All of Me

  ***

  “How did it go with Logan?” Sally stood in Tess’ doorway with a dog bigger than most Shetland ponies standing beside her. “Sit, Max.”

  Max obediently sat beside Sally. His shaggy coat and big floppy ears were kind of cute if you didn’t stand too close to him. Max loved a cuddle, and he’d wiggle his way across to anyone who looked like they might have a soft spot for a giant canine.

  “You can come inside.” Tess held the door wider so Sally and her walking buddy could get through.

  “I don’t know. Max can be a bit of a problem in close quarters.”

  “It’s okay,” Tess assured her. “I don’t have anything incredibly valuable. Why are you walking Max in town? I thought you exercised all of the shelter dogs at the shelter.”

  Sally looked down at Max. “I thought a little socializing might do him a favor. No one wants a big dog and he’s such a sweetie.”

  “You were hoping someone would see you walking him and want to take him home.”

  Sally smiled. “Everyone knows I’m on a crusade to re-home the shelter animals. I need to find a home for Max.”

  Sally didn’t need to say what would happen if Max didn’t find somewhere to live. Tess patted his head and looked into his big brown eyes. “I hope it works out.”

  “So do I.” Sally sighed. “Tell me about Logan. You didn’t send us a text.”

  Tess walked into the living room and sat on the sofa.

  Sally followed her, with Max at her heels. He collapsed on the wooden floor with a big doggy sigh.

  Even though she felt as though she’d let everyone down, Tess couldn’t help the smile that slipped across her face. “It sounds as though you’ve been walking Max for most of the day.”

  “He’s a big boy. It takes a lot of energy to move all of his weight around.” She scratched behind Max’s ears and earned herself a lick on her hand.

  “I didn’t ask him,” Tess said softly.

  Sally looked confused. “Why didn’t you ask Logan who the bride and groom were? Wasn’t he home?”

  “I visited him after you left. He was home, but his sister and niece were with him.”

  “I don’t understand. Why wouldn’t he want to discuss the story in front of them?”

  Tess dropped her head onto her chest. “I didn’t ask him,” she muttered. “It got a bit strange. He kissed me.”

  Sally’s mouth dropped open. “I didn’t think you knew him that well.”

  “I don’t. He was playing a joke on his sister, pretending he was my boyfriend.”

  “And you didn’t tell her the truth? That doesn’t sound like you.”

  Tess knew it wasn’t like her, which made it so much worse. “I thought if I played along with him, he’d owe me and have to tell me who the bride and groom are. But then Jacqui started talking about Afghanistan and it all got too complicated.”

  Max yawned and Sally patted his head. “I didn’t know Logan had been in Afghanistan. Was he in the Military or there as a reporter?”

  “I think he was there as a reporter. We didn’t talk about what happened. I left a few minutes later.”

  “So where does that leave us?” Sally sat back in her chair.

  “With an unknown couple who are getting married in two weeks’ time.”

  Sally stood up and walked to the kitchen. Max lifted his head off the floor and followed her with his eyes. “We need coffee and we need cake. Grab your notebook and we’ll see if we’ve missed any clues that could help us.”

  “Logan’s still our best bet.”

  “And you still might need to see him, but if you do, I’ll go with you. He can’t kiss my friend under duress and get away with it.”

  Tess found her notebook in the bottom of her bag. She opened it to the information she’d written down in the café. “I don’t think duress is the right word.”

  “What are you talking about?” Sally passed Tess a mug of coffee.

  “Logan didn’t kiss me under duress. I was just as bad as he was.”

  Sally put her hands on her hips. “Who kissed who first?”

  “Logan kissed me, but it was only one kiss. I didn’t kiss him back.”

  “Well, there you go,” Sally said. She looked as though all evidence pointed to a guilty verdict for Logan. “He kissed you first and, therefore, all blame can be directly laid at his feet.”

  Max looked up expectantly.

  Sally sighed. “Sorry, boy. I meant that figuratively, not literally. You’re not going near anyone’s feet except mine.”

  Max’s head dropped back to his paws.

  Sally patted his enormous shoulders. “If Logan can’t keep his lips to himself, then we need to send you in with a decoy. I quite like kissing tall, dark-haired men who look like they belong in a movie.”

  Tess threw a cushion at Sally. “You’re as bad as he is.”

  “I can be worse.” Sally grinned. “I can also teach you all I know. Growing up in a house full of brothers can do that to a girl.”

  “We’d be safer with my notebook.” Tess looked down at the list and tried to see something they’d missed. But each time she thought about the mystery bride-to-be, she thought about Logan.

  And that’s when Tess wondered if being an only child had stunted her emotional development. Especially when it came to dealing with stubborn, irritating men.