hurt you, so relax." He opened the door. "Let's go. We're driving Miss Tessa in the 'Vette today."
Tense and anxious, she couldn't help but watch the side mirror as he drove into the city.
"Earth to Tessa. I asked what our first stop should be."
Belatedly, she realized he'd spoken to her. Twice. She opened her day planner. "I need to run by the bank and check on the ATM. Then Mario's Bakery, right around the corner."
"They pay you to service that machine on your day off?"
"No, but I want to. I feel a responsibility to make sure things at the bank function smoothly."
He grimaced. "Responsibility. Such ugly language so early in the morning."
"Why do you pretend like you don't care about anything? I know better."
His lean, capable hands convulsed on the wheel, the knuckles white. "What you see is what you get." His mouth quirked in a humorless smile. "Like I said before, a rolling stone gathers no chains."
And no foundations, no support. No love. She absorbed his grief like a physical blow. Her heart contracted. In reality, the good-time guy was a solitary, lonely man.
He parked at the curb. "The bank, ma belle. You going inside?"
"No, I'll try a withdrawal." She felt Gabe's intent gaze focused on her as she walked to the machine. The ATM spit out forty dollars without a fuss, so she pocketed her card and hustled back. As she reached the car, the hairs on the back of her neck prickled. She paused with her fingers on the door handle. If she didn't know better… Her gaze darted to the left.
Gabe appeared beside her before she finished the thought. He shielded her body with his as he flung open the door and shoved her inside. Hand inside his jacket, his gaze swept the deserted sidewalk before leaning down to ask, "What?"
"Nothing." She sucked in a shaky breath. "I've felt jittery since I realized you searched for a bomb this morning."
His gaze scanned the block again before he returned to the driver's seat. "We're going home."
"No! The rehearsal is this afternoon, and since Frederick flaked out, I've got to confirm the details and pay the balances today." She put her hand on his forearm, tempered steel under the soft wool. "It's anxiety. Everything is fine."
His jaw tightened. Finally, he pulled away his arm to start the car. "The bakery is right around the corner?"
"Yes." A relieved sigh whispered out of her.
Inside Mario's, the warm, yeasty smell of fresh-baked bread tantalized her nostrils. Mario looked up from behind the glass counter, gifting her with a beaming smile. "Miss Beaumont. You have come to confirm?" He opened his order book.
"Yes. Chocolate cake with peach blush roses."
His bushy gray brows furrowed. "But your mama-in-law ordered the all-white poppy seed with white fleur de lis."
She might have known. Good thing she'd decided to double-check everything and pay the remaining balances in person. "I would prefer to stick to my original order. The chocolate, please." No matter what Lucille thought, Tessa wasn't about to let the other woman control her. And if push came to shove, who would Dale support, her or his mother? She tuned out the little warning voice that said "Lucille" and crossed bakery off her list.
Mario wrote on his tablet. "All right. Now, Lucille, she wanted a plain white bow on the top."
She studied a display of tiny figurines. Tearing her gaze from a raven-haired groom embracing an auburn bride, she shook her head. "Bride and groom. Blond groom, auburn bride."
Beside her, Gabe inhaled sharply. He stalked to the window, fidgeting with the buttons on his jacket while she paid.
Their next stop was Petal Pusher Florals. Gabe held open the glass door and silently followed her past tiers of rainbow-colored blooms. The perfumed bouquets sweetened the autumn air with warm memories of summer.
A crystal vase overflowing with apricot roses caught her attention. "Mmm. My favorites." Unable to resist, she reached out a fingertip to stroke the velvety peach petals before leaning down and burying her nose in the tea-scented softness.
Gabe choked. She jerked her gaze up and saw him running a finger around the collar of his T-shirt. "What's the matter?"
Scowling, he pivoted, nearly knocking over a pot of yellow mums. Ramrod-stiff, he stared at a purple-and-white sympathy arrangement. "Nada."
She sighed. Though blessed with abnormal patience, even Dale hated shopping. For fly-at-warp-speed Gabe, this must be torture.
The florist arrived bearing Tessa's wedding folder. Tessa nixed Lucille's purple-and-white orchids and requested apricot roses instead. If it resulted in a