The Comeback Kiss by Lani Diane Rich Read Free Book Online Page A

think I ’ ll be working on this coffee for a while.”
    Tessa nodded and glanced back at the counter, where Max Finnegan stood punching buttons on the register. Max was her boss, Finn ’ s uncle, and possibly the crankiest man in the state of Vermont. He ’ d reacted to the news of Finn ’ s return the sam e way he reacted to everything — one shake of his white-haired head and a rude grumble under his breath. Tessa could tell that Finn ’ s return was hitting Max hard; she ’ d known the man her entire life, and she knew when he was really upset and when he was jus t being Max.
    She also knew that he ’ d never admit to being upset, so there was no point in directly addressing anything. She slid casually behind the counter and started to refill her carafe.
    “ Get outta here, Tess,” Max grunted. “ Your shift was over an hour ago.”
    “ That ’ s okay,” she said. “ I can hang out for a while.”
    “ Did I sound like I was asking?”
    She leaned one hip against the counter. “ Don ’ t know. Been a while since I ’ ve heard you ask politely for anything. What ’ s it sound like?”
    Max turned to her, his b lue eyes narrowing at her. Apparently, despite her best efforts to be casually rude, he ’ d sensed her sympathy. “ Go home.”
    “ Fine.” She jerked the strings on her apron loose. “ Remind me not to try and help you next time.”
    “ If I have to remind you, I ’ ll fire you,” he grumbled, then grabbed the carafe and brushed past her to go refill the PTA ladies ’ coffee.
    Tessa hesitated for a moment as she watched Max with the PTA ladies. She didn ’ t want to leave him in case Finn showed up, but she knew from experience that at times of emotional intensity, Max liked to be left alone.
    She pushed against the swinging door and stepped into the kitchen just as a short girl with a shoulder-length black bob, severe bangs, and dark eye makeup skipped into the kitchen through the ba ck door. It took a moment for Tessa to recognize her sister, and when she did, she practically dropped her apron.
    “ Iz?” she sputtered. “ What — what — what... ?” Tessa put her hand to her forehead and tried not to imagine her sister ’ s curly golden locks lying o n the basement floor in the home of one of Izzy ’ s crazy friends. “ It ’ s a wig, right? Tell me it ’ s a wig. Even if you ’ re lying. Please lie to me, Iz.”
    “ It ’ s a wig, you freak,” Izzy said, cracking her gum and giving Tessa one of her trademark light-up-the-r oom smiles. “ I ’ m trying out my flapper look for the Come As You Aren ’ t Ball on Saturday night.” She put her hands on her hips and gave Tessa a cutesy wink. “ You like?”
    “ Oh, hell,” Tessa whined. “ You ’ re going to that thing?”
    “ Um, yeah,” Izzy said. “ I told you last month. Sosie ’ s aunt Grace is organizing it. It ’ s to raise money to renovate the old covered bridge on Morning Road. Or maybe it ’ s for the library? I don ’ t know. It ’ s for a good cause, though. Baby ducks?” Izzy thought for a moment, then shrugged. “ Whatever. I ’ m sure I told you about it.”
    “ No,” Tessa said. “ You didn ’ t. Now I have to chaperone. You know they ’ re gonna make me bring the punch. I always get stuck with the punch.”
    “ Then don ’ t chaperone,” Izzy said. “ I ’ m going with Sosie, her aunt and unc le will be there, and we ’ re not even planning to start smoking the crack and fondling the boys until later on, so your time will be best spent staking out the alley behind the VFW afterward.” Izzy grinned and cracked her gum again. “ And, hey, with the all e y? No punch. Although I believe it is BYO crack pipe.”
    Tessa quirked one eyebrow at her sister. “ Don ’ t be a wiseass.”
    “ But speaking of needing a chaperone, dear sister,” Izzy said, her eyes wide with glee, “ what ’ s this I hear about you making out with Derm ot Finnegan behind the drugstore this