Chapter 25 – Jace
Standing in front of the Daily Grind, I was nervous as hell.
Cassie texted me this morning, asking to meet her at the coffee shop after she closed for the day, with no explanation why.
I hadn’t talked with her since Friday night when we took her mom to the hospital––the same night I put it all on the line for her.
As I stood in front of the glass door with the open sign flipped to closed, I noticed the front of the coffee shop had more decorations compared to the last time I saw it. Cassie had painted pumpkins across the front windows and hung orange lights outlining the windowsills on the inside.
I pushed on the door, realizing it was still unlocked even though the coffee shop was closed for the day.
I made a mental note to remind Cassie to lock up when she’s alone after hours.
Silver Creek’s crime rate was almost nonexistent, but you couldn’t trust everyone, especially not the people traveling through for one reason or another.
Inside the coffee shop, Cassie had placed small pumpkins in the middle of each table and bigger ones on the front counter and the shelves behind the register. It was like fall had walked in and exploded all over the place—but in a tasteful way.
Nearing the register, music drifted from the back—90s country. There was no denying Cassie had good taste in music.
“Hello?” I called out, raising my voice over the volume of the music.
A few seconds later, the music stopped as Cassie appeared from around the corner with a black apron tied over her clothes and flour dusting her hands.
“Come back here,” she said softly, a small smile tugging at her lips. “I have a surprise for you.”
I followed her into the back, the room where regular customers couldn’t go. The further we went, the stronger the delicious scent hit me—warm pumpkin and cinnamon. My stomach practically growled as I glanced around, trying to figure out where it was coming from.
Cassie opened the industrial-size fridge and pulled out a pan with a dark-orange-colored roll resting on it. Setting it down on the counter, she dusted the surface with flour and placed the dough gently on top.
“What’s your favorite dessert at Thanksgiving?” she asked as she started rolling it. “The one thing you can’t go without?”
Her kindness was catching me off guard. Not that Cassie wasn’t kind––she just wasn’t kind to me. And for good reasons right now. Even though I had confided in Cassie about something deeply personal, I still broke her heart and, maybe for her, that was unforgiveable.
“Pumpkin pie,” I answered still hesitant as to why I was here in the first place. “You know, all McKinley men have a sweet tooth.”
“I remember that, actually,” she said, grinning. “That’s exactly why I’ve summoned you here today.”
“Summoned?” I asked, raising a brow. “You’re not about to sacrifice me, are you?”
Her eyes lit up mischievously. “I’ve never sacrificed anyone, but I’m willing to try anything once.”
“The scariest part is I can’t tell if you’re joking or not,” I said, slipping my hands into my pockets, trying to hide my nervousness.
Cassie’s lips curved into a teasing smile. “Don’t worry, Jace. I don’t plan on sacrificing you tonight.”
“Well, that’s a relief,” I muttered, earning a quiet laugh from her. On the inside, I was actually relieved some.
“The real reason I asked you to come here today is I’m thinking about adding pumpkin rolls to the menu, selling them by the slice,” she explained, brushing a bit of flour off her hands.
“But before I do, I need a taste tester. Someone with a serious sweet tooth who knows their way around dessert.” She paused, meeting my eyes with a familiar spark.
“And since you seem to know your way around a good dessert, I thought you might know a thing or two about pumpkin rolls.”
She grabbed a large stainless-steel kitchen knife from its spot in the wooden block and sliced a piece off the roll on the counter. A thick layer of cream cheese swirled through the pumpkin roll, the smell of cinnamon making my mouth water more by the second.
“Here,” she said, placing it in my hand. “Take a bite and tell me what you think. Don’t hold back—be honest.” Her eyes sparkled as she waited for my response.
“Did you poison it?”
“No, pinky promise,” she said, holding up her finger.
Was this Cassie Blake calling a cease fire between us?
I wrapped my pinky around hers, taking a small bite at first. Pure deliciousness. Then without a second thought, I shoved the rest of the slice into my mouth, devouring it in seconds.
Here’s to hoping she was telling the truth about the lack of poison.
Cassie blinked, stunned. “I’ll take that as… it was good?” she asked hesitantly.
“Yup,” I said, licking my lips. “I hope you don’t plan on selling the rest of this roll because I’m definitely stealing it and taking it home.”
“I can make you one to take with you on Thanksgiving too, if you want. I’m sure June would love it too,” she offered.
“What are you doing for Thanksgiving? Spending it with your mom?” I asked, suddenly realizing I’d never seen Cassie at a McKinley Thanksgiving, even though she was practically family.
“That’s actually why I asked you to come here today.
Not because of Thanksgiving—because of my mom.
” She hesitated, her fingers twisting the edge of her sleeve.
“I’m not sure what you said to her, but she told me you convinced her to go to rehab…
said you made her believe she was worthy of a second chance at life. So… she’s gone for the next few months.
Thank you for whatever you said to her by the way. You have no idea how much relief I felt watching her get on that plane. Every part of me was sure she’d change her mind at the last ––but she didn’t. I haven’t felt this at peace since I can’t even remember how long.”
“You probably felt the same way Colt did when he dropped me off at the airport the day I left,” I admitted quietly. “He’s always stuck by my side—the same way you’ve always been there for your mom.”
“I regret not being there more for her. I can’t help but think if I’d checked on her more, or done something better, she wouldn’t have gotten hurt,” she said, her voice heavy with sadness.
“Cass, there’s nothing you could’ve done,” I said softly.
“You can’t save an addict who doesn’t want to be saved.
They’ll do whatever they want, no matter how much you try to help them.
You could’ve checked on her every hour of every day, and the outcome would’ve been the same.
You can’t get caught up on the what-ifs. ”
“I guess not. It’s something I’ll have to work on,” she said quietly, her gaze drifting off into the distance.
“You know dealing with an addict is just as hard as being one. A lot of people go to therapy to work through what they had to deal with while they were trying to help a struggling addict. Living with that kind of constant chaos in your life takes a toll on a person. I know the number of a great therapist if you ever want it. No pressure though.”
She nodded slowly, eyes still distant. “Maybe I’ll take you up on that offer someday.
I’m tired of carrying all this around, you know?
It feels like it’s been sitting on my chest for years.
” She looked at me with a weak smile. “Thanks for not pushing. Either way, the point of my story is––my mom’s finally in rehab and I’m going to be alone for Thanksgiving this year. ”
“What if you came to Thanksgiving at the ranch this year?”
“You don’t think people will find that weird?” She paused from slicing the rest of the pumpkin roll, glancing up at me.
“Of course not. You’re practically family, Cass. No one’s going to think it’s weird.”
I meant what I said. Cassie had always been like family to all of us. Adding one more seat at the McKinley Thanksgiving table wouldn’t raise a single eyebrow.
She stood there a moment longer, thinking it over. “Count me in.”
Her acceptance felt like progress—maybe the ice between us was finally thawing. Still, I couldn’t be sure without asking.
“So, Cassie… about what I told you the other night,” I started carefully. “I, uh—”
“Jace, you don’t have to explain anything to me,” she said, stopping me mid-sentence as she turned toward me, her eyes meeting mine.
“I meant what I said. You deserve to know everything. The mistakes I’ve made—they’re not exactly small ones.”
Cassie shook her head gently, setting down the knife. “Jace, everyone’s got something they’re not proud of. You had your time, you learned from it––that’s what matters.
“Your past with alcohol doesn’t change how I see you.
You’re still the same Jace McKinley I’ve always known—the rowdy kid that knows how to have a good time and get under my skin like nobody else,” she said, laughing and shaking her head.
“The same one that likes to park in front of my coffee shop and my house at night to make sure I’m okay,” she teased.
The cat’s outta the bag, I guess.
A small smile tugged at my lips, her words releasing the anxiety that had been brewing inside of me all day.
“I’ve watched my mom go through a lot with her addiction, but I’ve never had the privilege of watching her beat it.
But that’s what you did, Jace. You were strong enough to beat it.
That’s something to be proud of, and I’ll never tear someone down who’s strong enough to overcome something as hard as that is to do,” she continued.
“You said I was worth fighting for, Jace—so are you. Please, don’t ever forget that. ”
I wanted to say something, but for once silence felt like the only right answer.
Cassie smiled, picking up a slice of pumpkin roll, handing it to me. “Now, eat before I change my mind about sharing.”
I laughed under my breath, taking it from her. The moment I’d dreaded for so long was finally over, in the best way possible.
“So you saw my truck parked on your street, huh?” I asked, taking another bite of pumpkin roll.
“I woke up the next morning, and saw your truck parked down the street. You were still sleeping, hat tipped over your face like some kind of cowboy cliché. I figured you probably hadn’t slept much the night before, so I didn’t bother you.
You could’ve just knocked, you know,” she said as the corner of her mouth twitched upward.
She laughed. “I didn’t have a spare bed, but even the couch would’ve been better than sleeping in your truck. Besides, it’s not like you haven’t crashed there before.” Her mischievous eyes flicked up to mine.
At least she was willing to joke about it. That had to count for something.
As Cassie continued slicing her masterpiece, a knock on the front door of the coffee shop made me turn, wondering why someone would be here after hours.
“I’ll go see who that is. You stay here and keep slicing up that pumpkin roll for me. I’ll bet money that thing doesn’t even make it to my house before I finish it off,” I joked, walking away.
Unlocking the door, I immediately recognized the person standing in front of me. It was that guy from the bar on Halloween Cassie had been sitting with—more like sitting on—when I marched in and caused a scene. What was his name again? Richard? Ryan? I couldn’t remember.
Based on the look on his face, he was surprised to see me opening the door and not Cassie.
“Hey, uh, is Cassie here? She told me to stop by sometime,” he asked. He must have amnesia, because he clearly missed the part where I told everyone in the bar Cassie was my girlfriend. That wasn’t necessarily true, but he didn’t know that. So why the hell was he standing here right now?
“Did you forget she has a boyfriend?” I asked, eyeing him like he was an idiot.
“No, I heard that part loud and clear. Except I asked someone about her at the bar after you left and they said you are definitely not her boyfriend, so cut whatever show you’ve got going on and let her know I’m here, would you?”
Oh, hell no. He was not talking to me like that right now.
I stepped out onto the sidewalk, closing the door behind me so Cassie wouldn’t hear what I was about to tell this douchebag next.
“I don’t know who the fuck your source is, but you can rest assured Cassie is not interested in a date with you anytime soon.
Why do you think I’m here after hours? Because she invited me here.
She’s in the back waiting on me. So if we’re done here, I have business to tend to—if you catch my drift.
Now run along and tell your source to go fuck themselves. ”
I walked back into the coffee shop, locking the door behind me.
Maybe I’d stretched the truth a little, but I didn’t care—because if I had to watch that jackass put his hands on Cassie again, I wasn’t going to have enough control this time to keep myself out of jail.