Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
K asi sat at the kitchen table, staring at the figures in her hands, trying to ignore the way her fingers trembled slightly. She’d spent the past few days reading everything she could about fall crops, trying to determine which produce would be the best to plant now in hopes of recouping some of the money lost after missing the spring planting. In addition to choosing a crop, she needed to find a buyer for it, needed to decide how many acres to plant, and then she needed to find the money to buy the seed.
She groaned and put her head down on her arms, her mind swimming with too many numbers and too many “what-ifs.” What if she picked the wrong crop? What if she couldn’t sell it? What if this was the wrong thing to invest her family’s money in? What if she hit the point where she couldn’t afford to pay the Riley brothers?
She wished—for the millionth time—she’d taken more of an interest in the farm back when her mother was still alive. She wished she’d engaged Mama in conversations about the running of the farm because now she was left with precious little information to guide her decisions. Her mother was truly one of the most intelligent people Kasi had ever known. So smart in fact that she rarely wrote things down. Mama hadn’t left behind a bunch of notes about the farm’s processes or plans because they were all in her head, and that was enough.
It was why Kasi had spent a large part of the spring trying to piece together which distributors supplied them with seeds and fertilizer, as well as which vendors they sold their produce to. Kasi had a working knowledge of the local vendors because part of her chores included deliveries, but she hadn’t been fully clued in on their larger purchasers.
She was tempted to call Levi to ask his opinion, but she knew he was busy. He was knee-deep in the grape harvest, and she hated to keep dumping her problems in his lap. In two short weeks with him, she’d let herself get far too used to letting him handle things around the farm, and she refused to keep doing that.
She’d started the conversation with her father about crops this morning over breakfast, but the topic had sent him to a dark place, as he said those decisions had been Mama’s. Then he’d risen from the table, his food untouched and tears in his eyes.
Losing Mama hadn’t just broken her father’s heart; it had stolen every ounce of his desire to live. He was floundering without her, unable to put himself back together. Kasi wished she could find a way to help him, but she was struggling with their new existence as well.
She glanced at the clock, aware her depression wasn’t simply driven by Daddy’s relapse or her stress over the farm. It was because she hadn’t seen Levi today. He’d called earlier to tell her they’d had a problem with the destemmer, and it would set them back if it wasn’t repaired quickly. He and Jace planned to work on it once it was too dark to pick grapes.
She smiled when she thought of Jace. The sweet guy had stopped by yesterday afternoon when she was working at the fruit stand to bring her a sandwich. Said he’d needed to run some errands in town and thought she might be hungry.
Two days before that, Theo had dropped off some of Rain or Shine’s new pumpkin ale for her dad to try, along with her favorite salted caramel cookies, claiming he’d swiped them from his mom’s kitchen while they were still warm.
This morning, Everett had shown up to look at her computer, simply because she’d mentioned to Levi that it had been glitching and she was afraid she’d downloaded a virus. Everett had done a scan, removed the malware, then uploaded virus protection software for her. She’d been incredibly touched by their kind gestures and help.
Despite harvest time kicking into overdrive, she and Levi had still had dinner together every night this past week. They’d eat together—either here or at Levi’s—sometimes with Daddy and Keith, sometimes alone.
Then, every other day, Levi would stick around to help her prepare baked goods for the stand. She loved working in the kitchen with him. He would turn on the radio, the two of them singing along as they baked. They’d steal kisses and talk about their day.
Last night, Levi had run his finger along the edge of the mixing bowl, collecting some of the leftover icing from the cakes he’d made. He’d placed a little of the sugary frosting on her lips, bending lower to kiss it off. She wasn’t sure how he’d managed to make a “sweet” kiss so absolutely sinful. After that, he’d pushed his finger—the one with the rest of the icing—between her lips, growling in that sexy way of his as she sucked it clean.
While their baking nights were fun, it was the other nights, their “off nights,” as Levi had taken to calling them, that were her absolute favorites. Following dinner, Levi would lead her to the living room, where they’d push each other to the edge of their control, kissing and touching. Every night, he’d bring her to climax with his talented fingers, stroking her clit, filling her pussy with them. She’d never considered herself a sexual person. Sure, she was no stranger to masturbation, but it wasn’t like she did it nightly or even weekly. Hell, before Levi, she didn’t feel the need to come more than once every month or two.
Now, it was as if he’d released a rabid beast inside her. Her body was in a constant simmering state, and all it took was one touch from him to bring her to full boil. And she now needed those orgasms nightly. Like, NEEDED.
She tried to tell herself it was because the orgasms helped her fall asleep quickly and sleep more deeply, but that was total bullshit. The truth was, she craved that moment when it felt like her spirit was leaving her body, floating on a cloud of sheer bliss. The lifetime of orgasms she’d given herself were lukewarm in comparison to the way Levi made her feel.
With just one finger.
Levi had insisted he wouldn’t take things between them to the next level until they had the time to do it right…in private. But given the craziness that was their lives, she was afraid that opportunity would never present itself.
And while she was oh-so ready for a physical relationship with him, she was still struggling to believe this was all real. Kasi wasn’t sure if her lack of belief was because she’d spent too many years living under the shadow of an unfulfilled crush. She’d worked hard to convince herself nothing would ever happen between her and Levi as a way of managing expectations, and apparently she’d done such a good job. She couldn’t dismiss all those very good reasons she’d had for why they wouldn’t work as a couple.
She also couldn’t let go of the fact that neither she nor Levi had ever been in a long-term relationship. How on earth could he be so damn sure about them after two weeks when he’d never had a relationship last that long? Part of her, the self-preservation part, worried that perhaps Levi was trying to convince himself this was love at first sight because he was so determined to have a relationship like his parents’.
What if he was trying to shape this into something he wanted because the woman he dreamed of meeting hadn’t presented herself yet? He was thirty-seven, and if what he said about not intentionally choosing to remain a bachelor was true, maybe his actions and words were based simply on the desire to be married.
Maybe his clock was ticking. Did guys have clocks?
Even if none of that was the case, the thirteen years that separated them still loomed as a potential issue in her mind. She told Levi the age difference between them didn’t matter, and from her perspective, it didn’t. But that didn’t mean she wasn’t worried he’d come to his senses sooner rather than later when he realized just how young and inexperienced she was. How could she hope to keep a virile man like Levi satisfied?
And, as a fun cherry on top of all her reasons to slow this train down, there was the financial burdens that sat on her shoulders like a two-ton weight. If she didn’t figure out a solution to their problems soon…
Kasi rubbed her eyes. She’d thought the fact she was sleeping better—and longer—would help her face her anxieties, but it seemed the more well-rested she became, the better able she was to see just how fucked-up everything seemed.
Something needed to give, but damn if she knew what. She couldn’t keep living with this unending pressure on her chest. She glanced at the Crock-Pot but didn’t rise because she wasn’t hungry. Her stomach was tied too tightly in knots.
Levi would give her holy hell if he knew she’d skipped dinner. She’d made her father a tray earlier, delivering it to him without even bothering to invite him to eat with her, too worried she’d transfer some of her depressed feelings to him.
Before she could get up and force herself to fix a bowl of the chili she’d made, there was a knock at the door. Her heart skipped a few beats as she hastily rose, rushing to the front door.
Maybe Levi managed to fix the destemmer more quickly than he’d anticipated.
She stumbled a step or two when she entered the foyer and saw Scottie standing on the front porch. If he weren’t looking right at her, she probably would have immediately retreated to the kitchen, hiding there in hopes he would think no one was home.
Kasi opened the door and gave him what she hoped passed for a friendly smile.
“Hello, Scottie.”
“Kasi,” he said, nodding his head once before glancing over her shoulder, clearly waiting for an invitation to enter.
“Would you like to come in?” she begrudgingly asked, even though she knew he was here about the back taxes again, and she was no closer to paying them this week than she’d been two weeks earlier. She had, however, just tonight come up with the proposal for a payment plan that she hoped would work.
Scottie stepped inside, looking around the house with a crinkled nose like he thought the place smelled bad. It occurred to her that, despite being neighbors for twenty years, Scottie had never been inside her house, all their meetings since the fall occurring at the fruit stand.
She glanced toward the stairway, hoping Daddy didn’t come down. Keith was still working outside, but she knew he was likely to come in at any moment. She didn’t want either of them to see her talking to the mayor. It was bad enough she was freaking out over their lack of money. She wasn’t about to saddle her father or brother with the same stress.
“If you’re here about the personal property taxes—” she began. If this was any other person than Scottie, she would have taken them to the living room and offered them a drink. But as it was, she wanted him out of here as quickly as possible.
“I am,” he interjected. “I was thinking perhaps we could discuss them over dinner tonight.”
“I’ve already eaten,” she lied.
Scottie leaned closer. “Then how about dessert?”
God, he said dessert suggestively, like he considered himself a sweet treat.
“Tonight’s not a good night. I still need to do a lot of baking for the stand.”
Scottie’s jaw clenched. He really didn’t like being rejected.
“I’ve been crunching the numbers,” she hastily said, trying to change the subject. “And I’m going to call Herb tomorrow to see about setting up a payment plan.”
Scottie didn’t reply at first, but given his frown and the way his lips were pursed tightly, she could tell he was about to discard the suggestion.
“We would only need about six months,” she continued. “A year at most. We’re going to start planting carrots, and once we sell the yield from that?—”
“I hate to burst your bubble, Kasi, but the town council voted a few years ago to do away with payment plans because too many people were taking advantage of them. Herb couldn’t agree to that even if he wanted to.”
“Oh.”
“As I said, the town is only able to function as well as it does due to the tax money we collect. This isn’t the kind of thing you can nickel or dime your way out of, Kasi. Plus, you didn’t just miss one year. You missed two.”
“I know, but?—”
“I’ve spent some time considering your dilemma, trying to figure out a way I could help you. We have been neighbors for nearly two decades, after all.”
Kasi wasn’t sure how to reply to that. They may have lived next door to each other for nearly two decades, but Scottie had always struck her as the kind of guy who wouldn’t spit on a person if they were dying of thirst, and she’d never seen any trace of neighborly concern from the man prior to last fall. Which was when he’d started stopping by the stand, giving her that smarmy smile he thought was flirty and charming but actually made her skin crawl. Counting tonight, he had asked her out a dozen times and alluded to marriage a few times, which she’d flat-out discounted.
She’d always turned down his invitations to a date, claiming she was too busy with chores, which was true.
“Okay,” she said, wondering—and almost hoping—he was proposing a loan because that would be preferable to marrying the idiot. Of course, knowing him, it would most likely be one of those high-interest loans that only benefited him because she could totally see Gracemont’s mayor in the role of loan shark, shaking people down for more cash. Which would only land them in deeper financial trouble farther down the road.
“The perfect solution is still staring us both in the face because it’s something that will solve not only your problem but one of mine as well.”
The look he was suddenly giving her had her stomach twisting itself in knots because she knew where this was going. She shook her head. “No.”
“Yes. You and I will get married.”
Kasi had a bad habit of laughing when she was nervous. The bark of laughter that followed his proposal was completely the wrong response and she knew it the second it happened.
Scottie’s smile faded and his eyes turned black with anger. “You think that’s funny?”
“No, I don’t,” she hastened to say. Then she searched for some excuse for the laugh and came up with nothing.
“I wouldn’t joke about something as serious as marriage.”
Kasi was out of her league in this conversation because…
What. The. Fuck.
“I know you wouldn’t. It’s just marriage seems like a rather extreme step to take. We’re not in a relationship.”
“And whose fault is that? I’ve asked you out countless times.”
It was on the tip of her tongue to point out that a man with half a brain, who was a hell of a lot less narcissistic would have figured out by now that she wasn’t interested in him. Scottie unfortunately possessed all the ego and none of the smarts.
“It’s the perfect answer,” he pressed on. “Our farms adjoin. After you and I wed, we simply tear down the fence and make one big farm. By joining your family’s land together with mine, Grover’s Farm would become the largest farm in the county.”
Kasi didn’t like the way he used the words “after you and I wed,” like it was a foregone conclusion that the nuptials would happen. She also didn’t know why the combined land suddenly became Grover’s Farm instead of Lucky Penny Farm.
“But your family doesn’t farm your land,” she pointed out. “You breed horses.”
“That’s right. And we hope to extend our business to include training as well. In order to do that, we need more land.”
“But we need our land for crops,” Kasi countered.
“And yet you failed to plant anything this spring in the fields that burned. All that land is just sitting there doing nothing.”
“My mom died!” Kasi spat out, hating the way Scottie put her on the defensive, the way he spoke to her like she was an idiot.
Condescending prick.
“I know that, sweetheart.”
“I’m not your sweetheart.”
Scottie sighed, like she was being the irrational one here. “I’m not blaming you or insinuating you’ve done anything wrong. A cute little thing like you shouldn’t have to worry about such things.”
She was two seconds away from kicking this misogynistic asshole in the nuts.
“But the fact is, your family is in financial trouble,” he continued. “You understand how serious failure to pay is, right? Your home and the land are facing foreclosure.”
Nausea clogged Kasi’s throat at the thought of losing the farm. Her father had spent his entire life here. Hell, he’d been born in the bedroom where he was currently sleeping.
Losing Mama had nearly destroyed him.
Losing his home?
God. There would be no coming back from that.
“Foreclosure,” she whispered, the word tasting like poison on her lips.
“Yes. But that danger goes away if you marry me because I’ll pay the tax bill. And then, you don’t have to worry about planting anything ever again. I promise there’s far more money in horses than in the crops you sell. And the best part is, your brother and father could still live here.”
“And the fruit stand?” It was a stupid question because the second she asked it, she could tell Scottie viewed it as her agreement.
“Kasi, once we start having children, you’ll be too busy to run that stand. Besides, you won’t need to. I have more than enough money to support us.”
“No.” There were so many vomit-inducing words in this conversation, she wasn’t sure she could hold the bile back.
“This is the only solution. You must see that.”
She didn’t see that at all, but she was struggling to find ways to reject him without saying some really rude words. While she had no intention of marrying the asshole, she wasn’t sure just how vindictive the man might become.
Scottie must have confused her silence for consideration of his proposal because he continued to make what he must’ve thought was an excellent case. “You’ll move into my wing in the family home.”
Oh, of course. Because there was nothing more inviting than marrying a thirty-year-old man who still lived with his mommy and daddy.
“And your father and brother will be right next door, so you can visit them whenever you want. Your dad can keep a garden, and I know your brother is fond of animals. Perhaps he’d want to start working for me and my dad with the horses. There are always stalls to clean out.”
Suuuuuure. Keith would definitely sign up to shovel shit on the Grover’s Farm.
Kasi wanted to reject the idea outright, but her head was still swimming in numbers. Too many numbers. All starting with negative signs.
Foreclosure was no longer something looming out there in the distance. Scottie had pulled it out, plopped it in front of her, and made it a reality.
Hopelessness washed through her. “I think I’d prefer to talk to Herb first…about the payment plan.”
“He’ll say no,” Scottie insisted with such conviction, she couldn’t help but believe him. “Marriage is an extreme answer.”
“This is a very generous offer, Kasi. Do you know how many women would jump at the chance to be Gracemont’s First Lady?” Scottie scowled, annoyed that she wasn’t rushing to accept and kissing his feet for making the offer.
He’d been an insufferable asshole before becoming mayor. Now, his haughty arrogance and pompous self-worth were off the charts.
“I’m sure there are, but I still need to explore other options first.”
Scottie sniffed. “Don’t take too long.”
She nodded, certain no other ten-minute conversation in her life had ever left her so completely drained, especially when he bent forward and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
Scottie turned and showed himself out. She heard muffled male voices outside, and then the door opened again. For a split second, she was afraid Scottie had changed his mind on giving her time, so she was relieved when Keith walked in. Even if he was scowling at her.
“Why was the mayor here?” The amount of disdain lacing the word mayor proved her brother felt exactly the same way she did about Scottie.
Kasi blanked for a second, then came up with a lie. A lame one, but it was the best she could do. “His mom wanted a recipe. I copied it down for him.”
Keith stared at her, and she forced herself to hold his gaze because if he didn’t buy that lie, she didn’t have the brain capacity to come up with another.
Mercifully, Keith shrugged, then came at her from a different angle. “Where’s your boyfriend?”
Kasi sighed. “What’s your problem with Levi?”
He scoffed. “I don’t like how he thinks he’s in charge around here, acting like my father. FYI, Kass. I have one of those.”
“At least he’s helping out, contributing something.”
“Are you saying I’m not?” Keith fired back. “I just spent a week fixing the fucking fence.”
“And would you have done that if Levi hadn’t told you to?” She was tired of tiptoeing around Keith’s bad attitude.
“You know what?” he said, storming by her. “Fuck this. And fuck you .”
He punctuated those words by stomping upstairs then slamming his bedroom door.
Yeah. Fuck her.
Kasi started to drag herself to the kitchen, intent on cleaning up dinner and putting the food away. She’d just lost her appetite in a very big way.
She wasn’t two steps inside the kitchen when there was another knock at the door.
“Grand Central Station tonight,” she grumbled, ready to send whoever was there, packing. She wasn’t in the mood for any more people-ing tonight.
Or so she thought.
Until she saw Remi smiling at her.
“Remi,” she said, opening the door.
“Hey, bestie. I haven’t seen you in ages. Was that Scottie I just passed coming down the driveway?”
“Yeah.”
“That dick really won’t take a hint, will he?” Remi knew about Scottie’s continual requests for dates—as well as her refusals—but she hadn’t mentioned the marriage talk because before tonight, it had been completely absurd.
“No. He won’t,” she replied.
“How’s your head?”
“Much better,” Kasi replied, touching her brow. The stitches were the dissolvable kind, and considering they were right at her hairline, it was easy to forget they were even there.
“So what’s with the weary face?” Remi knew Kasi better than anyone, the two of them closer than sisters.
“Nothing new. Just the same shit, different day.”
Remi lifted the bottle of wine in her hand. “Damn. Maybe I should have stolen two bottles from the winery.”
Kasi grinned. “Is it really stealing if you own the winery?”
Remi smirked. “The way Nora evil-eyes me every time I help myself sure makes it feel that way.” She started to hand her the bottle, but Kasi shook her head.
“No. You know what? Wine isn’t going to cut it tonight. Nothing short of shots is going to save the day.”
Remi’s eyes widened in excitement. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”
Kasi nodded. “It is Wednesday, isn’t it?”
Remi cheered, pumping one fist in the air. “Hell yeah. Ladies’ night!” Then she looked down at her outfit. “I dressed for wine in your kitchen,” Remi said, as she grabbed Kasi, dragging her toward the stairs. “You’re going to have to loan me a shirt that’s a lot sluttier than this one.”
Kasi laughed, letting herself be pulled along in Remi’s wake.
Remi was just what the doctor ordered.
An hour later, Kasi found herself perched on a tall stool at Whiskey Abbey—Gracemont’s only bar—waiting for Remi to return with their drinks.
She smiled widely when Remi placed four shot glasses on the table between them. “Lemon drops.”
Kasi knew without a doubt she would pay dearly for tonight, but she couldn’t find it in herself to give a shit. She’d hit her limit on crappy days, so for this one night, she was shutting it all out, drinking shots, dancing her ass off, and just fucking letting go. It had been way too long.
She picked up one of the glasses, tapped it against Remi’s, then on the table before tossing back the alcohol. The vodka burned until she popped the sugar-covered lemon slice into her mouth. “Mmm. Mother’s milk,” she joked, feeling the tension in her shoulders loosen for the first time in ages.
“It’s been forever since we’ve been out like this,” Remi said.
Since before Kasi’s mother died.
But that didn’t need to be said. She and her best friend exchanged a sad look, then Remi did what she did best. She found a way to make Kasi forget.
Picking up the second round of shots, she handed one to Kasi. “One more, and then you’re going to tell me what the hell is going on between you and my cousin Levi.”
Kasi giggled. She’d been dying to talk to Remi about the entire Levi situation, but she hadn’t found the time between working her ass off on the farm and in the stand, and making out every night with said cousin.
They did their glass-and table-tapping routine in unison before slamming down the second shots, sucking on the lemons to kill the taste.
“Damn, I needed those,” Kasi said, leaning back in the stool.
Remi waved her hand, calling the waitress over to order two more shots each.
“I’m not sure that’s such a good idea,” Kasi said, after the waitress headed for the bar.
“Sure, Kass. Because if there’s one thing I’m known for, it’s my good ideas,” Remi joked, her comment accurate. What Remi was famous for—and why Kasi adored her so—was her ability to always take things to the most extreme level of fun.
“So,” Remi said, snapping her fingers in Kasi’s face. “Levi deets. Now.”
“A couple of weeks ago, Levi came to pick up his pie. Just like he always does,” Kasi began. “And I passed out.”
Remi frowned. “I thought you passed out in the barn.”
It really had been too long since she’d talked to her best friend. “I passed out twice. The barn was the second time.”
The concern in Remi’s eyes touched her. “Are you okay?”
Kasi nodded. “I’ve been burning the candle at both ends the past few months.” More like eight, but she didn’t say that. “It caught up to me. And then Levi caught me. Literally. I was going down and when I came to, I was on the ground, my head in his lap.”
“I’m glad he was there. You could have been seriously hurt.” Remi’s eyes slid to Kasi’s stitched forehead.
“I know that, and I’m taking better care of myself now. Levi’s orders.”
Remi lit up at that. “His orders, huh?”
“He’s become decidedly bossy when it comes to me.”
“Shit. I swear if this was anyone but one of my cousins, I’d be all over you for every single dirty tidbit, but I’m not sure I want to hear about Levi pulling your hair, smacking your ass, and making you call him daddy.”
Kasi crinkled her nose, laughing, as she reached out to playfully smack Remi’s arm. “Ew. He doesn’t make me call him daddy.”
Remi lifted one eyebrow. “But he pulls your hair and smacks your ass?”
Kasi bit her lip as Remi raised her hand quickly. “No. Fuck. I changed my mind. I don’t want the Levi details. I eat Sunday dinner with that guy.”
Kasi snorted. “Fine. Although there aren’t that many details to share anyway. He’s just helping me out around the farm. And…”
“Aaaaaand?” Remi prompted.
“He calls me little bear, and every night, we make out on the couch like a couple of teenagers who just discovered hormones.”
“Little bear?”
“He says I’m a fighter, that I’m strong. I swear to God, every time he says it, my nipples get hard.”
“Shut. Up!” Remi howled with laughter. “That is so fucking amazing. But…just making out?”
Kasi grimaced. “So far.”
“Which means you’ve still got that V card to play.”
Remi was perfectly aware of Kasi’s lack of bedroom experience, and equally aware of how much Kasi wanted that to change. It was something they’d discussed countless times, always ending with Remi making a list of available “doable” guys in Gracemont and the surrounding towns, while Kasi turned her nose up at pretty much all of them.
Levi had never made the list because, like Kasi, Remi obviously hadn’t seen him as a viable option. Though whether that was based on the age difference or the fact he’d truly never shown any interest, or both, Kasi didn’t know.
“I’m hoping I don’t have my virginity for much longer,” Kasi confided.
Remi squealed with delight. “Oh my fucking God. How awesome would that be?! Losing it to Levi. You’ve had a crush on him forever.”
“And yet he never made your list of potential candidates.”
Remi shrugged. “I figured he’d never go there.”
“Because of the age difference?”
Remi tilted her head. “Maybe. But mostly because he’s a workaholic who’s never really shown much interest in dating anyone seriously.”
“That makes sense because I’m not sure how serious this is. I mean, it’s all very new. I love the things he’s saying.” Kasi grinned.
“Like?”
“Like, I’m his.”
Remi’s eyes widened, and she fanned herself.
“But I’m not letting myself get carried away.”
Remi frowned. “Why not get carried away?”
Kasi shook her head. “There’s such a thing as being out of someone’s league, and then there’s me and Levi. We’re a million miles apart, and I don’t have enough dating experience…or any experience. What if we take things to the next level and he’s…” She paused. “I don’t know. Bored or disappointed or something.”
“That could never happen. You’re smoking hot. Besides, if Levi says you’re his—which, by the way, is so fucking hot—then he means it because my cousin doesn’t lie.”
As far as reassurances went, Remi had hit it out of the ballpark. Because Kasi wanted every single word her best friend had just said to be true.
“That helps,” Kasi said, even though there was a tiny part of herself that told her she needed to hold back on the emotions. And not because of Levi but because of herself. Her life was still a disaster, and it didn’t look like that chaos was going to end anytime soon.
Did she have the right to drag Levi into the middle of all that? Especially if she couldn’t figure out how to pay the bills. Right now, her family was in actual danger of losing their farm and home.
And while Kasi wasn’t considering Scottie’s offer because…gross. That didn’t mean she wasn’t facing some hard decisions…like where they’d go if the farm was foreclosed. The only family they had who would take them in was her mother’s brother, Dave, who lived just outside of Nashville. The idea of uprooting and leaving the only home she’d ever known tied her stomach in knots, but they might not have any other choice.
“So you and Levi are dating?” Remi asked, mercifully pulling Kasi back to the present. There would be plenty of time—too much time—to think about what came next, tomorrow. Tonight was just for her. Shots and girl time and no thinking about the future…or the past. God, she’d missed being this girl. This carefree, happy one without a worry in the world.
“I…I think so,” Kasi said. Neither she nor Levi had really given this thing between them a name, but it sure felt like dating.
“Here you girls go.” The waitress delivered their next rounds of shots.
“Thanks.” Remi picked up one of the glasses, waiting until Kasi followed suit. “Here’s hoping there’s lots of hot, sweaty sex in your very near future.”
Kasi laughed as she tapped her glass against Remi’s. The third shot slid down without burning, the alcohol doing exactly what Kasi needed, melting away all her anxieties.
“Just be a good bestie, and don’t tell me about it,” Remi added with a grin.