Page 26 of The Other Half

They’d talked about me? I wondered now how much they’d told her. I hoped not everything. Being cheated on was embarrassing enough and having the hot new girl view me as a pathetic loser wasn’t a pleasant thought.

“Yeah, we did. We all went to Gibraltar from kindergarten straight through high school. Jo’s like a sister to me, and Aaron... well, he’s like the weird uncle no one invites to Thanksgiving.”

Laughter erupted from her and it coaxed it out of me again. God it felt good to laugh again. I’d almost forgotten how mine sounded.

When we reached the causeway, I saw my Tundra parked on the side of the road. A couple fisherman had taken up posts on either side and they cast into the still water. I was going fishing today, but it involved taking a group of four guys out on a charter. I wished I could spend the day on the causeway just snagging fish solo and enjoying the solitude like these lucky bastards. But that wouldn’t pay the bills and I still had a mortgage and a few truck payments left before it all belonged to me. At least a charter on the lake looked a hell of a lot better than sitting in an office in the city all day. The thought of living in a congested city overflowing with people made my skin crawl, and I counted my blessings a hard day at work for me involved fresh air, a boat, and fishing.

Cassie pulled to the side of the road opposite my truck and put the car in park. “Do I owe you anything for fixing it?”

I snorted. “No. Of course not. I wanted to.”

“Well, then you need to come into the Ox tonight and at least let me buy you a couple drinks. It’s the least I can do.”

“Considering I stop there every day on my way home from work, I guess I’ll be taking you up on that.”

“Okay,” she said, and that sweet smile sent my stomach plummeting to my feet again.

Damn it.

“Okay.”

“I’ll see you tonight then?”

“Yep.” With a quick nod I started out of the car but then remembered the nearly weightless dog on my lap. If Hank sat in my lap, all one-hundred pounds of him would have crushed my femurs. “Oops. Sorry, Muskybait.”

Lifting the little ball of fur off my lap, I handed her to Cassie. When she took her from me, our fingers brushed, and it felt like a sledgehammer slammed into my stomach. From the look on her face I could see she felt it, too. Desperate to get out of this car and away from this woman, I spun away and whipped open the door. Moving so fast, I almost tumbled out myself, but unlike her performance last night, I managed to stay upright. Without a word I slammed the door and hurried over to my truck. I could see her watching me until I made it into the driver’s seat. When I gave her a quick nod, she drove away, and a black plume of smoke kicked out behind her car. The sight of that beautiful woman in her pink pajamas driving off in the ugliest car I’d seen in my life brought another unwanted smile to my face.

Damn it.

CHAPTER NINE

Cassie

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“What do you think, Poppy? Too much?”

Her little head tipped to the side while I did a spin around in the outfit I’d picked out to bartend in tonight. Jo had given me a couple Blue Ox tank tops to wear but said I could wear whatever I wanted. Knowing Jake was coming in tonight, I wanted to wear something to make him sit up and take notice, so I’d torn through my suitcases to find just the right outfit.

“I can’t believe he fixed my car,” I said to her then flopped on the pink chenille blanket I’d used to cover the hideous couch. A little hop had her in my lap and I scratched under her chin. “Can you believe it?”

When I’d heard incoming fire this morning, I’d run to the window expecting to see another one of those non-existent Door County serial killers standing in my yard. But instead of the masked man sporting an arsenal of weapons I’d envisioned, my car had greeted my eyes instead. And Jake.

He’d emerged from the mud-colored monstrosity, flipping my stomach around when I’d seen him, and sending my heart racing like the first plunge down a rollercoaster. But what did it mean that he’d fixed my car? Was it really something he’d have done for anyone, or did it mean something more?

Unsure how to read the intent behind those brooding eyes, I decided that it had to mean something. He’d gotten up early and spent his time and energy fixing my car. Maybe it was just a small-town thing, but in New York if a man did something as chivalrous as fixing my car, it meant he was definitely interested. Although, honestly, no man I knew in New York could fix a car, and I didn’t own one, but regardless I felt confident it meant something.

Or did it? My head spun again while I remembered how he wouldn’t hug me back and how he’d shot out of my car like he couldn’t get away from me fast enough. Maybe it was just me who’d felt something when we touched, and it was just me who came unglued every time our eyes met. Ugh. He’s so hot.

Since I had no idea what was going on in his mind, I decided to pull out my big guns... the outfit that turned every head in New York when I went out in it. At the very least, it couldn’t do any harm at feeling out his intentions... or perhaps swaying them to the side of wanting to kiss me. With only a few minutes left to get ready for work, I decided my outfit would be just the thing to get Jake to start looking at me like I was used to other men doing. At least I hoped it would.

After getting Poppy situated in her predator-proof bathroom fortress, I buckled the straps of my stilettos around my ankles then cringed when I stood up. The pain searing through my still-sore feet sent me tumbling back down onto the couch.

“Ouch,” I breathed while I blew through the pain and stood again. Fashion first, I reminded myself and remembered the many times I’d chosen fashion over comfort. It’s worth it, I thought while examining how good they looked with my outfit and how stellar my legs looked when they were perched on top of four-inch heels. Next week I’d get some of those comfortable black shoes Jo swore by. But tonight, I was going to get Jake’s attention, and unless he was blind, this outfit would do it.

Trying not to limp, and forcing my body to accept my painful decision, I climbed into my car and drove to the Ox. When I walked in, a half dozen locals were already belly up to the bar and Jo leaned up against it chatting with them. The door closed behind me and every head turned toward me. One by one jaws went slack as the men at the bar raked me up and down. Jo’s mouth dropped along with theirs, and the shock on her face had me reconsidering this decision.

A long, slow whistle broke the silence. “Is it a bachelor party? Are you the stripper?” A man I hadn’t met yet, but who looked a lot like every other man at the bar in a faded t-shirt, jeans, and baseball cap said, wiping his brow. “I’ve got money!”