Tessa plopped herself down on Jill’s sofa, slid off her shoes, and gave a happy sigh. She’d shown up out of the blue, bringing a bag filled with tacos, guacamole and chips, and a six pack of long necks. Passing the whole thing to Jill, she’d maneuvered past her, stating she’d brought dinner because she knew Jill wouldn’t bother to fix anything after putting in a long day.
“I have been on my feet all day, and I’m pooped. The little darlings ran me ragged.”
“You love every minute of it,” Jill shot back, unloading the food on her small table.
Tessa grinned. “I do. But teaching all day, going home to do the lesson plan for the next day, and work on wedding planning is wearing me out. Rafe’s a doll about all the meetings, scheduling venues, and tastings, but honestly, I’m at the point where I’d as soon elope to Vegas.”
Jill motioned her over to the table, and sat two plates on its wooden top. “Baloney. You’ve wanted a white wedding ever since I’ve known you. Remember, I saw all those bridal magazines in your dorm room with the turned down pages, complete with sticky notes.”
“I know. I never realized how much work goes into planning a big, fancy blowout. Thank goodness for Ms. Patti. She has been a godsend.” Tessa reached and grabbed two tacos, putting them on her plate. “I am getting the best mother-in-law in the world. How did I get so lucky?”
“You fell in love with her amazing son. Gaining the perfect mother-in-law is an added bonus.” Jill reached for the guacamole bowl, and Tessa smacked her hand.
“What?”
Tessa gave her a hard glare. “I know you saw her today. How’d it go?”
“Sheesh, can’t I even fix my plate before the twenty questions start?”
Tessa pointed her taco at Jill. “You’ll be lucky if I stop at twenty. I’ve got a million of ’em. Did you sign the contract?”
She shook her head. “I will, but I’m having my lawyer look over it first. Ms. Patti insisted. I did, however, sign the lease for the bakery.”
“Yes!” Tessa clicked her bottle against Jill’s. “I am so happy for you. You know I’m going to be your biggest customer.”
“You better be. Oh, you need to stop by and see it, Tessa. I don’t think I could have picked a better spot. It’s on Main Street, not too far from Daisy’s Diner and Gourmet Grounds. Plus, the sheriff’s station is right down the street, so that’ll make people feel safer. Dusty has a sweet tooth, so I can probably count on him keeping me in business.”
Jill took a huge bite out of her taco and nearly swooned as the taste of spicy beef and tomato burst upon her tongue. She’d been too nervous to eat before she met Ms. Patti, then she’d gone by the new store. Only now did she realize she’d forgotten to eat all day. Taking another bite, she practically inhaled the rest of her taco.
“Wow, you must’ve been starving. Glad I decided to bring dinner.”
“Thanks. I kinda got busy and forgot to eat.” She took a quick drink, and reached for the guacamole. This time Tessa let her grab the spoon without swatting at her.
“I’ve made a list of stuff I’m going to need right away. All the big things. We’re establishing a line of credit with a restaurant supplier in Austin. And I’m probably going to need to hire a cleaning crew, because the shop’s been empty for a while, and it needs a ton of TLC.”
“You know you’ve got a handy-dandy cleaning crew, ready to chip in and do whatever you need?”
Jill shook her head, catching on quick to what Tessa suggested. “No, they’ve already done more than enough. I’m not asking the Boudreaus for more help.”
Tessa started to answer, but paused when she glanced at her phone. Swiping her finger across the screen, she laughed and handed the phone to Jill. “Guess again, sister.”
The text message on Tessa’s phone was plain enough.
TELL JILL TO SET ASIDE SATURDAY MORNING. DOUGLAS AND THE BOYS WILL MEET HER AT 8 A.M. AT THE BAKERY, READY TO WORK. THEY’LL BRING ALL THE CLEANING SUPPLIES. SHE SIMPLY NEEDS TO SUPERVISE.
She immediately burst into tears. Was there anything Ms. Patti couldn’t do? Now she’d solved another one of Jill’s problems, before she’d even realized it was one.
“Hey, none of that!” Tessa jumped from her chair, and squatted beside Jill, wrapping her arms around her. “I know she tends to take over, but she never means it in a malicious or mean way. Never, ever. She simply sees a situation, figures out what needs to be done, and then makes it happen.”
“I know.” Jill wiped at her damp cheeks. “I adore her. It’s just…everything. I’m feeling overwhelmed and honestly a bit scared.”
“Welcome to my world. Remember when I first moved here? I adored my family, but once you’ve met the Boudreaus, been around them for any length of time, you realize they are like a force of nature. In the best possible way, of course.”
“I never expected to be part of their world. You are because you’re marrying into the family. The only connection I had to them was Lucas, and that ended a long time ago.”
Tessa leaned back in her chair. “You know, for as long as I’ve known you, even back in school, you never once mentioned Lucas.”
“Sure I did.” Didn’t I?
“Nuh-uh. Not even once. What’s going on with the two of you? And don’t tell me nothing. The few times I’ve seen you together, there’s a sizzle between you that’s more than an old school crush.”
Jill shoved a chip in her mouth, needing a second before answering. She hadn’t deliberately kept her past with Lucas a secret. It simply hurt too much when he’d moved away, and then she’d left for Duke. Throwing herself into her courses, she’d been able to keep the memories at bay, at least for a little while. She swallowed down the chip, which suddenly tasted like cardboard.
“I’m not sure where to start. Lucas and I have known each other forever. We went to school together. For a while, we were close.”
“How close—like boyfriend and girlfriend close? Or more bosom buddies close?”
Trust Tessa to go right for the heart.
“Both. Neither. He was my best friend, the one person I told everything. I had such a crush on him in high school. We hung out together all the time. Lucas was…special.”
A tiny smirk appeared on Tessa’s lips. Jill rolled her eyes, and shoved another chip in her mouth. The guacamole was really good. She’d have to ask Tessa where she got it.
“Special. Is that synonymous for you had the hots for him?”
“Gutter, meet Tessa.”
Tessa swatted her arm. “Shut up. You know what I mean.”
“Yes.” Jill felt the heat flooding her cheeks, knew she was probably bright pink bordering on tomato red, but there wasn’t anything she could do about it. She’d always blushed at the slightest provocation, and being fair-skinned, it was a trait she’d dealt with her whole life.
“And?”
“Lucas was my first kiss. I’d gone to his house after school, and he kissed me in his mother’s gazebo.”
Tessa squealed and threw her hands in the air. “I knew it! There’s still something there, right? Because I have to tell you, he watches you when you’re not looking. And those looks definitely aren’t the platonic ‘she’s an old school chum’ kind, if you ask me.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really. The bigger question here is—how do you feel about him now? Do you still want him?”
“There’s not an easy answer, Tessa. We don’t even live in the same town anymore. Too much time has passed. We’re different people, not the same kids from high school.”
“Doesn’t matter, those are merely obstacles in the path of true love. It’s how you feel in your heart that counts. Do you love him?”
Jill fought the urge to run and hide, because Tessa was asking her all the questions she’d already asked herself. The answer both scared and exhilarated her, because once she said the words out loud, there’d be no more hiding from the truth.
“Yes. I love him.”
“I knew it! So, what are we going to do about it?”
Jill shook her head and pushed away her plate. “Nothing. It broke my heart when he moved away. You and I both know long-distance relationships don’t last. Besides, getting ready to open the new bakery is going to take up all my time. I don’t have it in me to deal with the upheaval of juggling a new business and keeping my heart from breaking again.”
Tessa sniffed, blotting at her eyes with her napkin. “I know I’m playing matchmaker, but I want you to be as happy as I am. You’re my bestie; you should be getting married, opening your bakery, having babies. I want you to have it all.”
Jumping up, Jill wrapped her arms around Tessa, who gave a watery chuckle. “You’re overflowing with happiness, aren’t you? Right now, the bakery is enough. More than enough if I’m going to make it a success. I have to pour all my energy and concentration into it. Anything else, especially a man, is a distraction I can’t afford.”
“But—”
“No. Don’t go getting any crazy ideas, either. I know you. Leave Lucas alone. He’ll be heading back to Fort Worth soon, and off to his next investigation. Living his life the way he wants to—so leave it alone.”
“Fine. But doesn’t mean I have to like it.”
Jill started picking up the plates and carrying them to the sink. She paused for a second, closing her eyes, and letting the loneliness wash over her. It didn’t matter what her heart wanted, her mind told her she was making the right choice.
“Want some dessert? I’ve got ice cream.”
“What flavor?”
Jill spun around and glared at Tessa, hands on her hips. “You mean there’s more than one?”
“Not as far as you’re concerned. Chocolate-covered cherries it is.”
Jill laughed at Tessa’s antics, knowing her friend was doing her best to cheer her up. And it was working.
“Two bowls coming right up.”
Lucas studied the notes he’d made, outlining the things he’d figured out so far. All the facts and figures about gambling in Texas, compiled into several handwritten lists. It astounded him how little was actually known about a multimillion-dollar industry operating beneath the legitimate radar. Where the money went. How much was actually won and lost by the people desperately tossing money at a pipe dream that most likely would never pan out.
Legal lotteries were huge business. The Texas Lottery, established in 1992, had generated over thirty billion dollars in revenue, with those funds going to education, veteran services, and other state programs. Winners, big and small, accounted for over sixty-four billion dollars in prizes. Billions with a capital B. He’d known the numbers were big, but those were only the ones from Texas. Add in the rest of the country, and you’re talking mind-boggling numbers.
But something still didn’t add up. That extra instinctive zap he got when he was on the right track for a story. It hadn’t happened yet, and until it did, he was barking up the wrong tree. Should he do it from a lost revenue perspective, how it was taking money away from the people who could least afford it? Or maybe do it from a more personal angle, an in-depth interview with somebody who’d been personally affected by illegal gambling? How it affected not only them, but those around them. Their families. Their friends.
Zap. There it was. He’d been looking at the story from the wrong perspective. Sure, the money side of things was important. It was a given that a huge chunk of the money from these illegal gaming establishments didn’t make its way back into the legitimate coffers to help out communities, schools, and citizens. No, organized crime made a fortune on the games of chance. Had for decades, even before little mom and pop shops sprang up in every county, every town. Drug cartels gained huge profits by running these sites, and funneling the money back into human trafficking, among other things. It was perverse and ugly.
But did the Average Joe, reading about the facts and figures, get anything beyond the details? They looked at the astronomical numbers, the amounts of money being tossed around, and their eyes glazed over, because they couldn’t imagine seeing that kind of money in their lifetime, and then they moved on to the next thing to read. There was no personal impact. No discussion of how it affected their community, because maybe somebody they knew, somebody they sat beside in church on Sunday, was caught in its clutches.
What if he told people about its impact on one person’s life? How they got started. How they found themselves falling deeper under the allure of making a fast buck. The excitement and adrenaline of the win. The agony and despair at losing. Make it personal. Make them hurt when it impacted the wife or husband, their brother or sister. How they hid their addiction. Define the danger it presented to one lone individual, and how it inevitably spread to include those they loved.
Lucas looked up from his notes, realizing he’d written over three pages of questions needing answers. Yes, this felt right. The personal angle, the lure to get people caring about what was happening, because once you tugged on their heartstrings, you motivated them to make changes.
Picking up the phone, he called Chuck. If he pitched this right, he’d get the okay, because this went beyond a simple investigative piece. It was more than an information dump of facts and figures; it was about an epidemic sweeping the nation.
Now he needed to find the subject of his expose, his person of interest. Somebody with firsthand experience of the rise and fall, the lies and deceit this insidious disease carried. But who?