Chapter 27
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Austin
After the water turned cold, sending Cassie and me running from the shower, we dried off to the soundtrack of our laughter.
I gave her another one of my shirts and a pair of my socks to wear, then made my way downstairs.
First, I toss our wet clothes into the washing machine.
Next, I make us both a coffee, inviting Cassie to join me in the living room when she was ready.
When I went to sit in my usual spot, she shook her head, telling me to lie down instead.
Now her right side is pressed to my front as we half watch reruns of a crime procedural while getting to know each other more.
“What’s your family like? Are they in the US or England?” I know she’s thinking about staying in town and that her family situation is complicated, but will she really leave them behind if they’re in the States?
“My mother is in Nashville. It’s always been just the two of us.”
I don’t miss the fact that Cassie calls her Mother, not Mum. “Are you close?” I ask, suspecting I already know the answer.
“No. I think maybe we used to be when I was younger? I have a few memories that make me think she used to be different, but they’re kind of fuzzy now.
” She wiggles until she’s facing me, and I curl my arm around her shoulders, wanting to comfort her.
“She’s done so much for me. I wouldn’t be where I am today without her, but…
” Absentmindedly, Cassie toys with the hem of my t-shirt while she searches for the right words.
“She doesn’t respect my boundaries or privacy—nobody does.
When I turned eighteen, she didn’t even want me to call her mum anymore because—” She tenses, cutting herself off as if she’s shared more than she meant to.
“That must have been hard. I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine. I’m used to it. We’ve been more like colleagues than mother and daughter for a long time.”
“You work together?”
“Yeah.”
“Working with family can be tough. Mum and I went through a really rough patch with Bowman’s, but we’re in a great place now.”
“Yeah, but Abby’s a good person—she actually cares about your happiness.”
“Your mum doesn’t care about yours?”
Without her glasses on, it’s even easier to see the emotion in Cassie’s big blue eyes as she replies, “No.” She swallows thickly.
“It took leaving for me to realise just how little she cares. I used to think she was tough because she was looking out for me, because she wanted me to be the best version of myself that I could be. I was an idiot.”
My gut twists at the hurt in her voice, and I stroke her hair, trying to soothe her. “You are not an idiot. It’s natural to think your mum is going to look out for you—that’s what they’re supposed to do.”
“The only person my mother looks out for is herself. She treats me as if I’m some kind of machine, expecting me to be perfect all the time. It’s exhausting.”
Anger on Cassie’s behalf bubbles up within me, but I need to keep myself in check. This is the first time she’s told me about her life in any real detail. I won’t snub the trust she’s putting in me by making this conversation about my emotions instead of hers.
Toying with the ends of her hair that’s almost completely dry now, I thank whatever forces brought Cassie here to me and away from someone who treats her so badly.
“You don’t need to worry about that when you’re with me.
” Kissing the top of her head, I squeeze her tighter.
She smells like my shampoo, like me, and that satisfies a primal part of me I didn’t know existed.
“I already know you’re not perfect,” I joke.
“Hey,” she objects, lightly pushing my shoulder.
“There’s no hiding it. You crashed your car the day you arrived in town, you’ve got secrets, and I’m pretty sure you lied about having work experience as a server.
” Her eyes widen at that, but I don’t let her shock throw me off.
“Sorry, Trouble, you’re a regular human being just like the rest of us,” I tease.
The gentle caress of Cassie’s fingertips brushing up and down the length of my arm soothes something deep within me. The tip of her tongue flicks out to wet her pink lips. “You’re right. I do have secrets, but they’re not bad—at least I don’t think they are.”
“It’s OK, Cassie. I’m not going to pry.”
“Why not? Most people would.”
“I already know that you’re safe and not in some kind of trouble,” I say, referring to our conversation after her panic attack. “That’s all I need to know for now. I hope you’ll feel comfortable enough to share whatever it is with me eventually, but I’m not in any rush.”
“Thank you.” She arches up to place a kiss to the hollow of my throat. “You’re not mad that I lied about my work experience?”
“I was at first. After I had time to cool off from our spat on the staff training day, I realised you were slow picking up the till system because you’d never operated one before.”
“Why did you let me stay?”
“I decided if you went to the trouble of providing a fake reference just for a job as a server, that you must have been pretty desperate. Mum and I both kept an eye on you. It didn’t take long to know that you weren’t trying anything funny.
You’re a hard worker and the customers like you.
I didn’t see the point in bringing it up. ”
Smiling, she burrows even closer. “You’re a secret marshmallow, Boss.”
“Only for you.”
* * *
Cassie
“I should get back to the B&B,” I say reluctantly, stretching my arms above my head as I get up from where I’ve been snuggled up with Austin on his enormous navy-blue couch.
“You could stay for dinner? I’m not working tonight.”
He looks so hopeful that I’m sorely tempted to say yes, but if I agree to stay for dinner, it will be too easy to stay over after dinner. As happy as I am with how things have progressed between us, I’m not quite ready for that.
“Thank you, but I think I need a minute to let all this sink in.”
His brow furrows in concern. “Are you having second thoughts?”
“Not at all, but this morning I was still pretty convinced you could only just about tolerate me, and now we’ve gone from whatever weird dance we were doing to this.” I gesture between us. “I’m happy about it, really happy—but it’s a lot.”
Austin smiles softly. “That’s fair.”
“Give me tonight to get my head around it?”
“Of course. Can I drive you back to the B&B?”
Rising onto my tiptoes, I kiss him softly. “I’d like that.”
The ride over to The Dragonfly only takes a couple of minutes. Austin parks out front, and I lean over to kiss him before getting out. “See you at work tomorrow.”
“Goodnight, Trouble.”
Esther gives me a knowing look from behind the reception desk when I stroll into the B&B in my borrowed flannel shirt with a plastic bag full of my wet clothes.
Austin let me use one of his belts so I could cinch the shirt in at my waist to make it look more like a dress, but clearly I’m not fooling anyone.
Esther watched me leave with Austin this afternoon.
It doesn’t take a genius to work out whose clothes I’m wearing, even if the why goes a little beyond the obvious.
Stubbornly ignoring my burning cheeks, I hold my head high as though there’s nothing to see here, and head straight for my room.
No doubt she’ll subject me to an interrogation over breakfast tomorrow, but for now I’m safe.
I toe off my trainers then place them upside down on the small radiator to dry.
Hopefully, that will dry them out in time for my shift tomorrow.
If not, I can wear my cowboy boots, but I’d prefer not to spend eight hours running around in them if I can help it.
My stomach grumbles loudly, but I don’t feel like going out for dinner.
Getting soaked by near-freezing rain might have sucked, but the rest of the day was perfect.
I don’t want to spoil my glow of contentment by surrounding myself with a bunch of strangers at the gastropub.
Tugging on a fresh pair of leggings, I opt to order something to the B&B.
There aren’t many options in a town this size, but there’s enough to choose from that I scroll for a couple of minutes before making my selection.
Seeing that my food won’t arrive for thirty minutes, I pick up the book I bought from Wordplay and melt back into the pillows on my bed.
It’s been forever since I read a physical book, and I forgot how much I enjoy the experience.
Since buying this one, I’ve read a couple of chapters every day and now I’m fully invested in the characters.
I can’t wait to discuss it with Phoebe next Monday.
Covering myself with the decorative throw blanket at the end of the bed, I curl up and allow myself to get lost within the pages.
I don’t need to worry about how and when I’m going to tell Austin my secret, or if he’s going to hate me when I do.
Tonight I’m pushing all the worry, guilt, and what-ifs aside and letting myself enjoy the almost foreign feeling flowing through my body. I’m allowing myself to be happy.