Chapter 45
FORTY-FIVE
CASSIDY
Cassidy was too restless to just sit in her apartment. She could use a drink, but there was no way she was going to the Kettle. Knowing her luck, that’s exactly where Liam would go, and she couldn’t guarantee she wouldn’t cause a scene.
She still couldn’t figure out how everything had gone so sideways so fast. One minute she was trying to tell him how happy she was, how seen and alive she felt, and the next, he was telling her they needed to slow down. Their communication was so off-track it was laughable.
Cassidy started to think that things would never work between the two of them. They were just too different. They couldn’t seem to stay on the same page for more than a few days.
She pulled out her phone and called Zoe. It was either that or make a vat of hot cocoa and binge Christmas movies, but she was too keyed up for that.
“Are you free?” Cassidy asked without preamble.
“If by free do you mean am I making thirty centerpieces for the Clawson wedding this weekend? Then yeah, I’m free.”
Cassidy groaned. “Never mind.”
“No, I’m kidding. I mean, I do have the centerpieces to finish, but what’s going on?” Cassidy could hear the snip of Zoe’s floral scissors in the background.
“I do not understand men,” Cassidy said, flopping onto her couch.
“Uh-oh. This is about Liam, isn’t it?”
Cassidy sat up. “Is there any other man in this town that drives me crazy?”
“No?” Zoe guessed with a laugh. “What did he do?”
“He put the brakes on, that’s what he did. And now I’m too restless to sit still. I was hoping you wanted to hang out.”
“Want to walk down to the shop and help me with these? I have all this red ribbon and holly…”
“It’s a Christmas-themed wedding? You’re killing me.” Cassidy sighed dramatically.
She’d always dreamed of a Christmas wedding with a strapless white satin dress, beaded bodice, maybe even a velvet inlay. She still had a page ripped from a bridal magazine tucked somewhere in an old journal. She used to dream about that day.
But then she thought about Liam and how much he hated Christmas. It would almost be comical if it wasn’t so depressing.
“Please?” Zoe begged as if she’d been the one to call. “I could really use some extra hands…”
“Alright, alright. I’m coming down,” Cassidy said, grabbing her coat before she could change her mind. “Care if I bring Muff?”
“No, of course not. Whiskers is upstairs,” she said, referencing her gray Maine Coon kitty. “I’ll prep the front window seat for her.”
“Okay, we’re on our way.”
The outside of Zoe’s flower shop had a large bay window.
The corners were frosted by nature, framing a gorgeous seasonal display of white and red poinsettias tucked into birch bark vases, twinkling twinkle lights woven through fresh evergreen garlands, and a hand-painted sign that read, “Let Love Bloom—Even in Winter.”
Cassidy dropped Muff’s leash after stepping inside.
“Come over here, girl,” Zoe said, luring Muff to her window seat with a dog biscuit.
“You thinking of getting a dog?” Cassidy asked, eyeing the treats.
“What? No, Whiskers would kill me.” She shook her head. “I was helping Kallie at the pet shop. She wants to make homemade dog treats and sell them. They’re loads better than the commercial ones, and you know me, the more natural the better.”
The pup sniffed around for a minute before taking up residence in Zoe’s window seat as promised.
Cassidy inhaled deeply, letting the scent of pine and eucalyptus calm her.
A rustic wooden counter ran along the back third of the shop, covered with ribbons, shears, spools of floral wire, and mugs of tea in varying degrees of fullness.
Chalkboard signs labeled galvanized buckets brimming with winter blooms such as white amaryllis, snowy roses, deep-red ranunculus, blue thistle, and soft-green eucalyptus.
The shop had a small corner devoted to custom bouquet wrapping, with kraft paper, silk ribbons, and gift tags that read “For You,” “Winter Wishes,” and “Just Because.”
Zoe was adding a sprig of holly and sugared berries each to an array of vases.
“These are gorgeous,” said Cassidy. The centerpieces had red roses in the center, with evergreen, holly, and sugared berries tucked around them. The round glass vases were tied with red satin ribbon.
“Thanks. Five done, only twenty-five more to go.” Zoe beamed.
Cassidy rolled up her sleeves. “Just tell me what you need me to do.”
A little while later, after Cassidy had tied all the ribbons, she sat on a barstool in Zoe’s flower shop, pizza in one hand, a glass of red wine in the other, watching her friend fuss over a bouquet of red roses.
“Alright, enough with work. Now, do you want to tell me what’s going on with you and Liam?”
Cassidy finished chewing the bite. “I’d love to, but you don’t want to hear about his ding-dong, so…”
“Don’t suppose you could skip over his ding-dong?” Zoe asked hopefully.
“’Fraid not. It’s literally the crux of the problem.”
“Fine, fine,” Zoe said, waving a pair of scissors in her direction. “What’s so important about Liam’s ding-dong that’s got your whole relationship messed up?”
Cassidy wiped her hands with a napkin. “All I was trying to do was tell him how good things have been between us. How he’s opened my eyes, if you know what I’m saying.”
Zoe tilted her head. “Not really.”
“I told Liam I’ve only ever been with Jean-Paul, and Jean-Paul never did anything like what Liam does.” Cassidy’s cheeks flushed. “Zoe… he’s like a sex god. He’s wicked with his mouth, his fingers, those dirty words of his. Plus, I’ll never be able to look at a scarf the same way again.”
Cassidy clenched her fist, trying to suppress the heat rushing to her face.
Zoe held up a hand. “Okay, okay! I get it. He’s good.”
Cassidy let out a dreamy sigh. “Like really good. I feel like a completely different woman with him. There’s this whole other side of me I didn’t even know existed.
And when I started to tell him that, he shut down.
He thinks he’s pushing me too fast or that I’m just going along with things I wouldn’t normally want. ”
“Are you?” Zoe asked carefully. “Doing things you didn’t want to do?”
“No!” Cassidy said, a little too loudly. She lowered her voice. “I loved all of it. I don’t even care how that makes me sound. I tried to tell him that, but he didn’t believe me. Or maybe he didn’t want to believe me. I honestly think he’s scared. So now he says we should slow down.”
Cassidy reached for another slice of pizza.
“Don’t throw your pizza at me,” Zoe said, “but if you do think Liam is scared, and he’s asking you to slow down, what’s so wrong with that?”
Cassidy opened her mouth, ready to fire back, but shut it. That wasn’t the question she’d expected.
“He’s not saying it’s too much for him; he’s putting it on me,” Cassidy said after a moment.
“He’s making me the one who isn’t ready.
Like I can’t know what I want. And I just don’t think that’s fair.
If he’s the one freaking out, then he should say that.
Own that. Don’t try to spin it like he’s doing me a favor. ”
Zoe leaned back, considering. “Okay, I’ll give you that.”
“Thank you! And no, I’m not throwing pizza at you. This stuff’s too good.” Cassidy took a big bite of her veggie lover’s slice—black and green olives, peppers, mushrooms, onions, and bubbling cheese. It was her favorite combo, comfort food at its finest.
“You know this time of year is hard for him,” Zoe said gently. “Maybe you guys should just pick things up again in the new year. Give it a little breathing room.”
Cassidy sighed, leaning back against the counter. “Yeah. Maybe we should. I just… I don’t know.”
Cassidy stared at the ceiling, her heart caught somewhere between disappointment and longing.
Part of her wanted to scream, Why does it always have to be this hard?
But another part—quieter, more vulnerable—still clung to the way Liam looked at her when he thought she wasn’t watching.
The way he touched her like she mattered.
The way, just days ago, he made her feel more seen than she’d ever felt in her life.
But now? He was backing off. Calling things “too fast.” As if she didn’t know her own mind. As if her desire, her joy, and her very self were something to second-guess.
Maybe Zoe was right. Maybe a break would give them both space. But Cassidy didn’t want space. She wanted him. And worse, she’d started to believe she could have him. That this town, this business, this weird, wonderful, cozy life she was building could include Liam.
Now, she wasn’t so sure.
The warmth of the room, the soft instrumental carols playing in the background, the scent of the flower shop, none of it soothed the ache in her chest.
Zoe opened her mouth to speak again, but before she could, Muff started barking and jumping around the room.
“Muff, knock that off!” Cassidy stood, not wanting Muff to knock over something of Zoe’s. Her pup rarely went nuts when people walked by, which was one of her most endearing traits. It would be hard to own a business if your dog went crazy every time she heard a noise or a strange voice.
But Muff was not listening, paws up on the window, barking like crazy at whatever was outside.
Muff’s barks were followed by a loud CRASH.
Both women were now on their feet.
They rushed to the window. Outside, one of the large planters had been knocked over, its ceramic base shattered across the icy sidewalk. Winter greenery spilled out across the snow.
Cassidy yanked the door open, but the street was empty. The only noise was the sound of a dog barking in the distance.
“How is that possible?” Zoe asked, looking up and down the street.
Cassidy folded her arms tightly against her chest. “I have no idea, but this has to stop. Now.”
Zoe looked at the determined glint in her eye. “What are you going to do?”
“I’m setting up security cameras. And we’re going to catch this Gingerbread Jerk once and for all.”