4. Eric
Chapter 4
Eric
M eddlesome. That’s all they were back at the café. Especially Lori. She’d purposefully set me up, enjoying every part of it. I had no doubt she’d be giving me crap for this in years to come. It’d be even worse when she got my brothers in on it as well. I internally grumbled.
I peered through the rearview mirror at Shadow, who was sitting on the back seat with his tongue hanging out of his mouth. He looked dubiously happy and that only irritated me more. Replacing his usual spot was a pretty blonde that was the furthest thing from local.
Her overpowering sweet perfume filled the car, flaring my nostrils. My knuckles were turning white over the steering wheel. It suited her to a dime. Anyone with eyes could categorize her as beautiful—in a high-maintenance way. Her light-blue eyes danced with life, with a complexion so smooth it was hard to believe she was even real. And that hair… How did anyone manage perfect curls in weather like this? It was unimaginable. She was unimaginable. Like some Hollywood actress that stepped straight off her private jet. One now stranded in Rosefield with a vehicle that would get her nowhere.
I grumbled internally again. How did this little star end up under my care? I used this month to get away from people, not take them in as charity cases.
“So, like, how far up the mountain are we going?” she said nervously. I fixed my gaze on the bumpy road. My silence clearly didn’t unnerve her which I found even more irritating.
“I’m Cassidy by the way.” Silence. “I usually at least know the guy’s name who’s taking me to his home,” she said lightheartedly.
“I’m not taking you to my home,” I gritted out, not liking her sexual innuendo- which seemed to ooze so naturally from her.
“Right,” she said nervously, peering out the window. “Well at least you finally spoke.”
My knuckles whitened over the steering wheel again as I peered through the rearview mirror at Shadow, still happily panting.
“So, were you born in this town?”
“You like to talk, don’t you?” I replied. We hit a pothole in the snowy dirt path. She clutched to the side of the door as she bounced in her seat. Shadow and I might’ve been used to these roads but she certainly wasn’t conditioned for them. Slightly remorseful, I slowed down slightly.
“Well, I figured I’d try to make you like me at least a little before you chop my body into tiny pieces and scatter me in the woods,” she said, nervously laughing.
My eyebrows knitted together. Had she been thinking that the entire time we’d been driving up the mountain? I didn’t even consider how uncomfortable and bizarre the situation might’ve been for her. I was only foreboding how bad it was for me. Man, I really am an asshole.
“I don’t plan on chopping you up,” I said in a no-nonsense tone, attempting to soothe her nerves.
“Oh, that’s nice to know. I’ll be one of the spontaneous victims.” She nervously chuckled again.
This time, I did look at her. She was still staring out the side window intently. Although she held a brave smile, I felt guilty for forcing any woman to be scared around me.
Another jolt in the road. Her eyes snapped shut as she took in a sharp breath. “We’re almost there,” I said trying to shift into a friendlier demeanor. I tried to ease my own tension. I shouldn’t be taking out my irritation on her. But, man, it was hard; she was so unnaturally beautiful. Lori was out of her mind sending a woman like this to the cabin with me. Did she really think I was that noble? I pushed away any tempting thoughts. I really needed to get a grip. She looked way too young for me. “Where are you from?”
She peeled her eyes open slightly, surprised that I’d finally taken interest in any form of conversation. “Manhattan.”
“I would’ve picked you for a LA girl.”
She seemed taken aback by that. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“Just regarding your three oversized suitcases. We don’t get a lot of girls like you out here. So, I just assumed LA.” I wasn’t going to openly say because I thought she reminded me of some superstar that either just strutted off a studio set or runway.
“Oh, well I’m leaving Manhattan for a vacation, so the three suitcases were necessary.”
“With that much I thought you were moving.”
Silence. I peered over in her direction again. I had the sense that when this woman went silent it wasn’t a good thing. Secret . Instinct told me she was tight-lipped about something.
But the silence suited me just fine.
“So, are you like, the mayor of this town or something?” she quietly said, changing the subject.
A cold dread passed through me. And as if knowing, Shadow’s tail momentarily stiffened before wagging again and his tongue continued panting.
“No,” I gritted out. “That would be my uncle. Although my father and siblings help out from time to time.”
“Okay cool. And do you have many siblings?”
I was already exhausted. This had been the most conversation I’d had to maintain all week. And I couldn’t tell if it was nervous chatter or if she just didn’t enjoy silence.
“There’s five of us.”
A breath of air rushed from her. “Oh my gosh! That’s huge!”
Silence. Her small, delicate finger stroked the inside of the door handle, fiddling as she became uncomfortable by the silence. My shoulders sagged in defeat, sensing she was about to speak again.
“And are you like the oldest. What are you, like fifty?” My gaze snapped to hers as we hit another pothole and this time, she hit her head. “Ow.”
Okay maybe I’d accidently hit accelerate on that one.
She rubbed her head, wincing but laughing. “I was joking. I was just trying to grab your attention. What are you really, like mid-thirties?”
That eased my heart slightly and I was embarrassed by my fragile ego.
“Forty-two,” I found myself gritting out. Why did my age and appearance even matter? “What are you like sixteen?”
Her laugh filled the truck, twisting a confused knot in my stomach. It was light and carefree and perfectly suited to this woman I barely knew anything about. And yet I felt like this was her most natural state.
“You’re funny,” she teased. “I’m twenty-six.”
Twenty-Six. Shit, she was young. Sixteen years younger. Wait— funny . I don’t think anyone had once described me as funny.
“You know where I come from everyone gets lots of stuff done to their face so everyone’s practically ageless. You never see wrinkles or crow’s feet or any of that stuff. Just everyone looking half their age.” She seemed to find that amusing.
I found myself self-consciously looking into the rearview mirror again, assessing the few wrinkles Lori had kindly pointed out on my face last year. I also had a consistent scowl that was stapled to my expression. I had the urge to touch my wrinkles. I’d had supple skin like hers at her age, hadn’t I? And then I quickly grew grumpy again. Why was I even worried about this?
We slowly crawled to a stop the moment the headlights hit the cabin. Two deer peered up, quickly dashing off into the woodland.
“Wow!” Cassidy grabbed my arm and pointed. I stared down at her small hand now wrapped around mine, feeling too warm. “Did you see that? Those are like real deers!”
Shadow barked as if in agreeance. I stared over my shoulder at him. Traitor. Her smile was bright and genuine until she realized she was clinging on to me. She pulled away as if I burnt her. And the feeling had been mutual. Yet I felt almost disappointed the moment she pulled away. My mood couldn’t have been any fowler.
“Oh sorry, I get excited quickly,” she nervously laughed.
One night, I thought to myself. That’s all it would be. Surely, I had enough patience and restraint for one night. And how presumptuous of me to even think this little bombshell would be attracted to me? Not that I’d ever had any woman complain and I’d never struggled to take women to my bed. I internally cursed myself. Why was I thinking with my dick in this situation?
I suddenly realized the dread on Cassidy’s expression. A little muscle in her neck was strained as she kept a tight appreciative smile staring at the cabin. I’d never met anyone with such transparent and honest expressions. The cabin certainly wasn’t the five-star hotels she was surely used to but it wasn’t a beat-up shack either.
“I just want you to know I’ve sworn to celibacy,” she blurted out, quickly facing me, expression dead serious.
I was so taken aback by the ferocity and sheer determination that I couldn’t help the slight tick of my mouth, a smile daring to break free. Well at least I hadn’t been the only one thinking about it. She also seemed serious. Was she so used to men only expecting one thing from her? With a body and face like hers though, I imagined she could have any man she wanted.
“Cassidy, I’m not using your body as currency,” I said cautiously, unsure as to what past this little transparent snowflake was running from. “I’m offering you one night to stay until the road is cleared up and you can continue passing through town. I’m not going to touch you. And besides, you’re not my type.”
Her eyebrows knitted together. Either in confusion that I’d admitted she wasn’t my type or because I wasn’t after her body. She slowly nodded and threw her long blonde curls over her shoulder before weakly opening the door and jumping out.
When I opened the back door, Shadow lunged out and began his usual inspection of sniffing the trees. Shadow must’ve found a trail because he meant serious business. Maybe the deer. I watched him, making sure he didn’t stray too far as I emptied Cassidy’s suitcase she’d pointed out onto the snow. She’d limited herself to only one out of the three.
“How did you put these bags in here yourself?” I asked Cassidy. There was a ridiculous weight to them, and I highly doubted she’d be able to lift them past her shins let alone into the car. She had no chance of dragging them out of my truck considering her height only came up to my chest.
She tucked back part of her hair. “Well, I didn’t, I had help.”
Ah. I imagined a woman like her always had help. She wrapped her hands around herself self-consciously, that pink marshmallow-looking jacket clearly doing nothing to keep the chill away. “C’mon,” I instructed with every intention of setting up the fireplace so she wouldn’t freeze to death. Then I really wouldn’t hear the end of it form Lori and my brothers.
It felt strange inviting someone into my space. This little retreat I’d created for myself for over a decade now. No one else had been welcome. And welcome was a stretch even now. It was just one night. I could babysit this little snowflake for one night.