by Dylann Crush
Parker had been pestering me to finalize the menu. Now that our grand opening was coming up, that would make good use of my time.
Two hours later I’d been back and forth to the Country Fresh twice. Ingredients spread over the countertops and the table. I chopped celery, mixed a marinade, sliced water chestnuts, and shredded cabbage for spring rolls. By the time I was done, the kitchen looked like the end of an episode of Iron Chef.
Satisfied with the fruits of my labor, I put a variety of items on a giant platter to take outside. Was there a better way to get an authentic opinion than ask a crew of landscapers who’d been working up an appetite all day?
“Hey, anyone want to try some Tex-Mex, Asian fusion recipes?” I stepped down from the porch, holding the giant platter with two hands.
Within minutes, the men surrounded me. Hands reached for the bite-sized samples. I waited while they chewed and swallowed.
“Well?” I asked.
One guy coughed. Another took a giant chug of water.
“What do you think?” I pressed. Of the five of them, only the crew lead made eye contact.
“They’re uh…interesting,” he offered.
The other men nodded in agreement.
“You don’t like it.” I lifted the platter a little higher. “There’s plenty left. Anyone want seconds?”
The group dispersed amid excuses of “No thanks” and “Gotta get back to work” until just the crew lead remained.
“So no one likes them,” I said.
He grimaced. “I’m sure the folks down in Dallas will think different. Around here we don’t need that fancy kind of food. Give us meat, potatoes, and biscuits, and we’ll rave about it until the cows come home.”
“Yeah.” I sighed then turned to take the platter back inside. Maybe he was right. Maybe the folks in Dallas would embrace the blend of flavors. With nothing else to do for the rest of the day, it would be best if I got to work cleaning up the kitchen. And to make it up to the guys out front, I vowed to serve up a lunch buffet of brisket, beans, potato salad, and biscuits the very next day.
32
Robbie
Another full day went by before I trusted myself to even think about going near Cassie. Mr. Hayes had already paid a deposit on the renovation of the courthouse. He told me that would be my last job with him since I’d made it clear I didn’t want to have anything to do with his daughter. I’d taken the day to go over the specs and get caught up ordering the materials. As much as I hated the thought of losing his business, it would be nice to not have him breathing down my neck any longer.
But what should I do about Cassie? I’d stopped by to check construction on the baseball field before I ran home to shower and change. For some reason it seemed to be the only place I could gather my thoughts. It was coming together even though it didn’t look like much yet. The ground had been leveled, and we’d installed proper drainage. I just needed to send the next payment and we’d be able to start pouring the posts for the lights and re-grading the elevation.
At least things were moving in the right direction on that front. Seeing Cassie with Parker had caused the little bubble we’d surrounded ourselves in these past couple of weeks to burst. I knew summer would come to an end. She’d been clear about leaving for Dallas. But I thought the time we’d spent together might finally make her realize that everything she was looking for was right here. She didn’t need to go to Dallas. The only thing she couldn’t have here would be the fame and recognition she seemed so eager to find in Texas.
The people in Swallow Springs would support her if she tried to make a go of it. Everyone I knew who had tried her cooking would attest to that. Not the weird fusion-y stuff she’d sprung on us at the lake, but the gems contained in her grandma’s recipe box. I’d tried to convince her she ought to stay. But I couldn’t force her. I didn’t want to be the one standing in her way.
I slapped my hat against my thigh and put it back on my head. I’d give it one more shot. But if Cass really wanted to go, I couldn’t stop her. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if she didn’t pursue her dreams, especially because of me.
Several hours later I pulled into the grassy patch in front of the farmhouse. The crew had worked wonders on the landscaping. The bushes had been trimmed and new mulch spread. Although she wouldn’t get much in the way of drive by traffic, the farmhouse now held massive curb appeal. Cassie must have heard the truck. Before I made it to the porch she’d opened the screen door. Light spilled out through the front window, illuminating a square patch of grass. I’d brought my secret weapon along. I leaned over and set the kitten on the ground.
“Hey.” I tucked my thumbs in my front pockets, not sure what to expect.
She matched my stance. “Hey. Sorry about yesterday. I didn’t know Parker was coming to town.”
I swallowed, my throat suddenly in need of a huge gulp of water. “Everything go okay?”
She shuffled her feet. “I need to tell you something.”
“Oh yeah? Go ahead.” Here it comes. She was going to break the news of her engagement. News I already knew.
“Parker and I aren’t engaged.”
My ears perked up, along with my heart and another part of my anatomy. “What are you talking about?”
“The other night at the restaurant…he proposed, but I turned him down.”
“Hell, Cass. That’s great news.”
She knelt down to pet the cat. I waited for her to continue. Bending down, I scratched the little cat behind her ears. My hands nudged Cassie’s, and we stood at the same time. Her head bumped the underside of my chin. I grabbed her arms to steady her.
“You okay?”
“Yeah.” She looked up at me as the clouds parted and silvery moonlight danced over the yard, creating long shadows against the side of the garage.
I wanted to say something, but she was running this particular show.
“Not many stars out tonight.” She turned her gaze toward the sky but didn’t pull away.
I leaned my forehead down to tap hers. “Remember when we used to climb up on the roof of the garage and look for constellations with your mom’s old telescope?”
Her palms went to my chest, and my breath hitched. I waited for her to push me away. “Yeah. I showed you where to find the Little Dipper, Orion’s belt…”
The glimmer of a firefly caught the kitten’s attention and she took off after it.
“Those were some good times, Cassafrass.”
She shifted her weight from one foot to the other. “You told me once you’d pull all the stars down from the sky—”
“And put ‘em in my pocket for you. That way you could look at them anytime you wanted.”
“A pocket full of stars…” Her hands reached around and clasped behind my back. She rested her cheek on my chest, her hair tickling my chin.
I circled her in my arms, desperately not wanting to break the fragile magical spell that had somehow been cast over us. “I’m surprised you remember that.”
“I can’t forget, Robbie. I keep trying to.” She pulled back and looked up at me. Her eyes shone in the moonlight.
How could one look convey so much? Hurt and confusion mingled with love and regret. I swallowed the lump in my throat and lowered my lips to hers. Our mouths touched and the world stopped. Cassie’s arms tightened around my waist and my hand went to the nape of her neck. My fingers finally got the chance to run through her hair and they tangled in the silky strands. She tilted her head and her tongue probed my lips.
A sense of urgency washed over me, like I needed to get my fill of her before she changed her mind. I pulled her tighter against me, commanding her body to surrender. Her hands slipped under the hem of my T-shirt and danced across the skin of my back. My senses went into overdrive. The faded taste of red wine played on her tongue, and the coconut from her shampoo mingled with the subtle scent of fabric softener.
My hips pressed toward hers, filling the empty space. Convinced she was
no longer a flight risk, I deepened the kiss. My body craved her touch. Nobody had ever gotten me as hot as Cassie. I pressed the ridge of my erection against her hip. Her hands tugged and pulled at my shirt, and I broke the kiss just long enough to jerk my shirt over my head and toss it on the grass.
She gripped me around the waist. Tiny explosions rocketed through me at her touch. Desperate for skin-to-skin contact, I edged the hem of her shirt up and my hands ran over her exposed waist. Her skin broke into goosebumps. How far was she going to let this go?
I pulled her torso against me, and a sliver of her navel connected with my bare skin. My brain shut down as blood rushed to my dick, and it took over the thinking for me. I cupped her ass with one hand and struggled to free her from her shirt with the other. She pulled away long enough to yank it off and toss it on top of mine. Her hips thrust into me, and I nudged her knees apart so I could slide my thigh up against her crotch.
Her legs sandwiched mine and her pelvis ground into my thigh. My lips sought out the sweet spot behind her ear that always used to drive her bonkers. She groaned and let her head roll back, giving my mouth perfect access to the tops of her breasts. I put a hand behind her back and lowered my lips to trail kisses down her neck and onto her collarbone.
“Robbie, oh God, we shouldn’t.”
I cupped her breast with my hand, pushing the top up and over the front of her bra and freeing a nipple. My tongue circled her flesh, tasting, sucking, pulling it into my mouth. Cassie’s hands grabbed my hair, pulling me closer, rocking her pelvis hard against my leg. Blood pooled in my cock and I pushed into her, needing an outlet, seeking release. A strangled groan vibrated through her. The sound of her losing some control threw me into a frenzy, desperate to reclaim her as my own. I focused my tongue on the other breast.
A croaky cock-a-doodle-doo ripped through the cacophonous symphony of cicadas and her hands reversed their direction, pushing me away, breaking the contact of my lips and tongue on her flesh.
“Stop, please.” Her arms crossed over her chest and she backed away. The heat from being sandwiched between her legs was replaced by the clammy dampness of air on the heated patch of denim on my thigh.
“I don’t get it. What’s wrong?”
Cassie fumbled with her shirt, shoving her arms into the sleeves and removing all access to her sweet skin.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to give you the wrong impression.”
“Cass, what are you talking about? That was hot.”
Tears slid down her cheeks and I moved closer, wiping them away with the pads of my thumbs. She turned away from my touch and hugged her arms across her chest. “I’m still moving to Dallas, Robbie. I can’t do this.”
My dick throbbed. I was pissed and horny as hell and dammit, I still wanted her. “You were just dry humping my leg. We’ve still got it. Say you’ll stay.”
She glanced up at me. Was that hope in her eyes? Or regret?
I moved in and crowded her, wrapping my arms around her waist and forcing her to meet my eyes. “Let me love you, Cass.” My heart hovered. With one word she’d make me the happiest man alive.
“No.”
Wrong word.
She broke free from my embrace and rushed for the safety of the porch. The screen door screeched on its hinges as she flung it open and scrambled for the sanctuary only distance could provide.
My heart plummeted, lungs deflated on a long hot exhale, and I suddenly felt exposed, standing with my arms at my sides, the warm breeze of a muggy July night blowing over my sweaty skin.
Cassie turned, her silhouette framed from the light behind her. “It’s too late, Robbie. Go on home. I think it would be best if you didn’t come over tomorrow.”
“Fine.” I bent at the waist and yanked my shirt off the grass. “If that’s the way you want it.”
So this was it. I was persistent but I wasn’t a fucking idiot. I’d lost track of how many times she’d turned me down now. But this had to be it. She’d made her choice – the wrong choice in my not-so-humble opinion. I reached for the kitten, cradling her against me.
The back wheels fishtailed on the gravel as I floored the gas and took off. Come hell or high water I was gonna find that damn rooster and strangle the cock-a-doodle-doo right out of him.
Cassie
I closed the door and leaned up against it. Why was everything happening at all once? Why couldn’t Robbie and I have crossed paths years ago? Would it have changed anything? I’d tried to tell myself whatever chemistry had existed between us back then was the product of ramped up hormones and sheer teenage lust. I was wrong. My body craved Robbie like a drug. Thank God for Romeo. I’d almost let things go too far. That couldn’t happen again. I had too much invested in my future in Texas.
Staying any longer would be a mistake. I had to get out of here before I lost the thin veil of control I’d managed to maintain. Next time there might not be a fugitive cock running loose to bring me back to my senses.
I went through the house, from one room to the next, grabbing my things and stuffing them into my duffel bag. Robbie was right. The work was almost done. He could finish things up on his own. It would be best to put as much distance between us as possible before I did something I’d really regret.
As I passed through the doorway into the kitchen, I ran my hand over the wooden trim framing the door. The new cabinets could hold an entire kitchen’s worth of supplies, the granite countertops begged to have a pie crust rolled out on their shiny, hard surface. I’d picked out a giant farmhouse sink with a low apron and a stainless steel gas stove with a double oven. The new kitchen probably rivaled the commercial set up I’d be working in at the restaurant.
Putting my head in my hands, I propped my elbows up on my knees and tried to focus my scattered mind. My bags were already packed, and I wouldn’t be able to sleep a wink tonight anyway. I reached for the notebook I’d left sitting on the coffee table with the project to-do list. My gaze drifted over the line items. So few things left to do. I ripped an empty sheet from the back of the notebook and jotted down a quick note for Robbie telling him I had to head back to Texas and to do whatever he wanted with the bathroom. Wouldn’t do any good to call or text him. He’d just try to stop me.
I taped the note to the front door and pulled it closed behind me. As I walked across the dewy lawn to toss my bag in the back seat, I looked to the sky. The weatherman warned we were in for a big storm, but looked like he was wrong. The clouds had cleared and a sky full of stars twinkled above. With all the lights surrounding the Dallas-Fort Worth area, it would be a long time before I’d get the chance to see such a display. I paused, trying to soak in as much of the summer night as I could. The way the wind rustled through the tall grass in the back pasture. The call of an owl, the chirping of a symphony of cicadas. Suddenly, I wished I had more time. I didn’t want to go. But I couldn’t stay either.
I climbed behind the wheel and started the car.
33
Robbie
The door crashed into the living room wall as I slammed it open. My dad startled in his recliner.
“Easy there, son. You’ll rip the door off the damn hinges.” He settled back in his chair, pulling the afghan back up over his legs.
We hadn’t had a chance to chat about his recent outings. With my frustration at an all-time high, my dad made an easy target. “What the hell were you thinking going out with Dewey? You really can’t wait to do yourself in, can you? And that stunt you pulled with Cassie? Did you really propose to her mother? Is that why you hate her so much? She turned you down?”
“Cassie got to you, did she?”
“What did you tell her?” My patience had run out. I was tired of him always taking trash about the Macon family. Time to get everything out in the open.
“Get me a beer and we’ll talk.”
I towered over him. “You’ll tell me everything now. Right this goddamn minute. You’ve called the shots for twenty-seven years of my life. It’s my turn.”<
br />
He didn’t flinch. “Sit down. This is gonna take a while.”
“I’ll stand.” Adrenaline coursed through my veins. My fingers twitched, itching for a fight.
Dad took a sip of his Tab. “Suit yourself.”
“Start talking.”
“Go get me the file from the cabinet in my bedroom. The one marked Auto Insurance.” He pointed toward the bedroom.
“We can talk insurance later, Dad. Right now—”
“Would you just shut up for once and do what in the hell you’re told?” He nodded toward the doorway. “The file.”
The worn wooden floor creaked under my heavy steps as I passed through the kitchen and into his bedroom. The file cabinet sat just inside the closet door. My fingers flipped through the folders until I located the one he wanted. A rumble of thunder rolled across the sky as I re-entered the front room.
“I don’t know what this has to do with Cassie or her mom.” I started to pass it to him but he put his hands up to stop me.
“Look inside, Rob.”
I sat on the couch and flipped the folder open. Outdated bills and proof of insurance cards filled the folder. “I don’t get it.”
“In the back.” He stared at the paperwork now covering the coffee table. A flash of lightning lit up the sky, creating shadows across the side of his face.
I flipped through the folder until I came to a large thin envelope in the back. I undid the clasp and slid a stack of papers out. My handwriting filled page after page. What the hell? The University of Texas emblem was stamped in gold foil at the top of each.
“What’s this?” I held a paper up and looked at him.
“I’m sorry, son. I thought I was doing you a favor at the time.”
My scholarship acceptance paperwork. I rifled through the stack on the table. It hadn’t been lost. It had never been turned in. My voice cracked as I lifted my gaze and made eye contact. “Why?”
