Chapter 54: A Little Friendly Competition

Brandon showed up about ten minutes later with a bouquet of white calla lilies and a small gift bag. He wore a dark blue suit over a crisp white shirt, with polished black shoes. The color was close enough to Tessa's dress that I had to assume it wasn't a coincidence.

Nicole spotted him first.

"Guess who's here?" she said, leaning slightly toward Tessa.

Tessa turned to look over her shoulder, and the moment she saw Brandon, her expression changed. She looked back at Rebecca and Nicole, then toward him again, as though waiting for one of them to give her permission to get up and go over.

Rebecca folded her arms. "He did leave you waiting for four hours last night. You could make him wait a little longer."

Tessa gave her a pleading look.

"Don't listen to her," Nicole said, smiling. "Just go meet him."

Tessa's face brightened. "Thank you, you guys."

Then she turned to me. "Thank you, Nathan."