by Linda Palmer
Chapter Eight
Cade
Why? Why? Why?
Of all the people in Moonrise Ridge, Lily would drop in on Elise, the only outsider who knew my secrets. Had to be fate again, right?
But fate had nothing to do with me trying to apologize for a bunch of jerks who didn't realize they were. Not counting Mike, who was married with kids, and Hunter, who'd had a steady girl in his life until a few weeks ago, Choco, Rocky, and Barton thought it was okay to disrespect women the way they'd done Lily at Tooly's.
Why had we gone there to celebrate me getting my cast off? Why had Lily picked there to get her food? There were so many other choices. As to why she'd walked over to the table, I knew the answer to that one.
She cared. Not about me especially, but about people in general. That's why she'd stopped to change my tire. That's why she'd endured the guys' bad manners. That's why she'd just agreed to see me tonight.
Human kindness.
Something I hungered for.
Chapter Nine
Lily
I was hoping that Neecy would accept my explanation and just let it go. Of course she didn't. At least she asked all her questions before Theo got home. We stood in the foyer, taking off our jackets and hanging them in the side closet. Cold air still swirled around us even though we'd shut the front door.
"So why'd he stop by?"
"To thank me properly." I headed to the kitchen. "He was a little grumpy when I changed the tire for him. I'm sure he was embarrassed, or maybe he felt his manhood had been challenged. Whichever, he just wanted me to know he appreciated my help."
"Aw. Are you two—"
"Nope." Why I said that, I didn't know. He was going to show up at the house later, which made lying pretty pointless and would give the visit way more importance than it should have.
Neecy blinked. "You're very touchy about him."
"I'm touchy about everyone jumping to conclusions. I don't really know the guy."
"Oh-kaaay. 'Nuff said." She raised the lid of the crock pot. The savory aroma of meat and vegetables filled the area. "I hope you like stew."
"Love it." I began to get bowls and glasses from the cabinets. "We should divvy up the cooking, you know? You've been so tired when we get home."
"The reason for the crock pot."
"Yeah, but we can't use it every single day."
Her smile vanished. "You're already tired of it?"
"No, doofus. But if we're going to fill it up every morning, then one of us is going to have to hand-wash the dang thing every night." She owned one of those cheap ones that didn't have a removable pot, which meant you couldn't dunk it in a sink full of suds or put it in the dishwasher. "Or maybe we could line it with foil every time."
"Ooh. Good idea."
We high-fived. "So we'll both cook for the holiday, and then it will be my day on Friday. What are we having tomorrow? Turkey?"
Neecy nodded. "I'm very traditional, so yeah. I hope you don't mind."
"Are you kidding? That's my favorite meal of the year." I opened the fridge door, even though I knew there was no big bird in there. "Where is it?"
"Spare fridge in the laundry room. It's been thawing for a solid week. Theo is going to fry it."
From there, our conversation turned to side dishes. We'd narrowed it down to six when Theo walked into the kitchen. A breath of fresh, chilly air clung to him.
Neecy gave him a hug and a kiss. "You smell like snow."
"There's some in the forecast." He was one of those guys who checked the weather report constantly. I, on the other hand, liked surprises.
After dinner, I shooed them out of the kitchen and took care of clean up, humming as I loaded the dishwasher and wiped down the table and counters. I next loaded some newly washed clothes into the dryer and threw in a fabric softener sheet. I was in the middle of scrubbing that pesky crock pot when I heard a soft knock on the back door. I rinsed and dried my hands and got to it just as someone knocked again.
Someone?
I knew very well who'd come knocking. The question was what to do with him. Back deck? Too cold. My room? Too sneaky. Living room? Too much family. Wishing I hadn't agreed to this and wondering why I had, I opened the door and put a finger to my lips. "Shhh. I don't want to explain you."
Cade nodded once and slipped inside. I pointed to the narrow back stairway I often used as a shortcut from my room to the fridge. "There, okay?" In plain view of the kitchen, hall, and laundry room, it couldn't be considered a hiding place by anyone. As for me not announcing or introducing my guest to my hosts, with luck I wouldn't need to.
He nodded again and sat on a step that allowed him to keep his feet on the floor. I sat one step lower, my body turned so I faced him, which put my back to the rest of the house. There were no banisters, just the two walls. I noticed that the area smelled of springtime, thanks to the dryer.
I waited for him to speak, only then noticing a small roundish scar near his left eye. It didn't take away from his good looks.
He cleared his throat. "We can never be together."
My heart stopped. "Excuse me?"
"You and I can't date."
I swear I could've scraped my chin off the step. "Did I ask you out?"
"You wanted to have coffee."
"Not the same thing, and you didn't want to, anyway."
"I never said that."
"But at Tooly's—"
"I did what I had to do."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Never mind. Doesn't matter." Cade slid off the step and stood with one hand on the doorknob. "You're going your way; I'm going mine. End of story. And, Lily…be careful, would you?"
That did it. I jumped up and grabbed his arm so he'd look at me. "Oh, no, you don't. I need to know why I should be care—Oomph!" Cade's kiss stole the angry words tumbling off my tongue. My knees turned to mush, and I might've kissed him back before I came to my senses and gave him a shove. "What was that?"
"Shit." Cade drew in a ragged breath and widened the distance between us. "Sorry, okay? I'm not really like this— I mean, I'd never, well, you know… Sorry." Clearly intending to go, he abruptly opened the door.
Cold air blasted me as I lunged to block his escape. "No way, dude. You are not leaving until you tell me what's going on."
"Isn't it obvious?"
"Not to me. You were rude when I changed your tire. You let your friends humiliate me at Tooly's. And you—" Was he even listening? His entire focus seemed to be my tingling lips. "Kiss me again, and I'll neuter you."
His gaze abruptly locked with mine.
By then, my head was spinning just a little. Okay, a lot. I actually stumbled for no reason that I knew. Cade caught my arm. He loomed tall, still too close for comfort.
I wrested my arm free and waited impatiently.
He hesitated and then sighed. "I'm just going to tell it like it is, okay?"
"Please."
"If you'd stopped to help me with the flat a year ago, I'd have bought you that coffee, wrangled your phone number out of you, and then called it the minute I got home. But it isn't last year; it's now. And not explaining why I blew you off feels really wrong, which is the reason I'm here. I want you to know it's not you. It's me."
Had he really just used the classic breakup mantra? Why would he do that? I'd never been so confused.
"Well, hello." Neecy made us both jump. Cade turned. Her face lit up with recognition before she shifted her accusing gaze to me. "You didn't tell us you were expecting company."
Oh how I wished I had. I'd known it would bite me in the butt.
Not waiting for my answer, she offered him her right hand. "Denise Webster, Lily's cousin. And you are…?"
"Cade Messig." He took, shook, and quickly ended the contact.
I saw the speculation in her eyes as her gaze flicked back and forth between us. I desperately tried to think of something clever to say. I couldn't seem to focus. It's not you, it's me? Really? He'd actually
said that?
Just then, Theo stepped out of the living room. "Do we have any popcor—" He slammed on the brakes. His body went rigid. Color flooded his face. "What the hell are you doing here?"
Chapter Ten
Cade
At the sight of the guy, I felt the blood drain from my face. Why hadn't I known about him? Was I so engrossed with Lily that I'd forgotten all the risks? "I could ask the same question."
"I live here." He wrapped his fingers around Lily's biceps and yanked her behind him, where he'd already stashed Denise. Then he got nose to nose with me. "Get out of my house and never come back."
My cheeks began to burn, a burst of color I couldn't see but definitely felt. I'm sure I tensed. Lily darted between the two of us, her front to me. She grabbed my face to make me look at her. "Outside, now."
I stalled, my gaze once again planted on the mystery guy. I saw that Lily's cousin was actually holding him back.
"Go, Cade." Turning, Lily opened the door and pushed on me so I'd leave the house. She followed to clamp her fingers around my wrist and didn't stop walking until we reached the garage, where the overhang protected us from the weather. "What was that all about?"
I blinked. "You're asking me?"
"Do you two know each other?"
I didn't lie. "Never laid eyes on the guy. Who is he? Your boyfriend?"
"G-give me a b-break. He's w-way too old for m-me." Her chattering teeth made her hard to understand.
Instinctively, I unzipped my hoodie, took it off, and wrapped it around her. "He belongs to your cousin?"
"Yes. Her husband Theo. I d-didn't mention she was married?"
"No, and you also never said what a jerk he is."
She bristled. "He's really very nice. For some reason you set him off tonight. Want to tell me why?"
"No idea." I needed to get out of there. I needed to think. So I edged away. "I have to go."
"Fine. Go." Shivering, she crossed her arms over her chest.
I read her mood easily. "I took a lot of chances to get here, okay? Someone could've tracked me."
"Tracked you?"
"I might have a tail." When I realized what I'd said, I sputtered a laugh.
She glared at me.
I sobered. "What I mean is one of the guys could be watching me."
"The guys at Tooly's?"
I nodded.
"Your friends."
"Not exactly."
"You mean they're not?"
I couldn't think of an answer that didn't give me away.
"If they're not, you should stay away from them."
I still held my tongue.
She sighed. "Are you in some kind of trouble, Cade? Maybe I could help."
I lost it then, laughing like the fool I surely was.
Chapter Eleven
Lily
Cade's laughter pissed me off. "Okay. Fine. Goodbye. Don't let me keep you."
His gaze dipped to my lips, which were probably blue with cold.
"Don't even think about it." I took a step back and reluctantly slipped out of the hoodie. But he wouldn't take it. Instead, he quickly blended with the foul night. I wasn't thrilled about going inside and might've lingered in the shadows if it hadn't been so cold. But sleet had begun pinging the tin roof, and I couldn't feel my toes.
Theo and Neecy weren't waiting for me as expected. In fact, there was no one in the kitchen. I headed to the fireplace and found my cousin sitting alone and sipping hot chocolate from the smell of it. She raised her mug. "There's more where this came from."
Relieved she hadn't started drilling me, I draped Cade's hoodie across a chair back and got myself a mug and some Swiss Miss. Two minutes later, a swirl of canned whipped cream made it perfect. I braced myself for the questions I knew were coming and walked back to the fire.
But Neecy surprised me. "Theo said to tell you he's very sorry. He'll talk to both of us tomorrow."
"No worries." Yet.
She picked at snags on one of the throw pillows. "Why was Cade here?"
"He came to tell me we can't date."
She blinked. "Well, that's random."
I didn't answer.
"It is, isn't it?" She waited. "Lily? How many times have you seen this guy?"
"Three."
"So it was random."
"Yes, of course."
"Are you lying to me?"
"Absolutely not! I mean, why would I? You know I tell you everything."
"So far."
"And for always."
That seemed to satisfy her.
*****
We went with a breakfast of coffee and toast the next morning since there'd be plenty of food to eat later. Theo read the holiday edition of the local newspaper, which had more Branson Black Friday ads than news. Although dying to hear his reasons for the scene last night, I didn't probe just then. Didn't want to dampen the holiday spirit.
I tried to focus on the cooking to stay in the moment, but Cade still lurked in the corners of my mind. Did he have family in the area? For some reason I pictured him eating alone and probably not any traditional Thanksgiving food. That must be why I ate my share and his. As stuffed as our turkey, I waddled to the couch and watched football until I was sick of the commercials. That's when I got up to retreat to my room.
Theo stopped me. "I'm sorry about last night, Lily. Seeing that guy threw me off."
"Why? Do you know something about him?"
"Not really, but his showing up right now is very suspicious."
Neecy and I exchanged a look.
"You haven't been yourself for a while," she told her husband. "Maybe this is a good time to talk about it."
Theo sighed. "Remember me telling you I got into trouble as a teen?"
"Of course." She flicked a telling glance at me. "And you put it all behind you."
"I sure as hell tried. But sometimes the past haunts us no matter what we do."
I couldn't believe my ears. "Are you saying Cade Messig is part of yours?"
"I've never met the guy," he said, "if that's what you're asking, but, yeah, he could be. He definitely has secrets."
"You're one to talk." Oops. Hadn't meant to say that.
He didn't appear to be offended. "I know. Look, I want you girls to lay low for a while. Go straight to work and come straight back home."
I didn't like the sound of that. Christmas was just around the corner. I had places to go, shopping to do. "For how long?"
"As long as necessary."
"You're kidding, right?" Neecy said.
"Wrong. And Lily? Be careful around him. I know he looks good on the outside, but that doesn't mean there's no bad inside."
To keep from arguing with him, I nodded and abruptly left the room. Theo knew no more about Cade than I did. How depressing. I got my iPod and put on my headphones before flopping onto my bed. I'd hoped to get lost in the music.
Didn't work.
Cade's confessing he'd really wanted us to have that coffee left me as shell shocked as curious. I'd never have suspected it, and for a nanosecond, I tried to imagine my life with Cade in it. I mentally listed the pros: dating a hot guy, something fun to do on the weekends, and, of course, excellent kisses. Minuses: his horrible companions, his pride, and whatever the hell he and Theo weren't telling me.
*****
Friday at Ah Spa was just plain crazy. I'm pretty sure Neecy wasn't surprised, but I definitely was. I mean, if those days were big ones for shopping, how come so many people needed a spa? Holiday stress? Or party prep?
While we worked downtown, a team of workers took advantage of the sunshine, and began preparing Neecy's house for the outside renovation. Theo checked in on them all day and called her with progress reports.
Saturday was just as busy, and by noon I'd smiled so much my cheeks hurt. For a change, Theo had plans for the afternoon—installing a security system at the spa and their house. That evening, he was going to play cards with some buddies. And though this should've me
ant a girls' night out, we were stuck with a girls' night in.
Or were we? After lunch and a few hours of chilling, Neecy and I secretly began discussing options. By the time Theo left for his card game, we had solid plans.
Watching a film at the Regency Theater in Moonrise Ridge was a little like sitting through home movies in someone's den, only not that comfortable. The place had clearly been around for ages. I saw torn seats, stained carpet runners, and a concession counter with soft drinks for a dollar-fifty. Yeah, an anachronism that made me wonder why someone didn't renovate. There was money to be made since there wasn't another cinema closer than Branson.
Our only movie choice had premiered a couple of years ago: The Mortal Instruments. Luckily, neither of us had seen it or read Cassandra Clare's popular series. Popcorn and drinks in hand, we settled in and were quickly sucked into a story of shadowhunters, demons, vampires, and werewolves that took us far away from reality. Neecy handled the scary moments rather well, I thought. I only had to remind her once that it was just a movie.
As we exited the theater, we talked about the film, in particular a character named Hodge, who was cursed and had to stay in the institute where the shadowhunters lived and trained.
"I feel his pain," I said.
"Me too. And we've only been grounded for two days!"
"It's the principle of the thing, plus my need to shop."
She grinned. "The mall's still open."
I wanted to laugh. Some mall. Five stores at most, but they were better than nothing. So we went there next and actually had fun checking out clearance racks and holiday sales. Surprisingly, I bought all the presents on my list except Neecy's. I planned on taking care of hers when she wasn't with me.
When we left there and started to the car, I got that someone's-watching-you tingle on the back of my neck. I glanced around, but saw nothing. Still, I picked up the pace, as did Neecy. Just as we got to my ride, two things happened at once.
Neecy's cell blasted "You're the One that I Want."
I saw a pair of opalescent eyes in the shadows, so blue they could've been a special effect. The one-two timing made me squeal in shock. Then I burst out laughing, my hand pressed to my thumping heart.
