Trick had shown up for her that morning.
And she’d been so relieved to see him.
“I don’t want to get hurt,” she said.
“No one does. But walking away is easy. At some point, you’re going to have to trust your heart to someone, you’re going to have to take a chance on forever. Maybe don’t punish Trick for believing in fate.”
“Let’s talk about something else.”
“Fine,” Juliette said. “Oh, let me tell you about this awesome book that Emery set aside for me.” As her friend talked about her bookstore coworker, Cass’s mind strayed to Trick, and the difference between Lauren’s and Juliette’s outlooks on love.
When she said goodbye to Juliette a little while later, she shut and locked the door and looked at her phone and the text her friend had sent with Trick’s phone number.
Instead of texting or calling him, she walked to her bedroom, Lauren’s voice louder in her head than Juliette’s.
Fast love felt real, and that was why it was dangerous.
Cass wanted to believe Juliette was right, and that fast love didn’t always end in heartbreak. But her childhood told a story of what happened when shallow love burned away and left nothing but bitter ashes.
So she set her phone on the nightstand and climbed into bed alone.
Because falling for a guy who made her think about forever was one thing. Being left behind by him was something else entirely.
The moment Trick walked through the door of The Coffee Shop Next Door Friday morning, he knew something was different with Cassidy. He could tell she was aware it was him, but her vibe had gone from cautious to professionally detached. As a guy who worked with the public and had to deal with his fair share of drunks and troublemakers, he could tell she was looking at him through the lens of someone who needed to be dealt with and kept at arms’ length.
Damn.
“Good morning, Cassidy,” he said, when it was his turn at the counter.
“Morning, what can I get started for you?” Perfectly pleasant. Not an ounce ofwe’ve kissed and been naked recently.
She looked like she hadn’t slept well again, her hazel eyes a little dull, her shoulders drooping.
His wolf wasn’t crazy about it, but she’d put up the warning sign, and he wasn’t going to knock it over.
“The same as yesterday, please.”
She gave him a tight smile and rang it through, he paid and tipped, then stepped aside. And it was so freaking business-like that it bordered depressing.
A few minutes later, he took his coffee and left.
He walked to his truck and sat behind the wheel, taking a drink and pondering what had just happened and what the hell he was supposed to do.
She’d been warmer toward him yesterday, but today her smile hadn’t reached her eyes and everything about her warned him to steer clear.
That polite, customer-service smile was a punch in the face.
And he still hadn’t gotten over it when he’d shown up at The Howl that afternoon to help open, sweeping and flipping chairs.
“What is going on with you?” Dare asked.
“Huh?”
“You’re like a zombie. Are you having a stroke?”
“I’m just thinking.”
“I thought I heard wheels grinding.”
