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He sat back, crossed one leg over the other, and clasped his knee. “And you think you can convince her that she’s capable of that?”
“I know I can.” He quirked that damn brow again. “Okay, it might take a lot of encouragement and some hand-holding at first, but eventually, yeah. I really do.” I grinned mischievously. “I may have learned a trick or two in all my years as a therapist.”
Boss huffed, then slapped his hands on his thighs and stood up. “Well, it sounds like a pretty good idea to me. You sure you don’t want to discuss anything else before I leave? New volunteers? Men? Grief?”
The initial scrutiny from when he’d walked in had been replaced by a soft kindness that I didn’t think I could handle right now. But since we both knew I was lying, I owed him a shred of honesty. “I’m okay, Boss. I promise. If I need anything, I’ll reach out.”
“Fair enough. If you have any questions about…uh, lifestyles or whatever, you know I’m available. Or Chance, maybe.”
Chance? My eyes widened. “Hard pass. I’ve done enough research to counsel the bunch of you that I’m pretty confident I have the basics, and if I have any questions, I think I should probably ask…” I trailed off. We both knew who I was talking about, and I really wasn’t ready to admit more.
Heading toward the door, Boss looked back over his shoulder with a shit-eating grin. “Okay. I’ve gotta go. Daddy Wyatt is eating dinner with us. If you decide you’re ready to ask any of those questions, you can always join us.” Then the little Brat left, cackling like a hyena.
I was so busted. Bart didn’t just suspect. He knew that something about Wyatt had mesmerized me. After all this time, bam.
You’ve got this, a voice whispered in my mind. This time, I was pretty sure that it was the voice of Martin. The one that had urged me to sell our home and move here where I’d have a reason to get out of bed and dressed each day. If I was really interested in this man, someone I didn’t know but whose quick touch had rattled me to my core, then Martin would encourage me to go for it. My sweet, dear late husband wouldn’t have wanted me to live half a life without him, alone and sad. He’d have wanted me to grab every opportunity, like I’d done with the Outreach, by the balls and live my life to the fullest.
But was I ready?
In the last three weeks, it felt like Wyatt was around every corner whenever I left my office. Of course, that couldn’t actually have been true. The man had a job, after all. Each time I glimpsed him unexpectedly, I froze like a statue and then scurried back to the safety of my office as soon as he saw me.
Then there were the times when I prepared myself to see him and actually have a damn interaction with the man like I was a grown-up, and he was nowhere to be found. Sigh. My middle name might as well be frustration. Cass Frustration Murphy.
Maybe I needed to break down and ask Boss when he expected to see Wyatt again. My mind was still all over the place, but I knew I wouldn’t move past this stuck feeling until I spent time with the man. It was the only way I’d be able to untangle all of the emotions that he’d set ablaze in my head, my heart, and my libido. Provided he was even interested.
I doubted he’d be around today. He probably slept in on a rainy Saturday morning like I wished I was doing right now. I had an early meeting with Janelle and some of the others she’d gathered in preparation for the buddy program I’d pitched to Boss.
After that, maybe I’d call Greg and see what he was up to. The idea of staring at the walls of my house while fretting about Wyatt and Daddies and boys was less than appealing. On the bright side, the happy memories of my years with Martin were popping up in my mind again. Only now, they didn’t hurt like they once had, but they warmed my heart. I’d always love and miss him, but it was so fucking nice to remember the good instead of fixating on the horrific days following his death.
Rounding the corner into the cafeteria, I almost dropped my cup of coffee at the sight before me. Janelle laughed like a schoolgirl at the sexy silver fox casually sitting next to her. What was Wyatt doing here? Was he taking on a buddy? Did he have that kind of time? If he did, would he have time for me? I mean, a boy? Whoever that boy might be.
“Cass,” Janelle said, jumping up and clasping her hands together in front of her. “Have you met Wyatt? He’s a captain with the police department. He can’t take on the responsibility of a full-time buddy, but he’s offered to set up clinics to teach the young ones how to maintain their cars. Isn’t that great?”
My gaze shifted from Janelle to Wyatt. “Uh.” Why hadn’t I prepared for the possibility of seeing him today? Chance had let it slip that unless there was an emergency, Wyatt didn’t work most weekends.
He shot me a lazy smile as he rose slowly to his feet. “Good morning, honey. When this lovely lady explained the new program to me, I knew I couldn’t devote that kind of time, but I wanted to help. I think car maintenance is important, don’t you?”
This man was utterly delicious, especially when all his attention was focused on me, so I only managed a squeak that he’d hopefully interpret as a yes.
He smiled gently. “Me, too. I figured I’d come once a month and rotate through things like changing tires and the oil. What do you think?”
I took a deep breath and cleared my throat. I could do this thing. As in talk. Like a normal person instead of a tongue-tied virgin. As if. That ship had sailed a long time ago. “That would be great, actually. Not a lot of our residents have cars, but when they get them, they tend to be junkers.” I pushed through my fears. “And good morning to you, too, Wyatt. It’s nice to see you again.”
“It’s always a pleasure to see you, Cass. I seem to usually catch you when you’re in a hurry, so I don’t get the opportunity to even say hi.” He winked.
So this was it. The opportunity I’d been hoping for all those times when I’d purposefully left my office in search of Wyatt. A chance to find out what this was. What was going on with me. To discover if those penetrating gazes he threw my way were for real. Fluttering my lashes like I’d seen Boss do a million times at Sharp, I channeled my inner Chance. “I’d be available for breakfast after this if you’re interested.”
Janelle gasped, and Wyatt’s smile spread wider across his face.
“Oh, honey. We were having breakfast today, no matter what. Here or somewhere else didn’t matter, but I had no intention of letting you slip away again without at least attempting to get to know you.”
The hell? Was he being cocky, or was this just blatant honesty? I scanned his face, searching for an answer and only saw genuine interest. Isn’t that what had appealed to me in the first place? The Daddies I’d met who were part of the inner circle around here were the same way. They said what they meant and meant what they said. I could appreciate that in a man. At this age, after years of being happily married, the urge to hit the dating scene and wade through all the toxicity and bullshit was less than appealing. Maybe nothing would come of this thing with Wyatt. Maybe I’d only make a friend, but if I was really considering putting myself back out there, why not do it with someone who’d be real with me?
“Sounds good. I have a great little diner we can go to.”
Chapter 5
Wyatt
