room for overnighters?”
“There were three men with no place to go. Gerard couldn’t find a bed for them anywhere in the city.”
“Don’t tell me,” Sean said. “He put them in the subbasement.”
“With blankets and pillows.”
“Against regulations, of course.”
“You’d do the same. Gerard can’t turn them out to freeze.”
Sean leaned against the edge of Tess’s desk. “He’s always been a soft touch, but don’t you dare tell him I said that.”
Her dark eyes slid over him with apparent appreciation as he spoke. “Beneath his tough-guy exterior is a heart of spun honey.”
“It runs in the family,” Sean said.
“Tough-guy exterior?”
“You never could take a compliment.”
A light gleamed in her eyes as she silently acknowledged his words. “Guess that spun honey rubs off on his friends, too.” She picked up the envelope and handed it to Sean. “Glad I didn’t mace you.”
“I’ve been maced before. I’d have lived through it.”
“At least there were enough cots for the women and children tonight,” she said. “But I’m not sure how much longer this can go on. We need larger facilities. Can you get this straw checked out? See where it came from?”
“Will do. We’ve still got friends connected to the force.”
Tess glanced at the clock and gave a sigh of obvious frustration. “Midnight.”
“What time are you due back tomorrow?” Sean asked.
“Early. I have to supervise breakfast prep.”
“Gerard can’t do that?”
“He’s got a meeting in Houston first thing in the morning. Court case.”
“Then it’s time for you to wrap things up.” Sean tucked the envelope into his shirt pocket and reached for Tess’s purse and jacket. “Out you go. And don’t come in at five. I can do it; you get some extra sleep. I’ve seen how many hours you put in here.”
Tess gazed into his eyes and made him think of things he knew were impossible at the moment. She was still grieving. She looked worn down. She had looked that way since before Tanner’s death—had probably begun to have those circles under her gorgeous eyes about the time the first threatening note showed up under her door.
“I have more to do tonight,” she said. “If I don’t get it done now, I’ll just have to—”
He took her by the shoulders and guided her toward the door. “You’re done. Joni and Mamie will be more than happy to help you tomorrow.”
“Mamie has a job interview.”
“That won’t take all day. We’ve got extra help coming in tomorrow from a new church start-up, so take advantage of it. We need it. Mamie can enter data, and Joni can file for you tomorrow.”
The homeless population of the past years had exploded with whole families out on the street after foreclosures on homes, repossession of vehicles, loss of jobs. Those who were accustomed to work were so appreciative of the help they received that they freely gave of their time serving in the kitchen, filing and entering data, housekeeping, working in the mission store. This four-level double building utilized a lot of volunteers.
Sisters Joni and Mamie Park had owned their own storefront antique shop, with a large apartment upstairs, until this past summer when fire broke out and destroyed everything they owned except for their delivery van.
When they started coming to the soup kitchen for meals, Sean had discovered they were sleeping in their van and cleaning up at the public bathrooms at the beach while looking for work. In the months before the fire, their business had declined to the point they’d been unable to pay for insurance. The timing had been horrible for them.
Gerard’s dream was to create more jobs and set up a career rehab center somewhere far from here. He would most likely make that happen. Sean wanted to be a part of that by staying behind and helping Tess manage the mission while her brother was off in search of a new place of promise.
“Okay,” Tess said. “I think after ten-thirty at night from now on, we’re going to have to put bells on our toes.” She preceded Sean from her office and waited for him to lock it.
“I don’t care what you say. No bells. Don’t we hear enough bells around here lately?”
She followed him to his office door. “Don’t tell me Gerard’s stuck with two Scrooges here at the mission.”
“It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the crowds during Christmas season.” He pulled a thick briefcase from his office, locked up and held an arm out, indicating that she should follow him.
“I can’t stop thinking about that pistol you carry,” she said.
“You have pepper mace, I have the protection I’m most comfortable with.” Sean didn’t mention that Gerard also carried a concealed weapon. Gerard had insisted his key personnel carry protection on these dangerous streets, not only to protect themselves, but to protect the helpless ones who were stuck outside at the mercy of too many deadbeats.
“In a way, my brother has expanded your police force in Corpus Christi by adding a private security division,” Tess said.
“Who else is going to protect them? He protects his own, and that encompasses everyone in need.”
“Face it, my brother’s a hero. Is it any wonder I’ve seen our pretty doctor spending so much time with him lately?” Tess followed Sean down the stairs.
Sean smiled, but he wouldn’t mention that even Dr. Megan Bradley, who was working at the mission to pay off her med school loans, also carried a concealed weapon at Gerard’s behest. She took it with her when she and Tess had a girls’ day out.
“Or perhaps I should say, it isn’t any wonder why Gerard can’t seem to stay away from the clinic.” Tess cast a side glance at Sean. “She could win an international beauty contest.”
“I don’t think he sees that.” Pretty as Megan was, she held none of the mystique for Sean that Tess Vance held.
Tess groaned. “He’s a man, isn’t he?”
“I think he enjoys her company, but I’ve honestly never heard him remark on her physical attributes. You know your brother, he always looks at the heart first.”
Tess hesitated at the doorway in the rear of the kitchen, where several of the late workers, mostly Hispanic volunteers from the church three blocks from the mission, were sweeping the floor, emptying trash and having their dinner of leftover chili.
“All right!” Tess said, grinning at last. “The special is chili, and I haven’t eaten since my late breakfast.”
