9. Cassidy
CASSIDY
I strolled down the quiet street, a small smile playing on my lips as I remembered the conversation with Harle last night. God knows I’d needed it. I guess Harle knew, too. For the first time in such an incredibly long time I didn’t feel so… wound up. Or like I was living in a pressure cooker, about to boil over. Weird how life goes, sometimes.
Dragging in a lungful of fresh, spring air, I took a minute to admire the streaks of purple and pink streaking across the sky. Summer was just around the corner. My favorite season.
My smile widened when Mia and Emily’s house came into view. It was a compact, cobalt-blue bungalow with crisp white trim and a neat little porch. As I neared their driveway, Maya’s beat-up old truck pulled up to the curb, so I stopped to wait.
Poppy got out of the passenger side. “Perfect timing. Can you take this for me?”
I stepped forward, taking the big, white box she handed me. “What’s this? It smells amazing.”
“A new red velvet recipe I’m trying out.”
“Can’t wait to try it.”
“Me either,” Maya agreed.
We made our way up the front path and before we could knock, the door swung open and Emily stood there. “Get in here, you lot!” She ushered us inside. “Mia’s about to open the wine.”
The house buzzed with laughter and chatter as we entered. Hannah, Sammy and Annie were already in the small living room. Mia appeared from the kitchen, arms laden with glasses and a bottle of red.
“Ladies, let the fun begin!” She announced, setting everything down on the coffee table.
I kicked off my shoes and sank into the plush sofa, feeling the weight of the week start to melt away. Maybe, just for tonight, I could forget about the rollercoaster of trying to get pregnant and just hang out with my girls.
Mia made her rounds, filling everyone’s glasses with rich, ruby-red wine. When she reached me, she paused. “Oh, sorry, I forgot you were on that cleanse,”
I hesitated, my fingers drumming against my knee. It would be easier to stick with the excuse to keep up the charade. Better that than blurt out that the reason I was sometimes cleansing and sometimes not, because sometimes I could be pregnant and sometimes I definitely wasn’t. But as I looked around at all the girls, chatting and chilling, I really wanted to be part of that. I deserved to kick back. Fuck, I’d earned it. So, ‘No, I finished it.”
“Oh cool! How did it go?”
“Yeah, great. I feel much better.” Of course, I felt a bit shit for lying, but there wasn’t much else I could do.
“Well, alright then! One glass of wine, coming right up.”
As Mia poured, I could feel Hannah’s eyes on me from across the room. I met her gaze and gave a small shrug. Obviously, she knew the real reason behind my ‘cleanse’, and I could see the question in her eyes. So far, only Harle knew that it hadn’t worked this month. Again.
“Thanks,” I said, taking the glass from Mia.
“To the end of a shit week!” Emily called out, raising her glass.
“A-fucking-men!” I agreed, reaching across to clink my glasses with everyone else.
I took a sip of wine, letting the chatter of my friends wash over me. The wine warmed my insides and I felt my muscles truly relax.
A soft vibration on my wrist caught my attention. I glanced down at my smartwatch, my heart skipping a beat when I saw Harle’s name flash across the tiny screen.
Trying to be discreet, I reached for my purse and fished out my phone. As I unlocked it and opened the message, I couldn’t help but feel a flutter of anticipation.
I had to bite back a giggle when a donkey’s face filled my screen.
Harle: Derek says he hopes you had a good night’s sleep and that you’re having fun with the girls.
Me: Tell him I said I did, thank you very much. And yes, I’m having fun with the girls.
Harle: He’s glad to hear it and now he’s grumpy because I’m making him go to bed. He thinks I’m being an ass, which is pretty rich coming from him.
I bit my lip, fighting back a grin.
Me : I bet hee hawlways says that.
Harle: Holy shit, that’s so bad it’s good.
I couldn’t hold back the smile anymore.
“Who’re you texting, Cass?” Mia called from across the room. “Must be someone pretty hot to make you smile like that.”
Busted. Heat rushed to my cheeks as I hastily dropped my phone back into my bag. Trying to sound casual and failing spectacularly, I said, “No one.” My voice was way too high pitched to be convincing.
The girls exchanged knowing looks, and I could feel their curiosity prickling in the air. I reached for my wine glass, taking a long sip to buy myself some time.
Mia leaned forward. “Come on, spill. We haven’t seen you smile like that in ages.”
I shook my head, desperately searching for a way to change the subject. “It’s nothing, really. Just... work stuff.”
“Work stuff doesn’t make you blush like that,” Emily pointed out, her eyebrow raised skeptically.
I felt trapped, cornered by their well-meaning but relentless curiosity. My mind raced, trying to come up with a plausible explanation that wouldn’t lead to more questions. But before I could think of what to say, Hannah caught my eye from across the room. She gave me a subtle nod, understanding flashing across her face before she said, “Hey, Mia. Didn’t you say you had a weird work thing going on?”
“Oh my god, yes!” Mia exclaimed, drawing everyone’s attention to her.
I shot Hannah a grateful look and got a wink in reply.
“So, get this - someone in my office is leaving post-it notes on my desk, and we can’t figure out who it is!”
“What sort of notes are we talking about here?” Annie asked.
“Just really nice notes. Lovely quotes, affirmations, or just like, I hope you have a nice day.”
A chorus of “awws” filled the room.
“That’s really sweet,” Maya said. “Do you have any suspects?”
Mia shook her head. “Not a clue! We’ve been trying to catch them in the act, but they’re like a post-it ninja or something.”
Emily chimed in. “We can’t even tell if it’s a guy or a girl. And you’d best believe I’m watching Mia’s door like a hawk. Whoever this is, they know how to get by me and Mia. There are over two hundred people on our floor and nearly a thousand in the whole building. We may never know who it is.”
I took another sip of wine and leaned back into the sofa. “Fascinating.”
“Very,” Emily agreed. “We’ll report back if we find out anything more.”
“Definitely do that,” Maya put in.
“For sure,” Mia corroborated. ‘Now, in other breaking Harris news, I found out yesterday that the neighbors are selling up.”
I swear we all let out a sigh of relief at Mia’s news. Those neighbors had been the fucking pits from the moment they’d moved in.
“Thank god,” Hannah muttered, voicing what we were all thinking. “I swear, if I had to listen to one more of their 3 AM karaoke sessions, I was going to lose it.”
Emily nodded vigorously. “Or their leaf blower at 6 AM on Sundays. Who does that?”
“Don’t forget the time they decided to repaint their house at midnight,” Poppy added, rolling her eyes. “With floodlights!”
We all groaned at the memory. The entire street had been lit up like a football field for days.
“Well, good riddance,” I said, raising my glass. “Here’s hoping the new neighbors are a bit more considerate.”
Maya leaned forward, a mischievous glint in her eye. “So, who do we think might move in? Any bets?”
“Ooh, I hope it’s a cute couple with a dog,” Mia chimed in. “You know, the kind that actually picks up after their pet.”
“Or maybe a nice retired couple,” Annie suggested. “They’d probably keep to themselves.”
“As long as it’s not another wannabe rock band,” Hannah grumbled.
Now it was Sammy’s turn. “How about some footballers? Some eye candy would be nice.”
That was something we could all agree on.
I stumbled into my bedroom, kicking off my shoes and letting out a contented sigh. I’d only had a few glasses of wine at Mia and Emily’s, but it had left me feeling warm and relaxed, my mind pleasantly fuzzy around the edges. I fumbled with the buttons of my blouse, managing to change into my pajamas without too much trouble.
Just as I was about to get into bed, my eyes fell on the empty mug I’d left on the nightstand last night.
Harle.
The memory of our late-night phone call came rushing back. I could almost hear his deep, soothing voice in my ear, feel the warmth of the mug in my hands as we made hot chocolate together.
Before I knew what I was doing, I’d grabbed my phone from the nightstand. My fingers moved of their own accord, tapping out a message.
Me: Hey, you still up?
I hit send before I could second-guess myself, then flopped onto the bed, phone clutched to my chest. What was I doing? It was late, and we’d already talked today. But something about the wine, the cozy pajamas, and the lingering memory of our last conversation made me crave more.
I stared at the ceiling, waiting for a response, my heart beating a little faster than usual. The quiet of my bedroom was suddenly too much, too empty.
My phone buzzed, sending a little thrill through me.
Harle: Yep. You okay?
I smiled, feeling a rush of warmth that had nothing to do with the wine.
Me: I’m great! Just wondering if you’d like to have another hot chocolate with me?
I bit my lip, hesitating for a moment before adding:
Me: Can I call you?
The seconds ticked by as I waited for his response. I held my breath, my fingers drumming nervously against the side of my phone.
When it finally came through, I let out a sigh of relief.
Harle: Yes.
That single word sent my heart racing. I hit the call button before I could chicken out, pressing the phone to my ear as it began to ring.
“Hey there.” Harle’s deep voice came through, sending goose bumps rippling across my skin.
“Hey yourself. I hope I’m not bothering you.”
“Of course not.”
“Are you sure, because it’s pretty late and um…” I trailed off, not even sure myself what I was trying to say.
“Look at it this way. If I didn’t want to take your call, I would have said no when you asked. But I didn’t. I said yes. Ergo, I’m sure you’re not bothering me.”
“Okay. Good. That’s good. Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it. Besides, I was just thinking about making myself a hot chocolate.”
“You were not.”
I could hear the smile in his voice when he replied. “Okay, I wasn’t, until you called. But I am now. I kind of liked it last night.”
“Yeah, me too.”
“Okay, so we’re doing this again?”
“Yep.”
“You got your mug ready?”
I grabbed it from the nightstand. “Hold on a sec. I need to wash this real quick.”
“No problem,” Harle replied.
As I walked into the kitchen, I could hear rustling on his end of the line, the soft thud of cupboard doors opening and closing.
I scrubbed the mug, listening to the sounds of Harle moving around his own kitchen. It felt strangely intimate, like we were sharing the same space despite being miles apart. It made me feel a bit gooey.
“So, how was your night?”
I set the kettle on the stove. “Good. I may or may not have had a few wines which was what gave me the courage to call you.”
There was a long silence, and I thought maybe the line had gone dead. I pulled my phone away from my ear to check and just as I put it back, Harle spoke. There was something about the tone in his voice that made my toes curl. All gentle and soft.
“Cassidy, are you generally scared of the idea of talking to me?”
Fuck.
“Not of talking to you, no.”
“Of what then?”
Maybe it was the wine talking, but the next words came out unfiltered. “Of you not wanting to hear me, I guess. Fuck that sounds so dumb.” I was mucking this up so badly it was fucking embarrassing.
“No it doesn’t. But for the record, I’m always happy to hear from you.”
I squeezed my eyes shut, because crying right now would make it too weird. “Why are you always so kind to me?”
“Why do you think you don’t deserve for me to be kind to you?”
Double fuck. I had to swallow around the lump in my throat before I could talk again. “Okay, this is getting a bit deep. Can we change the subject?”
“Sure. Tell me about your friends. How did y’all meet?”
I huffed out a breath of relief at his easy acceptance. “High school. Well, Hannah did, anyway. They were all in the same year together and I somehow got dragged into it. They are a gift to me, that’s for sure.”
“They sound amazing. How’s that chocolate coming along?”
“Just adding the milk now. How about you?”
“Already done and I’m back on the couch.”
I tidied up the kitchen, wiping down the counter and rinsing my spoon before heading back to my bedroom. Carefully climbing into bed, I leaned back against the headboard and took a sip of the hot chocolate. “I’m back in bed.”
“Good girl,” he replied, his voice low and husky.
A shiver ran down my spine at his words, and I nearly choked on my drink. I cleared my throat, trying to ignore the heat pooling in my belly.
“So,” Harle continued, seemingly oblivious to the effect he’d had on me, “what do you want to talk about?”
I hesitated for a moment, my mind blank. Then, before I could overthink it, I blurted out, “Have you ever been married?”
There was a pause on the other end of the line, and I immediately regretted asking. It was too personal, too intrusive. We were just... what? Friends? I wasn’t even sure anymore.
“Sorry,” I backpedaled quickly. “That’s probably too personal. You don’t have to?—”
“No, it’s okay,” Harle interrupted gently. “I haven’t been married. Came close once, but it didn’t work out.”
“Are you sad about it?”
“Not really. I’m pretty happy with my life.”
“That’s good.”
“How about you? Any serious relationships in your past?”
I absolutely did not want to go there, but fair’s fair. “Yeah, one. I was young and dumb.”
‘You’re very sad about it.”
Ain’t that the truth. “I am. Just for how gullible I was, more than anything. But I was in my early twenties, just about to finish law school. He was much older, and much wiser than me. Late thirties. I guess it worked out for me that we couldn’t have kids. That would have sucked.”
“You were trying?”
“Yeah. I got tested. He wouldn’t, swearing he knew it wasn’t him. When my tests came back clear too, it all kind of spiraled from there. And here I am.”
That was a lot more than I’d intended to share. Damn the wine.
“You want to change the subject, don’t you?”
That actually made me laugh. “Very much so.”
“Okay, well, how about I talk, you listen.”
“Sounds perfect.”
I settled deeper into my pillows, pulling the blanket up to my chest. The warmth of the hot chocolate and Harle’s soothing voice were working their magic, making my eyelids feel heavy.
“So then,” Harle was saying, his voice a low rumble in my ear, “the cat just stared at me like I was the biggest idiot in the world. Which, to be fair, I probably was at that moment.”
I chuckled softly, my laugh turning into a yawn. “Cats are jerks sometimes,” I murmured.
“Sleepy?” Harle asked, his tone gentle.
“Mmm, a little,” I admitted. “But I’m enjoying talking to you.”
“We can always talk more tomorrow. You sound like you’re about to drift off.”
I wanted to protest, to keep him on the line, but another yawn escaped me. “Maybe you’re right,” I conceded.
“Tell me about your plans for tomorrow,” Harle prompted, his voice taking on a softer quality.
I snuggled deeper into my blanket, my eyes fluttering closed. “Just work,” I mumbled. “Boring lawyer stuff.”
“I’m sure it’s not boring.” His words were starting to blur together in my mind.
“I’ll just be reading reports mostly, and um, then I’ll…”
“I’m gonna let you go get some sleep.”
I made a noncommittal sound, feeling myself slip closer to sleep. “Okay. Thanks Harle. This was really nice.”
“It was. Good night, Cassidy. See you soon.”
“Good night, Harle.”