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He barks out a laugh, and I look up at him to see he’s smiling and shaking his head. “So she’s not mine. Got it.”
“Right. I’m sorry for the overshare. Seeing you after all these years sent my brain a little,” I flail my hands around my head to emphasize my point, “whirr, you know? It’s just going round and round. I just…” I smile wide and pat my palms against his chest, feeling lighter than I have in years. “Gah, Cash. You’re here. Like. Here. How is this even possible?”
“Well, I live here, so…” he teases.
“I know, I know. But out of all the places? It’s just a little wild to me. I never expected this.”
How I went from telling Cash about Brooklyn to gushing over seeing him again is confusing even me. I’m sure he feels like I just did a one-eighty right in front of him.
With my change in subject, he seems to relax. “Come here, you.” He wraps me in his arms and I breathe in his scent. My cheek rests against his chest for a moment before we both pull away. When I look up at him I have to swallow down the lump in my throat and wipe away a tear that decided to make an appearance. Followed by a few more.
He watches me closely, his eyes soft as he wipes away a tear with the pad of his thumb. “Well, welcome to Red Oak, Sandra. I hope it’s less dramatic than your time in Chicago.”
A bubble of laughter bursts out of me, along with a stream of tears. He remembers. It makes me wonder if he remembers everything about that night like I can. Like I’ve relived in my dreams.
“Thanks, Danny, I hope so, too,” I eventually say around my crying and laughter, wiping my eyes. It’s such an odd combination and one I haven’t had in such a long time.
Cash stuffs his hands in his pockets and leans against the edge of his desk. “We caught up quite a bit just now,” he raises his eyebrows and I roll my eyes in return, “but I’d like to take you for a cup of coffee or dinner sometime. Maybe show you some of the places Dorothy wouldn’t think to show you. I’ll give you my number and just reach out when you’re ready.”
I know my smile is watery but I can’t find it in me to stop crying right now. I’m emotional. Between the move here and seeing Cash again for the first time in fifteen years, I can’t seem to gather my wits.
“I’d like that.”
“Me, too.”
ChapterThree
Cash
“You okay?” Mom asks me the second I walk out of Dorothy’s office. I wouldn’t put it past her to have been listening with a glass up to the door the entire time.
“All good, Ma.”
She gives me the mom look that always made me crumble and confess all my sins growing up and I know this conversation is far from over.
“She okay?”
I smile down at her, loving that she cares enough to ask about a complete stranger.
“Yeah. But I think we need to get the family out of here so she’s not bombarded when she leaves the office.”
She nods once and turns on her heel. I notice all the confetti is cleaned up off the floor and I’m grateful they took the time to do that while Hadley and I were talking. There’s no reason for us to make a mess and leave it for Dorothy to take care of later.
“All right, everyone! Time to go. Let Dorothy close up and we can continue this celebration at the house,” Mom announces.
Without question, I know everyone will follow Mom’s lead. My siblings look at me closely but I shake my head. Today isn’t about me and my past. It’s about celebrating my brother’s new engagement to the woman he’s loved his entire life.
“Good?” Brock asks, a hand on my shoulder giving me a light squeeze. I nod once, knowing that he’ll understand I’ll explain later.
Stone is watching me closely and I can’t help but feel a twinge of sadness for Hadley. She never had this. A group of overbearing love junkies who care to the point of too much about her at times. I can’t imagine what it was like for her to have family care so little about her. From what she says, they cared about money and status and if it meant their child would live in misery, they were okay with that. I just… that’s not okay. And while I feel like my family might be sometimes a little too involved, I wouldn’t trade them for the world or ask them to change. Because their involvement comes from a place of love and they genuinely care.
Whatever Stone sees in my expression seems to appease him enough to shuttle our herd out the door. With a quick nod letting me know that he understands but we’ll absolutely be talking about it later, he says in an authoritative voice, “Alright, everyone, our place. Food. Drinks. We’ve got some celebrating to do and Dorothy is sick of our ugly mugs.”
“I said no such thing,” Dorothy protests before adding, “but I do need to close up.”
My sister Corbin links her arm through mine and says, “I’m riding with you.”
I almost groan because I know that means she’ll be grilling me the entire ride to Mom and Stone’s house.
