Chapter 10
CHAPTER TEN
Wave hoped this thing they had didn’t go south.
Maybe it was premature to think they could be more than just friends.
It would be smart to step back, but he didn’t want to walk away from her, not yet.
Two weeks wasn’t long enough to judge if they would work, but it was a chance to see if it was worth it to work for more.
The door opened, and Cassandra called out. “I’m home.”
His spine stiffened, and Gina’s lips spread in a smile.
No question, she could tell he was uncomfortable with Cass knowing they had slept together.
Maybe that was too harsh a thought. He wasn’t embarrassed that they’d slept together, but he still saw Cassandra as a child and didn’t want her to know he’d slept with Gina, at least not yet.
If Gina stayed here overnight, it would be obvious what they were doing. He didn’t need to feel weird about this. He was an adult, and so was Gina. They had nothing to hide or be ashamed of.
Gina took another bite of her pizza as Cassandra stepped into the kitchen. “Nice, pizza. I’m starving.”
He wanted to tell her to back off, but this was her home. He was the outsider here. Of course, in a few months, this house would belong to another family. Cassandra had to be upset about leaving her home, even if she was looking forward to starting college.
“I got food, but we only ordered appetizers.” Cass grabbed a slice and began eating.
He turned and met Gina’s gaze. She winked, then turned to Cassandra and struck up a conversation.
Wave grabbed his phone and checked his email, seeing a note from Tex.
He’d found out more about this guy, Pete.
Now there was information that he’d served time for assault after almost killing a woman. The dude was bad news.
Wave looked up and met Gina’s gaze. He didn’t like the idea of her being alone. It would be safer for her to stay here.
“Everything okay?” Cassandra asked.
“Um, well—”
“Just spill it. It’s not like I’m a kid.”
She was and wasn’t. Legally, she was an adult. He’d joined the Navy when he’d been eighteen. He wasn’t going to treat her like a child. And he needed Gina to know that this Pete guy really was dangerous.
“My buddy got back to me with more information. The man Gina is being hounded by is very dangerous. He was arrested for assault and served time. He almost killed the woman he assaulted. He isn’t a good person.”
Cassandra raised her hands. “Whoa, wait a minute. Who is this guy?”
Gina blew out a breath. “I don’t really know him. He was assaulting a woman, and I helped her escape. Now the guy thinks I have something of his. Like, he thinks the woman handed something off to me. She didn’t. I don’t know what he thinks I have, but I’ve got nothing.”
Cassandra shook her head. “Shit. That sucks.”
“Yeah. He knows where I work. He came after me, and your brother stopped the attack.”
“Oh.” Cassandra raised her eyebrows as she stared at him. “You stopped the attack.”
“I just stepped in, and she was able to get away.”
“You did more than just step in. The man he sent after me was dangerous, and this Pete guy is unhinged. I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t interrupted him.”
Cassandra grabbed another slice of pizza. He needed to grab more food, too, but he wasn’t going to tell Cassandra to slow down. He could fix himself a sandwich if he needed food.
“I knew my brother was good, but I didn’t know he was that kind of good.”
He chuckled as he moved to the refrigerator. He needed to go to the store and pick up more food. His sister was still young, and her metabolism was high. She ate a lot, which she needed, but he would have to really think about food and make sure they had enough.
“I know we need to clean out the house and get it ready to sell, but I think tomorrow we should do something fun. With Mom being sick, I had little time to do anything other than school and go to the hospital.”
“What would you like to do?” Wave asked.
“I don’t know. Maybe go to the adventure park and ride some rides.”
Wave nodded. “Sure. We can spend tomorrow having fun. We’ll ride everything you want to, eat some crazy food, and have a good time.”
Cassandra was right. They needed to spend time just having fun. His sister had been through too much lately. Their mother dying had been stressful for both of them.
Cassandra turned to Gina. “Do you want to come?”
“Um, I don’t know.”
“Come on. It will be fun,” Cassandra said.
Gina turned to him, and he nodded. He wasn’t going to tell her not to come, especially if his sister wanted her there. It would be interesting to spend the day with Gina and get to know her better.
“I guess I need to see about getting us tickets,” Wave said.
“Oh, don’t pay for mine. I’ll pay,” Gina said.
Wave gave a little snort. “It’s okay.”
“No way am I freeloading off you. I’ll pay. Tell me the amount, and I’ll send some money to you.”
He wasn’t going to press the issue. She had a good job and could afford it.
Until the house was sold, he was going to have to be careful with his money.
He had enough for himself, but he wasn’t sure about Cass.
Luckily, his mother had insurance that would cover most of her bills.
Otherwise, he would really be screwed. The money from the sale of the house would allow Cassandra to buy clothes and food and pay for books for college.
She had good enough grades to get a scholarship, which would help.
His main worry was having to pay for everything for the two of them.
He’d sent money to Cassandra, but he knew his mom had to have paid for some things.
“Sure. I’ll tell you once I pay.”
The tickets weren’t cheap, but it wasn’t too bad.
He paid the total and then told Gina how much her portion would be.
He was looking forward to spending the day having fun.
The dark cloud of their mother’s death still hung close, but now that the worst part was over, Cassandra needed a chance to live again.
They were having a service in four days. There would be plenty of time for sadness. Tomorrow, they would both enjoy the day.