She locked her vehicle and ran across the gravel yard. She needed to talk to someone who could give her good advice, and Megan and Brooke were two of the most sensible people she knew.
As she knocked on the back door, she hoped they were in the kitchen and not serving in the store.
When the door opened, she breathed a sigh of relief. The last thing she’d wanted was to enter the building from Main Street. If Noah was in town, he might see her, and any chance of staying out of his way would be gone.
“Happy Birthday!” Brooke smiled and hugged Cassie. “I’m glad you came to see us. Megan and I were just talking about you.”
Megan stood behind Brooke and frowned. “What’s wrong?”
“He’s here.”
Her friends looked at each other.
“Who’s here?” Megan asked.
“Noah. He’s staying in my cottage and looking for C.J. Davis. What am I going to do?”
Brooke wrapped her arm around Cassie’s waist. “The first thing you’re going to do is sit down.”
“I’ll make coffee,” Megan said as she hurried across the room.
As soon as Cassie sat behind the large, stainless steel counter, she dropped her head into her hands. “I’ve been making jewelry in Sapphire Bay for three years. Only a few people have asked why the name on my store is different from the one I use. As soon as Noah discovers I work there, he’ll see straight through what I’ve done.”
Megan placed a cup of coffee in front of Cassie. “Who’s Noah?”
Cassie studied her friends’ faces. They didn’t know anything about Noah’s booking or why he was in Sapphire Bay. “He’s a man who’s staying in Acorn Cottage for two weeks. He’s from New York City and I thought he’d come here to relax and unwind. But this morning, he said he wanted to buy some jewelry. His brother found my store’s website and he was impressed with what he saw.”
Brooke sat beside Cassie. “Did you tell him you own the store?”
“No, but it won’t take him long to figure it out. Especially if he goes to the general store.” Mabel Terry, one of the owners of the general store was a lovely woman, who also happened to be the center of town gossip. If Noah wanted a blow-by-blow description of everything Cassie had done since she arrived in Sapphire Bay, Mabel was the person to see.
Megan leaned against the counter. “Why does it matter if Noah knows who you are?”
“Because he’s looking for C.J. Davis.” Cassie took a shaky breath. She needed to slow down and explain everything to her friends. “The other day, Wilson Enterprises emailed me again.”
“That’s the company who want to give you the jewelry award?” Megan seemed even more confused.
“That’s right. I haven’t opened any of their emails for weeks. After I spoke to Noah this morning, I read the last message. Noah is the chief executive of Wilson Enterprises. He’s here to change my mind about accepting the award.”
Brooke leaned forward. “So, Noah knows about Davis Jewelry, but not that Cassie Harper is C.J. Davis?”
Cassie nodded. “It won’t take him long to discover I’m Tony Harper’s daughter. Dad’s name was dragged through the mud by every major media outlet in America. Jewelers he respected shunned him and no one would sell his jewelry.”
“But you aren’t your dad,” Megan insisted. “And besides, your father didn’t steal anything.”
“It doesn’t matter. Even after the court case, no one wanted Dad to work with them. If it weren’t for his friend in San Francisco, he never would have found another job. If anyone realizes Tony Harper’s daughter has won the Wilson Award, they might boycott Dad’s friend’s store and mine. It could be a disaster.”
“This might sound extreme,” Brooke said, “but why don’t you tell Noah who you are and why you’re living in Sapphire Bay? At least that way he gets the facts and not some harebrained story someone else might tell him.”
Megan nodded. “Brooke’s right. You’ve already told Wilson Enterprises you don’t want the award. If there’s even a hint of a scandal, Noah’s company won’t want anything to do with you.”
Cassie took a deep breath. “You’re right. All I have to do is tell him who I am. After that, Noah will go back to New York City and I’ll never hear from him again.”
Megan studied her face. “Do you want me to be there when you talk to him?”
“I’ll be okay. If I’d been with Dad when Noah was at the trial, I would have recognized him. But Dad wanted me to stay away from everything that was happening.”
Brooke gave her another hug. “It will be okay. Do you still want us to come to your house for dinner?”