her pillow with a groan. She’d gotten the texts late last night, and had reluctantly set her alarm for six. A sober Luke was turning out to be a hyper Luke. A driven Luke.
Hello, the sun isn’t even up. She rolled to face the hotel’s black-out curtains. They betrayed her by showing a brilliant strip of light. Barely up.
She’d been awake until after two in the morning rushing to complete the next article set for Celebrity Blog. Patricia had been encouraging of the last two columns, sending Cassie a note: “Something’s changing! You’re turning the corner. I knew you could do it!”
Cassie’s eye lids grew heavy and slowly closed. Just one more minute….
Her phone rang, blaring out Crazy by Gnarls Barkley, the tune she’d assigned to Luke. Whimpering, she flapped her hand around the table for the phone.
“I’m up! I’m up!” she complained, forgoing the hello.
“You want glazed? Jelly-filled?”
“I want another hour of sleep. But I’ll take an old-fashioned instead.”
“Another hour? Please. It’s getting late!”
“Actually, I want three hours, but I’m willing to compromise.”
“Come on, Principessa. I’ll have a cup of coffee waiting to perk you up. Time to figure out where that rosary came from. Bad guys don’t wait.”
“See you in the lobby in an hour,” she grumbled, and rubbed at her eyes.
“Forty-five minutes. Hurry, or I’ll eat your doughnut.”
Cassie tossed her phone on the counter. The happy flutter inside faded into a wave of heaviness. Emotions were getting too real. Cass, what are you doing with him, seriously?
Feeling confused,she jumped in the shower. The shampoo bottle only had an inch left at the bottom, and even more disturbing was the empty conditioner container. Beautiful. My hair is going to puff like a freaking dandelion.
Afterward, she eyed the hotel hair dryer before deciding against it. Instead, she quickly twisted her hair into a bun.
Cassie applied a thin coat of mascara and dabbed on her favorite lip gloss. She checked her phone for the time. Fifteen minutes left.
Hands on her hips, she surveyed her suitcase. What do I have left to wear that Luke hasn’t seen yet? Not much. With a sigh, she shook out the wrinkles in her blue t-shirt, and then reached for her jeans. Dressed, she shoved her feet into her cowboy boots, grabbed her purse, and searched for her pack of Life Savers.
Half of a pack left. Too early for candy? She peeled back the wrapper. Green. Frowning, she chucked it into the trash. “Ain’t nobody got time for lime.” After another glance at her phone, she snatched up her hoodie and her hotel key, and jetted out the door.
----
T he two of them sat on stools at the coffee bar. Luke took a sip from his cup and grimaced. He quickly snagged two packages of sugar. “Hey, I have a question. How have you been able to afford to stay so long at the hotel?”
Cassie grinned and bit into her doughnut. “I know people in high places.”
“Huh?”
“My brother-in-law and sister are loaded. They’d rather help me stay in a hotel, where they think there’s some security, than have me sleeping in my car.”
“You’d sleep in your car?”
Cassie shifted uncomfortably. “I had to play all my cards, Luke. My sister was pretty concerned about me coming to find you. The whole ‘we worry,’ and stuff.”
“So? You’re an adult.”
“My sister’s been more of a mom to me than anything else when I was growing up. She’s doing better, but those mom-feels run strong.” She tore her doughnut into three pieces. “Plus I have some life insurance from my dad. And my job can be done pretty much anywhere. Or I hope I still have a job.” She popped a piece into her mouth.
“Why wouldn’t you?”
“Mmm,” She quickly swallowed. “My line of work is about describing love, falling in love. Kind of hard to do when all you want to do is run away from life.”
He studied her. “Leif died over a year ago. How long since you’ve last
Hello, the sun isn’t even up. She rolled to face the hotel’s black-out curtains. They betrayed her by showing a brilliant strip of light. Barely up.
She’d been awake until after two in the morning rushing to complete the next article set for Celebrity Blog. Patricia had been encouraging of the last two columns, sending Cassie a note: “Something’s changing! You’re turning the corner. I knew you could do it!”
Cassie’s eye lids grew heavy and slowly closed. Just one more minute….
Her phone rang, blaring out Crazy by Gnarls Barkley, the tune she’d assigned to Luke. Whimpering, she flapped her hand around the table for the phone.
“I’m up! I’m up!” she complained, forgoing the hello.
“You want glazed? Jelly-filled?”
“I want another hour of sleep. But I’ll take an old-fashioned instead.”
“Another hour? Please. It’s getting late!”
“Actually, I want three hours, but I’m willing to compromise.”
“Come on, Principessa. I’ll have a cup of coffee waiting to perk you up. Time to figure out where that rosary came from. Bad guys don’t wait.”
“See you in the lobby in an hour,” she grumbled, and rubbed at her eyes.
“Forty-five minutes. Hurry, or I’ll eat your doughnut.”
Cassie tossed her phone on the counter. The happy flutter inside faded into a wave of heaviness. Emotions were getting too real. Cass, what are you doing with him, seriously?
Feeling confused,she jumped in the shower. The shampoo bottle only had an inch left at the bottom, and even more disturbing was the empty conditioner container. Beautiful. My hair is going to puff like a freaking dandelion.
Afterward, she eyed the hotel hair dryer before deciding against it. Instead, she quickly twisted her hair into a bun.
Cassie applied a thin coat of mascara and dabbed on her favorite lip gloss. She checked her phone for the time. Fifteen minutes left.
Hands on her hips, she surveyed her suitcase. What do I have left to wear that Luke hasn’t seen yet? Not much. With a sigh, she shook out the wrinkles in her blue t-shirt, and then reached for her jeans. Dressed, she shoved her feet into her cowboy boots, grabbed her purse, and searched for her pack of Life Savers.
Half of a pack left. Too early for candy? She peeled back the wrapper. Green. Frowning, she chucked it into the trash. “Ain’t nobody got time for lime.” After another glance at her phone, she snatched up her hoodie and her hotel key, and jetted out the door.
----
T he two of them sat on stools at the coffee bar. Luke took a sip from his cup and grimaced. He quickly snagged two packages of sugar. “Hey, I have a question. How have you been able to afford to stay so long at the hotel?”
Cassie grinned and bit into her doughnut. “I know people in high places.”
“Huh?”
“My brother-in-law and sister are loaded. They’d rather help me stay in a hotel, where they think there’s some security, than have me sleeping in my car.”
“You’d sleep in your car?”
Cassie shifted uncomfortably. “I had to play all my cards, Luke. My sister was pretty concerned about me coming to find you. The whole ‘we worry,’ and stuff.”
“So? You’re an adult.”
“My sister’s been more of a mom to me than anything else when I was growing up. She’s doing better, but those mom-feels run strong.” She tore her doughnut into three pieces. “Plus I have some life insurance from my dad. And my job can be done pretty much anywhere. Or I hope I still have a job.” She popped a piece into her mouth.
“Why wouldn’t you?”
“Mmm,” She quickly swallowed. “My line of work is about describing love, falling in love. Kind of hard to do when all you want to do is run away from life.”
He studied her. “Leif died over a year ago. How long since you’ve last
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