The Last Girl Left by A.M. Strong & Sonya Sargent

Author:A.M. Strong & Sonya Sargent [Strong, A.M. & Sargent, Sonya]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Published: 2024-04-23T00:00:00+00:00

43

Tessa woke to the sound of hammering on the front door. She jumped up and grabbed the baseball bat, then rushed to the window and looked out.

Roxanne was standing on the porch clutching a brown paper bag.

“Hey, let me in. It’s freezing out here,” Roxanne called out, seeing Tessa’s face at the window. “I brought lunch.”

Tessa’s heart fell. She had intended to hide at the house all day so she could avoid going to the bar that evening. Now her plan was foiled. Unless Roxanne had forgotten about it, which seemed unlikely. Why else would she have shown up?

Roxanne hopped from foot to foot. “Hello? Are you waiting till I turn into a Popsicle?”

“Sorry. Coming!” Tessa shouted. She put the baseball bat aside and went to the door, unlocking it.

Roxanne pushed past her without waiting to be invited. She turned and stared at Tessa. “Holy crap. You look worse than yesterday. You don’t so much have bags under your eyes as boulders.”

“Yeah. I had a terrible night.”

“Clearly.” Roxanne’s gaze dropped. “You thinking of getting dressed at some point today?”

“What?”

“You’re still wearing your pj’s. Were you sleeping when I came to the door?”

“Little bit.” Tessa flushed.

Roxanne’s gaze settled on the couch and the crumpled blankets. The pillow. “Out here?”

“I fell asleep in front of the TV last night,” Tessa said, which wasn’t really a lie. She just omitted that it was deliberate. “What time is it, anyway?”

“Two in the afternoon.” Roxanne held up the brown bag. “That’s why I brought lunch.”

“That late?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Shouldn’t you be working?”

“Just finished. Had Frank whip up a couple of BLTs before I left. You like bacon, right?”

“Duh.” Tessa’s dismay at Roxanne’s unannounced appearance faded. The previous night’s events still rattled her, and she was glad not to be alone. Also, she was starving, and a BLT sounded great. “Who doesn’t?”

“Only crazy people.” Roxanne walked into the living room, then made a beeline for the kitchen. She placed the sandwich bag on the table by the window. “You have wine?”

“Right now?”

“Sure. I’m done for the day.”

“There’s a bottle of merlot in the rack on the counter,” Tessa said. She found two glasses and handed Roxanne the corkscrew. “You might as well pour me one too.”

“Awesome. Then you can tell me about your terrible night.” Roxanne pulled the cork from the wine with a pop.

“I don’t know. It’s probably nothing.” Tessa went to the table and sat down.

“Hold that thought.” Roxanne poured them two large glasses and put the wine bottle on the table before taking a seat opposite Tessa. She opened the bag and took out two sandwiches wrapped in waxed paper, then pushed one across the table. “Here.”

Tessa took the sandwich and unwrapped it. She had to admit it looked good, and she was starving. She took a bite, then rolled her eyes. “I’m getting one of these the next time I come into the diner. It’s delicious.”

“Right? Frank’s lousy at some things, but he does make a mean BLT. Sources his meats locally. The bacon is divine.

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