Chapter 3 #2
Jake scooped up the hefty cat and carried him to the massive brown leather sofa, where a makeshift throne built from a cat bed, one of Drea’s creations, sat on one end.
When Drea finished making the popcorn, she joined the boys on the sofa, placing a goblet of apple juice in front of Jake followed by a goblet of Malbec for her. Jake already had the next Game of Thrones episode cued up on the large flat-screen TV.
As engrossed as she usually was with the show, Drea’s thoughts kept drifting to Cassie, especially their interaction at the printer earlier that week.
She hadn’t been sure why she had opened up a little to Cassie.
Maybe it was the disarmingly sexy way she had whispered to her.
She knew Cassie wasn’t trying to be sexy, which made it all the more so.
In the short time she had been around Cassie, Cassie didn’t seem to have any idea how incredible her brown eyes were or how her bold lipstick made her skin look like porcelain, the kind you ached to touch.
Drea noticed these things. She was nothing if not a fan of women.
It was natural she would notice things about Cassie.
What she wasn’t prepared for was the jolt to her senses that Cassie’s proximity incited.
Though she had been with many women—okay, many, many women—very few made her feel anything beyond a fun encounter.
But why did it have to be Cassie of all people?
One of the only people she ever had her guard up against. She still wasn’t sure why that was, more a gut feeling than any formal reason.
Was it jealousy over Cassie’s relationship with Sam?
Drea wasn’t normally the jealous type, but Sam was family, more so than her actual family, so maybe different rules applied in this situation.
Drea sighed and ruffled her hair, trying to shake the thoughts from her mind.
Jake stirred next to her.
“Bathroom break?” she asked.
“Okay.” Jake raised the bowl from his lap. “And more popcorn.”
Drea grabbed the bowl and headed for the kitchen. “A boy after my own heart.”
A couple of hours later, they were on the third episode of the night, having only stopped mid-second episode to refill their goblets. Drea and Jake huddled together, the popcorn growing stale in the bowl resting between them, as they stared at the screen, entranced.
“That’s who I want to be for Halloween.”
Drea blinked, returning to the real world for a moment. “Jon Snow?”
Jake nodded. “Yeah!”
“How come?”
“Because he’s strong and he has honor.” Jake grabbed a piece of popcorn and munched on it. “And he’s good-looking.” He grinned.
“Sounds good to me.” Drea grabbed a handful of popcorn.
“Do you think my mom would say yes?”
The slight hesitation in Jake’s voice tugged at her heartstrings.
“Leave it to me. I got you.” She’d have to maneuver that one delicately to keep Sam from knowing what they watched together, but she figured she could be vague enough to get the costume idea across without enough detail to concern Sam.
Besides, the huge grin on Jake’s face was worth it.
They settled back in, and as the screeches of a dragon and eerie music started to play, Drea’s hand instinctively moved toward Jake’s face, covering his eyes.
He spread her fingers to peek between them.
Even Pickles’ eyes opened from his nap, apparently sensing the lack of oxygen in the room.
The dragon leaned toward Jon Snow with a mouth full of teeth that would inspire anyone to see a dentist. Drea felt her eyes widen and held her breath, hoping Jake’s favorite character wasn’t about to get disemboweled.
Just as the dragon growled, the intercom buzzer filled the apartment.
Jake and Drea both jumped, sending the bowl of popcorn flying as kernels rained down on the sofa and hardwood floor.
Drea grabbed her chest. “Je-sus Christ!”
She glanced at Jake who was also breathing heavily. “You OK?”
He nodded.
She tousled his hair, and they both looked at the TV screen to see Jon Snow petting the dragon. Phew. She quickly turned off the TV and turned back to Jake. “Can you clean up the popcorn while I get the door?”
Jake nodded eagerly and hopped off the sofa, getting to work as Drea headed to the door.
She unlocked it, then walked back to Jake.
They held each other’s gaze as each placed their fist against their chest and mimed locking their lips and dropping the key, the sacred sign of Drake’s Lair, what they affectionately called Drea’s living room, a mishmash of their names.
Sam opened the front door, catching Drea’s eye.
“Hey,” Drea exclaimed. “Great timing!”
Drea needed to get out and clear her head a bit, and since she had been on Jake duty Friday, it had been a low-key weekend so far. On Sunday evening, she decided to head to Rosie’s.
The crowd at Rosie’s was a lot more chill than on Friday nights. A smattering of patrons sat at booths, drinking and chatting, and a few played pool. The lighting was like a typical bar rather than a nightclub. It seemed like a different place.
As much as she tried, Drea couldn’t get Cassie out of her mind.
She had to admit that Cassie’s sincerity about her art had been appreciated.
Maybe she had been wrong to put up a wall with Cassie.
After all, it wasn’t her fault Sam relied on her.
It was just hard not being the main person Sam turned to anymore, personally or professionally.
Drea got a beer at the bar and walked up to two women at one of the pool tables. “I’ll play the winner next.” They looked at her, then at each other and smiled.
“Okay.”
She leaned against the wall watching them play.
Her eye was drawn to a booth in the corner of the bar where a head of lilac hair caught her attention.
Could it be? What were the odds? The woman across the table facing her looked like the same woman Cassie had been dancing with the other night.
She was attractive and they seemed to be in a lively conversation.
Drea absently wondered if they were a couple.
“Sucker!” One of the women at the pool table had clearly won and was rubbing her friend’s nose in it. Drea sipped her beer and sauntered over to them.
“You ready to play?” There was a slight flirtation in her voice and the woman gulped.
“Kick her ass,” the friend said, but it was directed at Drea, not her friend.
“Hey,” the friend frowned and turned around, “you’re supposed to root for me.”
“Not with that cheap shot you just pulled.” She caught Drea’s gaze. “Make her pay.”
Drea chuckled. “Alrighty.”
About halfway through their game, Drea was winning easily, and the friend of her opponent was enjoying every second of the beating.
She lined up her next shot, but just as she was about to shoot, she saw Cassie approaching.
She whiffed the ball, sending it ninety degrees from where she intended, knocking one of her opponent’s balls in the side pocket.
“Ohhh, she felt sorry for you, cuz you’re losing so badly,” the friend chided.
The other woman flipped her off, but she was laughing. “Shut up. I am not.”
Drea’s attention was on Cassie, though, who had stopped when she saw Drea and was surveying the table.
“Hi,” Cassie said cheerily. “Which are you?” She nodded at the pool table.
“Stripes.” Drea held on to her pool stick and sipped her beer as she watched Cassie make a face of approval. “Do you play?”
“A little here and there.” The twinkle in Cassie’s eye made Drea suspect that statement.
“You wanna play next?” Drea asked.
Cassie glanced back at the booth where her companion was sitting. “I probably shouldn’t.”
“Scared?” Drea couldn’t help flirting sometimes. It was practically involuntary.
Cassie’s eyes locked on Drea’s. “Not at all.”
The confidence in her words sent tingles through Drea. “Prove it.”
“Careful what you ask for.” Neither of them broke eye contact, and Drea enjoyed the challenge.
“Um, your turn,” Drea’s opponent interrupted.
Drea looked over to see her opponent and the friend were waiting on her.