Chapter 4
Cassie got it. That . . . thing that Drea did. That thing that made women—gay, straight, or otherwise—chase after her like lovesick puppies. She got it now.
As much fun as she had pummeling Drea at pool, the flutter she felt when Drea conceded defeat and took her hand had kept her awake most of the night.
The way time stopped and everyone disappeared when Drea made her feel like the only woman in the room, not to mention the sexy drawl that—damn—had an effect.
But after letting herself feel these things, she realized she was only being human.
Drea was attractive. She could be attracted to her without acting on it. It wasn’t like she was, well, Drea.
She was probably just feeling the void in her personal life.
It had been nearly a year since her last relationship.
But despite that, she required a lot more than Drea could offer.
And Cassie doubted she was even a second thought to Drea.
After all, it didn’t take long for that woman who came into the bar as they were leaving to steal Drea’s attention.
So, coworkers it would be. No problem. Maybe now at least, Drea would start being nicer to her.
Suffering a case of the Mondays, Cassie walked into the break area to fill her coffee, needing a surge to make it through the rest of the morning.
Drea sat in the cushy, purple chair by the windows, the breeze from the river wafting inside and gently rustling a stray strand of her hair as Tom, the lead wordsmith at the firm, chatted about his weekend.
Cassie tried to ignore the flutter in her chest as she watched Drea laugh at something Tom said.
Mentally shaking herself, she walked to the counter to make a cup of coffee, looking down at the barge and tugboat on the river below.
Chuckling to herself that such a tiny vessel could be needed to help out a massive barge, she watched, mesmerized, at the waves emanating from the barge’s bow and the ripples left long past its wake.
Though it looked very different from Boston, Cassie was thankful that when she and her sister left New England, at least they moved somewhere near the water.
It always seemed to steady her. The beep from the coffee maker grabbed her attention as she realized she was smiling like an idiot at the river.
She grabbed her cup and added a hefty spoonful of sugar with a splash of 2 percent milk, stirring the luscious chocolate-brown concoction, noticing for the first time the silence around her.
Sipping her sugary drink, she turned, meeting Drea’s eyes.
It took effort not to choke when she saw the sexy grin and curious look in Drea’s deep blue eyes. Tom was nowhere to be found.
“Hi,” she said cheerily, hoping Drea couldn’t sense the effect she had on her. Though she must know. She had that effect on every woman.
Drea’s smile spread a little wider, and the glimmer in her eyes sent a lightning bolt through Cassie’s body. “Hi.”
Cassie sipped her coffee, centering herself.
She was not one of the many girls to fall for Drea.
Drea was a player, plain and simple. Cassie had substance.
She required more than a one-night stand.
No. Drea was a coworker, and that was all she would ever be.
“You’re much happier than I thought you’d be after such a brutal loss last night. ”
Drea laughed. Damn it, she had a sexy laugh too. Of course she did. Though it was the first time Cassie had heard it directed at her. She found it far less irritating that way.
“Well, after a few hours of licking my wounds, my shattered pride somehow managed to restore itself.” Drea’s smile didn’t falter and Cassie had to admit, it felt good having it directed at her rather than feeling the usual standoffishness of their interactions at work.
Cassie could feel the air growing thick between them. Were they flirting? It had been a while since she had flirted with anyone. Though this was probably the safest venue since Drea seemed to flirt with nearly everyone. “That’s good to hear.”
“I’m actually not that competitive despite my Italian roots. Sam, on the other hand . . .” Drea nodded toward Sam’s desk. “Very competitive.”
“That tracks.” Cassie took another sip, reveling in the taste again as Drea returned her attention to her tablet.
“Whatcha workin’ on?”
Drea turned her tablet so Cassie could see the screen. “Just the final touches on the Daily Bread stuff.”
Cassie stepped closer to see the design. Two images filled the screen: the new logo for Daily Bread, a large steaming cup of coffee with a baguette and some pastries in the forefront, and beside it an image of an elegant three-tiered cake. “I didn’t know they had cake on the menu,” Cassie said.
Drea grinned. “Yeah, Jody’s expanding into cakes for events and asked for some menu designs.”
“Looks good.” Cassie’s eyes wandered to flecks of color in a thumbnail image peeking out behind the logo. “And that?”
Something passed through Drea’s eyes for a brief moment, her face growing serious as she clicked on the icon to open the image.
A mighty tugboat charged forward on the water, pulling a monstrous barge from dark gray clouds and rough waves toward a spot of sun peeking through light clouds in the distance. Cassie was struck by the emotion flooding the imagery.
“It’s beautiful,” Cassie said. She watched as Drea stared at the image, her expression so different from the laughing Drea just moments ago.
Drea shrugged as her normal smile returned. “It was just something I made a while ago.”
Cassie nodded, not sure what to make of this side of Drea.
“So, do you always hustle on Sundays, or was I merely in the wrong place at the wrong time?” Drea joked. The twinkle had returned to her eyes, along with the playful banter in her voice.
Though Cassie enjoyed this new side of Drea, she couldn’t help but feel like a chance to share something important had been missed. She considered digging deeper, wanting to uncover this new layer, but decided it was safer to play along. She arched a brow. “Only one way to find out.”
“Drea, ready when you are.” They turned to see Erin standing a few feet away.
“I’ll be right there,” Drea said. She turned to Cassie. “To be continued.”
Cassie raised her mug to Drea as she followed Erin back to her desk, both sad and relieved they had been interrupted.
Drea sat on her balcony, letting the warm breeze tickle her toes atop the railing as she inhaled the earthy smell of the river below.
She watched the river in the distance, the water ebbing and flowing.
The gentle cadence always soothed her, and as she thought of the many important moments in her life, she realized the river had always provided solace to get through them.
There were the big moments with Sam, working through life’s trials and tribulations on their bench at Riverview Park with the help of a strong daiquiri.
But Sam never knew about the times Drea came out to that bench alone, to work through things she couldn’t bring herself to tell Sam. Somehow, being on that bench at their spot made Drea feel the strength of Sam’s friendship, which helped her process things on her own.
But as close as they were, there was a part of her she had never shared with her best friend.
Sam’s friendship had surprised Drea from the moment they first met in middle school.
The level of loyalty and admiration Sam expressed for her made her almost believe whatever it was that Sam saw in her.
And after a lifetime of being a disappointment to those who were supposed to matter, she needed Sam’s belief in her.
Drea would never allow herself to be a disappointment to Sam.
She couldn’t bear seeing the look of promise in Sam’s eyes fade to sadness.
So, she became the Drea Sam needed to see.
Sure, it was who she was, a part of her at least. But bitter experience had taught her that no one should know everything about her—not even Sam.
She had learned to become that version of herself for others as well.
Keeping her struggles and darkness to herself.
But sometimes it was a very lonely place.
She found ways to cope and move through it.
Not healthy ways for sure, but ways nonetheless.
And no one knew. Not anyone who mattered at least. She made sure of that.
The revolving door of women meant she never truly had to open up to anyone.
The closest she’d come lately was when Cassie saw her painting.
Drea had been tempted to share its importance with Cassie, who seemed as if she’d understand.
She shook her head. No, she’d found what worked for her.
No long-term relationships meant no judgment.
She’d had enough of that for a lifetime.
A honking horn from a nearby street shook her out of her thoughts.
She lifted the glass of whiskey from her lap and took a sip, letting the liquid burn, then warm its way down her throat.
Cassie’s face flashed in her mind. This week had her head spinning.
Whatever had shifted at the pool table seemed to have shifted for both of them.
She liked this new side of Cassie. All week they had teetered on the edge of flirtation, Cassie giving as good as she got.
It was light and fun, but with just enough edge to feel like a challenge.
And Drea rarely backed down from a challenge.
She found herself looking forward to work more than usual, excited for the next duel.