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Liam nearly chokes on his whiskey. “Uh, yeah … thank you.”
“I’d love to get a tour of the farm some time. I mean, I’ve lived on the edge of it for so long and always wondered what happened with all those delicious looking vegetables. The apple trees, too, they look so pretty now that it’s fall.”
“We’re planning on picking them soon for the restaurant to start making this apple cake called Torta di Melt. My nonna’s is the best, you should come in and try it.”
“I’m sorry, what?” I can’t help but blurt out.
Liam shoots me a glare as if to sayplay it cool. “She wants to see the farm and try the apples. Let her.”
“As if I’m the one who has kept her away from them,” I grumble, and then feel Cassandra lace her fingers with mine under the table.
The next hour goes better than I could have imagined, with Cassandra, Wilson, and Warren doing most of the topic shifting. But Liam looks like he’s enjoying himself for once, and I’m beside myself that I get to publicly hang out with the woman I’m falling head over heels for.
Warren looks at his watch at some point and plunks his glass down with finality.
“Should we call it a night?” Wilson yawns. “As it is, I have to get up at the crack of dawn and these cocktails don’t sit the way they did when I was twenty.”
“You’re probably right,” Liam grumbles. “I have a ton of work on the farm tomorrow. We’ll be doing one of the last big harvests this week before the cold, so it’s all hands on deck. I’ll see you bright and early?”
That’s a question for me. “Yeah, I’ll be there.”
“All right.” Liam gives Cassandra a look I can’t decipher, but he surprises me by extending a hand. “Good night, Cassandra. It was nice to see you.”
My girl’s mouth practically falls open in shock. Getting a handshake from Liam is akin to receiving a birthday gift from Oscar the Grouch.
“It was good to see you too, Liam. I’m holding you to that farm tour.” She recovers quickly and gives him a mega-watt smile.
My brother nods before giving me a soft noogie, and then he turns to leave.
“You heading home?” Everyone has risen to gather their coats and close out their tabs, leaving us by ourselves.
I’ve spent almost every night in her bed this week, but today is the first time we’ve been out of communication for a lot of it. She was busy, and I was busy. So I didn’t know if she wanted some space, since I hadn’t heard from her.
“I am.” She hesitates. “I don’t know what your plans were, but …”
That’s when I realize Cassandra has the same self-conscious thought I did.
Moving in close with my gaze fixated on her lips, I silence her doubts.”
“I don’t like you being alone there.” I keep my voice low because we still haven’t heard a thing from the cops.
There has been no follow-up from Nikolai, not that I thought there would be, but there also haven’t been any more incidents. Fingers crossed everything is secure and safe. There should be nothing to worry about, but I still do constantly.
“Maybe you need to stay with me every night, then.”
The way her voice takes on some extra husk has my cock imagining dirty,dirtythings.
“You got yourself a deal, baby.”
I don’t put a label on what we just agreed to, but if she just extended an invite to sleep with her wrapped up in my arms every night, I’m taking it.
20
CASSANDRA
Two weeks pass with a bunch of workshop time at the playhouse, calls with Yaren about what contracts I have to fulfill versus those I don’t, and spending as much time as I can with Patrick.
Some housework on my dad’s place gets thrown in there as well, but it’s pretty much complete and ready to be listed. I haven’t reached out to anyone, though, to begin that process. I’m in no rush. My father’s feud with the Ashtons seems all but irrelevant, aside from the fact that Patrick won’t mention his father to me in conversation. I know he, and probably Liam, want me to sell them the land. I’m not opposed, but right now, I’m not hurrying the sale along.
