“That’s right. She opened this store a few months ago. Before that she had another jewelry store a couple of blocks away. Aren’t the necklaces lovely?”
They were more than lovely. If Noah had anything to do with it, women from around the world would be coveting a piece of jewelry from one of Cassie’s collections. “I thought C.J. Davis owned the store.”
“CassieisC.J. Davis. I asked her why she called the store Davis Jewelry. She said Davis was her mother’s maiden name. If there’s something you want to buy, you could always call Cassie. I’m sure she would mail the jewelry to you.”
“That won’t be necessary. I’m staying at Acorn Cottage for a couple of weeks. I’ll talk to her when I get home.”
Mabel’s eyes widened. “What a coincidence. You should ask Cassie to show you her studio. My granddaughter visited with a group of classmates. They were so excited that everyone returned to school wanting to be a jeweler.”
That didn’t surprise Noah. “She seems like a nice person.” A nice, private person who wanted to keep her real identity a secret.
“She’s a wonderful person,” Mabel added. “Did you know she’s organizing an auction to raise money for The Welcome Center? It’s an amazing facility where people can get budgeting advice, counseling, or a warm bed for the night. I don’t know what Pastor John would do without her.”
Noah’s parents would turn in their graves if they were listening to this conversation. He’d never enjoyed gossiping about someone, but he was on a mission to bring Cassie back to Manhattan, and he didn’t have much time.
“What else does Cassie enjoy doing?”
Mabel tapped her chin. “Well, she always helps with any school fundraisers, and she enjoys spending time with her friends.” Mabel pointed to his bags of candy. “Her friend Brooke owns the store you’ve just visited. They arrived in Sapphire Bay about the same time and have been friends ever since.”
He looked over Mabel’s shoulder. Guilt made his pulse leap in his throat. At a guess, he’d say Brooke was the person who’d served him. It was time to leave. “Thank you for telling me about Cassie. Do you know the quickest way to the market?”
Mabel gave him a detailed description of how to get to the main entrance. By the time Noah had assured her he would visit the general store before he left, his nerves were strung tight.
Each time the door to the candy store opened, he expected Brooke to step outside. One phone call was all it would take to blow his cover. The last thing he wanted was for Cassie to realize who he was. If that happened, he might not be staying in the cottage for long.
Noah sighed. If he’d asked Jack to find C.J. Davis, he could have saved himself from sitting through a seven-hour flight. Instead of holding bags of candy, he would be sitting behind his desk, reviewing contracts and reading strategic reports written by his senior staff.
As he crossed the road, he admired the colorful bunting decorating the stores. Baskets of flowers hung from the lampposts, and couples held hands as they enjoyed the warm Montana sunshine.
For the first time in years, sitting forty-two stories above one of Manhattan’s busiest streets sounded incredibly soul-destroying.
Cassie tookher backpack out of her SUV and walked across to her cottage. The six-hour hike in the mountains had done nothing to clear her head. If anything, she was even more anxious about Noah.
She didn’t know why he hadn’t told her who he was. But then, most people would have read the email his secretary had sent. If she’d been one of those people, Cassie would have known who he was. And if that had happened, she wouldn’t have accepted his booking. After dodging the emails and phone calls his company had made over the last two months, it was pretty obvious she didn’t want to talk to him.
But Noah had still come to Sapphire Bay. He’d booked Acorn Cottage and was spending two weeks in Montana.
Before she’d left home this morning, Cassie had done what any self-respecting female would have done. She’d looked at Noah Devlin’s online profile and read anything she could find about him.
If she thought she was a private person, Noah was even more so. The only hint of a scandal was when his fiancée had left him four years earlier. She had become involved with a high-profile investment banker while still engaged to Noah.
There were a few photos of the estranged couple after news of the affair broke but, other than that, Noah’s private life hadn’t hit mainstream media.
Footsteps crunched against the gravel driveway.
Cassie turned and stared at Noah. For someone who rarely made public appearances and valued his privacy, he didn’t waste time when he wanted something. Even if she didn’t understand why he was here, she had to give him credit for his perseverance.
“I was hoping to see you before you went inside.”
Cassie’s eyes widened. Noah held a helium-filled birthday balloon. The glitter on the outer layer sparkled in the afternoon sunshine.
He held it toward her. “Happy Birthday. I hope you enjoyed your day in the mountains.”
Despite her nerves, Cassie smiled as she took the balloon. “Thank you. The scenery was breathtaking, but I had a lot on my mind.”
Noah nodded as if he understood what she meant. “I need to—”
“I want—” Cassie frowned. They’d both spoken at the same time. “You go first.”
