Chapter 33
THIRTY-THREE
CASSIDY
But now, there’d be no more missed festivities.
Whatever had been in Mrs. Bishop’s cold concoction had worked.
It tasted like something between spicy ginger beer and Christmas potpourri, with an afterburn that could probably clear sinuses for a mile.
She’d barely managed to get the stuff down, but she had to admit it had done the trick.
Her fever had broken that night, and by morning, she’d felt human.
She was still in her flannel pajama bottoms and Christmas tree socks when Zoe stopped by.
“Florals for the flu,” Zoe said cheerfully, stepping inside and holding a bouquet of deep-red roses and snow-dusted eucalyptus wrapped in brown paper. “I brought you something to make you feel festive and not dead.”
“Oh… that’s so sweet. You can put them next to Liam’s.”
Zoe stopped mid-step. “Wait. What?”
“Yesterday afternoon,” Cassidy said, glancing sheepishly toward the other bouquet on the kitchen counter. “He stopped by with soup and flowers.”
Zoe narrowed her eyes and crossed the room to examine the blooms. “Are you serious right now?” She plucked out one of the signature twine-tied name cards from the stems. “These are from my shop. How did I not know about this?”
Cassidy laughed. “I guess he’s sneaky.”
Zoe turned around slowly. “Cassidy. I own the shop. I made these.”
Cassidy winced. “Well, they’re beautiful. So technically, you still helped.”
Zoe let out a dramatic sigh and tossed her own bouquet onto the counter. “Figures. I try to be a good friend, and your lumberjack boyfriend ruins my grand gesture.”
“He’s not my boyfriend,” Cassidy said, blushing.
Zoe raised an eyebrow. “You sure about that?”
Cassidy sat down on the couch and pulled a blanket over her lap. “Honestly? I don’t know. But I’m definitely falling… Like, really falling. And it’s not just about sex, although I’m not going to lie, he’s very, very good.”
Zoe covered her ears dramatically. “Nope. Stop. Do not talk about Liam and sex in the same sentence. He’s basically my brother; we went to preschool together!”
“I don’t know if I’d call it sex… well, maybe…” Cassidy admitted, her cheeks flushing. “We did this thing in the pine tree forest where I—”
“NOPE!” Zoe shouted. “If the next word is ‘ride,’ I’m leaving. Doesn’t matter what you were riding. My brain is already scarred.”
Cassidy snorted. “Okay, okay. But I’m just saying, I’ve never done anything like that in my life.
And it’s not just that. It’s how he shows up.
Like, without asking. Without expecting anything.
He secured my display for me. Didn’t even tell me, just did it because it needed to be done.
No angle. No ‘oh, now I’ll win since she’s sick. ’ Just… helped. I’m not used to that.”
Zoe shook her head with a smile. “That’s because your last boyfriend was trash.”
“Liam is nothing like him.” Cassidy sighed.
“I made this vow, you know? Not to be with a guy for a whole year. I wanted to work on myself, so I wouldn’t ever lose myself in a relationship again.
I needed to take time for me. And I’ve done that.
But Liam has never once made me feel weird about the stuff I love.
He hates Christmas, but he’s still shown up to stuff.
When I don’t wear a festive sweater, he thinks something’s wrong. ”
Zoe smiled. “If you’re trying to convince me Liam’s great, don’t bother. I’ve known that for twenty-five years.”
Cassidy tilted her head. “You think he’s definitely a good guy?”
“Did you even listen to yourself? You know he’s a good guy. And if you’re wondering if you can trust him with your heart, I’d say yeah. You can.”
Cassidy exhaled, the weight of it all sinking in. “Thank you. I needed to hear that.”
“But for the love of all things holy, do not share any sexy details with me. Please, I’m begging you.”
“He can do this thing with his tongue—”
“STOP!” Zoe threw one of the fuzzy throw pillows at Cassidy.
She caught it. “Okay, noted. No sexy details.”
“Thank you,” Zoe said, settling into the couch.
Cassidy drummed her fingers on her leg, thinking. “The only thing is… I can’t figure out what chocolate suits him. I’ve tried. Twice. Nothing’s landed.”
Zoe laughed. “What are you saying, he’s your chocolate mystery man?”
“I’m really good at this,” Cassidy said. “I know what flavors fit people. But Liam? He’s… complicated. Sweet, salty, deep. I think I need to make one from scratch.”
She clicked her tongue thoughtfully. Flavors danced through her mind—orange and caramel, coffee and cherry—but none of them felt quite right.
“I need to get back in the kitchen before I open,” she said, eyes lighting up. “Start experimenting.”
“While you do that, I’m going back to the flower shop,” Zoe said, gathering her things. “Good luck with the chocolate. And the man.”
“Thanks, girl. And thanks for the flowers.”
That afternoon, Cassidy pulled out her phone and opened a new text.
Hey, want to come over for dinner tonight?
She hit send before she could overthink it.
No, she wasn’t going to confess her love. Not yet.
But the vow? It was officially off the table.
She was done hiding from her feelings. Done forcing herself to slow down. Done being afraid.
She was ready to fall. Fast and free. For real this time.
And if Liam was the one catching her… well, maybe she’d finally landed in the right place.