Cassie stomped her feet and rubbed her arms as I opened the door. "I could have frozen to death out there," she said.
"It's not that cold, you can't even see your breath. Plus you were in the hall, drama queen. I just wanted everything to look perfect for you."
She laughed as we hugged. "You know I can't stand the cold." Cinder came over and shoved her head against Cassie's thigh. She knelt down to pet her, and Cinder licked her face. "I can't believe this place, Becca. It doesn't look anything like it did when I lived here. I mean, look at these hand-scraped floors and granite countertops. You even tore down the wall between our apartment and the Nelsons’. I can't believe how big this place looks now that it's one house instead of two apartments. This had to cost you a fortune!"
"Well, you know what a dump this place was and what the neighborhood was like, so I got it pretty cheap. Then I had a lot of help with fixing it up."
"I know, I heard all about that," she said with a sly grin as she took off her coat. "Gideon worked his ass off here. I had no idea he was so handy. Then again, it is you."
"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked.
"Give me a break, Beck. I know I always tease you about being more than friends, but be honest with yourself. Do you really think any man is going to do all this work just for his friend?"
It was a question I had asked myself plenty of times over the past six months since I bought the house. Gideon insisted on helping me with all the work. What he couldn't do, he found the people who would do it. And now that I thought about it, I realized I never paid for any of it. He told me they'd bill me, and I was so busy with work that I never realized no one did. Gideon must have taken care of it and I was too dense to piece it together.
"I'm sorry," she said. "Maybe I should have kept my mouth shut about it, but I really thought you could figure it out on your own. You're not just friends."
"We are, Cassie. I swear. Okay, I'll admit it, I've been a little obsessive about this job and I've obviously ignored certain things, but if Gideon thought of me as more than just a friend, I'd know it."
She entered the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water.
"Have you asked him?" she asked.
"I don't have to, I'd know. Besides, you know how he is. He flirts with every one. And he's always falling in love. He doesn't just like someone, it's always love. You know that."
"I also know that he hasn't seen anyone in at least three months."
"Oh? Three months?" I asked as I turned away from her to hide how curious I was. "Did he say that? Why do you say it's been three months?"
"Because I remember that night at the Boone with the fundraiser. That was also around the time he moved into Gabriel's old penthouse downtown."
None of this was news to me, Gideon and I texted every night. But since the fundraiser, I kept thinking something had changed with him. I couldn't put my finger on it though.
"I think you're reading into things too much," I said, more to myself than Cassie. "The past few months for Gideon have also been crazy. His architectural design firm really took off after he finished Mason Abernathy's eco ranch. I think he's having a hard time dealing with his own success."
"Maybe," she said. "You do know him better than I do. I guess if something was going on with him Gabriel would have said something. You know they're close."
She pulled out a chair from the small round wooden kitchen table and sat down. As I handed Cinder a biscuit, she flung it into the air and jumped after it as I sat down across from Cassie.
"How is Gabriel? Is he out with Wendy tonight?"
"No, they're home, it's movie night. I was tempted to stay, but I thought they should have some quality time without me around. She never says anything, but I'm sure she misses having her dad all to herself."
"The way you two get along? She loves you, Cassie. It's obvious."
"About as obvious as you and Gideon being more than friends," she said.
"Really? I thought we were done talking about him."
She shook her head. "As one of your best friends, I reserve the right to bring up Gideon whenever I want."
"I think I need to demote you."
"And where is this friend of yours tonight?" she asked as she arched her brow.
"I don't know, maybe a date or something. Gideon doesn't tell me everything he does, you know."
"You're lying," she said. "I can tell because you're scrunching your nose."
