Craving Cassie Ch. 03

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me," Cassie mumbled to herself as she rounded the corner and saw the construction detouring her foot route to the courthouse. "What? Oh nothing. Listen, Andi, I'm almost there, I promise. Go ahead. I'll meet you in the lobby. Five minutes," she promised, and snapped her cell phone shut.

She neglected to tell her friend it was physically impossible to go around the construction, cross the busy road, and walk the remaining mile and a half in five minutes to get to the courthouse, but Cassie considered herself nothing if not resourceful.

She was in the process of peeling off her high-heeled shoes, fully willing to take off in a dead sprint to make it, when she heard a wolf whistle coming from one of the cars on the busy road beside her. She rolled her eyes. When the jackass gave another wolf whistle and called out, "Hey, good looking!" she turned, fully prepared to shoot the horny roadster a bird. Almost too late, she realized the jackass in question was Kevin.

He had pulled over to the side and was waving her over. "Praise the lord," she whispered and jogged toward him. She jumped into the passenger seat of his truck and said, "I need to be at the courthouse ten minutes ago. Go."

He chuckled, but wasted no time pulling into traffic. "Something happen to your car, darlin'?"

She was putting her shoes back on. "Yeah, I don't have one at the moment. Mine's in the shop. Speaking of which, what are you doing at, say, five o'clock this afternoon?"

"Why didn't you call me or Heather to give you a ride?" he sent her a pointed look that made her feel like she'd been caught doing something she shouldn't have been. He added, "I'll take you to pick your car up. Don't worry about it."

She sent him a beautiful, self-satisfied smile. "You're a peach, you know that? Oh, you can just drop me off in front of the building. Thanks, Cooper, I owe you one."

"You owe me several, but who's keeping tab?" He smiled and gave her the once over. "Looking pretty good, Ross. No wonder you almost stopped traffic back there."

She felt herself color with embarrassment. She wasn't the type to dress up often – that was the great thing about owning your own business. Today, however, she'd needed to look professional and responsible, so she'd pulled out one of the only business suits she had in her closet – a black number she'd partnered with some heels. She'd spent far longer than she should have on her hair, which was pulled back in a very neat style.

She couldn't wait to get home so she could put her jeans back on and let her hair down again.

"You're looking pretty spiffy yourself, Cooper. What's the special occasion?" she asked, noticing he himself was dressed in a sports coat and tie.

"Just meeting you at the courthouse to lend my support."

"You were what?" she asked, completely surprised.

"Don't act so surprised, sweetheart. That's what friends do. I mean, isn't that why you're here? To support Andrea? I'm here to support you. Now you go on inside. I'll meet you in a few minutes after I find a place to park."

She realized he was pulling up to the curb in front of the courthouse now. She hopped out and leaned in to say, "Don't worry about it, Kevin. I appreciate the ride. I'll just meet up with you later."

"Right," he agreed. "In the lobby in a few minutes. Now scoot."

She wanted to argue, but she knew she didn't have time so she just slammed the door and hurried up the steps. Andi, who looked as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs, came forward to greet Cassie. "I was getting worried," Andi said, chewing on her nails.

"Hey, I promised you I'd be here," Cassie reprimanded gently, and then awkwardly offered a hug for support. "So what's the deal? Do we go into a courtroom or what?"

"We have to wait on the judge. I think it's just supposed to be me and Pete and our lawyers, if we have them, and then the judge will talk to the officers in charge of the case. You'll have to wait out here with my parents."

"Oh," Cassie said, having expected something more along the lines of what you saw on TV. "Well, damn. I got all dressed up for nothing."

"Yeah," Andi agreed. "Sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry about," Cassie stressed, and Andi nodded.

Andi introduced Cassie to the tall, grey-haired gentleman who was sitting with her parents – he was the lawyer they'd hired for her. Kevin joined the group a few minutes later, and Cassie felt a bit embarrassed to introduce him to Andrea in these circumstances. She hedged and explained to everyone that she'd needed a ride, and Kevin had volunteered. Cassie knew her friend found all of this embarrassing and hurtful and probably would have been happier if no one at all knew what had happened in her marriage, let alone a complete stranger like Kevin. Hell, if anything like it ever happened to Cassie, she certainly would not want all of her friends and family hanging around to witness the ordeal.

If anything, though, Kevin charmed Andi just like he'd charmed Cassie, and he, more than anyone, did the best job of keeping Andi's mind off the matter at hand by telling her about some of the adventures he'd been on. Europe, Canada, Asia ... he'd been all over the world, it seemed.

"Have you ever been snowboarding?" he even asked Andi at one point.

"No, but it looks like fun," she admitted, totally engaged in the conversation.

"Well, you'll have to let me take you and Cassie sometime. It's a lot of fun once you get the hang of it. We can go to Colorado – they've got some great slopes there."

Cassie scoffed. "Me? Strap a board to my feet and go hurling down a mountain at sixty miles an hour? I don't think so."

They all got a good laugh out of that.

Almost an hour after her scheduled appointment, Andi was called back with her lawyer, along with a stone-faced Pete and two police officers Cassie recognized from the night of the beating. For the next twenty minutes, Cassie watched the door worriedly, chewing on her nails.

Finally, Andi came out, looking tired and pale and with tear stains on her face. When she gathered herself enough to explain, Andi told them that she had been granted the Order of Protection her lawyer had requested, and both she and Pete were scheduled to be back in court. Andi added that the judge had also granted her sole rights to their home until the Order of Protection against Pete was lifted.

The prick was released on bond and would be out there somewhere, but at least he couldn't go near Andi – or wasn't supposed to, anyway.

That, she further explained, would give her the chance to pack all of her personal items and belongings and "get the hell out."

Thank God, Cassie thought. She'd really expected Andi to stay with Pete, just like she had all the other times. For once, she was glad to be proven wrong.

Hopping into the passenger seat beside Kevin, the first thing Cassie did was let her hair down. She shook it out and ran her fingers through it as she told him, "Maybe Tess can take me to pick my car up later. I hate to keep asking you for favors."

"Don't worry about it."

But she did. She absolutely hated to be indebted to anyone for any reason. Leaning back in her seat, she sighed. "I'll pay you for it then. How much does it cost to fill this thing up anyway?"

"Dinner and a movie, and I get to pick both. You pick up the check."

"Deal."

"That was easy." He whistled. "Damn. I knew I should have asked for a night of hot, sweaty sex instead."

"Keep dreaming, cowboy."

"Speaking of dreams, did I tell you the one I had the other night? It involved me, you, a bottle of honey and a hammock ..."

"Kevin!" She sent him a scandalous look. "Friends, remember? Geez."

His chuckle was evil. "Lighten up, Ross. Sheesh. Can't even take a joke. It's sad really."

She shifted uncomfortably, thinking, no, I damn well can't! Not jokes like that, anyway. The mere thought of her, Kevin, a bottle of honey, and a hammock sent her pulse racing and made her tingle in all the right places.

She was glad for the escape when he finally dropped her off at her shop. It was getting too hot in the cab of his truck for her liking.

"I'll be back around five," he promised, and sent her a sexy grin.

Friends, she reminded herself as she waved him off. All they could be was friends ...

***

The night of their dinner and a movie – her treat – finally came and Kevin found himself reluctantly calling Cassie to cancel. For someone who rarely got sick, he'd managed to come down with one helluva cold, and in the middle of spring, no less. Just his luck.

Cassie called the next day to check on him, almost sounding concerned. He took that as a good sign. He sounded almost as bad as he felt, and he felt terrible, so he really shouldn't have been so surprised when she showed up on his doorstep on the third day of his illness armed with a bag of medicine and a bowl of chicken soup, ready to take no prisoners.

"No offense, Cassie, but I want to get better, not worse," he joked stuffily when she handed him the soup she said she'd made herself.

"Very funny, wise guy. I'll have you know I've got plenty of experience nursing people back to health, thank you very much. My chicken soup helped get rid of more than one of my father's and Heather's colds in the past, so shut up, eat up, and like it."

Grumpily, he let her guide him back to bed, and she sat beside him on top of the covers, watching and waiting for him to try the nutritious liquid. He hesitantly took a sip from the spoon. "Hey, this is pretty good," he admitted, and scooped up a bigger helping.

Later he handed her his empty bowl. "Thanks. You're pretty good at this Mother Hen stuff. Who would've thought?" he teased.

"Yeah, well, I don't do it for just anyone. Consider yourself one of the lucky ones, cowboy."

He figured she must have had to nurse Heather plenty of times after their mother had passed away. That thought brought with it a revelation of sorts.

Cassie picked up his remote and began surfing through the channels on his small bedroom TV. "I saw where The Travel Channel is showing a documentary tonight on haunted places. You interested?"

"Sure. Just promise to protect me if I get scared," he agreed. Mainly, he was trying to think of a polite way to mention what he was thinking. Finally, he just said, "I guess it must have been kind of weird when Heather went away to college. I mean, after you had taken care of her for so long."

He could tell he'd hit on something by the way she seemed to stop breathing for a few seconds. She shrugged. "Yeah, I guess ..."

Certain he'd found a clue in his constant search into what made this woman tick, he continued, "You know, you never really talk about your father."

"So?" She sounded defensive now.

"I just wondered. I mean, is he still alive, or is he living it up in sunny Florida, or maybe he's in the CIA and you can't talk about him ...?"

"Afraid not. He died the same year Heather and Jake got married. Now, do you mind? I'm trying to watch this."

So her father was dead, and Heather had moved on with Jake. Her best friend had gotten married to a scumbag she'd refused to leave until now. After taking care of all of them for so long, suddenly Cassie hadn't been needed anymore. Like a brick hitting him in the face, Kevin suddenly got it. Cassie was afraid to get close to anyone because she probably felt like everyone she'd ever invested her efforts in had abandoned her. Could that really be it? Had he finally figured out her issue?

"Wow," he breathed, feeling pretty confident that he had.

"What? That ghost looked pretty fake to me," she scoffed, watching the TV.

"Oh, nothing," he said, then sneezed and blew his nose.

Cassie sent him a cutting glance. "You infect me, and I'll kick your butt."

"Hey, you're the one lying on the bed with me," he argued good-naturedly. He grinned. "Hey, you're lying on the bed with me," he pointed out with devilish merriment and wiggled his eyebrows.

She rolled her eyes but couldn't help but smile. Still, she scooted a little bit to the right, away from him. "You couldn't do anything if you wanted. You're sick."

"Is that a challenge?"

"No, that's a fact."

"Why'd you scoot over there then? Scared?" he teased.

"Hell no. I don't wanna catch your germs."

He smiled to himself.

"What?" Cassie demanded, seeing that smile.

"Oh nothing. Just daydreaming."

Her eyebrows shot up in surprise at that unexpected response. "About what?"

"I can't tell you. You'd get mad at me," he smiled.

"You're probably right," she agreed, and focused on the TV again.

Kevin chuckled and decided to let her off the hook. Even though he generally felt pretty lousy right about now, he also felt surprisingly upbeat at the moment, and he knew it was because Cassie was here.

***

The next few weeks were extremely busy for Cassie as she had several weddings and parties booked at the store. Still, that didn't stop Kevin from stopping by every other day to take her to lunch or dinner. A few times, he'd even volunteered his services to deliver flowers when her regular help had called in sick and she was caught in a bind.

Cassie was becoming very comfortable with their friendship, and she had to admit, she liked having a guy around as a friend, someone she could depend on whenever she needed him, though she was still loathe to admit it. Her short-lived friendship with Kevin had been the main thing she'd missed a few years ago, and now she didn't know what she'd do without it. Even though there were days when she was severely tempted to risk turning it into something more, she held back because she didn't want to ruin what they had now. The mere idea of not having him in her life any more now terrified her.

The fact that she could admit that to herself was even more terrifying.

When Heather called and asked if Cassie and Kevin would like to join them for a night out, Cassie didn't even hesitate to agree. Unfortunately, she got held up in joining them at the country western bar they'd picked and was almost half an hour late.

"Sorry," she said, joining the three of them at the table they'd reserved and shrugging out of her jacket. "Tess had to leave early and I got stuck with some late customers."

"You should have called me," Heather chided.

"It wasn't anything I couldn't handle. Did you guys order already?" she asked, picking up a menu.

She wasn't surprised they'd waited on her, and they all agreed to split one huge pizza with some beers. Cassie settled back in her seat and sighed, glad to be with friends for a change, and not working or going to court or counseling sessions with Andi.

Once or twice, Cassie caught herself glancing at both Jake and Kevin as they bantered back and forth across the table. They really were great guys, and so much alike in a lot of ways.

"Are you two up for a game of pool?" Jake asked the women after the pizza was gone.

"Not me," Heather sighed, and Cassie agreed, "It's been a long day. I just wanna sit here and kick back for a while longer. You go ahead without us. Give us a chance to gossip."

"Suit yourselves," Jake said, and leaned over to kiss his wife. "Wait here while I go show Kevin who's king."

"King of the losers maybe," Kevin shot back and winked at Heather as he followed Jake to the pool tables.

"So," Heather said when they were alone, "are you and Kevin dating yet, or still trying to be 'just friends'?"

"How many times do I have to tell you – friends only," Cassie emphasized.

"Still trying to put up boundaries? How sad. I think you two would be great together," Heather said.

"You've made that perfectly clear, little sister." Leaning forward, Cassie considered her sister and then glanced to where Jake and Kevin were talking and readying their game of pool. "Can I ask you something, sis?"

"Absolutely."

She considered her words carefully, not wanting Heather to jump to conclusions. "When you first met Jake, did you know he was the one?"

Heather's eyes widened in surprise. "When we first met? Honestly, no. I mean, I didn't think anyone like him could be interested in anyone like me, so I had these walls put up, you know? I never even let myself imagine it. It took a lot of convincing from him before I realized he really did love me. One day I just realized he was the man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with and I couldn't imagine my life without him in it. Why do you ask?"

"Just wondering ..."

Damn. Cassie could answer 'yes' to both those questions herself.

"This wouldn't have anything to do with you and Kevin, would it?" Heather smiled knowingly.

Cassie sighed, figuring if she couldn't trust her sister, who could she trust? "Maybe," she admitted. "I don't know. A part of me wants to take that chance, you know? But another part of me knows it just wouldn't work out. Besides, he deserves better."

"You'll never know until you try," Heather encouraged. "And he can't get any better than you, you moron."

Cassie just loved her little sister to death for saying that. Still, she wondered ... did she have what it took to be the kind of woman Kevin deserved? Or should she just stick to the 'just friends' objective?

Heather glanced in the direction of her husband, and then grimaced.

Cassie followed her gaze and saw that two women were chatting up Jake and Kevin. Even she tensed, seeing that.

"Damn," Heather murmured softly. "I hate it when women try to pick him up, even when I'm around. Doesn't she care he's wearing a ring?"

"Does it really worry you?" Cassie asked, feeling a little worried herself, seeing the second woman flirt shamelessly with Kevin, who absolutely did not have a ring to hide behind.

Just then Jake turned and sent Heather a smile and rolled his eyes to let her know he wasn't encouraging the attention. Heather laughed and blew him a kiss in return. "No. Not really. He always finds a way to untangle himself. Just watch."

"Mmmm. Well, Kevin doesn't seem to be trying to get away," Cassie grumbled.

"Technically, he doesn't have a reason to," Heather pointed out. "Can I give you some advice, sis?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Walls don't keep other people out. They keep you fenced in. Now why don't we go over there and show those floozies to stay away from our men?"

Cassie did what she usually did. She reacted without thinking.

"Best idea I've heard all night," Cassie agreed, wasting no time in abandoning her drink and heading that way.

When Jake saw his wife doing the same, he excused himself from the woman trying so hard to flash her ample, er, assets under his nose. Uh-oh, Cassie realized, seeing the blonde just turn and focus her attention on Kevin, who was already being worked over by a redhead in too-tight pants. He lifted his eyes, saw Cassie coming, and looked ... relieved?

Poor thing. Did he need her to rescue him from those two over eager bimbos? Just like the night of the bachelor auction, she recalled. She swore, if she didn't know him so well, she'd say he was gay.

Pasting on a wicked smile, she chuckled to herself as she got closer. Poor Kevin. He'd never know what hit him when she got done. She just pushed her way in between the two women and pressed her front up close against him, sliding one hand around his waist and the other up to play with the ends of his hair. "Sugar pie, honey dear," she drawled in her best – or worst – Southern imitation, just like Scarlet O'Hara or something. "Are you bein' a bad boy leadin' these poor women on?"

He stiffened, and she had to try real hard not to laugh at the flicker of merriment that suddenly lit up his eyes. The look he gave her said he was having the same problem. He exaggerated his own Southern accent to mimic hers, saying, "'Course not, love muffin." He slid an arm around her waist and gave her a squeeze too. "These two lovely ladies was just tellin' me about a party they were givin' for a friend."