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“Cassie’s fine.” She shakes his hand. “Nice to meet you, Mark.”
For whatever reason, their contact and the smile she gives him annoy me. I’d rather she not go around smiling at every guy she meets.
“Let’s get in the water,” I grunt, clutching her hand. I haul her to the pool steps to put space between them.
Mark jumps in and swims over. “So, Cassie, are you spending the entire summer?” I want to smack the grin off his face.
Why do I feel like this?
“That’s the plan,” she tells him.
“Reid didn’t mention it.”
“So, are you best friends?” She casts a sly look in my direction. I assume to remind me of how I got mad when she mentioned having a new best friend. I feel childish the more I think about it.
Mark snorts in response. “You can say that. He told me about you.”
Cassie glances at me again and hums. “Good things, I hope.”
“Great things,” he chirps, throwing me a smirk.
I eyeball him and rumble under my breath.
Mark ropes Cassie into casual talk, even making her laugh at times.
I’m unsure if it’s fragments of my territorial behavior from our childhood, but the more they chat, the more displeasure foams beneath my skin.
I dip underwater, but the feeling isn’t leaving. It’s gnawing at me more and more.
Mark takes off when evening falls, and Cassie and I remain by the pool.
“Your friend’s nice. Funny.”
I shrug, still dealing with the unwanted sourness derived from their interaction. “He’s all right.”
Becoming quiet, Cassie glances at the water while kicking her feet. She has cute feet. Toenails painted with a dark red color like her fingers.
When her shoulders droop, I ask, “What’s on your mind?”
“I was thinking about our grandfather. Um, how was he towards the end?” She turns to me, and I perceive remorse in her brown gaze.
“Do you really want to know?” I confirm.
She answers with a nod.
I drift back into memory, easily recalling Grandfather’s last days with us three years ago. “He was still upset with Uncle Jeff. But the last thing he said about his son was that he wished it was different. That he was here.”
Cassie’s frown deepens. “It must have been such a difficult time for you and Aunt Helena. I’m sorry I wasn’t here. Dad didn’t want to return, even for that.”
I stare at the water, gleaming blue from the tiling and lights running along the sides. “It was tough, but we got through it. Grandfather wasn’t all that kind to me, anyway. I wasn’t his blood.”
Her gentle touch on my arm arouses a sudden thrill that comforts me. “You’re family. A Radcliff.”
She helped me see that as a kid, and I’ll never forget it. “Thanks.”
“Of course,” she says with a sweet smile. “I’m going to shower. See you at dinner.” She pushes up, fixes the towel around her, and starts for the sliding doors.
I feel a plunge in my stomach from not being able to see her rear as she walks away.
Turning my head, I push down the inappropriate thoughts and remind myself that she’s my cousin. I should not find Cassie sexually appealing.
Still, my eyes drift to her before she disappears inside, and I’m amazed by the flood of jealousy that someone else gets to touch her body.
