“What do you think?” he asked, breaking the silence.
“It’s incredible.” She walked to the railing, taking in the backyard, bordered on both sides by soaring pine trees. In between the two tree lines was a massive deck that descended from the house, down to the water’s edge. She imagined watching the sunset while cuddling in her bed with a great novel.
Chad stepped up beside her. “I emptied the room, assuming you would prefer it over the others. Also, I left all of your mother’s effects in the garage for you.”
“Oh.” She exhaled in surprise. She hadn’t thought of having to go through her mother’s things. “Thank you.” She suddenly felt apprehensive again of the situation. She hadn’t been expecting that she would have to live with someone, but she couldn’t imagine staying in this enormous house alone either.
Chad’s eyes met hers for a brief second, and then he abruptly started toward the stairs. “Follow me, Cassandra. I’ll show you the rest of the house. But sorry … first born, first dibs. I already expropriated downstairs.” He laughed, suddenly the gentleman she had met yesterday. Although, he didn’t speak like just a whitewater guide as she’d so rudely insinuated earlier. Her heart reacted again without warning.
She followed Chad downstairs to the first floor, then through the hallway, and down the second set of steps to his part of the house. It was almost an entire apartment. The staircase opened into a game room containing several comfy-looking chairs, a pool table that converted to an air hockey table, and a large-screen TV mounted on the wall. A large bathroom off to the left had two entrances, one to the game room and the other, Chad’s room, she assumed.
His bedroom took up the entire backside of the house, opening up to another deck below the one upstairs. Another Jacuzzi, this one outside, was set into the right side of the deck. On the left, a swing hung from the rafters, which offered another spectacular view of the lake. Several more chairs and a terracotta chiminea completed his sanctuary. Chad must entertain his female acquaintances around a cozy campfire in the evenings.
“Jealous?” he purred behind her.
She turned around and nearly bumped into him. “The loft will do nicely. It’s very bright and open, and the house is certainly large enough. I don’t guess I’ll be in your way.”
“You won’t be in my way,” he murmured, and she wasn’t certain of his connotation. It sounded as though there was a double meaning in his nonchalant reply. “Let’s go and get your stuff.” He turned and walked back into his room. “I don’t want to waste my entire day.”
“Really,” she said, annoyed, following him inside. “I can manage. I’d hate for you to waste your day assisting me.”
He huffed and plopped down in front of his computer. “Just go get ready, Cassandra. I’ll meet you outside in five minutes.”
That was her cue to leave his room, she suspected. One minute they seemed to get along, the next, they were throwing daggers. She tromped out of his room and up the stairs like a scorned toddler. She wouldn’t have to return. She would manage sufficiently on the upper floors. As she’d suggested to him, the house was plenty large enough. They certainly wouldn’t get in each other’s way.
She would have rejected his offer of showing her back to the hotel too, but she’d found out on the drive from Ashville to Nantahala that her GPS and phone didn’t always work on these backwoods, tree-covered roads.
Chapter Six
Cassandra cataloged the roads as they drove away from the house.
Lakeshore Drive to Wayah Road until it dead-ends, right onto Highway 19, and then about twenty minutes on that road and their business would be on the left.
The thirty-minute ride to the ROCK was silent most of the trip in Chad’s truck. Maybe he hadn’t forgiven her for her earlier comment, or maybe he was just the strong, silent type. Though, he hadn’t been introverted the first time they’d met; actually, he’d been very friendly and entertaining.
She shook the memory from her head. She had to relinquish thinking of him as the man she’d met the previous. She knew she’d been playing with fire when she decided to scope out the business. She would do anything to amend her earlier comment or her decision to visit the store. But the past was in the past. She’d have to forge ahead and disregard her mistakes, something she’d been familiar with her entire life.
Chad parked outside the ROCK, then lithely hopped down from his truck. She opened the door but shuddered at the distance to the ground. She had struggled to enter the inordinately high truck at the house, now she wondered how she was going to get down.
Chad stepped in front of her after a few seconds, and she was instantly embarrassed. “Here,” he offered, opening her door wider. “Let me help.”
His hands were large and strong as they circled her waist, lifting her from the seat before she could object. Her heart thrashed in her chest, exactly as it had done when he’d adjusted her lifejacket. Overwhelmed again and hating her reaction, she pulled in a large gulp of air, letting it out slowly to calm herself. Of course, he must do this with all the women. Probably the reason he didn’t have running boards installed to begin with.
“Thanks,” she muttered to his retracting backside. He’d walked away, not the least bit bothered by her. She wasn’t sure why it disturbed her, but it did.
Chad toured her through the store and then the office upstairs. The employees would have sore necks later from all their rubbernecking. They clearly knew who she was and why she was here, and they didn’t seem enthused by the situation.
“So, what responsibilities will I have?” she inquired, unsure of what she would be capable of performing. She had no knowledge of outdoorsy stuff.
“I figured you should start the same way as everyone has: as a cashier. Anyone can do that,” he taunted, giving her another derisive smile. “Next, you’ll learn the product line, so you know what we carry, and then I’ll teach you how to be a whitewater guide.”
Distressed by his final job proposal, she ignored his caustic attitude. “Uh, no …” she stuttered. “I can’t be a guide.”
“Of course you can, Jasmine was. And if you’re going to manage an outdoor store, you certainly need to learn about the outdoors. Have you even been camping or hiking?”
She rested her hands on her hips. “First of all, Chad, I am not learning to manage an outdoor store. I am purely serving my sentence for six months, and then we’ll sell and divide the proceeds. And second, no, I’ve never done either.”
Chad scowled, but then flashed that same sardonic smile. She wanted to knock it off his face, and her reaction surprised her. She’d never been an aggressive person. Just the opposite, she’d always been meek.
“You didn’t read the fine print, darlin’. You don’t just have to work here; you have to learn how to do every position. So, yes, you will be learning to guide rafts.” He stopped and narrowed his eyes at her. “And why are you so sure you’ll want to sell? You may enjoy it if you give it a chance.”
She glared right back at him but then had to focus on the kayaks hanging on the wall behind him when she found herself almost speechless by looking into those flaming blue eyes. “Fat chance of that happening. And don’t call me darling! I’m not your darling!”
“That’s for sure.” He grimaced, his cockiness abandoned, replaced by anger, it seemed. “Come on, Cassandra, let’s get your stuff. I have better things to do than babysit a spoiled brat.”
“You don’t know anything about me either, Chad. I’m not a spoiled brat.” She wanted to tell him how heartbreaking her life had been, but decided against it. Why bother? He probably wouldn’t even understand.
Ignoring her, he stormed down the stairs, leaving her trailing behind again, forcing her to chase after him.
Unfortunately, she had no alternative, so she followed him downstairs to his truck and waited for him to unlock the door. Instead, he walked around to the passenger side and opened the door, his hands outstretched, offering her assistance again.
“I
can manage,” she spewed.
“I thought you weren’t a brat,” he grumbled, assertively picking her up as if she weighed nothing and setting her inside.
Flabbergasted by his insolent behavior, she simply gawked as he walked around the front of the truck and then effortlessly pulled himself up into the cab. Her heart reacted again as she watched him. Her body’s response made her want to slap herself. Why couldn’t she stop the way her body reacted to his touch or how she couldn’t stop ogling him? And his accent, even when he was behaving callously, his words came out sensuously.
She felt his eyes on her.
“What?” she said irritably, certain he could decipher her feelings.
He shook his head. “Nothing.” He exhaled a large breath, then pulled out of the parking lot.
***
They hadn’t arrived at the hotel, but Chad decided they needed to talk. They couldn’t continue like this. They needed to air out their frustrations, let bygones be bygones. Without explanation, he pulled off the road and into a parking lot.
Located on the river, the restaurant was one of his favorites. He should’ve just taken Cassandra to her U-Haul and then headed home, but he figured that maybe if they talked in public, it wouldn’t turn into an argument. Obviously, he’d offended her, but he wasn’t sure what he’d done.
She’d been the one who’d shown up at the ROCK and had been untruthful. She’d made the disparaging comment at Mr. Brady’s office. He’d done nothing but defend himself.
“I’m hungry,” he announced, pulling into a parking spot before she could object.
When he got around to the passenger side, she’d already jumped down. It couldn’t have felt good in those shoes. He just shrugged and turned toward the restaurant. Evidently, she wasn’t accustomed to a man being a gentleman.
The hostess approached. “Two,” he said quickly, hoping Tina wouldn’t persist with their normal lighthearted exchanges.
“Your usual section, Chad?” She smiled but thankfully resisted. Whether he was on business or with friends, Tina had always been friendly when he came into the restaurant. She, of course, was too young, so he’d never attempted to take her flirting further.
Now why couldn’t Cassandra react that way? She was a spoiled brat, that was why. He couldn’t understand how she could change so drastically in one day. Yesterday, he’d been ready to track her down, deciding if he hadn’t heard from her, he was going to research her information from her credit card when he returned to the office on Wednesday.
Unethical, he assumed, but there’d been something about her. When she’d stood on the shoreline, shivering, he’d wanted so badly to comfort her. He’d felt drawn to her. He wanted to protect her. He’d assured her she would be safe, but then she’d dumped, and she’d been terrified. Now all he witnessed was resentment.
As he sat down, Cassandra remained standing, gawking at the hostess as she walked away from the table. “My, my, Chad, it seems you get around.” She plopped down and opened up the menu, refusing to look at him, it seemed.
Enough was enough; he didn’t need this. “What is it with you, Cassandra?”
Her eyes turned apologetic. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I don’t know why I’m behaving this way. I’m usually not this impertinent. I’m just … I don’t know … irritated, I suppose.” She looked down into her lap, then fumbled with her napkin as she lifted her eyes, only to stare outside at the river below. “This is a charming restaurant,” she finally said.
“It is,” he agreed, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. Why had he brought her here? He should have just taken her to the hotel.
They sat quietly, neither of them uttering a word, until after the waitress had taken their order and left.
Cassandra released a soft sigh, causing him to look up at her. “Did you know my mother?”
Smiling, he exhaled, and answered honestly, “Yes, I did. I loved her like a mother.”
Her eyes glazed over, and she turned to stare out the window again.
“What now? What did I say, Cassandra?” He was trying, but he couldn’t figure out this woman. One minute she was bashful and wonderful, the next she’d be hurling insults, and then all of a sudden, she’s breaking down and crying. She was a blasted basket case.
“She left me, Chad. She abandoned me when I was six. She promised she would return, but she never did. Now I hear she was a wonderful mother to you?” Inhaling deeply she continued, “Then my father dies and leaves me.”
Chad wanted to be compassionate, but her self-pity struck something in him. “Cassandra, my mother left me, too. Only she didn’t just leave me, she killed herself. How’s that for a decent mother? Then my father ups and dies in a plane crash along with my stepmother, and I find out they left half the business to you. Which hadn’t bothered me at first, I thought we could be a family.” He closed his eyes, shutting off his view for a second. Looking at her made it almost impossible to think. He opened his eyes, and she was gazing at him intently. He took a deep breath and continued. “I’ll admit, I wasn’t thinking of a sister the first time I saw you. Then I find out today, the woman I thought —” He stopped again, exasperated. She made him crazy, he realized.
Cassandra’s eyes warmed up, but then she guarded her reaction. “I guess we’re both a little screwed up, huh?” she offered as an explanation.
He shrugged. “I miss them both, but life continues. I have a business to run. Though, I guess that won’t be much longer.”
“I’m sorry, Chad. I do understand, but I’m flat broke. I had employment lined up and that fell through. So now I’m just one of thousands of graduate students searching for work. Imagine my frustration. Seven years of college to work as a cashier.”
He noticed she didn’t emphasize just a guide again, and for that, he was thankful. “I went to college too, you know, Duke University in Durham. I wanted to be a physician like my father, but then my parents decided to purchase this business. I started working here on weekends when I visited and all of my college breaks, and then realized I preferred the business world and switched my degree. When I graduated four years ago, I moved here permanently.”
Her eyebrows shot up at his comment. “You went to medical school?”
He laughed at her surprised expression. “Is that all you heard? I told you, you didn’t know me, Cassandra.” He repeated the words more cordially than the last time he’d spoken the words.
“Well, yeah, but you just don’t seem the type.”
He’d heard that before. “It’s my accent, isn’t it? People who don’t live in The South assume that just because you speak with an accent you are automatically ignorant.”
“I didn’t mean it like that,” she attempted, apologizing again.
He wondered silently how many times they would do this.
She fiddled with her napkin. “I never assumed you were ignorant. I just figured you were one of those people who grew up here and never had aspirations for anything other than this life.”
He huffed and shook his head. “Is that what you call an apology?”
Cassandra leapt from her chair. “Hang on a second. I’ll be right back.”
He watched as she left the table, disappearing behind the service station.
After a minute, she reappeared beside him, standing at the end of the table, her hand outstretched, a friendly smile lighting her face. “Hello, my name is Cassie. Would you mind if I joined you for lunch?”
He accepted her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “By all means, Cassie, have a seat,” he encouraged. Cassandra, no, Cassie — he liked Cassie better than Cassandra; she was much more friendly — took a seat across from him.
They talked for hours afterward. Cassie detailed her childhood, her father, her best friend, Karen, and her time in Virginia. She then went on to describe in further detail what the law firm had done.
As the hours passed, conversation slowed and Chad started to feel apprehensive. Normally, this is when he would request a second date. Howe
ver, in this situation, she was following him home and moving into the bedroom upstairs. Had he made a mistake? Should he have kept the antagonism going? Would it have been easier?
“Well, I guess we should get going. It’s going to get dark before long, and I’m sure you’d like to get settled.” He stood up, taking her hand boldly as he’d done yesterday, thrilled she didn’t argue. Warmth rushed through his body.
This wasn’t good. Or, was it? Maybe Cassie would feel the same way, and somehow they could manage to keep the business and cabin. He certainly couldn’t mention it … not yet.
Chapter Seven
Cassandra unpacked the last of her boxes. Chad had helped her carry them all up. He’d insisted he didn’t want to waste his day, and yet he’d spent the entire afternoon assisting her.
Now what would happen? she contemplated. The sun was setting, and things were bound to get awkward. No doubt, he was attracted to her, and she knew indisputably that she was attracted to him.
Chad poked his head around the banister. “I’m going for a sunset paddle. Care to join me, Cassie?” he asked, his southern drawl alluring.
She instantly felt sick to her stomach. “On what?” The idea of going in another boat terrified her.
He walked to where she was sitting on the floor, folding clothes. “In a kayak, of course.”
She folded her last item and then started to get up. “Oh, no, you won’t get me in one of those deathtraps again.”
Chad offered her his hand to help her up. “It’s a two-man, sit-on-top kayak, and besides, there are no rapids on the lake.”
She carried her clothes to the chest of drawers, giving herself a chance to break eye contact with him, just looking at him made her heart race. “But what about creatures?” She shuddered at the thought.
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