Part Five
That evening
Tess walked up the steps and stood in front of the door. She took a deep breath and reached out to press the doorbell. The door slid open and a lady in her later 40's stood in the entrance.
"Hello. Come on in." The lady welcomed Tess warmly, opening the door wider. Tess smiled and thanked her. She could hear someone rushing around in the kitchen and when she entered the kitchen, she could see Isabel in a hurry. "Supper's almost ready. I'll go get Max." The lady said and went upstairs.
"Hey Tess! I'm sorry, but I have to finish making supper. Um, you can go into the living room and Max'll be right there." Isabel said, bustling around the kitchen.
"Hey Izzy. Are you sure you don't need any help? I'd be happy to be of any assistance." Tess offered.
"Oh no, no. You're the guest. So just go into the living room and Max will be right there." Isabel shooed her out quickly. Tess walked into the living room and slowly sat down on the couch. She looked around, familiarizing herself with her surroundings. She could feel someone watching her and turned around quickly.
"Oh. Max. You scared me." Tess jumped. Max walked up to her and sat down on the couch.
"Welcome to my house." He said quietly, looking at Tess in the eyes.
"Thanks for inviting me. I don't get asked to too many peoples houses, so this is a treat." Tess said.
"Oh, no problem. It's Isabel who's working so hard to make everything so perfect. You know her." Max glanced at the kitchen to see if anything was ready yet.
"Yeah. She's quiet the perfectionist." Tess nodded in agreement. They sat in silence for what seemed like eternity, but was only a minute.
"So, uh, how's it going at the Valenti's? Is Kyle being nice?" Max asked, trying to make conversation.
"It's goin good. Kyle let me have his room, which is nice. Cuz now I have my privacy again. You know, growing up with Nasedo meant I had all the privacy in the world." Tess answered.
"Do you miss Nasedo?" Max asked.
"Sometimes. I mean, I love the freedom of not having him on my back all the time. But he was practically my father. He was my safety. Now I'm all alone." Tess said with a tad bit of coldness in her voice. Max stared at the floor, feeling embarrassed for the way he'd treated her the past few months. He had never really thought about Tess being alone. He had always had Isabel and Michael. But Tess had no one.
"I'm sorry. I mean about Nasedo. But Sheriff is doing an okay job as 'Dad', isn't he?" Max asked.
"Sure. He's the only human grown-up I've ever lived with, so it's all new." Tess said. Suddenly, Isabel came walking into the living room with a big smile on her face.
"Hey, it's time for dinner." She informed them and they both got up from their seats. "Okay. Tess you can sit here. And Max, you sit right next to her here." Isabel directed them to their seats. Tess looked around at the table full of delicious food.
"Mmmm. Isabel, this looks great!" Tess commented.
"Thanks. Here, have some potatoes." Isabel passed Tess the mashed potatoes. Tess put some on her plate and then passed it on to Max. Isabel then passed her the gravy, which she poured on top of the potatoes. Tess took some chicken and coleslaw as well. It was more than she usually ate, but she didn't mind. Tess loved home cooked meals.