Chapter 11 #3
“Yeah, I decided to do a three-panel feature to cover the majority of the wall.” Drea’s tone was casual, matter-of-fact, and Cassie wondered if she even knew how impressive or sexy that statement was.
“Really?” Cassie was surprised by how much effort Drea was putting in to help make the wedding a success.
She had been helpful since she started helping Cassie.
Hugely helpful in fact. But this seemed to be on another level.
Cassie put her elbow on the table, resting her chin in her hand, and smiled. “Can I see it?”
Drea locked eyes with her, and Cassie wondered if she had overstepped. But before she could backpedal, Drea nodded.
“This is it.” Drea said as she held the door open for Cassie. Usually when she held the door open for a woman, they both knew what was going to happen. This was the first time in a long time Drea had had a woman over, other than Sam, for other reasons.
Cassie glanced around the apartment. “Very nice.”
“Thanks,” Drea said, increasingly aware that her normal guests usually could care less about her apartment.
As they passed by the kitchen on the way to the painting, Pickles jumped up on the island and meowed.
“Who is this?” Cassie asked in a lilting tone Drea hadn’t heard before and immediately headed over to pet him. Drea watched as Pickles shamelessly threw himself at a total stranger and was rewarded with lots of pets and nuzzles from Cassie in return.
“Well, it used to be my cat, Pickles. But after that display, I feel like the third wheel here.” She joined them at the island and scratched under his chin. “Traitor.”
Pickles lay down between them so they both could dutifully pet him.
“Wow.” Drea shook her head. “You think you know someone. The adoption fee is $50.”
Cassie laughed. “He probably can tell that I’m a cat person. My cat is the same way. He pretty much abandoned me when Molly moved in.”
“I didn’t know you had a cat,” Drea said, petting Pickles again.
Cassie smiled, the warmth of it adding a twinkle to her eye. “Yeah, his name is Digit.”
“Digit? How’d you come up with that name?”
“He’s polydactyl.”
“Poly what?”
Cassie laughed. “Polydactyl. It means he has extra toes, so Digit seemed fitting.”
The idea of extra toes made Drea curious. “Does it bother him?”
“No. He has six toes on both of his front paws. You should see him play ball.” The boastful tone in Cassie’s voice made Drea laugh. “How did Pickles acquire his name?”
“That was all Jake.” At the questioning look on Cassie’s face, Drea added, “Sam’s son.”
“Aw, Jake’s such a sweetie. I’ve only met him once when Ash brought him to see Sam at work, but he seems pretty incredible.”
Drea smiled at the thought of him. “He is.” Silence filled the room other than Pickles’ purring. “Anyway, you want to see the painting?”
“Yes!” Cassie, with Pickles in tow, followed Drea through the living room and up the two steps to the bedroom.
Drea gestured toward the panels. “Here it is.” For the first time in a long time, no, maybe ever, Drea felt nervous at a woman’s response in her bedroom. Showing Cassie her unfinished work seemed a lot more intimate than sharing her other talents.
Cassie’s eyes widened as she walked closer to the panels. Drea watched her taking in the details of the river and the lights reflecting on the water. After a moment, Cassie turned to Drea. “Drea, this is incredible. They’re going to love it.”
The awe in Cassie’s voice warmed Drea, and she breathed for what seemed like the first time in a while. “I hope so. It took me most of last night and this morning to get that much done, but I’ll be able to finish the rest of the panels in time for the wedding.”
Cassie’s smile faltered, and she turned to stare at the painting. Drea walked over and joined her, trying to see the painting the way Cassie might see it. Cassie turned to her. “Drea, thank you for doing this.”
The emotion in Cassie’s voice tugged at her.
She searched Cassie’s brown eyes before her gaze fell to the bold-colored lips that always caught her attention, lingering there, imagining what they might feel like.
The air turned thick around them and though Drea had been in this position with many women before, something felt different about this time, with this woman.
None of her usual words or moves were of any use now.
She could only stand there. She met Cassie’s eyes again, darker now as they watched her.
She wanted to reach out and close the distance, but something inside held her back.
It felt much more vulnerable than any time before.
Cassie turned back to the painting, ending the moment between them. “I should get going. Thank you for sharing this with me.”
“Of course,” Drea said. Part of her felt sad to see Cassie go, but another part felt relieved, as if she had been saved from something dangerous.
Cassie reached down to pet Pickles, then headed to the door. She smiled as Drea opened the door. “Good night, Drea.”
“Good night.” Drea shut the door behind Cassie and leaned her back against it, taking a deep breath to steady herself. Pickles stared at her from a few feet away and meowed. “Don’t even, mister.”