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15
Harrison pulled into Cass’s driveway the next morning before seven.Probably ten or fifteen minutes early, and yet she sat on the top step, her knees tucked almost all the way to her chest as she studied her phone.
He wished his vehicle was silent so he could observe her for a few moments, but she heard his engine or his tires on the stone or both and looked up.A smile popped onto her face, and she got to her feet.
Harrison had no words for a woman as sophisticated as her.She wore a pair of light blue pants that seemed made just for her body.They tapered at the ankle, and she wore a pair of white, strappy sandals that showed off her bright pink toenails.
Her top matched the pants and had obviously come as a set.It looked like a fitted jacket with a bright white zipper up the front, which she’d done up just past her chest.He caught a hint of cleavage as she stood, and he told himself to stop staring and get out of the truck.
He did that, barely meeting her as she reached the bottom of the steps.He couldn’t help touching her, because the fabric on these clothes looked like it would be really soft—and it was.He ran his hand along her hip and then up her back.He leaned in and took a deep breath of her hair and skin, saying, “Mm, you look amazing this morning,” in a low voice.
She put one hand on his bicep, creating an intimate circle between them.Harrison had forgotten what it felt like to be part of a couple, to be able to move in and have this level of closeness with another human being.His heart beat mighty hard, and happiness flowed through him.
He felt good about himself when he was with someone else.And someone of Cass’s caliber…she made him feel like a million bucks.
“Thank you,” she said, stepping back.She scanned him down to his work boots and back.“You look great too.”
He chuckled and shook his head.“Right.In my company T-shirt and steel-toed boots.I’m sure I’m the sexiest man on the island.”He laughed louder and moved to open the passenger door for her.He didn’t step back out of the way, but instead reached inside and picked up the bag of boiled peanuts he’d stopped at Claire’s to get for her.
He turned and held them out to her.Her smile had faded, but it came roaring back.“Harrison,” she said.She took the peanuts and lifted one to her mouth.“I love these things.”
“I know you do.”He did move out of the way then to allow her access to his truck.“I figured you could snack on them all day.What are you up to today?”He glanced at her house as if Lauren and Joy would be standing there watching.He didn’t see them, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t see him.
He faced Cass again and took the opportunity to put his hand on her back as she got into the truck.She twisted to put the peanuts on the seat beside her, then whipped her attention back to him.“There’s a bottle of peach iced tea here.”
He grinned at her.“No sugar, sweetheart.”He knew what she liked, and as she softened and said, “Thank you,” he knew she liked being taken care of too.Harrison really liked doing that for her, which surprised him somewhat.He went around the truck, telling himself that just because he hadn’t been terribly romantic with Claudia didn’t mean he had to have that type of relationship with every woman.
Cass was a completely different person than Claudia, and she sparked different wants and needs inside Harrison.
He got behind the wheel and looked at her as he pulled his seatbelt across his body.“Ready?”
“We don’t need to go to Gourmet Goods if you brought all of this.”
“Oh, we’re going,” he said.He backed up and turned around in her driveway.“Those are for later today, Cass.When your friends are driving you insane and you need a quiet moment.”He gave her a smile and pulled onto the street.
“How do you know my friends will drive me nuts today?”
“It’s inevitable,” he said simply.“It’s not a commentary on them.”He cut a look at her, suddenly nervous.“It’s just…they’ve been here for two days already, and we’re goin’ out this morning, and I’m assuming they’ll have questions.”He swallowed, because he’d had to answer a lot of questions last night once Conrad had come back with the Miracle Whip.Everyone on Hilton Head would know about his relationship with Cass by nightfall, he was sure.Oliver and Grant knew now, and they knew just about every local on the island.
Thankfully, it was summer, and the tourists didn’t care about who dated whom, even if one of those people was a widow who’d lost her husband sixteen months ago.
“They will have a lot of questions.”She popped another peanut into her mouth.“Sorry about Conrad.”
“We already talked about it,” he said.“You don’t need to apologize again.”She had last night, after her Supper Club had ended.After Conrad had gone home.After Harrison had gone to bed.He’d set her notification to something glamorous and glitzy, and when his phone had made that noise close to eleven p.m., he’d rolled over and picked it up.
He and Cass had texted for almost an hour before she’d finally told him to go to bed, and he stifled a yawn right now.“So what are you doing today?”
“The beach,” she said.“Bea has a kite she wants to show us.We’re going this morning, and then we’re going to hit the shopping this afternoon.”She smiled, and Harrison nodded.
“You like shopping?”
“I do,” she said, though it was a little slow.“We lived in a small town in Texas.Not really a big shopping place, with good fashion or anything.”
“You probably got good at doing things online,” he said.
“That’s what I was going to say.”She laughed for a moment or two.“I’m really good at shopping online to get what I like.”
“Well, that outfit is gangbusters,” he said, looking over to her again.He licked his lips.“You seriously look like a model in it.”
