Read Online The Bachelor's Sweetheart by Jean C. Gordon - Free Book Online Page B

except to bust on him. Tessa dumped the dirty cleaning water in the tub and watched the grime spiral down the drain before she rinsed the tub and her bucket. Pasting a smile on her face, she crossed the main room to the door where Josh and Claire were still standing.
    â€œHave fun,” she said, pulling the door open. “And Josh, once you’re settled in, text me about when you can get started with the work at the Majestic.”
    â€œWait,” Claire said, grabbing the door as Tessa pulled it closed. “I’m here to see you. I couldn’t get you on your cell phone. I stopped by the house, and your grandmother said you were here. I ran into Josh on the walk over.”
    Tessa released the door handle. “Oh, I thought...”
    Or, rather, she hadn’t thought. She’d reacted. She and Claire had had lunch together yesterday when Tessa was shopping in Ticonderoga near Claire’s satellite work office. Lunch had been a spur of the moment idea Tessa had had to expand her friendships beyond Josh. Claire had spent the whole time talking about Nick, a guy she’d recently started seeing.
    â€œNever mind. What’s up?”
    Claire stared at her. “You thought I was here with Josh, to help him move in?” She laughed. “And I thought you knew me.”
    Tessa shook her head. “Yes, what was I thinking?”
    â€œHey.” Josh waved his hand in front of them. “I’m right here.”
    She patted him on the shoulder. “We know. We’re your friends. We’re keeping you from becoming too self-important. So, back to why you’re looking for me, Claire.”
    â€œWhat we talked about at lunch yesterday.” Claire glanced at Josh and back.
    Tessa’s mind blanked.
    â€œMe, Nick, his cousin. Remember, I told you that when I talked Nick into the Resurrection Light concert a week from Friday, he bought tickets for his cousin and a date.” Claire twisted a lock of her hair. “Safety in numbers. I don’t know about his cousin, but Nick’s not really a practicing Christian. I have hopes, though.”
    Equal measures of guilt about forgetting and compassion for Claire’s hopes filled Tessa as she recalled their lunch conversation.
    â€œYou were going to let me know today if you had someone to handle the concessions at the Majestic, so Myles could cover for you in the projector room,” Claire said.
    â€œLet me see if I can help,” Josh said, grinning. “Claire’s setting you up, or trying to set you up, with a date for the concert. Have I got that right, Claire?”
    â€œNothing gets by you.”
    â€œI can collect tickets and manage the concession stand for Friday. Or run the movie,” Josh said.
    â€œYou aren’t going to the concert?”
    â€œNo, don’t you remember? I waited too long to get tickets and they were sold out.” Josh crossed his arms over his chest.
    She shook her head. He sounded almost hurt, as if she should remember.
    â€œYeah, Myles said his mom and Eli were going. She’s a huge fan. He asked if he could bring his sisters to watch the movie while he worked, so Jamie and Eli wouldn’t have to get a sitter for them.”
    â€œI remember Myles asking about Rose and Opal. They’d love to see the movie from the projector room.”
    Josh frowned. “I said we should go to the concert, too. That I’d check on getting tickets.”
    â€œWait. Wasn’t that when Myles was putting a new CO2 container in the soft drink machine and Pepsi spewed out all over him? I guess what you said didn’t register.”
    Why was he making such a big deal? Was he that disappointed about missing the concert? Her pulse ticked up. Or was he bothered that she’d forgotten he’d suggested they go and now she was going with Claire and her friends? If she decided to go. She wanted to cool her friendship with Josh, not kill it.
    â€œMaybe you could buy