dress it dawns on me that normally I’d be all over a girl like Ashley—cute as hell, hot body—but last night I couldn’t take my eyes off of Cassidy. And even now my mind is drenched in thoughts of her.
I realize this is more of a problem than I’d thought it was, and I’d better get my shit together before I lose my parents and Cass during the summer from hell.
Downstairs Brandon and Jesse are drinking coffee at the kitchen table. Delilah and Ashley are sitting outside on the back deck, eating bowls of cereal.
“Where’s Tristan?”
Jesse points upstairs. “He’s still sleeping, I guess. He hasn’t made it downstairs yet.”
My brain immediately puts Cassidy wearing nothing but my T-shirt and pink panties in the room with Tristan, who might be gay but is still a dude. This borders on ridiculous, but claws of jealousy are scratching at me and I’m wondering if she’s showering just a wall away from where he’s sleeping. Or if she’s lying on the bed talking to him.
I want to be lying on the bed with her, and the idea of her naked and showering with only four inches of wall between us makes me hard again. I’m screwed.
My legs want to carry me upstairs, but my brain won’t let them move. I seriously need to get a grip. I fill a second cup with coffee, add cream and sugar, and bring them both to the table.
Jesse glances at the second cup. “Thirsty?”
“It’s for Cass,” I say, like he should know. He nods, like he does know. “Where’s Brooke?”
“She went home last night. She had to open the café this morning. We should talk, Wyatt.” Jesse looks outside at Delilah. “Is she okay?”
I shrug and sip my coffee. “As good as can be expected.” That’s when I remember that Cassidy saw me crying last night. My hand freezes midair as embarrassment drags on my skin like a spiny rake.
It’s Cassidy. It’s okay .
And just like that, it does seem okay.
“I don’t want to push you too fast into all this stuff, but we should figure out what’s happening with the Taproom. I’ll stick around as long as you need me to, but I’m usually back at my own properties by next weekend, so I’d kind of like to make sure you have a handle on things, I’ll help find someone else to step in if you need me to.” Jesse fiddles with the thick leather band on his wrist.
“Oh. Right.” I haven’t spent any time thinking about the bar much past knowing I’d have to deal with it at some point. “There can’t be that much to learn, right? I mean, you and the employees seem to have a good handle on things.”
Jesse laughs as he lifts his coffee and takes a sip. “Sure we do, but you need to have a good handle on things, Wyatt. There’s inventory, purchasing, accounting, all sorts of things that need to be handled. Your mom used to go over the books, but she was tied up the last few months, so the books haven’t been reviewed for the past quarter.”
“Oh, shit.” I run my hand through my wet hair and hear footsteps coming down the stairs. Cassidy’s hair is wet, I assume from the shower. She smiles, but it’s not her usual light-up-the-room smile. It’s a shy, embarrassed, half smile with downcast eyes. “Cass, come here for a sec.”
She smells amazing.
“Where’s Tristan?”
“Zonked,” she says. “Did you know he sleeps in the buff?”
I grit my teeth against her comment.
“Maybe I should go upstairs and check it out,” Brandon says with a devilish grin.
She laughs. “I’m kidding. He’s fully dressed and out like a light.” She points to the coffee. “Mine?”
She takes a drink and closes her eyes. “Thank you. Mm. This is heavenly.” She opens her eyes again. “Ibuprofen would make it even better.”
Brandon reaches into his pocket and tosses a square packet of ibuprofen across the table, the type of travel pack with two pills in it that you buy at a gas station.
“You’re like Santa Claus. Thank you.” She struggles to open the package, so I take it from
I realize this is more of a problem than I’d thought it was, and I’d better get my shit together before I lose my parents and Cass during the summer from hell.
Downstairs Brandon and Jesse are drinking coffee at the kitchen table. Delilah and Ashley are sitting outside on the back deck, eating bowls of cereal.
“Where’s Tristan?”
Jesse points upstairs. “He’s still sleeping, I guess. He hasn’t made it downstairs yet.”
My brain immediately puts Cassidy wearing nothing but my T-shirt and pink panties in the room with Tristan, who might be gay but is still a dude. This borders on ridiculous, but claws of jealousy are scratching at me and I’m wondering if she’s showering just a wall away from where he’s sleeping. Or if she’s lying on the bed talking to him.
I want to be lying on the bed with her, and the idea of her naked and showering with only four inches of wall between us makes me hard again. I’m screwed.
My legs want to carry me upstairs, but my brain won’t let them move. I seriously need to get a grip. I fill a second cup with coffee, add cream and sugar, and bring them both to the table.
Jesse glances at the second cup. “Thirsty?”
“It’s for Cass,” I say, like he should know. He nods, like he does know. “Where’s Brooke?”
“She went home last night. She had to open the café this morning. We should talk, Wyatt.” Jesse looks outside at Delilah. “Is she okay?”
I shrug and sip my coffee. “As good as can be expected.” That’s when I remember that Cassidy saw me crying last night. My hand freezes midair as embarrassment drags on my skin like a spiny rake.
It’s Cassidy. It’s okay .
And just like that, it does seem okay.
“I don’t want to push you too fast into all this stuff, but we should figure out what’s happening with the Taproom. I’ll stick around as long as you need me to, but I’m usually back at my own properties by next weekend, so I’d kind of like to make sure you have a handle on things, I’ll help find someone else to step in if you need me to.” Jesse fiddles with the thick leather band on his wrist.
“Oh. Right.” I haven’t spent any time thinking about the bar much past knowing I’d have to deal with it at some point. “There can’t be that much to learn, right? I mean, you and the employees seem to have a good handle on things.”
Jesse laughs as he lifts his coffee and takes a sip. “Sure we do, but you need to have a good handle on things, Wyatt. There’s inventory, purchasing, accounting, all sorts of things that need to be handled. Your mom used to go over the books, but she was tied up the last few months, so the books haven’t been reviewed for the past quarter.”
“Oh, shit.” I run my hand through my wet hair and hear footsteps coming down the stairs. Cassidy’s hair is wet, I assume from the shower. She smiles, but it’s not her usual light-up-the-room smile. It’s a shy, embarrassed, half smile with downcast eyes. “Cass, come here for a sec.”
She smells amazing.
“Where’s Tristan?”
“Zonked,” she says. “Did you know he sleeps in the buff?”
I grit my teeth against her comment.
“Maybe I should go upstairs and check it out,” Brandon says with a devilish grin.
She laughs. “I’m kidding. He’s fully dressed and out like a light.” She points to the coffee. “Mine?”
She takes a drink and closes her eyes. “Thank you. Mm. This is heavenly.” She opens her eyes again. “Ibuprofen would make it even better.”
Brandon reaches into his pocket and tosses a square packet of ibuprofen across the table, the type of travel pack with two pills in it that you buy at a gas station.
“You’re like Santa Claus. Thank you.” She struggles to open the package, so I take it from
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