainly, catching a man’s attention had never been a problem for her, but never before had she experienced this inexplicable draw. She braced her hands on the table and fought the urge to go to him.
Still, he held her transfixed and it took all her concentration to turn toward the front of the room. Her back ramrod straight, April moved to the podium, her expression heavy with censure as she glanced at Tess. A sense of bewilderment stole over Tess. What had angered April? Tess took a deep breath and struggled not to look at the man whose presence spiked the tension in the room.
The microphone came to life as April tapped it. “Excuse me everyone, I hope you’ve all had enough of this delicious meal. If not, please feel free to help yourselves to seconds. There’s plenty.”
