“Great.” Vivienne looked excited—and pleased. “Now as a reward, I get to lick the bowls.”

“Deal.” Tessa would do it. Because it was desperate times. And what did she have to lose?

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve

Leo walked into the bakery on a “busy” Tuesday afternoon to find Tessa chatting with Arthur Gladwell and Beatrice Hawkins, two of the tenants at the senior complex he managed. As the bell tinkled above the door, Tessa looked up and saw him and did a double take.

“Hey, Tessa,” he said with a wave.

“Hey there, Leo.” She gave him a wave back and lost her balance with a heavy baking sheet, which clattered to a counter. Which made her blush furiously. Cute.

“Oh look, it’s the newlyweds,” Arthur said.

“That certainly was a rush-rush wedding,” Bea said sotto voce, nodding solemnly. “Are you sure you don’t have a bun in the oven?”

“The only buns in the oven are some ficelles, if you’re interested in those,” Tessa said, pointing to the long, thin breadsticks in the case.

“Hey, Arthur.” Leo bent to pet Arthur’s dog, Millie, who jumped up to lick his face. Which helped him ignore Tessa’s furious blush. “And Bea. Nice to see you both.”

“Hi, Leo,” Arthur said as Tessa packed up his lunch. “The new remodel in our building is fantastic. It’s like living in a brand-new apartment.”

“I love the fresh paint,” Beatrice said. “And the new stainless-steel refrigerator. Thank you, Leo.”

“Glad you folks like it.” Leo gave Millie an extra belly rub and stood.

“Wait a minute, Bea,” Tessa said, tiny lines crinkling her brow. “You two are…talking.” She gestured between Bea and Leo.

“Of course we’re talking.” Arthur pointed a thumb at Leo. “Although I’m a little jealous this guy asked you to marry him first.”

“No,” Tessa said. “I meant Bea and Leo are talking. Bea, didn’t you say seniors were being evicted from your complex? By the management?” She raised a brow at Leo.

Arthur laughed. “If you call evicted the fact that some of us had to take turns spending the night across the hall in the model unit while our places were being painted and new fixtures put in.”

“Oh, I might have exaggerated that just a little,” Beatrice confessed, flapping her hand dismissively. “I must admit, I was a little discombobulated about leaving my apartment for two nights. But it was worth it.”

Arthur picked up his bag and patted Leo on the back. “You got yourself a good one there. Treat her like the diamond that she is.” With a wink to Tessa, he tugged on Millie’s leash and helped Bea out the door.

“Arthur’s very fond of you,” Leo said as the door shut.

“Well, I’m very fond of him, too. He’s one of the people who’ve helped us stay in business.”