Chapter 5
Link
"Come look at this."
Cassie motions for me to scoot over to her computer screen. We're in the office, both of us catching up with our work. Quinn is on another date with the same guy, who is a secret. I balk at accepting her screen. Part of me thinks if I protest enough, they'll give it up and get rid of it.
"Do we have to look at it on that thing? How about we look at it on mine?" I protest.
"Don't be like that. Come here. I think you're gonna want to see this." She flicks her hair over her shoulder, making room for me beside her.
It's been two days since my meeting with Phineas, and Cassie seems to have forgotten about it, or at least she's pretending to. I know she couldn't truly forget something like that. After everything we've been through in the past couple of months, her finding out about Phineas won’t help the trust between us.
"What is it?" I scoot closer until I'm sitting right beside her. I can't help but smell cinnamon on her clothes. It’s heavenly and makes me want to get even closer. "Were you baking earlier?"
"Yeah, I made some cinnamon rolls. How can you tell?" She turns to me, a curious smile on her face.
"Because you smell like a cinnamon bun," I say with a chuckle. “You’re making me hungry.”
“Like I stink?” She sniffs the fabric hanging over her shoulder. She’s wearing a pink lace top that goes up to her neck and tucks neatly into her black suit skirt. She dresses like she’s ready for a red carpet-appearance at any moment. I’ve gotten more used to it than before, but sometimes, it still looks a little out of place. I don’t mind at all.
"It's not a bad smell; it actually smells pretty good. I don't suppose you brought any of those cinnamon rolls to the office?"
"No, I didn't, but I suppose there are a couple extra at the house if you really want one. I can't say they turned out super great, but they are edible."
"I'm sure they're better than anything I could cook up," I say with a laugh. Being so close to her makes my chest tighten. I put my hand on the back of her chair as I lean in to see what's on her screen. "What is this?"
"It's the first draft of Anita's schedule and everything I think she did. So, here's the date that Meredith's file says she applied for the job, then here's the day she threatened them with action, and then a week later, she traveled to town."
"So, what is it that you wanted me to see?"
" This . I mean, what do you think about it? Do you feel like the details are right? Are you even trying to solve this case with me?" She turns her face toward me, her lips parting slightly.
"Yes, of course I am.” I'm still slightly on the fence about helping the Thorntons with anything, considering they’re somehow connected to Phineas. In which way, I'm not sure yet, but it feels strange to be working for them and against them at the same time.
"I hope she's all right, you know?" Cassie says, her nose scrunching up in the cutest way as she meets my gaze.
I draw in a sharp breath. Her lips are only a couple of inches from mine. Our moment back at the hospital when I kissed her before comes to mind—the feeling of her lips against mine.
Stop it, I scold myself. I can't afford to think of or repeat that.
"Why do you say that?" I force myself to participate in the conversation.
"I mean, she's an investigative influencer, a self-made journalist, and I've checked her blog. She's kind of popular, so she probably thinks that she's got things under control, but going up against a family like the Thorntons is no small thing."
"You have a way to be sympathetic toward everyone, don't you?" I say with a laugh.
"Yes, I mean, what makes you think she doesn't deserve sympathy?"
"The fact that she may be trying to extort people because they didn't give her a job, for one." Whether I buy Meredith's story or not, it's a good point, seeing as Cassie does believe in what she’s doing.
"We don't know her reasons. Maybe she needs the money or a job. Being in need can drive people to do things they wouldn't normally consider."
"That is true but think of it like this: if she wanted to avoid this whole issue, all she has to do is stop trying to go after the Thorntons."
"I think that's why Meredith wants to find her—she wants her to understand what she's about to get into."
I shake my head. "You're impossible, but in a way, just like your dad."
"Why do you say that?"
"He always found a way to root for the underdog. I think he always hoped the unlikely winner would pull through."
She shakes her head and bites her lower lip. Why does she have to do that? My grip tightens on the back of her chair. She’s practically in my arms, so close.
I clear my throat. "You just remind me of him, that's all."
Her gaze falls to the desk.
"I wish I could have worked with him more, you know? I left home pretty young. I didn't get to solve many cases with him, and now I'll never know what that would have been like."
"I think you do know. You were solving cases with him as soon as you could walk. He used to talk about that and brag about what a smart kid you were. Don't think for a second that he wasn't proud of you."
"Did he ever talk about how he wished I would come home and help him with the business?" Her eyes are full of vulnerability and wonder.
"Quite the opposite." I sigh. Revealing the truth about how her father never wanted her involved in the PI business is not easy. It wasn't that he thought she’d do a lousy job. He was more worried that she would do too good of a job and get herself into sticky and dangerous situations. Goodness knows we'd been in plenty ourselves, and if recent months of working with Cassie are any indication, he was onto something.
“He talked about how he was happy that you followed your dream and were successful and, most of all, safe." I steer the conversation in the safest direction possible. "You have no idea how many rough spots we found ourselves in over the years.”
“It just feels like I missed out on something big that I can never get back now."
"I know what you mean." Reaching out, I tuck a strand of loose hair behind her ear. My fingers linger on her cheek. Her warm skin is delicate against my touch.
You can’t kiss her.
Being together would make her even more vulnerable to being pulled into the Phineas situation. I lean back a couple of inches, though I want nothing more than to stay where I'm at.
"Okay, back to the schedule. So, I think something else must have happened between here and here." I point to the two things she has outlined on her screen. I notice that the letters are bigger and easier to read than my old screen, but I'm not about to admit that.
“Right.” Cassie’s cheeks burn bright red, and her breathing picks up. She felt the moment just as strongly as I did.
"What do you think she was doing?" Her voice is just a tad higher than usual.
"I don't know. Maybe we can find some clues on her blog."
Cassie types some things into the search bar, and a blog pops up. It's chic and fancy, and I can tell whoever made it put a lot of work into it.
"Okay, here it is. Her last article was on the wealthy getting richer and the poor getting poorer. It kind of lines up with what Meredith was saying. If she was already publishing stuff like this, maybe she was going after the Thorntons."
"Maybe.” I'm still not convinced that Meredith told us the whole story, but until I have proof, there's no use in trying to change Cassie's mind.
"Oh, and look at this." She points out another post from Anita.
Hey, everyone. I know you're curious to know what I've been up to. I'm working on something huge, and I'm sure you'll find it very revealing about some people you admire. Updates are coming soon. —Anita
"She could have been talking about the Thorntons," Cassie says, with one of those puppy dog expressions. “She could be about to make a huge mistake.”
"I suppose she could have been talking about them.”
Who knows? Maybe Meredith Thornton is on the right side of the truth after all.
But somehow, I doubt it.
Cassie
He wanted to kiss me. There’s a look I’ve seen on his face before, at the hospital, to be specific. It was on his face a few moments ago, and it still has my heart hammering in my chest. He went on a food run for burgers and fries, and I will have to pretend that’s all I want right now .
When Quinn comes in fifteen minutes later, she finds me still staring at my computer, trying to calm myself down. I've noticed she's been going on quite a few outings with this new man of hers, and it's got me super curious.
"There you are. Where have you been?" I ask, trying to use whatever she's up to as a distraction from what's going on between me and Lincoln.
"Out with a special someone." Quinn waggles her eyebrows.
"When am I going to meet this special someone? You've got me pretty curious."
"When the time is right and not a minute before. I won't risk you or Lincoln messing this up with your predictions about my past relationships. It's not like I've failed at every relationship, you know, and the whole date thing with Phineas doesn't even count."
I laugh. "I suppose it doesn't." Some of the tension in my shoulders relaxes.
"What's got you all bothered? You look nervous for some reason." She studies me a little closer, and I sip the water on my desk. My cheeks are still hot, and the incident with Lincoln comes rushing back.
"Nothing, just work."
"Was Lincoln just here?" she teases.
"He was, as a matter of fact. He went to get us burgers and fries, but since he won’t know you’re back, he's not going to bring you anything."
She shakes her head and pulls up her rolling chair so she's sitting across from me.
"Don't worry, I just finished eating lunch. What's going on between the two of you? Are you still hot and cold around each other? I thought you'd reached a middle ground."
"We did, I mean, kind of. But there's history, you know." I shrug.
"I know." She winks. She's referring to when Lincoln kissed me at the hospital, which I reluctantly told her about on one of our movie nights, which has become a friendly tradition.
"It's not like that. I mean, we decided to work together platonically. No funny business." I make my eyes wide and innocent. Funny business is off the table. That’s clear to me, but what about Lincoln?
"If you say so." She doesn't seem convinced in the slightest. “You guys are like an old married couple whenever you’re in the same room together.”
"Back to your man. Are things getting serious?" I’m eager to be far away from the topic of Lincoln and me. It can’t happen. We both know that and dwelling on it only makes it harder.
"We've been on four dates, you know. And I like him. He gets me, and he's sweet. I am going to introduce him to you. I just want things to have their best chance of working."
"Of course." I smile. I want Quinn to be happy. I just wish I felt like I could be happy, too. When I think of being with anyone except Lincoln, a pit settles in my stomach, and it doesn't feel real.
I listen as Quinn tells me about her date, where they went, and what they talked about—everything except for the guy's name. For now, I will have to settle for living vicariously through her.