Chapter 23
Chapter Twenty-Three
Hunter
T he last few days have been torture. I’m driving to the city for the second time in almost a year. Both times are for the same girl and within a month of each other.
Yesterday I had asked Harrison over for dinner to eat and catch up. I told him mostly everything about Cassidy but left some details out to honor the girl. I’m hoping one day she will meet him, but I’m not going to put money on it.
Cassidy is skittish. I can practically hear the cogs and wheels in her head working overtime when it comes to us. I haven’t logged into the app since I’ve met her. I have unopened notifications on matches and messages but have no desire to open them. If it wasn’t for the gorgeous pictures of Cass on her profile, I would just delete it.
Harrison has been surprisingly supportive about the whole thing. He’s barely made fun of me or called me out on how I made fun of him for wanting to be domestic. I bring up the terror I heard in her voice at the mention of kids. He is telling me to tread lightly but likes that I’m seriously interested in someone for once .
I thought he was just being a good brother but turns out he has something up his sleeve. He’s got a business idea, but he wants to talk to me about it another time. Something about the old bunkhouse ‘round the pond on the property. I can only imagine what he wants to do with it.
The skyscrapers that dot the skyline of this small city come into view as I approach it. How am I ever going to convince Cassidy to leave any of this behind? Not only does she seem to enjoy her city life, but she and her girlfriends are as thick as thieves. I can’t imagine she would ever want to be farther away from them.
I don’t have many friends, mostly Harrison and a few buds from high school who stuck it out in our small town. Cassidy and her girls regularly see each other; they have traditions and rituals that I don’t know about or understand. To add to it, those girls are the only family she has after her father’s passing.
Doubts keep adding up in my mind. How is it I finally find a girl and she’s basically unattainable?
I arrive early and pull up to the bar where we had our first date to meet her for pre-dinner drinks. Parking is pretty limited, so I decide since I’m early to just park in the garage across from her apartment complex and walk over.
Walking through the city is so different from walking through the square. I see more of the lack of hospitality that Cassidy was talking about. People barely make eye contact and when they do it’s not to share a kind look or smile. I see couples walking hand in hand but not talking, I see people walking side by side with their phones glued to their hands and their eyes zoned in on the screen. How can people live so close to each other and yet be so disconnected? Is this considered a positive trait of city living for Cassidy?
I’m walking into the bar in no time at all and I scan the crowd for a brunette with glitter in her hair. I don’t catch the glimmer I’m hoping for. Instead, I see my beautiful brunette sitting at the original high-top table where we met, but she is in the company of a brunette male. City Slicker.
My body starts to move on its own and my mind seems to be playing catch up. I walk up behind her and catch the tail end of what he’s saying.
“Would you want to go grab a bite to eat?” He sounds like his balls haven’t even dropped. His pitch is too high for a grown man.
“Actually—”
I sling my arm around Cassidy’s waist from behind and pull her back to my chest.
“Whoa,” she giggles, and some of my anger simmers.
“Sorry, Beautiful, I parked by the apartment and walked since there was no parkin’ ‘round here.”
Cassidy’s body relaxes into mine and she tilts her head back to meet my gaze.
Fuck, beautiful doesn’t even cut it.
I didn’t know a woman could be lovelier each time you saw her, and yet here she is. She’s wearing a mustard and navy cutoff and her signature ripped jeans—looking like a fuckin’ supermodel.
“It’s fine, we can Uber to get food.” She sounds sweet but annoyed. “Hunter, this is Dom. I met him a few days ago at work. Apparently, he lives close to here and decided to check this spot out. Dom, this is Hunter. He definitely doesn’t live around here, but you’ll find him where I am.” Leave it to Cassidy to tell this guy she’s unavailable without putting a title on what we have.
Dom squares up with me, I have a good four inches on him barefoot, but five in my boots. He looks me head to toe and catches sight of the shoes .
“Not from around here, are you?”
“No, that’s what she just said. But I go where she does, and we’re ‘bout to head to dinner.” I’m curt and clipped. Cassidy can be as sweet as she wants to this worm, but I have no reason to be nice unless he’s a boss of hers. I look down at her apologetically, and she just smiles warmly.
“It was good seein’ you Dom, but we better get goin’.” Cass drops the “g” on her words, and I quietly laugh to myself.
“See you Monday, Cassie.”
Cassie? I look over to her and see that annoyance flash in her eyes. She doesn’t even look like a Cassie. She just nods and hops off her stool. Slipping her hand in mine, she leads the way out of the bar.
“I’m sorry, I thought I was early,” I open.
“You’re on time, Hunt. It’s fine. Food?” She squeezes my hand reassuringly.
“I haven’t eaten all day. I stole a pack of cherry tomatoes from my stand today, but that’s it.”
Cassidy giggles again and the sound makes me feel like the ground has suddenly become softer. I was worried we would be tense and unsure around each other, but immediately we’ve clicked into comfort.
“I’ve got a surprise for you after dinner.”
She tilts her head up to me and a flicker of arousal comes across her face.
“I bet you do.” She grins and I harden.
I’m so fucked.
“Come on, Country Charm, you’re about to eat some city slicker food.”
“But it’s not cooked?” I’m sitting at the tiniest table known to man, on the floor. My boots are at the front door.
“No, but it’s safe to eat.”
“Can’t I order somethin’ from over there?” I point to the tables that have grills or some sort of cooktop built into them.
“No, you’re trying something new. Just like I am.” She’s got this tone that says she won’t be argued with. My ma has the same one. I won’t admit it to Cass, but I like that tone on her a whole lot.
“What are you tryin’?” I ask. Cassidy is wrapping a rubber band around two wooden sticks that are supposed to serve as eating utensils.
“A second dinner date with a man I’ve already slept with, Hunter Hill,” she deadpans, and I feel like letting out a loud whoop.
“Fair enough, raw fish for dinner it is. If I become violently ill, are you going to nurse me back to health?”
“I don’t even have a thermometer at my place, but I might have some expired Tylenol or something.”
“You don’t have a first aid kit?”
“Nope, I never get sick.” Her tone is official.
“I hope that sticks.” The server comes and Cassidy rattles off a ton of things for us to eat.
“I’m starving, I can’t wait for it to come out!” She rubs her hands together and does a little dance in her pillowed seat. The smell of searing meat and spices comes from behind me, and I pray that I am not disappointed by the food this woman has ordered. Up until this very moment she has been a dream girl—spunky, charming, funny, smart, stubborn—but sushi-lover was not on my dream girl list.
“How was the rest of your week? I haven’t heard a lot from you since Wednesday night. ”
“Huh, I was texting you… and you were texting back…”
“Cass, you were hittin’ me up day and night before the middle of the week,” I say. She drinks some of the sake she ordered and shrugs.
“I’ve kind of had a lot on my mind. Work is changing for me.” She sounds concerned. I hate it when her voice sounds small and unsure. I like it when she’s fearless. I think back on all our conversations about her job, and nothing really raises a red flag. If anything, this week was supposed to be slow for her. The only thing that comes to mind is that douche canoe I met at the bar.
“That Dom guy giving you trouble?” I hear the edge to my tone and Cass’s brows rise in surprise.
“No, No! Nothing like that. Although that man cannot take a hint.” She sighs and a white plate with decorations on it is served between us. I take a better look and realize some of the decorations are actually food. They’re colorful and rolled up, drizzled in sauces, and artfully displayed. I’ve known what sushi is, seen it in movies and such, but never before in front of me.
“Then what is it?” I grab the jury-rigged eating utensils and look over at Cassidy. She has them masterly placed in her hand and she uses them to pick up a roll of fish, rice, and vegetables. I go to copy her, but my hands struggle with the delicate material.
I finally get a piece in between the chopsticks and shove the whole thing into my mouth before I drop it. Looking up, I see Cassidy watching my reaction. I chew and wait for my stomach to revolt or even to scowl at the taste, but it doesn’t. The fish is refreshing, the sauce tangy, and the vegetables and rice balance the two. I chew and swallow.
“Well shit, this is pretty damn good.” I smile and grab another. Cassidy reaches across the table and rubs her thumb into the corner of my mouth before bringing it back to her own. Her plump lips part and her pink tongue darts out to lick the orange sauce she retrieved.
“Yeah, it’s real good.” She shovels another piece into her mouth when the server arrives with an additional plate. After trying a few different rolls and deciding I’m not a big shrimp fan, I grab another eel roll and then set my chopsticks down. We’ve been eating in companionable silence except for the small talk related to the sushi rolls.
“Tell me about work, Cass.” She’s mid-stuffing a roll into her mouth. I honestly can’t believe how much food this girl has eaten tonight. She swallows and chugs some water.
“It’s nothing big; we got the email with the account projections for the upcoming quarter and people are starting to try and lock positions with them. I always go for mid-range accounts because they bring in good, consistent money, but I still get home early enough to take a bath and read. This week I was looking the accounts over and I just feel like everyone around me is so driven. Am I just a floater?” Cassidy is realizing something I’ve seen in her. She plays it safe.
“Do you want to take on a bigger account?” I reach across the table and lazily draw on the back of her hand with my fingertips.
“I’m going to sound lame saying this, but no. I feel like I should want to take on a bigger account, but I really don’t. I don’t want to lose a bunch of hours of my life for something I’m not passionate about.” I give her a minute to let her words sink in with the both of us.
“Well, maybe one day an account will come by that you will be passionate about. You could just be reserving your efforts for something like that. ”
“That sounds a little bit like a cop-out, but it’s one I like.” She wraps her fingers in mine and squeezes my hand.
There are a few lonely lingering rolls of sushi, but we both ate enough to stuff us full. She waves the server over for the check and I snatch it quickly before Cassidy can.
“Hunter, I chose this place, let me pay,” she says softly.
“It’s dinner and it’s on me.” I flip over the piece of paper and cough. Over a hundred dollars for uncooked fish! Unbelievable.
“Let me pay, Country Charm. Sushi is expensive.”
“I’ve got the money, just can’t believe uncooked food is this much.”
“It’s a delicacy. Don’t be such a caveman.” She rolls her eyes as I set the cash down on the table, tip included.
“Show me around your city, Cass.”
We walk hand in hand through the streets. I constantly look over to her as she goes on and on about each area that we pass. Then she has a minor rant about her favorite bookstores and how we should have planned better, so we could have done a book tour. It’s cute and only solidifies she’s going to love my surprise.
She’s oblivious to my stare, and I inspect every little detail of her as we walk. I take my moments to look up and see what she’s trying to get me to appreciate. All I’m doing is growing a greater admiration for Cassidy. She’s well-spoken and carries herself with confidence and grace.
Her hair lacks the glimmer it held for the first few weeks after we met. A part of me grows sad seeing that it’s already washed out. I liked how it would catch the sunlight and brighten her overall look. It matched how I see her.
There’s nothing I’ve seen to catch my interest. I see how people could be drawn to the variety, and the constant motion, but I prefer my small town. I like the connections everyone has with each other and how if something happens, the community pulls together to help each other out. The fact that everyone knows your goddamn business can get old, but that also means when shit hits the fan you have a literal village behind you.
Franny was awful pissed about the cookout and Cassidy. I haven’t heard much from her directly, but Harrison said there was town talk. Half the town is happy I’m showing interest in a woman, no matter who she is, and the other half is mad for Franny. She didn’t make her usual stop over to my stand today at the market, and I didn’t go looking for her. I had one thing on my mind all morning and that was coming up here to see Cassidy.
Now that I’m reflecting on the morning, I’m realizing Jake was more quiet than usual. He seemed to have a small chip on his shoulder about something. The kid is a hard worker, but generally in a decent mood. I feel slightly careless for not paying closer attention to him today.
Selfishness is not a quality my parents would be proud of.
“Something on your mind, Hunt?” Cassidy’s voice pulls me from my thoughts.
“This is going to sound shitty, and I have been listening, but I was just thinking about Jake.”
“He okay?” She’s genuinely concerned. The backstory on this kid and my updates have become a regular in our conversation. Cassidy is a caring, sensitive woman; she has a tough exterior, but I’ve seen that there’s so much more to her than even she realizes.
“Yeah, he just seemed distracted today at the market. Then again, I was distracted too.”
“Is his mom okay? Kids with single parents tend to worry about their parent all the time. If something is up with his mom, for sure something will be up with him.”
Cassidy’s voice is determined and even. She’s known what it’s like to only have one person to rely on other than herself. She and Jake are cut from similar cloth.
“Did you worry about your dad?”
Cassidy stops walking in her tracks and looks at me, her meadow eyes filled with emotion.
“Every. Damn. Day.” I rub my thumb over hers and lean in to kiss her temple.
“He was a great man; he was always smiling when I was around, and never made me worry about money. But I saw him run like hell after he would drop me off at school to catch the bus. When we finally got a car, I saw that the tank was never more than halfway full. I noticed that he ate less than me at breakfast and dinner. He spent money where he thought it mattered. I had cute clothes, new shoes, and a new backpack every school year, but I ate discounted hot lunch and the same ten dinners. You start to notice those things when you’re young and then you never stop noticing them.”
I think about Harrison and my childhood. Ma was a master in the kitchen, and I think we ate the same meals, but she knew a hell of a lot more than ten. We got to play Little League and football. We both got trucks when we were in high school; they weren’t new, but they were a set of wheels. My pop always had petty cash to hand us if we asked. At every cookout we got to play games and eat food, and never once did I worry if we were spending too much. Cassidy grew up noticing and worrying.
“What would you do?”
“I would take small jobs that would pay under the counter after school. Putting library books away, cleaning people’s houses, picking up dog shit… it didn’t matter to me. Then I put that money away. When I was a senior in high school my dad was so proud of my scholarship. I worked that summer and gave him mostly everything I ever earned as a parting gift.”
“Did he take it?”
“He played it in the stocks, put it in a high-interest stable stock, and put it in my name. He built me a small trust with the cash I earned myself when I was a kid.”
“Damn, that is a good man.”
Fuck, Cassidy’s dad was smart and loving. Almost impossible shoes to fill in an only daughter’s eyes.
“The best.” Her tone tells more than she leads on. I can tell she has already grieved her loss but missing him never stops for her. Growing up in a house with both parents, a brother, and pretty much the entire town in our backyard means I never once felt alone. Cassidy must have felt so isolated after her father’s death. She had the girls, but I believe each of them is successful and married.
“Jake’s probably doin’ the same thing for his ma right now. Givin’ her the money, but I think they need it bad enough that she may need to take it.”
“He’s doin’ his part; he won’t resent her for it. If anything, he probably wants to help more. I’m really glad you look out for him so much, Hunter. You’re a good man, too.”
People have been maneuvering around as we’ve stood still in front of a small clothing boutique. Giving praise such as being a good man is likely huge for Cassidy. Her idea of a good man is her father, and that man sounds like the kind even I would be nervous asking for her hand. He did everything he could right by her. I want to do the same.
I step closer to Cassidy and slide my hand around her neck toward the back of her skull. My fingers splay into her brown tresses, and she sighs into my grasp. Bending over, I bring my lips to hers and lightly brush them together before pressing more firmly. Her tongue darts out to lick them, but I take the opportunity to slide mine into her mouth and kiss her deeply. Our tongues glide effortlessly together, and I feel her pull one hand away from mine to grab my shirt with both.
She finally pulls away and her emerald eyes gleam. “Even though you’re a good man, I hope you’re thinking some bad thoughts right now.”
“You want to head back to the apartment?” I press a kiss to her temple and stand straight again.
“Yes, please.” With that, she slides her hand back into mine and pulls out her phone to order us a car.