“Cass?Not gonna lie.I’m getting alarmed.”
She huffed out a laugh.“Hey, that’s a good tip.You’ll thank me someday.”
“I don’t think I will, actually.What about the book I brought you?Did you read any of it?”
“Yeah, I finished it this morning.”
“And?”
“It was okay.”
“Okay?Just okay?”She sounded offended.
Cassie shrugged.“Wasn’t my thing.”
“How could it not be your thing?It had a sexy alpha male hero, a strong-willed, independent heroine, and lots of steamy sex.Tell me how that’s not your thing.”
Since she’d been wrestling her wayward libido into submission around Tristan, that’s when.“Different strokes.”Oh, damn, now she was imagining stroking him.All over.Holding him in her fist while she...“I’ll still go to the book club thing.Don’t worry.”
“If you do, you’d better drum up more enthusiasm than ‘it was okay.’The other members will turn on you.Might ban you for life.”
Cassie grinned.“Nah, they love me.”
“Yeah, they do.”Bristol glanced over at her.“You wanna go for dinner with TJ and me tonight?We were thinking that new seafood place in town.”
She’d planned to spend another quiet evening at home to recharge and gear up for returning to work.But honestly, she might wind up climbing the walls instead and could use the company to take her mind off the shooting.
And Tristan.
Between the vivid fantasies that damned book had unleashed and him checking on her multiple times a day, it was impossible not to think about him.“Yeah, sounds good.”
“Really?Great.But can we stop and grab groceries on the way home first?”
“Sure.I need to pick up a few things too.”
They drove without talking for a while, listening to a mix of music on her favorite playlist.Eighties music was the greatest, no contest.The scenery they passed was stunning.Woodland giving way to rolling hills, acres of vineyard and orchards, all the different foliage turning shades of pumpkin, ruby, and rich gold.The exact same mix of colors that came out in Tristan’s hair when the sun hit it.
Jesus.Since when was she a poet?
“You talk to Tristan lately?”Bristol asked, yanking her out of her thoughts.
Or maybe her sister was reading her mind.“Just by text.”She kept it short and sweet.Though she appreciated that he cared.It meant a lot, made her feel less alone.
“I saw him in town,” she said.
“Oh?”She tried to sound casual despite the instant spike in curiosity.
“Bumped into each other outside Whale’s Tale as I was coming out with our books.He been checking on you?”
“Lots.”She liked it way too much, even if she didn’t completely trust his motivation.She’d made it clear they weren’t going to be more than friendly work colleagues, and he persisted anyway.
“Figured.He’s worried about you.”
The little catch in her chest worried her.A telltale sign that she was in deep trouble where he was concerned.“I’m fine.”
So she’d lost sleep and most of her appetite since the shooting.And yeah, maybe her bosses were right, and Monday was too soon for her to return to work.But she needed to keep going.Only time would lift the crushing guilt she felt about Penny’s death.Sitting at home doing nothing but dwelling on that would make it worse.
“Is it so bad that he cares about you?”Bristol asked.
