“I don’t know…” he mumbled. For a beautiful moment, he’d thought she had.
Rae dragged a finger across her forehead, sweeping her bangs to the side. Her gaze fell to the candy bowl, her voice slow and thoughtful and full of purpose. “Well, coming from a girl who knows quite a bit about unrequited love, you’ll never get anywhere sitting on your booty. You need the grand gesture.”
Jon raised a brow, but she didn’t elaborate. The thought had crossed his mind several times before that she was in deep with his cousin. Thomas was completely clueless, of course.
Then again, Rae could be talking about someone else.
Rae adjusted on the couch, snatching a pillow and hugging it to her chest. “Tell me about her,” she said, smile growing on her face and erasing whatever thoughts running through her head.
Jon chuckled, the first word that came to him amusing. “She’s a dork.”
“Jon!”
“In the best way,” he defended, dodging the pillow as Rae swung it. “She uses super hero references and has a collection of them on the top of her computer. She draws these unbelievably hilarious and witty comics, and loves numbers. I came back to the room covered in Post-it notes full of billing codes and notes and equations…” He stopped, the ghost feeling of Cassidy’s arms around his neck haunting him. He could’ve held her forever as she jumped up and down from solving the mystery of the missing money. She was a Marvel fanatic and a Nancy Drew and a Picasso and a Bill Gates.
“She’s smart. Beautiful. Fun.”
“Perfect?” Rae asked with a grin.
Jon snorted. “Far from. Thank god.”
She crossed her arms, hugging the pillow tighter to her chest. Her head tilted to the side, the tips of her short hair brushing her shoulder. “Have you told her?”
“What?”
“That you love her.”
He blinked, his spinning world coming to a halt. “I don’t… I can’t… We’ve only had a few nights.”
“All it takes is one.” The doorbell rang, and she reached for the candy bowl. “And believe me, you don’t want to shrug any nights off. Not when they are so hard to come by.”
She sidled through the space between his couch and loveseat, her cheerful voice greeting the trick-or-treaters at the door as she gave generous handfuls of candy. Jon mindlessly played with his phone, running his fingers along the edges. Would it make a difference—telling her? He hadn’t exactly laid all his cards on the table, always stepping aside and letting her go. That was the professional thing, the gentlemanly thing…
His heart thudded loud and strong under his scrubs, and his gaze drifted to his bedroom, black fabric sticking out from the second dresser drawer. Perhaps it was time for him to do the unprofessional thing.
“Guess it’s just you and me, lover,” Cassidy said, plopping down into her beanbag chair next to her Loki stand-up. She clicked Netflix on and went to search for Marvel movies, but found herself looking up Disney instead.
“I’m not a traitor,” she said to the cardboard. “I’m allowed to watch more than just Thor, you know.”
She scrolled through the choices, selecting Moana and humming along with the first song between bites of candy corn and Rice Krispie treats. The sleeve of her costume caught on the edge of the candy bowl, and she considered ripping the darn thing off. It wasn’t like there were many trick-or-treaters traveling up to floor three of her building, yet there she was, boob bags and all, ready for Halloween.
Her phone sat untouched, charging on the side table. After the text from Hallie about what a b-word she was for turning them in, she turned it off and unloaded the Halloween stash, calling it dinner. She bad-mouthed her ex-coworkers for a good half hour to her cardboard stand-ups, which was surprisingly cathartic.
A little chicken squawked on the screen. Hmmm… maybe there was a little Hei-Hei somewhere on Jon’s body. She frowned and stuffed a handful of candy corn into her mouth. It wasn’t like she’d find out; she’d pretty much waved goodbye to the perfect man mid-makeout—twice. A third shot probably wasn’t in her future.
What had she been thinking? Rumors were going to fly around no matter what—that was just how it was in the office, but they never lasted long, and in the wake of Hallie and Bethany getting canned, a relationship with a doctor wouldn’t be so note-worthy.
But why should she care, even if the relationship was huge news? Jon was probably worth the risk. Being with him wouldn’t change how she did her job.
Moana stepped onto a boat and played a set of drums on screen, and her sound system rumbled the noise through the floor and up her torso. Cassidy closed her eyes and ran her fingers up and down her shoulders, imagining a different set of hands holding her, cuddling her… He’d laugh and squeeze her tight. They’d share candy corn and Rice Krispies, and he’d pull the candy away from her when she was starting to get too crazy.
A knock cut through her fantasy, and candy corn flew across the room. She laughed at herself, sweeping her costume free and grabbing the wrapped candy for the trick-or-treaters. It was probably the neighbor boy—the only kid on her floor.
“Happy Hallowee…eeee…” Her voice floated away, and she nearly made a bigger candy mess as her eyes locked onto a pair of greens that had been in her fantasy not ten seconds ago.
“Trick-or-treat,” he said.
“You…” She took in a much-needed breath. “You don’t have a bag.”
He snapped his fingers—as best he could with gloves on. “Damn. Knew I forgot something.”
The corner of her mouth twitched. “You can still have one. I’ll allow it.”
“I… didn’t exactly come here for the candy,” he said, rubbing the back of his head. “Could we talk?”
Heat crept through her body, and she wished she wasn’t in so much fabric. “If you can resist getting distracted.” She stepped to the side and pointed to the TV. His heavenly scent filled the air as he passed, his shoulders moving up and down with his amusement at the Disney movie on display.
“I don’t promise anything.”
She led him to the living room, cheeks boiling as he took a spot in the adjoining bean bag chair, his long legs awkward, yet still sexy as he tried to get comfortable. She bit away a laugh and pushed the spilled candy corn.
“Are you doing okay?” he asked, sliding a candy corn into the pile she’d created. His hands shook, and she instinctively set her hand on the floor a few inches from his.
“Not really,” she admitted. She looked to the screen, but she had no idea what was happening in the movie.
“It’ll blow over,” he said. “You did a good thing. Saved the practice.” A soft nudge to her shoulder pulled her attention back to those evergreen eyes. “You should be proud.”
“I am.” She was, even if it came with some backlash. “That’s not… they aren’t the reason why…”
Her fingers curled into the carpet, inching toward his. She didn’t know of any doctor who would do a home visit just to see if she was doing all right. If this was the impossible third chance she’d hoped for, she would take it this time.
Jon shifted, and his hand disappeared. Cassidy’s heart sunk into the dark abyss of her stomach, mingling with too much sugar.
“I almost got that one,” he said, nodding to the TV. Cassidy followed his gaze.
“The chicken?” she asked, suppressing a smile.
“Yeah. There’s still some space on my back for some more secondary characters.”
She swallowed hard, eyes drifting down the black fabric. Her voice was going to tremble so badly, she knew it. “Can I see?”
He cut his gaze to her, and for a heart-stopping moment, Cassidy thought he would laugh in her face, or yell, call her out on turning him down only to cross this obvious line in the sand.
He slowly reached up and pulled t
he mask from his face, his eyes searching hers. “As you wish.”
The air was thick, the movie forgotten as Cassidy’s ears picked up every inch of fabric that slid over his skin. He twisted in the bean bag chair, exposing his back to her.
A smile spread over her nervous lips, his reference to The Princess Bride not lost on her. A canvas of Disney sidekicks covered his upper back, Flounder peeking from the top of his shoulder.
“Where were you thinking of putting him?” she asked, too afraid to touch him just yet. Her fingers were embarrassingly sticky from all the Rice Krispies. She hurriedly wiped them on her dress.
“Probably next to Fix-It Felix.”
She spotted the little game icon next to a detailed Mushu and Zazoo. Praying she’d gotten most of the candy off her skin, she traced a space on his back, making him jerk a little.
“There?” she teased. She’d forgotten how ticklish he was.
He nodded, then blew out a long, shaky breath. He slowly turned, letting his shirt fall into place. His hair was a mess, sticking from every which way.
“I’m in love with you.”
Her lips parted, breathing suddenly complicated. “What?”
“I know it’s fast,” he rushed, eyes dropping to her candy-covered floor. “But I need you to know it.”
Several emotions ran through her mind. Shock was the most dominant, rocking her so hard that she wasn’t sure if she was still sitting on the floor or passed out somewhere. She’d only heard those words from one other man in her life, way back when she was sixteen years old, and it was in response to her confession.
A wave of doubt flowed through her. Jon was off his rocker, or he’d mistaken her for someone else. He was older, more mature, smart, and drop dead beautiful. What in the world was he doing falling in love with her?
He had to be a figment of her imagination. She reached forward and grabbed his arm, squeezing up and down his bicep until he flinched back.
“Stop,” he said through a chuckle.
“You’re serious…” she whispered in disbelief.
“Of course, I’m serious. Cassidy, I’ve never been so amazed by anyone in my life. You’re talented and smart and funny and adorable. I can’t stop thinking about you, and I know you’re afraid to do this for real, but I need you to know how I really feel—”
She scrambled from her bean bag, fumbling for his lips, relief and joy flowing freely through her. “I want to do this for real,” she said between kisses. This was her chance, and no one was going to stop her from taking it. “I can handle the gossip. I can’t handle not being with you. I get… really weird.”
He chuckled, cradling her face. “More than usual?”
“I almost held hands with Loki tonight.”
He reeled her in for a powerful kiss, almost like her dorkism was only more of what he loved. She grasped his wrists, joy overflowing like a river into the ocean.
“You sure?” he asked, his voice low and sexy and breathless. “Be with me.” She nodded against his forehead.
“As you wish,” she whispered, meeting his eyes. He grinned, pulling her close. Her heart beat hard against his, her stupid costume tangling her legs as she tried to straddle him. Laughter spilled from her, the memory of the last time they’d attempted to do this creeping to the surface.
“Hang on,” she said, leaning back and flipping her hair over her shoulder. She wrestled with the boob bags, much to Jon’s amusement. He reached around and unzipped her, making it much easier to get the things out.
“Won’t be needing these,” she said dropping them to the floor. He tilted his head, and his mouth opened with an irresistible pop.
“Were those… was that why you—”
She shut down his question with more kisses, wriggling on his lap. She was ready to do this for real—fall in love, be with him, start a life together.
His hand slithered down her back, and she jerked away. “We can’t do this.”
His eyes opened wide, and his head fell back, resting on the bean bag chair. His hands hilariously zapped from her body like he’d been electrocuted. She bit away a smile, leaning in and pressing a chaste kiss to the tip of his nose.
“I meant… we can’t do anything yet. Not here.”
His lifted his head. “Okay…?”
She blew out a breath and regretfully climbed from his lap, holding a hand out for him. “Not until I get a new bed.”
He got to his feet, keeping her hand in his and zipping her dress up with the other. “Sounds like a story. Care to fill me in?”
“Gladly on the way to your place,” she quipped boldly, grabbing his mask, keys, and her phone. “But fair warning, it might really kill the mood.”
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(Excerpt of Across the Street, Romance for all Seasons #2. All rights reserved. Unedited and subject to change.)
Steven lowered his phone, gripping it with an iron fist as he slumped into the front porch couch. Well, shit, there when his whole reason why he was back in Seattle. The one that got away was gone for good, and being the gentleman his grandpa always told him to be, he took Cassidy’s message and said being friends was a-okay with him.
It was a bold-faced lie.
He bent forward, tightening his laces and making sure his shoes were up for the miles he was about to put on them. He needed a new pair, but it was still a few days before pay day.
It wasn’t exactly running weather, but Washington had put off its first snow for the the season and was sticking to its signature rain. Steven tugged on his hood, stood and shook out his knees, and took off down the sidewalk.
In, out, in, out… the mind-numbing would start soon, he knew it. His eyes caught a glimpse of one of the neighbor girls across the street, and he politely waved when she looked up from her book. Her brows twitched slightly and the smallest of smiles crossed her lips before she returned to her story. Steven focused once again on his breathing, taking the next turn off his street and past college row.
His grandpa had lived in the same house since he bought it in the fifties. Over the course of his life, Steven had witnessed oldies move out and young college kids move in. He’d wondered often when he was a teen if his parents had survived that crash if he’d be in Washington at all. From what his grandparents had told him, Mom had her sights on Alaska.
But if he’d lived there, he never would’ve met Cassidy. His gut lurched and his phone was a dead weight in his pocket. Guess it didn’t matter anyway—he’d lost her and she wasn’t ever coming back.
He shook his head and picked up the pace. In, out, in, out… He was supposed to be numb by now, but Cassidy’s face kept popping in and out of his head with each breath. She still wore those adorable glasses. Her hair was longer than it was when they’d dated, but still as naturally brown as it always had been. Cassidy wasn’t the type to dye her hair. She was more concerned over the next Marvel movie theory or too career focused to wonder what she’d look like as a blonde.
The last time he’d seen her, she had that angry flush in her cheeks that he longed to cure. Her parents—her divorced parents—had been fooling around in Cassidy’s bed, and she was a little more than peeved. He couldn’t blame her, even though a selfish part of him was thrilled that she called him to rescue her. He’d gone home that night walking on air, ready to make up for breaking up with her years ago.
He scoffed at his past self. What a pipe dream that turned out to be.
Water spattered up his legs as he slammed into a puddle. Sprinkles of rain soaked into his hood and mixed with the sweat collecting on his forehead. He looked up at the next street sign as he passed. Three miles. He was in the run three miles and he was still pining.
He turned his feet around, frustration rolling down his spine as he sprinted back home. Grandpa most likely was ready for bed, and his sister, Jemma, probably wanted help with the laundry.
The numbness came to his f
ingertips first, the cold crawling up his arms and finally to his brain a mile away from home. He grinned, soaking in the methodical beats of running. Right foot, left foot, in, out, crack in sidewalk, again… again… heart beat fast, faster, in, out…
As he turned onto his street, the neighbor looked up from her spot on the porch, her book perched neatly in her lap, a worn, oversized hoodie covering her torso and draped over light brown hair, the ends tinted with a turquoise blue. Her back straightened, and an awkward, yet determined smile appeared on her lips. She lifted a hand, her fingers trembling as she waved.
Steven half-grinned, taking in an easy breath. “Must be a good read,” he said, keeping his pace as he passed, but turning around to run backward across the street. A gorgeous shade of red splashed her cheeks, and she mumbled something unintelligible.
“Didn’t quite catch that,” he said with a laugh, stopping in the middle of the road. The rain picked up around them, and if she wanted any chance to be heard, she was going to have to shout. But by the way she curled into her faded blue hoodie, he doubted she was even capable of anything louder than a whisper.
She clacked her teeth together before gulping. Instead of shouting, she held the book near her face and gave it a thumbs up. A chuckle rose from Steven’s gut.
“Maybe I’ll borrow it sometime,” he called out through the rain. “Have a good night.”
She nodded, the red in her cheeks somehow even darker than before.
Gorgeous, he thought, then turned to his own porch. Jemma sat on the couch, pressing her lips together in amusement as he shook his hair out.
“Showing off for the girl across the street, I see.”
“Was not.”
She snorted, her breath blowing the dark bangs off her forehead. “Oh yeah… all guys go running in the rain past sorority houses all the time.” She deepened her voice. “I’m Steven. Look how muscular I am. Look at my pecs showing through my white shirt. Look how not out of breath I am.”
He wrinkled his nose and rang out the water from his hoodie t-shirt. Okay, maybe he was a bit nipply, but it wasn’t on purpose. No wonder that girl was as red as a tomato.