Chapter 18 #2
Cass’s harsh exterior softens as her eyes lift to meet Parker’s.
“I know,” she says. “And you have no idea how much that means to us. But …” Her gaze cuts to me and I realize I’m leaning forward to hear her.
I jerk back and look away, pretending I wasn’t just listening intently to their—clearly very private—conversation.
As I pretend to admire the ceiling, I see Cass’s eyes roll from the corner of mine before she continues what she was saying to Parker.
“But it’s not fair to expect you to bail me out whenever I’m in a tight spot.
Your dad is enough of a burden without adding my drama to the mix. ”
I might not know the woman standing on the other side of the bar, but my heart tugs at the guilt I hear behind the words, and admission disguised as an off-handed comment.
Parker’s jaw twitches, his gaze darting to me and away so quickly that I almost don’t catch the movement. “You and Mason don’t even come close to being anything like my father,” he says with enough force that there’s no room to doubt it.
Behind them, the door swings open seemingly on its own, revealing a small child with round cheeks and a mop of curly brown hair, a piece of paper clutched in his hand—a child whose eyes reminded me of someone I’m starting to know pretty well.
Cass and Parker straighten hastily. When the kid I assume is Mason spots Parker, his little face lights up. He scurries around the bar, diving into Parker’s open arms.
“Hey, buddy. What have you got there?” His tone turns light, and the slight waver in his normally steady baritone is the only hint that he’s working hard to cover his emotions.
“A T-Rex, raawr!” Mason answers, proudly holding up his drawing of a bunch of green spikes.
“That’s great, Mason.” Parker studies the picture closely from his crouched position.
I haven’t known him long, but I’ve never seen him genuinely light up like this. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn’t have believed it.
“How would you feel about showing me how to draw a T-Rex tonight? Maybe we could even watch The Land Before Time again?”
Mason cheers and babbles excitedly about his favorite movie parts, and I have to chuckle at his enthusiasm. Even Cass, who is standing with her arms crossed, softens.
“Why don’t you go pack up your stuff?” Parker says, ruffling his hair.
Mason looks at Cass, and I hold my breath. When she finally gives in and nods, the little boy rushes to the back room as Parker stands.
Cass drops her arms and lets out a dramatic sigh. “Fine. I’ll do it. But I want an extra hundred, to cover babysitting fees and the rush job.”
It takes me a second to realize she’s talking to me. I frown, trying to catch up. “But, Parker said he’d watch—”
“You wouldn’t have known that if you weren’t standing here listening to a private conversation, would you?” she snaps, but her words don’t have the same bite to them they did before. “And I want to get paid upfront,” she adds.
“I can do half up front, the other half for delivery on Saturday. Before the party starts,” I clarify, avoiding any loopholes. “Four o’clock. Sharp.”
I feel Parker’s eyes drift my way, probably surprised by the firm, no-nonsense tone I’ve learned to use when discussing prices.
Parker may vouch for Cass—and it’s the only reason I’m agreeing to give her anything upfront—but I don’t know her.
I don’t even know if she’s ever cooked for money before in her life.
Honestly, at this point, I’m afraid to ask.
I’m too far down this rabbit hole to start checking references, and it’s not worth fueling my doubt.
Blind faith is the only thing that will get me through this event.
Still, I’m not so na?ve that I don’t think there’s a chance she could take the money and run.
Cass sizes me up for a few beats, then shrugs. “Fine.”
“Great!” My face breaks out in a bright smile, and I step forward, hand outstretched over the bar. “Looking forward to doing business with you.”
She rolls her eyes so hard it’s a wonder she doesn’t fall right over. Her handshake is limp, unenthusiastic at best. Parker grabs my elbow and drags me towards the exit. He shoves his keys into my hand, closing my fingers around them.
“What’s this?”
“Your ride home. Take my truck.”
“But … how will you get Mason home?”
“We’ll walk. They don’t live far from here.”
He can think I’m a princess, but I draw the line at letting him treat me like one. “I’m not making a little kid walk home, Parker,” I say firmly. “Keep your truck; I’ll find my way home. I’ll call a cab or an Uber or something.”
He gives me a look that mirrors my own doubt at finding something like that out here in the sticks.
But I quickly realize that isn’t the only thing bothering him when he glances back at the man from earlier.
I follow his gaze to the bearded man licking foam from his mountain man mustache.
Yup. Still leering. I try not to shudder visibly.
“Not a chance. This way, at least I’ll know you got home safe.”
Something flips in my stomach, warm and pleasant.
There’s something endearing about his sudden protectiveness, which he’s doing his best to play off like it’s nothing.
Even though I don’t need it—I lived alone in the city and have taken enough self-defense classes to feel confident that I could take on Mountain Man if needed—it’s still nice to have someone looking out for me.
A surprising thought needles me as I realize how nice it is to have Parker looking out for me.
“How will you get home?” I ask. Unless … oh God. What if he’s not planning to come home tonight at all? Did I just completely put my foot in my mouth?
I’m sure he’s about to awkwardly say he’ll spend the night with Cass and my cheeks start to flush, but then he shrugs, oblivious to my horrifying thoughts.
“I’ll call Sam for a lift.”
This makes me feel better, but only slightly.
I cast a glance back at Cass, who is crouched down helping Mason pack his things into a dinosaur backpack, and something Sam told me that night at the bar drifts back into my memory.
“That’s Cass. She’s his brother’s girl. Or … ex-girl, I guess.”
Parker hasn’t mentioned his brother, and I get the sense that wherever he is, he’s no longer in the picture. But he certainly seems to know Mason. Is Mason his nephew?
Parker asks for the shopping list, which I dig out of my pocket and hand to him. He moves to take it, but I don’t let go right away, holding onto it until he meets my eyes again.
“Parker, I …” I trail off. “ Thank you" doesn’t seem like enough. He’s saving my ass—and my party. A prickle of guilt works its way back into my mind as I remember what Cass said. I’m not taking advantage of him, am I?
With his gaze locked on mine, Parker’s eyes soften, the urgency dulling around the edges. His rough fingertips brush my skin again as he curls my fingers closed over the keys and gently nudges my hand until I’m clutching them against my chest.
“Stop that.”
My brows twitch into a frown. “Stop what?”
“Overthinking,” he answers softly. “You do that a lot, you know.”
I let out a laugh, tucking my hair behind my ear. “I’ll work on that.”
His hand drifts to my arm, settling there with a hesitant touch. I watch the motion with fascination, then glance back at Cass and Mason, unsure about leaving Parker without his truck. My lips part, but he cuts me off before I can protest again.
“You don’t have time to argue. Take the truck and do what you need to do. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” With a gentle squeeze, he pulls his hand away and tugs open the door for me.
I let it close behind me before I reach up to touch the spot where his hand was a moment ago, my skin still tingling.