5. Cas
CHAPTER 5
Cas
James moans. “This is absolutely fucking amazing. God, I need five more. Please. ”
Frannie Anderson laughs. “God, you’re hot, an amazing dad, and you’re always willing to try my crazy concoctions, and you actually like them. Why did you have to meet Cas before you came back to Honeysuckle Harbor?”
She casts me a look and I give her a wink.
I know Frannie is teasing James not only because he’s married, but because she thinks he’s only into men.
But he’s actually bi and Frannie is gorgeous and if he had come back to Honeysuckle Harbor single, he probably would’ve taken her up on this not-really kidding offer.
I study my husband across the table as he and Frannie chat. They’ve known each other for years. They’re the same age and went to school together all the way from kindergarten through senior year. I’ve gotten to know both Frannie and her twin sister Fiona and have even met the other triplet, Finley, once since we’ve moved back. Their older brother Ford owns our favorite restaurant, Raw, where we’re having dinner tonight while James’s mother gets her grandson fix.
James is really happy back here in Honeysuckle Harbor. He’s a naturally happy, laid-back guy who makes friends easily wherever he goes, but there has been a change in him since we moved back. He’s more relaxed, he doesn’t worry about things like finances and the crime rate like he did when we first started talking about having kids.
I was very happy to give him this small town life when we finally decided to start a family.
I would do anything for him.
There is truly only one drawback to living here.
Small town life, especially small town life where he grew up and knows everyone, has put the kibosh on one part of our lifestyle.
James and I both like women.
We’re in love with each other and very happily married, and we have an amazing sex life, but we’ve always enjoyed bringing women into our bedroom from time to time.
It was something we did when we first started dating and we easily made it work with adventurous women in the city who were happy to be a one-night or even weekend-long third. They were never relationships, but we definitely liked the women and even had a couple over the years who we hooked up with regularly.
It’s been a fun, consensual part of our relationship from the beginning and has actually brought us closer as a couple.
And we’re both missing it since we moved here.
We agreed coming to Honeysuckle Harbor would end all of that. Having a situation like that in this town would be far too complicated.
It’s fine. We’re very happy and our sex life is great. As great as two working new dads to a three-month-old can be.
We’re a very typical couple in every way.
It’s just a little like no longer being able to get salted caramel cold foam on my iced caramel lattes. They’re still amazing without it, but that extra sweetness on top just makes it a little more fun sometimes.
“Caroline said she’s living with you and Fiona right now,” James says as I tune back into their conversation.
After reminding myself that Frannie is not an option for a third with us, no matter how gorgeous and funny and sexy she is.
“She is,” Frannie says. “It’s been really fun having her back. She said she stopped over and saw you today.”
Yes, this is the fifth time James has mentioned Caroline tonight.
The Caroline.
He told me his old friend had stopped by to say hello and meet Noah. Apparently, she’s been out of the country for several years and is back in town just for a few months between jobs.
James told me it was great to catch up with her. He told me they had a great afternoon and that Caroline will be nannying for our neighbor Grayson. He also told me that he hired her to work part-time at the gym.
I have heard a lot about Caroline.
Add that to my previous knowledge about Caroline and I find this very interesting. Caroline isn’t just one of James’s old friends from high school, like Frannie or Fiona.
No, Caroline is an ex. She and James dated, and she’s probably the most serious girlfriend he’s ever had. She was also his first.
And I can’t help but notice the way my husband’s eyes light up a little and the extra tilt to his mouth when he smiles, talking about her.
“It would be so fun for all of us to get together,” Frannie says. “We’ll have to set something up.”
“That would be awesome,” James agrees. “I definitely want her to meet Cas.” He looks over at me with a smile.
I lift my tumbler of scotch. I really want to meet Caroline too.
Because she’s important to James and they have history. But also because I have an idea forming.
Frannie moves off, returning to the kitchen. She’s a pastry chef here at the restaurant so not free to stand and chat for too long.
James turns back to me, his smile warm and wide.
“I love seeing you happy like this,” I tell him.
He picks up his water glass and takes a long drink. “I had a great day.”
He’s also mentioned that three times now.
I smile. “I’m glad. Sounds like it was eventful.”
He chuckles. “It was. Wait until you see Grayson with Evelyn. He’s a mess. But it’s kind of adorable.” He leans in. “I’m sorry. I know you’ve seen Grayson and Evelyn together. I just mean, now that Caroline is going to be right next door and around more, I’ll be seeing more of her, and that probably means more of Grayson, too.”
“Not to mention she’s now an employee,” I say, fighting my smile.
He really has no idea how much he’s talked about all of them. We’ve met Grayson and his daughter before this, of course, but haven’t spent time with them. It seems now that James is enamored with little Evelyn as well.
James gives me a sheepish look. “I’m sorry I didn’t wait and run the idea of hiring Caroline past you before I said something to her.”
I shake my head. “It’s your gym. You don’t have to run those decisions past me. She’s your friend. If you want her around while she’s here in town, that’s cool with me.“
“It’s not just that, though it was great to see her and I’m looking forward to spending time with her,” James says. He chews on his bottom lip and then says, “I have to confess that it’s been a little tougher to juggle all the business stuff and Noah than I thought it would be. The idea of having someone else around to help feels really nice.”
Fuck. He’s been doing an amazing job with Noah and everything while I’m driving to Charleston every day. I don’t want him to get burned out. I’m the primary breadwinner and we agreed that he’d be more of a stay-at-home dad here in the beginning, but I don’t want him overwhelmed.
I reach over and take his hand, stroking my thumb over the back of his knuckles. “You’re doing an amazing job. You have my full support, no matter what you want or need. If you want to wait on the gym until Noah is older?—”
“No. The gym is great. I love it. And everybody coming in is telling me how much they love it. Plus, it’s something I can do with Noah as he grows.”
I was lucky to be taken on by the practice in Charleston, and only have a thirty-minute commute, but my hours are often long, and James is definitely left with the heavy lifting on the baby end of things. “We could hire a nanny, like Grayson did.”
James laughs. “Maybe I’ll ask Caroline if she just wants to watch Noah and Evelyn together.”
“That would leave her with very little free time,” I say.
He turns his hand over so our palms rest against one another. “True. I assume while she’s in town, she wants to have a life and have some fun, too.”
Yes. I would assume so, too. In fact, I hope so.
Caroline is obviously James’s type. They have a past. She’s only in town temporarily.
She might be the perfect thing I can give my husband to show him how much I appreciate him and that not everything in our life has to feel different and turned upside down.
Or at least maybe we can have some fun and work off some stress in the midst of everything that’s turned upside down.
We definitely look like two nice guys who fell in love, got married, had an adorable little boy, and are now starting a business, putting down roots, and becoming part of a small town community.
But just like I’ve got tattoos under my very nice suit sleeves and a motorcycle in my garage, behind our closed bedroom door, we really love to have a dirty good time.
“So when can I meet Caroline?” I ask.
“Probably whenever you’re free. She’s going to be over at Grayson’s a lot,” James says. “And even though she told him that she’s going to make him do the night shift on his own, I think she’s going to feel sorry for him—or maybe for Evelyn—and show up really early and end up staying late.”
I nod. “That’s great. I’ll try to get home early tomorrow night so you can introduce us. I’m looking forward to meeting her.”
James smiles. “I think you’re really going to like her.”
Yeah, I think I’m really going to too.
Caroline Bell might just be exactly what we need.