Bristol laughed.“You read my mind.”
“That’s because you’ve turned me into an addict.”
“Had to.I didn’t want to be the only one.Let’s do it.”
The manic pace of city life disappeared behind them and gave way to rolling hills covered in farmland and vineyards drenched in rich autumn colors of gold, crimson, and orange.All the residual tension eased from her muscles within minutes.
Shelovedthis.The freedom of cruising along a winding, scenic road with her favorite person riding shotgun.
Driving had always been an escape and one of the greatest pleasures in her life, both personally and professionally after all the advanced tactical courses she had excelled in.
After obtaining her license as soon as humanly possible once she’d turned sixteen, she’d bought a little beater with the money she’d saved up from babysitting and part-time jobs over the years.It had given her a badly needed taste of autonomy, allowing her to escape her house and the toxic environment with her mom’s endless succession of disastrous boyfriends.
It still seemed hard to believe that her mother had met and fallen in love with Bristol’s dad seven years ago.Absolutely incredible that she had settled in a happy, stable relationship, with the added bonus that Cassie had wound up with Bristol out of the deal.If for some reason their parents ever broke up, she was keeping Bristol.
“Wanna come in for a bit when you drop me off?”Bristol asked her as they neared the townhouse complex on a hill with a view of the ocean.
“Nah, I’m gonna just head home.”
“Come on, we barely ever do anything social together.”
“Excuse me?Did we or did we not just spend over two hours with five-thousand strangers at the concert?And did I or did I not go to that book club event with you?”
“Youlovedthat,” Bristol accused.“You said Beckett and Sierra’s house is—and I quote—‘magical.’”
“It is magical.”The stunning heritage Victorian was perched high on a cliff overlooking the water and the town of Crimson Point, with lush gardens right out of a magazine spread.It had been in Beckett’s family since it was built more than 150 years ago.“I was merely shooting holes in your argument about me not being social.”
“All right, point conceded.But how is TJ going to keep growing on you if you guys never spend time together?”
Yeah, fair.“Okay, you’re right.I’ll make more of an effort.”He so obviously adored Bristol.That was a major point in his favor, so she was willing to try harder.
“Maybe you could bring someone to dinner with us or something?”
Cassie frowned.“What, like a double date?”
“Yeah, why not?”
She snorted.“Not likely.”
“Okay, then, just a friend.You said Tristan’s just a friend.Bring him.”
Nopity nope.“I don’t like mixing work and personal.Too messy.”Boundaries got blurred way too easily.And she didn’t want Tristan to get the wrong idea.
“You’re so stubborn.Come on, at least stay for a bit and visit when you drop me off.”
She’d planned to go straight home and jump into her pajamas to make an early night of it.But since there was pretty much nothing she wouldn’t do for Bristol...“I’ll say hi, stay for half an hour max, then I’m leaving.”
Bristol beamed at her.“Deal.”
Half an hour later, they stopped for pie at the family-owned shop on the side of the highway, sitting at a window booth with a red Formica table straight out of the 1950s.
Cassie loved having a sentimental spot that was just theirs.Bristol had a slice of French silk pie topped with a big dollop of fresh, sweetened whipped cream, and Cassie got her usual order of their decadent lemon sour cream, also topped with a layer of whipped cream and grated lemon zest.
Full of fat and sugar, they got back in the car and drove for the coast.When Cassie at last crested the hill overlooking Crimson Point, the last rosy rays of sunset sparkled like a million diamonds scattered across the water below.
They finally arrived in Crimson Point at Bristol’s townhouse just as the sun was sinking behind the horizon.Then Cassie saw it, and her insides tightened—that familiar white pickup parked at the curb.
Bristol shot her an innocent look, shaking her head.“I didn’t know he was coming over, I swear.Warwick must have invited him.”
