by Dylann Crush
“Yeah, sure. Thanks.”
Misty moved around the kitchen, dumping the coffee grounds in the trash and setting up the machine to brew another pot.
“It’s awful quiet around here.” I pulled a chair out from the table and plopped down.
Heather looked up. “Becca and Scooter took Caroline back. She was pretty pissed and wanted to go home.”
The chair creaked as I leaned back. “Sorry about that, y’all. I didn’t mean to mess up everyone’s weekend.”
Ryan slapped his hand down on the table. “Dude, Scoot’s in heaven. Stuck in the car with Becca and Caroline? This will probably go down as the best day of his life.”
“Grow up, Ryan.” Misty pulled out her chair. “What time are y’all headin’ out today?”
“We’ll pack up and move out right after breakfast,” Heather said. “Thanks so much for having us. It was fun.”
“Never a dull moment around this crowd, that’s for sure.” Jake snagged another muffin off the plate. “How about you, Rob?”
“I dunno. Cassie and I haven’t talked about it. We’ll probably leave after lunch.”
“Or sooner,” Jake said.
“Huh?” I paused, muffin in mid-bite.
He nuzzled Misty’s neck and she leveled her gaze at me. “Jake’s suggesting in a not so subtle way that we might want to have the place to ourselves for a bit this afternoon. You know? Some of you haven’t reached adulthood yet and can still do whatever you want in the privacy of your own homes.”
“What’s she talking about?” Ryan’s mouth screwed up and he gave Misty a questioning look.
“God, Ryan. You can be so obtuse. They’re gonna get nasty with each other this afternoon.” Heather grabbed his hand and pulled him up out of his chair. “Don’t let us get in your way. Come on, you can help me with my bag.”
As he followed her down the stairs, he mumbled. “What’s obtuse mean, anyway?”
Jake arched a brow in my direction. “And then there were two.”
My palms went up in self-defense. “Got it. Just let me go pack up.” I pushed back from the table, grabbed a mug of coffee, then headed toward the stairs.
A half hour later we’d dropped the empty keg off at the liquor store and were on our way back to Swallow Springs. Cassie hadn’t said more than a couple of words to me since I’d kissed her at the park. Hot summer air blew through the cab of the truck, sending her hair thrashing around her head. Her eyes were closed and she’d kicked off her shoes and had her feet propped up on the dash. The sight of her bare legs tempted me to reach out and run my hand up her tanned thigh. She’d been pasty white when she drove into town over a month ago, but the summer sun had bronzed her skin to a healthy, golden glow.
What was running through that crazy mind of hers? I rubbed my fingers over my mouth and thought about how it had felt to touch my lips to hers, to feel her moving underneath me. That same old buzzing, electrifying pulse I always used to get around Cassie was back. And based on the way she’d responded last night, I knew she felt it, too.
What was it going to take to get her to admit it? Work on the house was going according to schedule. She wanted to be done by the middle of next month to give her a chance to put it on the market and hopefully get her money in time. That only gave me about four weeks to convince her to stay.
The miles passed by, the truck eating up the pavement, carrying us closer and closer to real life. Maybe I could just turn off the road. Find a little cabin somewhere. Carve some time out of our crazy, busy lives and give us a chance to figure this thing out.
Cassie stirred in the seat beside me and opened her eyes.
“Hey.” I had to shout for her to hear me over the wind. “Did you catch some sleep?”
She stretched and rolled her head from side to side. “Yeah, a bit. Can you roll up the windows?”
My finger tapped the button and the panes slowly rose. “Is that better?”
“Mmm. Where are we?”
“About twenty miles out. Should have you home in less than a half hour.”
She grabbed my bottle of water and held it up. “Mind if I take a sip?”
“Help yourself.”
She set the bottle of water back in the cup holder. “I’ve been thinking.”
“Oh yeah? What about?” I reached out to take her hand. She twined her fingers with mine, letting our hands come to rest on her thigh. My heart swelled, so content to finally be able to act on the feelings that had been growing between us all summer.
“Do you think it was your dad?” She turned her head my way and I glanced over. “You know, who sent the letter?”
“Who else would it be?” He’d always hated the fact that Cassie and I were together.
Her fingers squeezed mine. “Are you going to ask him about it?”
“What difference would it make? We found our way back to each other. That’s all that matters.” I lifted her hand to my lips to press a kiss against her palm.
She nodded, the curve of a smile gracing her lips. Lips I planned on kissing as often as possible over the next month.
We drove the rest of the way in comfortable silence, reaching the Macon farmhouse much too soon. I didn’t want to say goodbye. Even though I’d see her in the morning, now that we’d decided to give us a chance, it seemed like time had warped into fast forward. I was on a mission to get her to realize how special the bond between us was before she might leave for good.
“Are you okay?” Cassie turned to me as the truck came to a stop.
“Yeah, better than okay.” I climbed down and walked around to open her door. “How about you, Cassafrass?”
She hopped out, catching hold of my hand on the way. “Yeah. I think this is going to be good for us.”
Hand in hand, we climbed the steps to the porch.
“Cabinet guys will be here in the morning, right?” she asked.
“Yep. By seven-thirty. I’ve got to go check on something for a job in the morning, but I’ll stop by after.” This was new territory. So familiar but also foreign. Did we pick up where we left off? Roll back into bed together? Or hit reverse and start with a real date?
“So—”
“Well—”
We spoke at the same time.
“You go first.” She laughed.
“Do you have plans tomorrow night?” I finally managed.
She shook her head. “Not yet.”
“Maybe we can grab a bite and then go for a drive?” I asked.
Cassie nodded. “What do you have in mind? You’re not taking me to Goosefalls Point, are you?”
My mouth ticked up into a grin. “That’s not what I was thinking, but I’m game.”
Cassie landed a playful swat on my arm. “So that’s how it’s going to be? Back to a one-track mind?”
I wrapped her in my arms, nuzzled my lips against her neck and took in her sweet smell. “Sugar, I’ve never had anything but a one-track mind when it comes to you.”
She giggled then pulled back. Her eyes searched mine. “It’s going to hurt, isn’t it?”
“What?” I teased. “Sex? Only that first time.”
Her lips took on a shaky grin. “No. Leaving at the end of the summer. It’s going to hurt like hell.”
I swept her into a deep kiss, tangling my tongue with hers, letting my body show her exactly how I felt about her. When we parted she wobbled slightly. I couldn’t help but smile.
“Aren’t you worried?” she asked, concern putting an unwanted crease in the center of her brow.
“Nah.” I hopped off the porch to head back to my truck. “I’m only worried about how long it’s going to take me to convince you to stay.”
She shook her head. The crease disappeared, replaced by a half-smile. “You always were pretty damn sure of yourself.”
“Just where you were concerned, Cass. You’re the only thing I’ve ever been one-hundred percent sure of in my entire sorry ass life.”
She blew me a kiss. I turned the truck
in a circle to head toward Dad’s house. A house I’d lived in almost my whole life and never considered home. Home was with Cassie. I knew that now. And I vowed to do everything in my power to keep it that way.
19
Cassie
The day seemed to both crawl and fly by at the same time. Anticipation of my first official date with Robbie bubbled up inside as I put the finishing touches on my makeup in front of the medicine cabinet mirror. Robbie was right, it made sense to replace the claw foot tub with a tub/shower insert. But every time I looked at that tub it took me back, reminded me of a time when life was simpler, when my priorities weren’t so convoluted. I’d have a hard time letting it go.
As I swiped my lip gloss over my lips, his footsteps sounded on the porch. Right on time. Was he as excited about tonight as me?
“Hey, Cassafrass.” The screened door squealed on its hinges. “You ready?”
I passed through the kitchen to the front door, sidestepping the power tools the cabinet crew had left strewn around the room.
Robbie’s grin sparked a heat that churned in my belly. Warmth radiated, sending tingles through my limbs.
“Ready. Are you going to tell me where we’re going now?”
He’d been making cracks about it all day. Between supervising the cabinet guys and checking my progress on the small tasks he’d set aside for me, he’d teased about our big night out. By the time he’d left to get ready, I had no idea what to expect.
“I told you, it’s a surprise.” He held the door for me. I shook my head as I brushed past him and onto the porch. He’d replaced the rotten wood and repainted the boards a brilliant white. I stopped at the railing, letting the warm evening breeze blow over my bare shoulders. The wind rustled the tops of the trees, taking me back to when Robbie and I would climb onto the roof of the garage and just listen to the sounds of nature. Someone must have mowed recently and the scent of fresh grass tickled my nose. I’d missed this. There was no room for this type of retreat in the city.
Robbie walked ahead of me to open the door of the truck. The chrome on the side mirror sparkled.
“Did you wash your truck?” I stepped onto the grass.
“I told you, it’s date night. I wanted to make it special.” He kissed me when I reached him, just a quick touch of his lips to mine that held the promise of more. A new wave of excitement coursed through me.
“I’d say we’re off to a good start.” I climbed into the truck to get settled while he walked around to his side. Where would he take me? An old haunt or somewhere new? There weren’t too many options in Swallow Springs and anywhere we went we’d be making a statement. Someone was bound to notice the new familiarity between us.
Robbie put the truck in gear and started down the drive. As we approached the turn-off to his dad’s place, he slowed.
“Wait, you’re not taking me to your dad’s for dinner, are you?”
He grinned. “No. I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy. Patience, Cass.” His hand squeezed mine. My grandma always said patience was a virtue. That was always right before she reminded me it wasn’t one I’d been blessed with at birth, so I’d need to work on it.
I bit my tongue, biding time as we passed Robbie’s dad’s place. Robbie turned onto a path that had been mown through the grass. Where in the world were we going?
We stopped at the edge of an old pasture field. The gate had been removed, but the rusty fence still stood. Tall grass surrounded a huge circular patch that had been cut down to the ground and a lone set of bleachers sat on the other side.
“What’s this?” I peered through the windshield.
Robbie beamed beside me. “The project I had to check on this morning—the future site of the Jeffrey Jordan Community Baseball Field.”
“For real?” Ever since his brother died, Robbie had talked about finding a way to honor him. My heart ached for his loss.
Robbie scrambled out of the truck and grabbed something from the back before coming around to my side. “Come on, I want to show you what I have in mind.”
“What have you got there?”
He held up a picnic basket. “Dinner.”
“You made us a picnic?”
“Well, Mrs. Cahill made it. I just picked it up.” He took my hand, leading me toward the bleachers. “You know I’ve always wanted a field with lights, right?”
I nodded. He’d talked about that for as long as I could remember.
“I thought I’d found a place closer to town, but then I realized why not just build it here? I already checked with the city and they said once I’ve made some headway I can plow a road through that land over there to connect with the highway.”
I glanced to where he pointed. His enthusiasm rolled off him, sweeping over me as I envisioned Robbie’s dream.
“It won’t be anything fancy. We’ll still have porta potties and all, but we’ll have lights. Kids can play night games and practice past dark.” He waved his hand in the air, gesturing above us, and I could almost see the tall light posts.
“How long have you been planning this?” I sank down to the bleachers. “I know you’ve wanted to do this forever, but when did you really start putting it together?”
Robbie reached for a blanket he’d set on top of the basket. “I started working on it when I came back to town a few years ago.”
“How much is this going to cost you?”
He spread the blanket out on the grass and motioned for me to join him. “When it’s all done, probably around a hundred grand.”
“Really?” I lowered myself to the blanket while he lifted the lid of the basket. “Where are you going to get that kind of money?”
“I’ve been saving. I’m not there yet, but I’ve got enough to get started. I thought I had a big donor, until things fell through. But it’s going to happen. It’ll just take a little longer.” He set out plates then pulled out a bottle of wine.
“I’m impressed.” I leaned back on my elbows while he pulled out the cork. To some it might seem like a crazy plan but this meant everything to Robbie. “Does your dad know you’re doing this?”
Robbie handed me a plastic wine glass. “No. I want it to be a surprise. He’s not doing so great. I hope he has a chance to see it before…”
His words trailed off as he squinted into the sun. This was my Robbie. He might have changed on the outside, shed his boyish outer image as he morphed into a man, but he still had the biggest heart. Even after all the hell his dad had put him through, he was still trying to make good in the eyes of his father.
I wrapped a hand around his arm. “He will.”
Robbie nodded. “Hey, this is supposed to be a celebration.” He turned to me, smiling, as he lifted his glass.
“You’re right. What exactly are we celebrating?”
“Us. To new beginnings.” He tapped his plastic wine glass against mine.
I hesitated, not wanting to encourage him. But the hope and excitement in his eyes were too real, too raw. “Okay, to new beginnings.” I took a sip, reminding myself not to get too caught up. My new beginning would be taking place hundreds of miles south of here. Robbie might hold out hope that this could be the start of something new. To me, the time we had left had to be about honoring the past and figuring out how to let go.
20
Robbie
“You ready, Cass?” I pulled open the screen door and shouted into the front room. We’d finished up the kitchen renovation last week. Cassie had been cooking up a storm ever since. She’d plied me with weird jalapeno egg rolls and Mexican rice with some kind of nutty teriyaki chicken. I finally told her I couldn’t take any more of her new ideas and to hit me up with some of her grandma’s old specialties. She’d promised me chicken and dumplings tonight. But first, I wanted to show her something I’d been looking at in town. Hopefully, it wouldn’t ruin the rest of our evening.
“Hey.” She popped over to give me a sweet kiss as I entered the kitchen. Flour covered the new butcher block counter. Bi
g Bertha had been hauled out back—it had taken a whole team of us to move her. Cassie slid her hand into an oven mitt before reaching into the new double oven to pull out a batch of mini pot pies.
“What are you doing?” I wrapped my arms around her, nestling my chin against her neck as she set the cookie sheet down on a hot pad.
She spun in my arms and leaned against the counter. “Just trying out the new oven.”
“And? How do you like it?” My lips pressed against her neck. Her pulse quickened in response.
“I love it.” She pulled me closer.
Nothing could make me happier in that moment, with Cassie in my arms and the scent of heavenly home cooking hanging in the air. Nothing except her telling me she’d decided to stay. But that was still a work in progress.
“Ready to go for a drive?” I asked.
“Every time you ask me that, I get a little nervous. I never know what you’ve got in mind.” She tossed the oven mitt onto the counter and tangled her hands in my hair. “You want me to cut your hair one night this week?”
“Nah.” I nudged her back, leaning down to mesh my mouth with hers. Having Cassie here, all to myself…I’d never get tired of it.
She broke the kiss first. A teasing smirk danced over her lips. “Don’t you think it’s getting a little long?”
“Yeah. But if you cut it, you wouldn’t be able to run your fingers through it anymore.” I bent to kiss her again, never able to fill that bottomless need I hauled around with me. Knowing she thought our time was limited, put a strain on our time together, even though I tried not to think about it. But I felt like I had to fill up on kisses, on overdosing on her scent, the feel of her in my arms, everything that had anything to do with Cassie—in case my plan didn’t work.
“Fine.” She ducked out of my embrace. “Let it grow. I’ve always thought you’d look great with a mullet.”
I snagged an oven mitt off the counter and swatted at her ass. “Nobody said anything about a mullet.”
