“Does it count if you find her but she marries some other guy?”
Cassie pulled back to meet his gaze, thinking of Reid and Shannon. “If she was single again, would you marry her?”
Theo shook his head. “It wouldn’t work. We’re too different.”
“Plus she chose someone else.”
“Yes. That’s a tough decision to forget, even if her reasons were good at the time.”
Cassie frowned. “But if you love her, wouldn’t it be worth it to be with her?”
He was solemn. “Sometimes, love isn’t enough, Cassie.”
“That’s the saddest thing I ever heard.” She glanced down the beach and spotted Reid in the distance, alone.
Walking away.
“That doesn’t make it untrue,” he said lightly.
They danced a little longer. “So, you’re resigned to being alone? Forever?”
“She’s the one,” he admitted with a smile and a sigh.
“My sister believes that it’s statistically improbable that there’s only one romantic match for each of us.”
Theo grinned. “And you?”
“I don’t know.” Cassie found herself seeking Reid again. He was standing now, staring out to sea, but not coming back. She smiled at Theo, knowing he was watching her. “You could try to be with someone else, someone you found attractive and interesting.” It was a suggestion as much to herself as to Theo, and she anticipated his answer as a result.
“But it wouldn’t be fair, would it? Arranged marriages are a thing of the past. People want more and I appreciate that. I couldn’t mislead anyone I remotely cared about, Cassie.”
“Maybe we have to fall out of love first.”
“Maybe. But it hasn’t happened for me yet.”
“How long has it been?”
Theo inhaled. “Eleven years.”
She bit her lip and looked after Reid again. “Reid was in love with a woman in college. She dumped him when he was injured and then married someone else.”
“Ah,” Theo said, as if that explained everything.
“But she’s single again, and his friends are trying to fix him up. I can’t imagine he can trust her again, but he says he’s going to come to an arrangement with her. I think he’s going to marry her.”
“They say love is blind.”
“But if she didn’t love him enough to stay with him when he was hurt, how could it work out between them now?”
“Maybe she did love him, but was worried about his future. Maybe they agreed to part because he was worried about his future.”
“Maybe he compelled her to walk away, because he was worried about his future.” Cassie guessed. “That would be Reid all over.”
“He’s very noble.”
“Yes,” Cassie admitted. “But I don’t admire that trait nearly as much when it works against me.”
“You can’t have it all, Cassie.”
“But I want it all, Theo.”
“We all do. Some of us have to compromise, though.” He swung her around for the end of the song, and Lauren appeared.
“I need to dance with this gorgeous man,” she said with a smile for Cassie. “Do you mind?” She looked so happy, the perfect radiant bride, that Cassie would have done anything to make her day complete.
“And I need to dance with the beautiful bride,” Theo said gallantly.
“Come on, Cassie,” Kyle said from behind her. “Let’s show them how it’s done.”
Reid had wandered back to his seat and was watching the guests dance on the beach. Some of the tea lights had burned out but the fairy lights were still glittering. There had been sparklers and now some of the guests—under Jason’s supervision—were launching lanterns into the night sky with Kyle and Lauren. Cassie was laughing as she launched one and he wondered if she’d made a wish.
It would be like her to do that, although Reid never made wishes.
He made plans.
Funny how his current one made perfect sense and yet wasn’t very appealing.
The dance music wasn’t so loud that he couldn’t hear the waves landing on the beach or the laughter of the group assembled. A baby cried and was hushed, and women chatted to each other. The toddler—Reid forgot his name—was sprawled across his grandmother’s lap and she looked delighted with the situation. He watched, recognizing that this was what it was like to have family. He’d never experienced it himself and was, as usual, on the perimeter, watching from the outside.
He’d never stepped up to take the focus of a conversation until he’d done it the other night.
He’d never been with a woman for more than one mutually satisfying union.
He’d never wanted to be other than what he was, like he did in this moment.
Reid was alone with his thoughts until a man strode toward him, two drinks in his hand. That man was in silhouette and it was only when he was right before Reid that Reid recognized him.
“Scotch?” Ty said, offering one glass.
“Thanks.”
Ty pulled over another chair and sat down beside Reid to watch the other guests. “Good view from here,” he said, then raised his glass. They toasted to that and sipped, Reid’s gaze trailing to Cassie again. “Will there be another wedding soon?” Ty asked quietly.
Reid smiled. “No secrets at F5?”
The other man smiled, too. “We look out for each other. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
“No, there isn’t. It’s what friends are for.”
Who looked out for Reid? No one, not since Marty. He hadn’t thought about that for a long time, and it bothered him a bit to think about it now.
Would Shannon look out for him? He couldn’t imagine that. She was too busy looking out for herself.
Cassie would have faced down lions for him. The comparison was striking and inevitable.
Ty swirled the contents of his glass. “Although I’d particularly like to see Cassie happy.”
Reid didn’t reply.
“It’s awkward when one friend feels something and the other doesn’t,” Ty continued, his tone thoughtful. “I’d like to see her happy, even though I can’t do that myself.”
“Kind of like another sister,” Reid guessed, remembering Cassie’s words.
“Exactly like another sister. That was the issue in a nutshell. I couldn’t think of Cassie in any other way.” Ty sipped. “You have sisters?”
“No.”
“Lucky man,” Ty said and chuckled. “God help me if we have daughters.”
Reid chuckled along with him.
They sat in companionable silence for a few moments, the wind in their hair.
“So, here’s the thing,” Ty said finally. “It’s not my business, and Cassie would be the first to tell me to back off and shut up.”
Reid smiled at that, because it was true.
“But I think there’s something between you two, besides a whole lot of America between Montrose River and Manhattan. And maybe I can help with that.”
Reid looked at the other man with curiosity.
“I have this apartment, the penthouse at F5, actually,” Ty confessed. “Although we’re selling other apartments in the tower, I think it would be best for this one to be owned by one of the partners. Thing is the only one who wants it is Cassie, and she can’t afford it.”
“How did you afford it?” Reid asked before he thought that Ty might be offended.
He wasn’t. “I’m the only one who had a day job all these years, in wealth management. Also, I bought low.”
“And you’re selling high?”
“Not necessarily. I don’t really need the capital out of it. I’d like to shed the expense of it, though. Taxes, utilities, plus there will be a monthly management fee now.” Ty leaned back and took another sip. “For the right person, I could make a deal.”
“But not Cassie?”
Ty winced. “It would still be out of her range.”
“You know a lot about your partners’ fi
nances.”
“I supervise the finances of the club. I know everyone’s salary. I also know what assets the partners had when we started because we had a pretty blunt discussion about who could contribute what. Cassie’s equity is pure sweat. She had no capital, but she had enthusiasm and energy and an instinct for marketing. Without her, the club wouldn’t be what it is.” He paused for a second. “Even if she had a lot fewer shoes, she wouldn’t have the money or the ability to finance this apartment.”
“So you’re offering to sell it to me.”
“It’s easier to court a woman if you can be in the same zip code.”
Court. It was an old-fashioned word that made Reid smile. It was a perfect choice for Ty, and maybe would have been for Marty. He wondered what it was like to court a woman, instead of just seduce her.
“If I bought it, she might think I was stalking her.”
“She might. But she’d probably ask you straight out if you were.”
Reid nodded agreement. “There is that.”
“Would you be?” Ty asked and turned to meet Reid’s gaze.
“We’re friends,” he said, hearing the tension in the confession.
“With benefits, I get that. But that doesn’t mean that’s the sum of what your relationship will ever be.”
“It’s really not your business.”
Once again, Ty wasn’t offended. “Then let’s talk business. I liked your ideas about what we could change in the retail store at F5. Would you consider coming to New York as a consultant for a few days, to check out the facility and give us some more ideas? We’d pick up your expenses as well as a consulting fee.”
“And I could check out the apartment.”
Ty smiled. “It’s a great apartment. I took one look at that view and I had to have it. You might feel the same way.”
It was weird to think about having something in common with Ty, the man Cassie had thought for so long that she loved.
Reid wondered if she’d fall for another guy and forget about him.
He finished his Scotch.
The music changed and Reid smiled that it was an 80’s tune. The Lady in Red.
“That’s my cue to find my wife,” Ty said easily and finished his own drink. “It’s our signal. I prefer slow dances and she requests one when she’s ready to go.” He offered his hand to Reid, along with a steady glance. Reid stood and they shook hands. “Good to meet you, Reid.”
“Likewise.”
“Let me know if you decide to come to Manhattan.” Ty pulled a business card out of his jacket pocket and handed it to Reid.
Then he took his glass and walked back to the dance zone. He left the glass on a tray as Amy, in a burgundy dress, stepped out of the group of dancers and smiled at him. Her expression said it all. Reid watched as Ty tugged her into his arms and stepped into the swirl of dancers. Amy smiled up at him and they were obviously talking, then Ty pulled her closer, his hand on the back of her waist, and kissed her temple. She laid her cheek on his chest and closed her eyes, her contented smile and their pose reminding Reid of the poster of them for the club.
Happy endings were for other people, he reminded himself. He looked down at the card.
Tyler McKay
Chief Financial Officer
The Flatiron Five Group
There was an office address and telephone number, as well as a cell phone number and email address. Reid knew he should just leave the card on the table but he couldn’t quite find it in himself to do that. He watched the dancers for a long moment, spotted Cassie walking toward him, then tucked the card into his pocket.
He checked his watch. They’d agreed to leave at ten so Cassie could make her flight. She was getting her purse and her shoes and he liked that she was always organized. She kissed Kyle and Lauren, hugged the other partners, then continued toward Reid.
“When you walked down the beach, I wasn’t sure if you’d just leave me here,” she said lightly.
Reid didn’t like that she’d felt any concern. “We have a deal and I keep my promises.” He heard more ferocity in his tone than he’d intended, and she slanted a glance up at him.
“Of course,” she said under her breath, then preceded him to the car.
Reid watched her for a moment, then followed, wondering why doing the right thing felt so wrong.
Cassie had never found Manhattan boring, much less empty, but she was a lot less interested in her environment after her return from California. She’d taken a red eye and managed to sleep, so was at work by noon the following day. She threw herself into all of the available projects with an enthusiasm that felt forced, but she wasn’t going to dwell on things that would never be.
She’d wasted too much time doing that already.
First, Tyler. Then, Reid. Maybe the third time would be the charm.
She discovered that Tyler had arranged to have everything moved out of the apartment while he was out west, but no one had heard of it being sold. She’d sketched out the new ad and had the idea of using the empty apartment as the setting for the shoot. She emailed Ty, got his approval, and went up there by herself.
The view was just as fabulous as she remembered.
The apartment was fastidiously clean, and the paint was in good shape as well as a neutral hue. The window cleaners had done the building just a few weeks before, so it was a good time for the shoot. Cassie made a mental note to check the weather forecast for a good sunrise in about a week, and went back down to the club. She taught her classes and helped in Mr. Lee’s defense class, as usual, then did an extra long workout. If she was going to be on a billboard in Times Square, she was going to look great doing it.
She worked late, pulling a really long day, then went home and considered Marty’s book. It was on the counter where she’d left it after she’d unpacked. She fanned through it, knowing that she wouldn’t be going back to Montrose River. She didn’t need to know people’s secrets. She’d read the part about Reid and his mom, his dad, herself. That was more than enough.
Cassie closed the book and ran her hand across it. What if Reid had given her the means to mend fences with her mom? She couldn’t tell her outright, but Marty could tell her the truth he’d guessed.
Technically, she wouldn’t be outing Ryan.
Was she still afraid of him and his threat? Not so much since seeing him at the christening and having the choice of breaking his hand. He’d been afraid of her, and that had helped Cassie move past the trauma.
She’d send Marty’s book to her mom in the morning.
It was time to let that old fear go.
Reid fully expected Chase to confide in Ryan. He sat in the office at the Shop ’n Save in the dark, waiting for company.
He hadn’t called Shannon yet.
He had a feeling he wasn’t going to.
Being alone, without Cassie, was more honest than being with Shannon and yearning for Cassie, even if he and Shannon made a deal. For all he knew, Shannon intended to keep a lover on the side. But Reid didn’t want to call her.
He had a lot of nights to think about that before he heard the glass break in the back door. He lifted Marty’s rifle into his lap and waited. He heard footsteps, then an urgent whisper. Then two men were silhouetted in the doorway of the office. As soon as one stepped over the threshold, Reid removed the safety.
The click made the first man freeze in his tracks.
The second swore and ran.
“Chase!” the first guy hissed and Reid smiled as he lifted the rifle.
“I wouldn’t follow him if I were you, Ryan,” he said softly. “I am a really good shot.”
Ryan exhaled. “You were waiting.”
“If the trap’s baited right, the prey will always bite.” Reid kept his tone conversational. “Why don’t you turn on the light, so we can see each other. The switch is by your right hand. Nice and slow.”
Ryan reached for the switch, then made a grab for his pocket.
Reid fired and Ryan swore. There
was a deep graze across his hand, and he was bleeding. The bullet was buried in the wall.
“You’re crazy!” Ryan said, clutching his hand.
“You should be so lucky. I’m pissed off and it’s had time to settle to a slow burn.”
Ryan inhaled. “That bitch told you.”
“No, she never did. It was all in Marty’s book.”
“Marty’s book?” Ryan echoed with suspicion. “So, there’s more than what you showed Chase?”
“Lots more. Take a look,” Reid invited, gesturing to the binder on the shelf with the rifle. “Slowly. My finger’s itchy tonight and you wouldn’t want me to shoot something more important to you.”
Ryan paled. There was resentment in his expression but he did as Reid expected and got the binder down. The surface of the desk was clear, by Reid’s design, and Ryan put the book down. “It’s not very thick.”
“I removed the documents that wouldn’t be relevant to our discussion.”
“You copied these ones.”
Reid smiled. “There’s no reason to make it easy for you to destroy the originals.”
Ryan opened it, his eyes widening as he read the entry on himself and the one on Chase. “Who else has seen this?”
“No one yet.” Reid lied, just a little, because he wanted to keep Cassie out of this. “But that can be changed.”
“There’s a statute of limitations,” Ryan said with bravado. “And this is just hearsay anyway, the scribbles of an old man who’s dead and buried.”
“True, but there are people who will believe it anyway.”
“You’re just trying to bluff.”
“Maybe you’re right. I’ve been wondering what to do with the book. I could donate it to the library, or the town archives. Lucille would have it scanned and cross-indexed in no time at all. Then we could find out if anyone believed it.”
“You wouldn’t.”
“I might. I could also send those pages to your current employer. Chase seemed to think that there’d be concern about that strategy at the plant where he works. Maybe your employer wouldn’t like this little story from the past either.”
“You can’t do that!”
“I can do a lot of things,” Reid said easily. “But I wanted to check with you first.”
Some Guys Have All the Luck Page 29