“Maybe she didn’t completely understand either.”
He shrugged. “Maybe. But she never told me she was unhappy. That was dishonest. I only found out later that she’d planned for months to go to Colorado. We had a kid for Christ’s sake. We probably couldn’t have fixed it but shutting me out—that was indefensible. It took me a long time to forgive her for that. I can handle pretty much anything except dishonesty.”
Cassie was still for a moment. “Have you?” she said finally. “Forgiven her?”
He drained the last of his wine. “Like I said, it’s been a long time. All I care about now is making sure Lilah’s okay.”
To his surprise she laced her hand through his.
“I uh…don’t usually talk about all that stuff,” he said.
“I’m glad you did.” She stroked his thumb with her own, which sent a charge straight through him.
“I never expected this,” she said.
“This?” he repeated dumbly. The conversation had apparently taken a turn, but all he could think about was the way she was touching him.
“What’s happening with us.”
If she’d kept his hand another second, he would have abandoned his pledge to take things slow and carted her off to bed. God knew he wanted to. But he was still trying to wrap his head around what she’d said, and anyway, what exactlywashappening between them? Sophie had trained him to be wary, but now he’d met a woman who made it plain how she felt.
After a moment she smiled self-consciously and disengaged her hand. “I admire that you love what you do. I mean that. Not everyone is lucky enough to wake up every day passionate about their work. I guess I’m a little jealous of that.”
“You are? I thought you liked your work.”
“I do. It’s interesting and useful and I’m good at it.” She gazed out the window, where small white moths were beating against the flood light. “But I don’t know if I’m passionate about it. I’m not sure I even know what that means.”
“Maybe you’re not doing what you should be doing,” he said cautiously. “What do you care about, I mean besides your family, obviously?”
She rested her chin on her hand, as though her head had become heavy. “That’s the thing, I don’t know. What is there besides work and family and hopefully you make enough to be comfortable and find some happiness along the way. Butsometimes it doesn’t feel like enough.” She gave him a wry smile. “You make me feel like a slacker.”
“What?” He was so stunned for a moment he couldn’t even respond. “You’re a smart, successful woman. How can you even say that?”
She raised a shoulder. “What have I accomplished?”
“You’re just down because life is tough right now. Everyone gets that way.”
“No seriously. What have I accomplished?”
“What have you accomplished?” He looked around, like the answer might be right there in the kitchen. “You’re a lawyer, which in itself is an accomplishment, you have a great son, and okay he’s going through a rough patch, but what kids don’t? And you’re caring for your dad, which is unbelievably hard and…” He trailed off because of the way she was smiling at him. “What?”
“Keep going,” she said, eyes twinkling. “I like this.”
He tossed a balled-up napkin at her. “Oh, so this was a ruse to get me to tell you how wonderful you are?”
She laughed. “No, no, definitely not. Just me wringing my hands about what I want to do when I grow up.”
They left the dishes on the table and went into the family room, where he tossed Lilah’s stuff off the couch and put on some music. Cassie was beautiful and straightforward and incredibly, she wanted him. But what if they somehow found a way to be together? If his passion made her uncomfortable, would he dial it back to please her? Would his love for what he did and where he lived become a source of resentment if she never found her footing?
He didn’t know and couldn’t think because he was stroking her skin under that clingy top, and Cassie was arching her back in a very sexy way. She felt incredibly soft, and he was about to suggest she lose the top when Charlie jumped up, barking officiously.
Glenn groaned. “Lilah must be home.” Was it ten already, why hadn’t he let her spend the night at her friend’s? She was always clamoring to spend the night.
He brushed a last kiss on Cassie’s neck before sliding over a respectable distance.
“In here,” he called as the door slammed. “Come on in and say hello.”
Chapter Sixteen
