"You're beautiful when you laugh," Parker sad quietly, his gaze intent on her face. Tessa calmed quickly, rarely having heard such a compliment.
"I'm afraid I don't do it as often as I used to," she said sadly.
"I figured as much, after all, I don't think you smiled once the first time we met," Parker teased.
"I probably didn't, I tend to let my worry get the best of me sometimes, a lot of times actually."
"That is hard for me to believe, you are probably the strongest woman I've ever met."
"Oh please! Growing up with a mother like yours? You can't be serious!"
Parker leaned closer, but not too close, "I am perfectly serious. I am not saying that my mother isn't a strong woman; she has dealt with an awful lot. But, she didn't deal with nearly as much as you have. You are twenty-five years old and you are raising your brother and sisters with very close to nothing. I don't know how you do it."
"Every day I wake up and wonder if I'll be able to make dinner for them. I can't think about tomorrow, or I turn myself into an anxious mess. I wish I could let myself dream about the future, any kind of future. I would love to imagine Lucas as a lawyer or a doctor or an architect, or Sadie marrying the man of her dreams and having a family of her own, and even Emma growing into a beautiful young woman with excellent prospects, but I can't. I can't because I don't know if we'll ever get out of that shanty, I don't know if this depression will ever end, and even if it does, what am I supposed to do with them? How will I ever make enough money to live in a house of our own, or even to entice a gentleman to marry me?"
"I think you underestimate your charm, Tessa. You would have to do very little indeed to entice a man to marry you.
"I'm afraid I don't do it as often as I used to," she said sadly.
"I figured as much, after all, I don't think you smiled once the first time we met," Parker teased.
"I probably didn't, I tend to let my worry get the best of me sometimes, a lot of times actually."
"That is hard for me to believe, you are probably the strongest woman I've ever met."
"Oh please! Growing up with a mother like yours? You can't be serious!"
Parker leaned closer, but not too close, "I am perfectly serious. I am not saying that my mother isn't a strong woman; she has dealt with an awful lot. But, she didn't deal with nearly as much as you have. You are twenty-five years old and you are raising your brother and sisters with very close to nothing. I don't know how you do it."
"Every day I wake up and wonder if I'll be able to make dinner for them. I can't think about tomorrow, or I turn myself into an anxious mess. I wish I could let myself dream about the future, any kind of future. I would love to imagine Lucas as a lawyer or a doctor or an architect, or Sadie marrying the man of her dreams and having a family of her own, and even Emma growing into a beautiful young woman with excellent prospects, but I can't. I can't because I don't know if we'll ever get out of that shanty, I don't know if this depression will ever end, and even if it does, what am I supposed to do with them? How will I ever make enough money to live in a house of our own, or even to entice a gentleman to marry me?"
"I think you underestimate your charm, Tessa. You would have to do very little indeed to entice a man to marry you.
