“Has she wanted to since then?”
He closed his eyes for a second. “Not until just a few weeks ago. She asked me if I wanted to, and I said no.”
“You really didn’t want to?” she asked, wanting to believe him, but Cassidy had seen those breasts.
He gave her a half-hearted smile. “It was a couple of days after I met with you at your shop about the cookies. I was interested in you at that point. I didn’t want anyone else.”
She let her head fall back. “You really have to stop saying this stuff.”
“What stuff?”
“The exact right thing at the exact right time.”
He smiled, but stayed contrite.
She narrowed her gaze. “Are you at all concerned about the fact that you’re her boss? We’ve got a movement going on around us, you know?”
He shook his head. “It’s not like that. Look, I’ve known her for a few years now. She used to come in the bar before she turned twenty-one and try to flirt her way into getting me to serve her. We sort of became friends. She made friends with all the staff. When she turned twenty-one, we made a big deal of it…had a big party for her. That was the first night she and I slept together. Afterward, she told me her story. She grew up really poor and in a bad situation. Her dad knows she exists but refuses to acknowledge her even though he lives just over in Panama City. She called the Department of Children and Families on her own mom when she was twelve because her mom’s boyfriend wouldn’t keep his damn hands off of her. And he was one of many. She begged friends to let her spend the night. It broke my heart listening to her.”
Cassidy’s own heart broke for this young woman, and she was starting to feel like a real Grade-A loser for rushing to judgment of this situation.
“At the time, she’d just gotten downsized for the winter at the restaurant she was waiting tables at, and she was still living with her mom. That’s why she was at the bar all the time—just trying to stay away from the drugs and the assholes. I told her she could move in the next day and I gave her a job. She said she’d wanted to go to school but didn’t have the money, and even if she did, she wouldn’t know how to get started. So I helped her fill out the applications and fronted some of the costs while she got on her feet. She’s been in school for two years now. It’s actually a great roommate situation. She’s really into health and physical fitness so she keeps the groceries stocked and makes all these healthy meals for us. She studies all the time and I read a lot, so we don’t really get in each other’s way. Look, I’ve been thinking about another roommate for her. I think the girls who work at the bar would probably squeeze her in at their apartment, but she’d have to start paying rent, and they’re pretty out of control. I’m just afraid she’d fall into those patterns and get derailed—”
Cassidy held up a hand, her face flushed with humiliation. “Please, Jesse, stop talking. I’m not at all proud of the way I have behaved today. I’ve judged you and Gracie when I had no right or place to. It sounds like the two of you have a special friendship, and I would never want to stand in the way of that.” She took his hand. “Thank you so much for helping this young woman. You truly are a wonderful man, and I’m lucky to know you.”
He visibly relaxed, his shoulders and expression dropping. “Cassidy, I can only imagine what you thought when you saw Gracie this morning. I went upstairs after you left and saw what she had on. She does walk around like that a lot but I’m just so used to it I guess I’ve become immune to it. I’ve already talked with her and I asked her to start putting on clothes. I know that sounds crazy, but honestly, I think she’s just really proud of her body since she’s been doing these barre workouts and she likes to look at herself in the mirror.”
She grasped his arm. “If that’s what gets her through the day, then please, let her walk around buck naked. I’m serious, Jesse. I feel like such an idiot. I got this all wrong. I hope you’ll accept my apology, and I’d like to apologize to her as well. She was kind to me, in her own way, I’m sure, and I acted like a buffoon.”
He smiled, looking down at his lap. He took her hand. “I’m sure you did not. Have you eaten dinner yet?”
“No, I haven’t.”
“Can I take you to dinner?”
“Sure. Actually, this would be our first date, wouldn’t it?”
He thought about it. “I guess it is. You’ve been thrown together with me all the other times, like it or not.”
“I’m pretty sure I liked it.”
They both stood, and he took her into his arms. “I’ve missed you these past couple of days.”
“I’ve missed you, too.”
They kissed, their own magical recipe, and then he pulled away. “We need to stop or I’m not gonna make it to dinner.”
She slid on her sandals that she’d kicked off by the couch. “I’m honestly pretty full from my crow sandwich, but I’ll try to make room for more.”
16
Jesse’s new favorite thing to do was share meals with Cassidy. What was his was hers, and what was hers was his, in food at least. They’d eaten dinner together five out of seven nights the past week. He took her out three times, and they ate takeout at her house the other two. If they stayed together a while, one of them would need to learn to cook or else they were both going to end up twenty pounds heavier. He’d be okay with that if it meant he got to stay with her.
She set her fork down on the table. “I can’t believe I ate all that. You are fattening me up for the kill, aren’t you?”
“Just keeping you happy, baby. Whatever it takes.”
She gave him that cute, shy smile she did when she liked something he said to her. He was always afraid he was being cheesy, but if it made her smile at him like that, he didn’t care.
His phone rang, an actual call. He checked it and rolled his eyes when he saw it was his sister. He could decline, but then he’d be thinking about it all night. What did she want? Was everyone okay? Not that he cared about his brother and his wife, but he didn’t want them to be sick or dead.
Cassidy put her napkin on the table. “I’ll let you take that,” she said, and then headed toward the restroom.
He answered the call. “Hey, I’m at dinner with someone, but I’ve got thirty seconds while she’s in the restroom. What’s going on?”
“So nice to hear from you, Rachel. How’s your life these days?” Rachel said.
He rolled his eyes. “I’ll call you back later.”
“No need. I just wanted to let you know that we’re coming to Rosemary Beach for spring break.”
He stilled. “When?”
“We leave Saturday.”
He switched phone hands, taking in the information. “Why are you just now telling me?”
She let out a sigh. “Because it’s all of us.”
He clenched his eyes closed. “I assume you mean them.”
“I do. I was afraid if I told you in advance then you’d make plans to be gone.”
“Is there some reason you’re coming here? Something wrong with Hilton Head?”
“We chose Rosemary. I chose it, in fact, because it’s the furthest community from Grayton that I could get and stay on 30A.”
“Why do you need to be on 30A at all?”
“Hmm, because my brother lives there and I like to see him more than once a year.”
He rubbed his forehead as Cassidy headed his way from across the restaurant. “I’ll meet you and your family for dinner but not with them.”
“I was hoping you would consider coming over for dinner.”
“Are you getting just one house?” he asked.
“Mmm hmm,” she said weakly.
“Then it’s not happening.” Cassidy sat down, gauging him curiously. “Look, I’ll talk to you about this later.”
“Who are you at dinner with? Don’t tell me it’s an actual date.”
“I’ll speak with you later.”
“Anyone serious?”
“Bye, Rachel.” He ended the c
all and put his phone face down on the table, his heartbeat pounding. He met Cassidy’s curious gaze. “My sister.”
“Oh,” she said, perking up. “I didn’t realize you two talked frequently.”
“We don’t. She was just calling to tell me they’re all coming for spring break. They’ll be here Saturday, or Sunday, or something.” He realized he didn’t find out if they were driving or flying.
“Is that…okay?”
“I just don’t understand what she’s doing.”
“Possibly trying to help you and your brother reconcile?”
“By forcing it on me? That’s effective.” He wadded up his cloth napkin and tossed it onto his plate. “I just wish she wouldn’t do this.”
“At least she didn’t trick you, say it was just her family and then you get there and it’s a sabotage.”
“Oh, she knows better than that shit. She did that to me the first Christmas I came to her house. I saw his car in the driveway and just kept on driving right back to Grayton.”
“Wow, that was a lot of time spent on the road for nothing.” She took his hand. “It takes so much energy to hate a person. I hate to see you grappling with that.”
“I want to forgive him and move forward. I really do. But I just can’t figure out how I can watch the two of them together, this family unit, kissing one another and smiling like lovebirds. When I imagine that, it feels like a fuck you in my face. I think about all the times they were having sex, all the conversations they had with one another about me, feeling guilty, feeling sorry for poor Jesse who was getting fucked by his brother and his girlfriend. I just can’t stand it. Can you understand that?”
“I can try. I have tried to put myself in your place, and it wasn’t fun, I assure you of that. But have you considered that staying away from them tells them that you aren’t over this yet? If you showed up at this house, this mutual territory, more your territory than theirs because they’ve come to your town…if you show up, you show them that you’ve risen above what they did to you.”
Jesse had thought of this before, but not on those terms. This was his town. They were on his turf. Something about that empowered him. He met her gaze. “Will you come with me?”
Her eyes went wide. He’d taken her off guard. “Oh, well, are you sure? I mean, this is family business. I wouldn’t want to intrude.”
“I want you there, Cassidy. I’m trying to come along here, but I could really use your support.”
She gave him a resigned smile. “Of course I’ll come.”
He kissed her on the lips and then pulled away. “Thank you.”
She nodded and glanced downward, letting her hair cover her face.
17
Cassidy had spent longer selecting an outfit for this dinner with Jesse’s family than she would have for an audience with the Pope. She wasn’t ready for this in any way, shape, or form, but how could she tell him no? The idea that he was even considering being in the room with all of them at once was huge, and she’d talked him into it. How could she abandon him now?
She kept reminding herself that this wasn’t about her meeting his family. This was about her supporting him through what was going to be one of the hardest things he’d had to do in a while. She had no idea how she was going to be received by any of them. She didn’t even know who all was going to be there. She’d been careful not to ask too many questions, afraid of scaring him off or giving him a reason to change his mind. She was going to be walking into this night completely blind, so her outfit was pretty much the only thing she could control in this situation.
She wanted to go for conservative, but that just made her look older. She tried for trendy, then she was afraid she would look like she was trying too hard to look young. Giving up hope, she called in reinforcements.
The bell rang, and Cassidy opened the door. Maya stood there with a pile of clothing draped across her arm. “Let’s do this.”
Cassidy had liked Maya since the moment she first met her. She was perfect for Bo, a classic opposites-attract romance. Bo was loud and rowdy. Maya was conservative and buttoned-up, to use Jesse’s term. Cassidy wanted Maya for this task for a few reasons. First and most importantly, Maya and Cassidy were about the same size. Maya was probably a tad shorter, but they had the same body type. Secondly, Maya had worked for many years in the corporate world and, quite frankly, made plenty of money and her outer appearance reflected that. While Cassidy dressed a little more on the bohemian side, Maya always looked classy, even when she was dressed down. When Cassidy explained the situation to her, Maya seemed to understand the nuances with great clarity and dropped everything she was doing to get over to Cassidy’s house in a pinch. Cassidy would owe her big for this.
Cassidy made way to let Maya in. “How long do we have before he gets here to pick you up?” Maya asked.
“Two hours. Yes, I’ve spent the day stressing about this.”
Maya held up a hand. “Understandably.” She pointed between the two bedrooms. “Shall we…”
“Yes, of course.” Cassidy motioned Maya to her bedroom. “Can I get you anything to drink?”
“No thank you. I’ve got a bottle of water in my purse.”
Of course she did. Cassidy imagined that Maya was prepared for any and all possibilities and needs at all times. She would make a fantastic mom one day, if that was in her and Bo’s plans.
Cassidy led her into the closet. Maya shoved hangers out of the way to make room, hanging all the clothes neatly in a row. “I’ve got an iron and a steamer in the car in case we need them.”
Cassidy nodded, trying to hold in her smile. Boy had she called in the right woman for this job.
“I’ve got a few options in mind. Since this is a casual dinner at a beach house, I didn’t think a dress would be appropriate.” She held up a pair of linen pants to Cassidy’s legs. “You’re a hair taller, so these might not be the appropriate length, but I think they would work for the balance of distinguished lady meets youthful girlfriend.” She hung them back on the rack and grabbed another pair of tan, wide-legged pants. “These may be absolutely perfect because I haven’t had a chance to get to the tailor yet, but they have been laundered. I can’t stand the smell of clothes straight from the store with their pesticides and warehouse stench.”
Cassidy took the pants from Maya, realizing how ridiculous she had been to stress the way she had. “These look absolutely perfect. Thank you so much.”
“I’ve got this black top to pair it with, but I was thinking about that flowy white top you have with the waistband that cuts off about right here,” she placed the side of her hand on her stomach, and then pointed at the rack. “May I?”
“Absolutely,” Cassidy said, watching Maya flip through her closet. She pulled it out. “Oh yes.” She held it up to Cassidy along with the pants. “I think this is it. Would you like to try it on? You can change in there and close me in here and I’ll see about some shoes. Are you a ten by any chance?”
“Nine,” Cassidy said. “My feet are a little out of proportion with the rest of me.”
“Consider yourself lucky. I’m already a ten and I’ve heard your feet grow during—” She cut herself off, her face going red.
Cassidy just stared at her. “Maya, are you…”
Maya pinched the bridge of her nose, eyes closed tightly. “Oh, God.” She wasn’t smiling, so Cassidy treaded very lightly. She tugged her by the elbow outside of the closet and they sat on the bed. “I’m sorry,” Maya said. “We’re trying to focus on you here.”
“Screw me,” Cassidy said. “What’s going on, sweetie?”
“I was pregnant. I found out back in November. Bo and I were through the roof. Our honeymoon baby, we called it. I’d been so worried because I didn’t even know if it was possible for me to get pregnant at my age. I mean, I’ve never even had a scare. But Bo and I had discussed it and we knew it could take a while and with my advanced age, we decided I’d go ahead and get off birth control as soon as we got married
, and it worked. Our little miracle.”
Cassidy took her hand and squeezed it. “When did you find out you lost the baby?”
“Right before Christmas. We knew not to get excited, and we didn’t tell a soul. But we dreamed together, every night, Bo’s hand on my belly, rubbing it so sweetly. The look on his face when they told us there wasn’t a heartbeat, Cassidy…it about did me in.”
Cassidy put her arms around Maya and held her there for a long while, Maya sniffling. “I haven’t talked to anyone about this besides Bo. Not even Shayla. We didn’t want them to know. This is their time right now. I’m not going to have it watered down by our misfortune.”
“What about your sister?” Cassidy asked, knowing that even though she wasn’t close to her own sister, a miscarriage was something she may choose to open up to her about.
Maya rolled her eyes. “She’s coming down for a visit, which is all I need right now.”
“You two aren’t close?” Cassidy asked, remembering that Meade was Maya’s maid of honor at her wedding.
“We are, I guess, but she’s a full mess, Cassidy. She’s brilliant. Have I ever told you that? Not like, oh, she’s a smart girl, but like, could be a brain surgeon kind of brilliant.”
Either Maya had told her that before or someone else had. “That’s wonderful.”
“It would be if she acted like it. She could be out there curing cancer if she wanted, but instead, she’ll tend bar or wait tables. Last year she was working as a blackjack dealer in Vegas. She’s thirty-eight years old and she’s never had any interest in owning a home or saving for retirement or anything. She lives life like there’s no consequences.” Maya shook her head, staring off at the wall behind Cassidy. “I finally got her settled in Chicago last year. She’s got this really good government job—top secret stuff, security clearances, you name it. But she’s starting to complain about it.”
Grayton Beach Dreams Page 13
