by Unknown
Her heart leapt and skipped, dancing an Irish jig on its own. She tried to stamp it down, annoyed that he could stir up these feelings so easily in her.
He released her chin and shoved his hands in his pockets. “As for the reason I came upstairs, I wanted to know how you’d feel about a few minor additions before we start hanging drywall. He fished a folded paper from his back pocket and opened it, smoothing out the creases on the counter. It was a small version of her plans with some hand drawn additions. “I was thinking that instead of a really wide fireplace, you might want to add a built in bookcase for storage. And what would you think about moving the sound system from this corner to here?”
Cassie’s arm rubbed against his as she hunched over the plans, feeling all warm and tingly. It took extra effort for her to concentrate on his suggestions, but when she did, she found she really liked them.
“Oh, and one last thing,” said Noah. He pulled his phone from his pocket and tapped the screen a few times before holding it out to her. “I dropped by a secondhand shop this morning on my way here and found a vanity I thought you might like for the bathroom. What do you think?”
Only that his close proximity made it so she couldn’t think. Cassie took his phone and sidestepped away from his touch. She peered at the darkened photo. The vanity had sleek, contemporary lines and looked almost identical to the other vanities in her house. The ones Landon had picked out.
“It’s got some scratches and a broken drawer, but those are easily fixed,” he said. “And it’ll save you a few hundred bucks.”
He’d gone to so much trouble, but there was no way she’d put that vanity in her basement. The cost savings didn’t matter. She just couldn’t.
“You don’t like it.” Apparently, Cassie wasn’t great at masking her thoughts.
She handed the phone back to him. “I really appreciate that you went to the effort to find it, but it’s too contemporary.”
“Your entire house is contemporary.”
“And it’s something I would change if I could afford it.”
Noah leaned his hip against the counter and folded his arms, studying her with a perplexed look. “Okay,” he said slowly. “If not contemporary, what style do you like?”
She pondered the question for a moment and finally shrugged. “I like antiques.” Or, at least she thought she did. Growing up, her mother had a lot of antique pieces throughout the house, and going home always felt so cozy and warm.
“Antiques? Really? That kind of surprises me.”
“Why?”
“Because contemporary seems to fit you.” He paused. “Although, you do like Irish music, so…” He let the sentence hang, and a smile crept across his face.
Cassie didn’t return it. How had she gotten to the point where a cold and distant house seemed to fit her? Was that the sort of person Landon had turned her into? The sort of person she’d allowed herself to become?
“I did it again, didn’t I?” said Noah. “I said something wrong.”
Her eyes flew to his, and she was quick to shake her head. “No. It’s just… nothing. Never mind.”
His fingers touched her arm, sending a jolt through her body. She yanked away, and Noah’s hands dropped to his side. “Sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”
Cassie realized how ridiculous she was acting and tried to pull herself together. When her eyes met his again, she sighed. “I’m the one who should be sorry. I’m not sure what’s wrong with me. Sometimes I just feel like…”
Noah waited, his expression interested.
Cassie was surprised by her desire to confide in him. She never confided in anyone, at least not since Landon happened. But it was like her pent-up feelings had been confined too long, like an expired can of food, and she couldn’t hold them in any longer.
“I feel like I don’t know who I am anymore,” she blurted.
Instead of looking shocked, he nodded. “I understand. I went through that too, after Angie died. It was like part of me died with her, and I haven’t felt whole since.”
Cassie’s gaze shifted to the hardwood floor. He thought he understood but really he had no idea. Maybe no one did. “You had a good marriage then?” she asked quietly.
“It definitely wasn’t perfect, and it was far from traditional, but Ang and I were really close. She was my best friend, and losing her was the hardest thing I’ve ever gone through.”
Cassie nodded. What would it be like to be best friends with your spouse? To feel like a part of you went missing when they passed? To truly mourn? She had no idea.
“And yours?” Noah asked tentatively, as though afraid he was overstepping.
She shrugged. “What Landon and I had was more of a puppet/puppeteer relationship. He liked to pull the strings and watch me follow.” The moment the words were out, Cassie wished them back. Yes, Landon should have treated her differently. But he’d only been part of the problem. She should have been strong enough to stand up to him. To walk away.
“Oh,” said Noah.
Silence followed, bringing with it an awkward tension that grew and thickened until Noah’s voice cut through it. “I take it he was the one who liked contemporary?”
“Yes.”
More silence.
“And what was his favorite ice cream flavor?”
The question was so unexpected that it actually lifted the corners of Cassie’s mouth. “Landon hated ice cream.”
“Ah. That explains a lot.” Noah said it so matter-of-factly, as though it really did explain something.
“How so?”
“If someone can’t find one flavor they like out of the hundreds and thousands out there, then maybe nothing can please them—no matter how smart, beautiful, or great that something is.”
Cassie’s eyes snapped to his. The warmth and compassion she saw there caused something cold and distant in her heart to become warm and close. She didn’t know how to respond, only that she felt like throwing her arms around him and hugging him tight. Tears dampened the corners of her eyes, and she blinked frantically, trying to keep them at bay.
Noah slowly reached a hand out, as though afraid of making her jump again. When she didn’t flinch, he tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. “Now I just need to figure out what your favorite flavor is.”
“What if I don’t like ice cream either?” It suddenly felt like something to be very afraid of.
His expression softened. “I guarantee you have a favorite flavor. You just haven’t tried it yet.”
The room seemed to sway, and Cassie’s weight moved forward, pushing her toward Noah. She fought the desire to fall into him.
Noah smiled and took a step back, putting distance between them. “I should go. I’m sure the girls have downed their dessert by now. So… see you tomorrow?”
She nodded and watched him go, feeling like she’d just opened a door that should have been kept locked. Bolted, in fact. Like one of those doors from a fantasy movie with hundreds of locks up and down it. What was she doing? What had she done? She was walking into the exact same trap she’d walked into with Landon.
So much for thinking she was too smart to make the same mistake twice.
Sam’s always perky, nearly always cheeky voice blared through the phone in his ear. “Guess who’s home?” she said in a sing-song voice, as though the news belonged on the home page of Today.com.
Noah smiled. He loved it when Sam came home for the weekend. She radiated vivaciousness, and everyone adored her. Especially his daughters. “About time. I was beginning to forget what you looked like.”
“Impossible,” she said. “Kajsa and Adi have my picture on the mirror in their room, and I know for a fact that they’d never let you forget me.”
“You got me there.”
“Speaking of my two favorite girls, are they available to hang with me tonight? I hear Emma gets them tomorrow while you hang drywall with Kevin, so I should get them tonight. I’ll bring pizza, a horse mov
ie, and lots of nail polish.”
She was always so good to accommodate both of his girls. The horse movie was for Kajsa, and the nail polish for Adi. The pizza was loved by all, especially Sam.
“And what am I supposed to do while you three party it up in my house?”
“I don’t know, you could like… take a special someone out to ice cream? Or something?” Her pathetic attempt at innocence made Noah almost laugh.
“Not you, too, Sam.” But really, he wasn’t surprised that Sam knew about Cassie, or that she was giving him a hard time. The apple only fell inches from the tree in that family.
“Oh wait, what did you say, Mom?” Sam’s voice became muffled, like she was covering the phone. And then she was back. “I’ve just been informed that the certain special someone isn’t your type. Why is that, by the way? Do you prefer un-special people?”
“You can tell your mother she’s a gossip and is raising a daughter with the same lack of respect for other people’s privacy.”
“What? I can’t tell her that. Our gossip exchanges are the foundation of our amazing mother/daughter bond. You don’t want to mess that up, do you? Besides, it’s not like you’d ever tell me that you’re dating your daughters’ dance teacher.”
“I’m not dating her.”
“Yet,” Sam was quick to say. “Which brings us full circle, back to the reason I called to begin with. So, are you going to ask this person who is supposedly not-your-type-but-really-is out for ice cream, or did I come home for nothing?”
“Please don’t tell me you drove all the way from Denver just to—”
“Don’t flatter yourself,” she interrupted. “I came to see the girls. You know I can’t stay away from them for long. The fact that I also happen to be offering you a night out is a perk.”
Noah chose to ignore the last part, hoping the subject of his dating life, or lack thereof, would go away. “They’ll be thrilled you’re in town.”
“But while I’m here, you might as well do something fun. You know, something that involves… I don’t know, ice cream, maybe?”
Persistence should have been Sam’s middle name. First name, actually. Persistence Meddlesome Kinsey. Yes, that would’ve fit so much better.
“Speaking of dating,” said Noah. “When you came home last month, the girls mentioned something about a really hot guy you met? Someone named Marcus who could kiss like Casanova?”
“I did not tell them that,” Sam hissed into the phone. “Well, at least not the Casanova part.” Becky’s voice intruded as a background noise, followed by Sam’s, “It’s nothing, Mom. He’s just messing with me. You know him.”
Noah grinned. “I take it that amazing mother/daughter bond doesn’t extend to stories about Marcus, aka Casanova? Because I’d be more than happy to bring Becky up to speed about your um, interesting dating life.”
“As far as you’re concerned, it’s nonexistent.”
“And as far as you’re concerned, mine is too. There are no special or un-special people in my life. Got it?”
Sam huffed. “You’re no fun.”
The front door burst open, and two tween-aged girls rushed inside, dumping their backpacks on the couch. “Well, it’s a good thing you’re fun because otherwise Adi and Kajsa wouldn’t care at all that”—he raised his voice above his daughters’ chatter—“Sam’s in town.”
“Sam’s here?” Adelynn shrieked. Both she and Kajsa rushed to the front window to make sure that Sam’s car was indeed parked in the driveway across the street. Silly grins appeared on their faces when they saw the yellow bug.
“Can we have a movie night?”
“Can it be a horse movie?”
“Can we paint our nails and do makeovers?”
“Can we eat popcorn in the family room?”
The questions came like an electric jackhammer, blasted at Noah over and over and over again.
Sam’s laughter rang through the phone. “You can tell them all of the above and more. I’ll see them soon.”
“Thanks, Sam. You just made their night.”
“Just like they’ll make mine. Can’t wait.”
As soon as the call ended, Noah told his daughters to grab a snack and get their homework done. Then he ducked into his room with his phone. Even though he’d downplayed his interest in Cassie, Noah wasn’t about to let this opportunity pass.
The call went through to her voicemail, so Noah ended the call and tried sending a text message instead.
Got any plans for tonight? I was thinking about ice cream.
For a moment, Noah hesitated. Was asking her out a good idea? Other than a text message telling him that she’d left the basement door open, Cassie had been MIA the past couple of days. Maybe that was her way of telling him to back off. Or maybe she’d been busy.
Sometimes, it would be really nice to have the ability to read minds.
Noah clicked Send before he could talk himself out if it. Then he waited. And waited some more. After about five minutes, he gave up and returned to his girls to ask them about their days. By the time Sam showed up with the promised pizza, fingernail polish, movie, and popcorn in hand, Cassie still hadn’t replied. So Noah gave Sam a welcome home hug, told her thanks a million, and walked outside.
The air was chilly, and he’d forgotten his jacket. So he stuffed his hands into his pockets and glanced at his truck, then at Emma’s house, wondering what to do. He had two options: Drive around aimlessly by himself for a few hours or hang out with Kevin and Emma.
It was a no brainer.
His feet crunched the frozen, crusty grass, and his breath blew fog in his face. As Noah neared the house, muffled laugher and voices met him. Through the front window, he saw that Becky and Justin were already there, making themselves comfortable on Emma’s sofa. Noah paused outside the door, knowing what would happen if he went inside. Becky and Emma would badger him about why he wasn’t out for ice cream, and the topic of his dating life would take center stage once again.
But it was either that or aimless driving. So he knocked.
Kevin opened the door, and Noah ducked under his arm, holding out a staying hand to Becky and Emma. “Before either of you start in on me, I tried to call Cassie. But she wasn’t home and hasn’t texted back. So make some room. I’m staying.”
“Good thing.” Emma’s eyebrows raised. “Because you’re not dressed for a night out.”
Noah glanced down at his Quicksilver t-shirt and comfortable jeans. What was wrong with the way he looked? There were no holes in the knees or paint stains that he could see.
“What’s wrong with this?”
“Your jeans are okay,” Emma conceded. “But your shirt is old and wrinkled, with a paint stain on the left shoulder.”
He craned his neck. Oh. She was right. But it was just a little stain—hardly noticeable.
“And you really could use a haircut,” added Becky. “Not to mention a shave.”
Noah lifted his hands in surrender. “Anything else you’d like to criticize—I mean, point out?”
“Only that we’re glad you’re here,” said Emma sweetly.
He rolled his eyes and sank down on a nearby chair. There was a large bowl of popcorn on the coffee table, along with licorice and a bag of M&Ms. He grabbed a handful of the candy and tossed it in his mouth.
“So, what’s it going to be?” he said as he munched. “Spades? Hearts? Rummy?”
“Uh…” Kevin slung his arm around Emma’s back and pointed the remote at the TV. “You do know there’s an elite eight game on tonight, right?”
“Elite what?”
Becky shook her head while Justin laughed. “Ever heard of March Madness? NCAA? Ring any bells?” Justin said.
Noah’s expression cleared. “Oh, right. Isn’t that some college basketball tournament?”
“It’s the college basketball tournament.” said Kevin. “And it’s something we all plan to watch. Tonight. Together. Without cards.”
Noah raised an eyebrow at
his sister who was about as apathetic about sports as him. Or at least used to be, before Kevin’s influence.
She shrugged. “He made me fill out a bracket this year, so believe it or not, I actually care who wins. Go Duke!” She made a fist pump in the air, then immediately put her hand to her stomach. “I think these little girls want them to win too.”
“Boys. They’re boys,” corrected Kevin as he flipped through the channels, looking for the game.
“Girls,” argued Emma. “Next week at our ultrasound, you’ll see I’m right.”
“Next week? Really?” said Noah. Where had he been?
Emma grinned and nodded.
“Men.” Becky shook her head. “I’ve had that date marked on my calendar for weeks.”
“Nobody told me,” Noah said.
“Shh.” Kevin cranked up the volume. “It’s time for the tip-off.”
Noah let out a breath and flopped against the back of his chair, wondering how soon he could go home without interfering with the girls’ night. It wasn’t that he hated sports, he just didn’t enjoy sitting around and watching them the way so many other people did. Growing up in third world countries hadn’t given him many opportunities to play basketball or football, let alone watch them. And Angie hadn’t cared for them either. It was only when the World Cup rolled around every four years that Noah sought out a game on TV.
The fact that Duke gained control of the ball right away did nothing for him.
Becky picked up her phone and read something. She grinned at Noah and pointed to it, mouthing, “Cassie.”
Noah immediately pulled his phone from his pocket, noting with frustration that she still hadn’t responded to his text. Did she even get it? Or was she ignoring him on purpose?
He chose to believe the former.
“What did she say?” Noah mouthed back.
Becky replied, but Noah couldn’t make out the words.
“What?” he said.
“She wants a chick flick recommendation,” Becky raised her voice. “What should I tell her?”