Cassidy Lane (13 page)

Danielle held up
her coffee mug for a toast. “Well, whatever it is that’s going on with you and high-school guy, I’m all for it, and I think you should just enjoy it. I’m happy for you, Cassidy.”

Cassidy smiled and
clinked her mug against Danielle’s mug. “Thanks. I’m happy for me too.”

After brunch Cassidy
hugged Danielle good-bye, then stopped at the grocery store on the way back to her building. As she browsed the vegetable aisle, she heard her phone chime. She smiled when she saw the text message on the screen:

I just bought a rake. I told you your life is more exciting than mine.

Depends on what you’re planning to do with the rake.

This is true. How is your Saturday going so far?

So far, so good. The police still don’t know it was me last night, but it’s probably only a matter of time.

Someone is a little feisty today.

Ha. I think I drank too much coffee at brunch.

Did you get pancakes? You talk about pancakes a lot.

Veggie scramble today. My friend Danielle just told me she slept with a married man from her office.

Oh boy.

I know. She feels terrible.

I see that all the time.

Life isn’t always so black and white, is it?

Definitely not.

Cassidy spent the
entire afternoon and most of Sunday working on her novel, which was barely inching along thanks to her recent lack of focus. Her trip home was less than two weeks away now, and while she loved the daily interaction with Brandon, she was becoming anxious about seeing him in person. It had been a long time since she’d been caught up in the swirl of romance, and while she was thoroughly enjoying the feelings stirring inside her, she was a bit concerned by just how disruptive those feelings were proving to be. The evidence was staring her in the face on her computer monitor. There was no denying that if Brandon hadn’t entered the picture, she’d have written significantly more by now.

Plus she was
running the risk of getting hurt again. It had taken her a long time to get over her breakup with Dean, but she’d finally done it, and she liked feeling independent and strong and happy again. Now she was undeniably smitten, and it was delightful. But truth be told, she felt a bit captive—however willingly—to the next chime of her phone. She knew from experience that one day those chimes could stop, though for some reason she didn’t think that was going to happen this time. Or was that just wishful thinking?

Late Sunday afternoon
she stretched her arms over her head and decided to go for a run before it got dark outside. Her novel could wait, but the lovely fall sunset would not.

After doing a
five-mile loop, Cassidy walked slowly back to her building, enjoying the bright colors of the leaves now covering the trees and occasionally swirling in the air. As she entered her building, she ran into Harper, who was also dressed in workout gear, in the lobby.

“Hey, Harper, haven’t
seen you in a while. How are the application essays going?”

He scratched the
back of his head as they stepped into the elevator. “Not as well as I’d hoped, although I should have known better. I’m quite the procrastinator. I just took a Zumba class, Cassidy. A
Zumba
class. I was the only guy in there.”

“Have you even
started?”

“Not a word.
This is exactly how I was in college. I practically majored in pulling all-nighters.”

Cassidy laughed. “No
wonder you can handle the pressure of banking. Need some help getting started? I could ask some questions to get the creative juices flowing.”

Harper pressed his
palms together and grinned. “Would you really? I’ll buy dinner.”

“You mean tonight?”

“Are you free?”

“But it’s still
the weekend. Are you sure you don’t want to go enjoy the rest of Sunday Funday playing flip cup at a bar or something?”

He gave her
a look. “I hate to break it to you, Cassidy, but you know you’re getting old when you associate being thirty with the shenanigans of a college student. I have a job, you know. I even have a few people who work for me.”

“Oh my God,
you’re right. I sound like an old lady.”

“I won’t tell
anyone if you won’t. So will tonight work then? I really need a kick in the pants or I’m going to run smack into the deadlines and screw myself.”

She nodded as
the elevator opened to her floor. “Just let me take a quick shower and finish a few things first. Meet you at your place in about an hour?”

“Deal. Thai sound
good?”

She stepped out
into the hall and waved good-bye. “Perfect. See you soon.”

Before she jumped
into the shower, Cassidy checked her phone in hopes of seeing a new text message from Brandon.

She wasn’t disappointed.

I’m at Toys “R” Us now with the boys, picking out gifts for a classmate’s birthday party. Toys “R” Us on a Sunday afternoon. Kill. Me. Now.

After they’d spent
two straight hours brainstorming and jotting down notes for his essays, Harper stood up and put his hands on his head. “I’m fried. Want a glass of wine and some dark chocolate?” He picked up the empty Thai food cartons and walked into the kitchen. Cassidy held up a thumb. “Sounds delicious. I think you may be the only guy I know who likes chocolate.”

“
Dark
chocolate. It
must be dark chocolate or it’s not worth it.” He opened up the cupboard and pulled down two large goblets.

“That is such
a girly thing to say. You know, now that I think about it, you may also be the most metrosexual guy I know,” she called into the kitchen. “Your taste in clothes, your immaculate apartment, your perfectly coiffed hair. It’s all textbook.”

“I’ll take that
as a compliment,” he called back.

Cassidy left the
couch and took a seat on a bar stool at the island separating the living room from the kitchen. “Trust me, it’s a compliment. So whatever happened with Vanessa? Are you still seeing her? You haven’t mentioned her all night.”

He shrugged and
opened a bottle of wine. “We’ve been hanging out.”

“Is it serious?”

He began pouring.
“Not really.”

“She doesn’t really
seem like your type.”

He handed Cassidy
a glass. “And that would be…?”

She looked across
the spacious living room and gazed out the window. Harper lived in a two-bedroom on the twenty-eighth floor, so his apartment was not only nearly twice the size of Cassidy’s but also had a spectacular view. “I don’t know. Despite your fancy job, I just picture you with someone a little less…
flashy
.”

“Is that a
writer’s way of saying you don’t like the way she dresses?”

Cassidy laughed and
took a sip of her wine, then stood up and walked back into the living room. “Perhaps. How old is she? Twenty-five?”

Harper followed her.
“Twenty-six.”

“What does she
do?”

“She’s a nanny
for a family here on the Upper West Side.”

Cassidy sipped her
wine slowly. “Let me guess. She wants to be an actress.”

Harper laughed. “It’s
possible. What’s with the third degree?”

“I’m sorry, just
being a little protective of you. There are a lot of gold diggers out there, looking for eligible bankers like you to take care of them.”

“Vanessa’s not like
that. At least I don’t think she is.”

Cassidy smiled. “Then
good. Let’s forget I brought it up. I shouldn’t have said anything.”

They sat down
on his matching large black leather couches, and Harper propped his feet up on the coffee table. “What about you, are you seeing anyone these days?”

Cassidy tipped her
glass toward him. “Now that,
my friend, is a good question.”

“What kind of
answer is that?”

“Now that would
be…a true one.”

He looked at
her sideways. “Are you OK? You’re acting weird.”

She set down
her wine and leaned back against the couch. “I know. I’m sorry. I’m just a little…anxious.” She stared at the ceiling.

“Anxious about what?”

“Remember that time
you asked if I’d been on a date…and I said I wasn’t sure?”

“Of course.”

“I think I
was.”

“Nice. So what’s
the scoop?”

“You really want
to know?”

“Are you really
asking me that? Of course I do.”

She took a
deep breath. “So I went to my high-school reun
ion…”