33. Cassie
CASSIE
Morning comes too quickly.
While I shower, Tor runs down the street to get us some Krispy Kreme. We’ll eat on the plane, but I was craving something sweet, so we’re having doughnuts before we leave.
He was right about bringing both suitcases.
With what he had waiting for us in the garment bags and all the stuff I bought yesterday, we fill them right up.
I have my pretty new Dior purse hanging from my shoulder.
I keep it with me when we go downstairs, and Tor rolls our suitcases to the back of the Town Car.
I can’t resist snapping one more picture of Times Square while I wait. I decide to share this one on social media even though I didn’t share any of the ones I took yesterday.
Tor comes up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist as I’m typing the caption and glancing at my phone screen. “Ready to go?”
“Yep,” I say, adding an apple emoji to my post before I tap Share. “All done.”
The flight home is another short one, but we’re in the first class cabin again, so we do get to eat. It’s a little later, so we don’t get breakfast. Instead, we order the kale and quinoa salad with grilled chicken. I don’t expect it to be very good, but it’s actually delicious and quite refreshing.
I’m not eager to return to Holbrook, but I am happy to get back to my apartment.
Over the past year, home hasn’t been a sanctuary where I could hole up and be safe and insulated from the world.
At times—and often unpredictably—home was just another battlefield.
Having my own place to go home to now, somewhere that’s peaceful and stable like I need it to be, makes living here a little easier.
Tor stays over Sunday night, but I’m closing Monday, and he has dinner with his parents, so we don’t see each other all day. I take Shaley the frog-face thing I got her at the Line store, and as I thought she would, she absolutely loves it.
Tuesday comes and goes, and I close again on Wednesday.
Tor comes over. We shower together, then curl up and watch a movie on the couch. The movie loses my interest about halfway through, but that’s the fault of his wandering hands.
When we climb into bed for the night, he’s already fucked me, so I don’t expect him to do it again, but when he pulls me into the little spoon position and my ass wiggles against him, his hands can’t seem to stay away from my tits. Then one is sliding between my legs, his fingers invading my pussy.
After I come, I’m so needy and grateful. I roll over and snuggle close, draping my leg over his. “I love you,” I say softly, my lips lightly grazing his throat because I just need to touch him.
He always needs to touch me. His fingers trail down my back lightly enough that tingles dance across my skin. “I love you, too.”
I smile, closing my eyes, absolutely content.
“I need to ask you something,” he says.
My smile widens helplessly. I’m dazed from the orgasm and also sleepy, so I tell him, “You’ve picked a fine time.”
His mouth quirks slightly, but he must be serious because it’s not much of a smile.
“Is everything okay?” I ask, my mind going to the case, even though the threat of that seems to be over.
“Yeah,” he says, catching my hand and kissing it. “But I need to ask you a favor, and while you may not want to… I need you to say yes.”
“What is it?”
“Will you have dinner with me and my parents tomorrow?”
My jaw unhinges. I make a noise as if to speak, but no language passes my lips.
I knew I would have to meet them eventually, but I was hoping we could put it off for… I don’t know, a few more years.
“It’s important,” he tells me. “And I’ve already talked to them about being nice.”
“It’s… it’s so soon, Tor.”
“I know.” He nods supportively. “Trust me, I wish we had better timing, but as you may know, my family has a huge Fourth of July party at the lake house every year. This one was already planned and paid for before Tim died. I thought they might cancel this year anyway, given the timing, but they’re not canceling.
And that means… I need you to come to the party with me this weekend, but that shouldn’t be the first time you meet them. ”
The hits just keep coming. “So, wait a minute. You need me to come to dinner to meet your family tomorrow, and then you want me to attend their party this weekend? That’s not one favor.”
He makes a face. “It would also be nice if you would make something to bring to the party. My mom… she likes personal touches.”
I have not managed to pick my jaw up for more than a second since he began talking. “My god, the audacity.”
“I know,” he says, locking his arms tighter around my waist and tugging me closer. “I’m shameless. But will you do it anyway? For me?”
I knew I would have to offer some kind of olive branch to Tor’s family if we really are going to have a long-term relationship, but despite the wedding talk and the I love yous, I still don’t know about our future.
And to be perfectly honest, the fact that he’s a package deal with them is a factor to consider.
Do I want Tim’s parents to be the grandparents of my children?
No.
And he swears I don’t know them, that I’ll see a different side of them, but frankly, I don’t care if they’re capable of being pleasant people. That’s not the issue.
They’re also perfectly fine with protecting their rapist son and destroying his victim in order to do it. They aren’t good people.
They aren’t people I want relationships with.
But Tor is, and as I look into the blue eyes he is currently weaponizing against me, I know that he’s more persistent than I am mean. Eventually, he will win this battle, and I doubt I’ll ever feel ready, so I should probably just meet them and get it over with.
“Fine. I’ll agree to the dinner tomorrow, but I’m not agreeing to anything else until we clear that hurdle. If the dinner is a crash and burn, then I tried, but…”
“That’s completely fair. More than fair.” He grins, leaning in to kiss me. “Thank you.”
I pout, but I let him kiss me. “What do I wear to dinner with the Walters family? Chain mail?”
“Something girly. A sundress.”
“Are you serious?”
He nods. “You should wear the sandals I bought you, too. If you can find an apron…” At my look of horror, he laughs. “I’m sorry, the last one’s a joke.”
I shove him, but I have to bite back a smile. “You were about to hear so much shit.”
His amusement lingers, and he looks so happy that I feel bad for the dread I’m feeling. “They’re traditional, but not that traditional. I told you my mom’s part-time job is getting spa treatments. She’s not a bang maid.”
“Well, you also said your dad was her full-time job, so I wasn’t sure.”
“I meant emotional labor, not an abundance of housework. We hire people for that.”
I roll my eyes. “Fucking patricians.”
He smirks.
“Was the sundress a joke, too?” I ask.
“The sundress was not a joke. It’ll make you look nicer.”
“That’s… Why do I like you?”
His smirk returns. “I know you’re nice, but we need to convince them. We should use visual aids if they’ll help our cause. For the past year, you’ve been a thorn in their side. Let’s show them the petals.”
Dramatically, I break free of his grip and inch away, flopping down on my back with a sigh. “I despise this with every fiber of my being.”
“It’ll be worth it, I promise.”
I look over at him. “Can I go shopping to buy this costume? I doubt I have anything suitable for wooing your parents.”
“Of course. Buy whatever you want. I added you as an authorized user on my credit card. Yours isn’t here yet, but you can take mine. I’ll leave it on the counter before I slip out in the morning.”
“Can I bring Shaley?”
“Of course. Buy her something, too.”
“Shopping in New York was fun. This is less fun, but… maybe more bearable with a friend.”
He kisses my shoulder, sliding his arms back around me. “And your boyfriend will immensely appreciate it.”
I smile. “Boyfriend.”
He smirks, leaning in to tenderly kiss my lips. “Girlfriend.”
“I don’t like anything else you’ve said tonight, but I do like that.”
He chuckles, and I let him pull me close. He knows all my weaknesses, and he exploits one now, lavishing his kisses on my pouty lips, peppering them across my bare shoulder.
Maybe meeting his parents won’t be so bad, I tell myself, but I don’t believe it.
After all, I’m not as convincing a liar as Tor is.
___
The following day, I text Shaley and ask her to go to hell with me.
“Oh. I don’t think I want to go there. Can we go somewhere else?” she texts back.
I crack a smile. “Fine, how about helping me decide what to wear for my visit?”
“I would recommend something light. Bring a neck fan if possible.”
“Tor wants me to go shopping with his credit card. I need an outfit to wear to officially meet his family,” I explain. “I thought you might be up for helping me spend some of his money.”
“Ooh, I am up for that,” she texts back. “I have to work at four, though.”
“And I have to go to hell around six, so we’ll be back in plenty of time.”
I pick her up in Tor’s Lexus and buy us smoothies for the car ride. Tor’s sister recommended a boutique where I might find what he wants me to wear, so I pop the address in my GPS and let it guide me.
“So, what are we looking for, exactly?” Shaley asks, tossing her empty smoothie cup before we head inside.
“I think if it looks like I’m going yachting or spending the day on a beach in the Hamptons, we’re probably on the right track.”
“Luxurious,” she says. “Beachy.”
“Feminine,” I add. “Big glasses, maybe a sun hat. I don’t know, I’m creating a character here.”
Shaley smiles. “Shouldn’t you just be yourself?”
“No, I’ve done that already. Was not a hit,” I say, running my hand along a blue-and-white-striped maxi dress that would definitely suit a background character on White Lotus. “Do you like this one?”
“I do,” she says, pulling out the skirt to look at it. “It definitely needs a sun hat.”
“And big sunglasses. See, we’re on the right track. We’ve got this.”
“I would actually wear a lot of these,” she says, looking around. “These dresses are so cute.”
“Pick one out,” I tell her. “Tor said to get something for yourself.”
She brightens. “Really?”
I nod. “Go to town. He doesn’t look at price tags, so I’m pretty sure you can get whatever you want.”
While Shaley browses, I pick up a blue dress that’s kinda cute. Maybe I should get this too, in case I end up going to their Fourth of July thing. Then again, this white one’s adorable…
I do a little browsing of my own, grabbing a few things to try on.
I’ll probably text Tor pictures for a final verdict when I’m in the dressing room, but I also pick up a pretty pink-and-white dress with flutter sleeves that I’m not going to show him.
I know he’ll like it, so I grab that for a future date night—assuming this week of parental meetings doesn’t break us up.
“I found it,” Shaley says, holding up a floral minidress of her own. “Unfortunately, I also found this pink flamingo purse, and it matches perfectly…”
“Nothing unfortunate about that,” I tell her. “Looks like a cute outfit. You need pink sunglasses to really finish the look.”
“I’ll try it on to make sure it looks as cute on me as it does on the hanger,” she says wryly, glancing at the three dresses I’ve already pulled. “I see you’ve found a few things.”
“I really hope there are sun hats. I have my heart set on one now.”
Shaley grins. “Come take a look at the accessories. I think you’ll like what you see.”