Tammy eyed her closely then, her perfect brows drawn together. “Have you been spending a lot of time with Ty?”
Cassie took another drink to cover up whatever stammering answer she might have made otherwise. She mimicked Tammy’s nonchalant shrug and capped her water.
“He sure knows his stuff,” she said. That sounded naughty. “I mean, he is the nature guy around here.”
Tammy smiled. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”
Cassie was about to ask the woman what she meant when Claire walked in.
“Hey there, ladies.” Her eyes went wide when she took in Cassie’s flushed cheeks and mussed appearance. “What happened to you?”
Cassie rolled her eyes. “I’ve been at the Sales Center for almost a week and I still have no clue how to competently lead a property tour.”
“An animal ran her cart off the path,” Tammy provided.
“What kind of animal?” Claire asked.
“Apparently Ty will know,” Tammy went on. “Cassie’s going to ask him.”
Tammy was teasing a little bit but was she also interested in Ty? What woman wouldn’t be, but still. He had said he wasn’t a choirboy. Had he been with Tammy?
“This…thing ran in front of me and I screamed,” Cassie told Claire. “The lovely elderly couple in the cart nearly had twin heart attacks!”
Claire waved a hand. “I’m sure you’re exaggerating.”
Cassie shook her head. “No. The thing came out of nowhere.”
Claire laughed. “That’s not what I meant! The folks from your tour are fine. Oliver’s talking to them by the scale model right now.”
That put Cassie’s mind a little bit at ease, anyway. If anybody could get a bunch of people excited about Cypress, it was Oliver. He was one of those perky, peppy people who always seem to be happy wherever they were. He’d annoyed her for all of two seconds before she realized he was a sweet guy. He didn’t hit on her either, since he clearly played for the other team.
“Thank God.” She sank down into a chair at Tammy’s table. “I didn’t want Rick to know what a complete failure I am.”
“You’re not,” Claire said as she sat beside her. “How long have you been here?”
“Too long. Nearly week. I started right after I nearly brought the Institute to a crashing halt.”
“You have nothing on me, Cassie,” Tammy said. “I’ve been here for years and I’ve seen it all. Except, apparently, whatever creature that was that ran you off the road.”
Cassie had to smile. “I’ll ask Ty. Maybe it’s not poisonous. Or venomous.” She shuddered. “Or rabid.”
“That’s it,” Claire said with a smile. “Think positive.”
Cassie clicked her tongue. “Never mind.”
“Although you will get a chance to talk to Ty,” Tammy said. “I’m almost jealous. That man is fine.”
“Ty’s little niece is adorable, isn’t she Cassie?” Claire asked. “She came to Rick and Harmony’s on Sunday.”
“Yes, she is beautiful. A little doll.” Cassie thought about how tense Ty had been before their latest round of lakeshore loving, as she was starting to think of their tangles in the tent-cabin. He’d never ended up talking about what had him so wound up before, though. Maybe she’d made him forget about it for a while.
“He’s really good with her,” Claire said.
“Oh yeah, the kid.” Tammy gave a dramatic shiver. “I forgot he’s got a niece. Watches her every weekend, too.”
“Not into children, Tammy?” Claire teased.
“Not in the least. I don’t care how fine the man is. If he comes with kids, I’m keeping far away.”
Cassie shouldn’t have cared about the pretty brunette’s possible hots for Ty but now any worry was swept aside by Claire’s input. And by the sparkle in her sister-in-law’s eyes, that wasn’t an accident. More matchmaking coming from the Chapman camp, huh? She’d seen the speculation on Harmony’s face when she’d left the house with him Sunday night, although Rick had seemed a little less enthusiastic.
Cassie hid her smile. If they only knew just what Ty and Cassie were getting up to after the sun went down.
“You know Jake and I are trying,” Claire said. “For a baby.”
“Oh, that’s wonderful!” Cassie put her hand over Claire’s. “Your kid will be gorgeous. I just know it.”
“That’s for sure,” Tammy said. “Rick’s son is a real cutie. And I can almost stand to be around him, now that he’s past the drooling stage.”
“I’m pretty sure he passed that stage a couple years ago,” Claire said.
Claire talked about something Nick said the other day and Tammy laughed. Cassie only half-listened. She picked at the plastic ring around the top of her water bottle. Talking about kids, and about trying for babies, was something she’d never done. Not with the people she used to hang around with. She felt like she had nothing to contribute, aside from her genuine hope that Jake and Claire would be blessed and soon. Their baby really would be a knockout and the two of them would make fantastic parents.
“I really have to think about another job,” Cassie said at last.
Claire turned to her. “Why?”
“Because I suck at this one, Claire.”
As she watched she could see Claire’s gifted mind going to work on the puzzle of Cassie’s future employment. She might not know this sister-in-law very well but she knew the woman had smarts to spare. And when Claire tilted her head that certain way, it meant she was thinking.
“Maybe Jake can use your help out at the adventure courses?”
“What, like rock climbing?” Cassie asked. “Oh, I don’t know.”
“Yikes,” Tammy said. “Not for me, thanks.”
“I suppose I can hand out gear or something.” She blew out a breath. “Maybe I’ll go work at the coffee shop.”
“Have you done that before?” Claire asked.
“I’ve never had a job,” Cassie answered.
The other two women stared for a beat, and then Tammy shrugged. “If you work there maybe you can give Claire a discount on her beloved lattes.”
Claire sighed out loud. “It’ll have to be soon, then. No caffeine once I’m expecting.”
“Expect a downturn in profits at the coffee shop,” Tammy said.
Cassie laughed. She liked hanging around with these women. She’d never really had close girlfriends, just other bored rich girls with nothing better to do. First Harmony and Claire and now Tammy? Maybe she should try more of this connecting stuff. She’d certainly been rewarded by taking a couple of cracks at it with Ty.
“Speak of the devil.”
Tammy’s words brought Cassie’s head up. Ty stood in the doorway of the break room. Her breath caught.
He looked delectable. His Henley shirt had the Cypress Institute logo she’d seen all over Harmony’s clothes and his khaki cargo pants hung just right off his narrow hips. Sun brightened his cheeks and the tip of his nose and his eyes looked bright.
“Hey, Cassie.”
God, was there anything sexier than Ty’s voice saying her name?
Tammy and Claire stood, exchanging a look as they left the break room. Cassie could guess what they were up to.
“See you, Ty,” Tammy said as she passed him. “Oh, Cassie needs to ask you something.”
Ty arched a brow and Cassie glanced away. She drank more of her water and hoped her cheeks weren’t as pink as they felt.
Jeez, maybe having girlfriends was overrated.
***
Claire grinned and Tammy winked as they left. When Ty looked back at Cassie she was staring holes into the tabletop. She looked a little mussed, just like he’d been picturing her at the Institute’s reception desk that morning. Maybe this job wasn’t going as well as she might have hoped, either.
“What’s up?”
She finally looked up at him. “Hmm?”
He set his tablet down on the table then turned one of the chairs around and straddled it. “Wha
t do you need to ask me?”
She rolled her eyes. “Jeez. Okay, there was this animal thing that ran in front of my cart today. I sort of swerved.”
“You swerved?”
“Swerved. Ran off the path. Whatever.”
He laughed.
“Oh, that’s nice. Kick a girl when she’s down.”
Ty held up a hand. “I’m sorry. Are you okay?”
“Now?” She blew a loose strand of hair off her forehead. “I’m fine. And, thank God, the people I frightened nearly to death are fine too.”
“Were they on the path?”
“No.” She snorted. “Wise guy. They were in the cart with me. When I screamed they were a little…startled.”
He managed to only grin this time. “That’s too bad, but everyone’s okay. Right?”
“So you’re one of those ‘let’s look at the positive’ people, too?”
He shrugged. “I guess.” He folded his arms on the back of the chair. “So what did you want to ask me?”
“I just wondered if you could tell me what kind of beast that was.”
“A beast, huh? Describe it?”
She held her hands out in front of her, about two feet apart. “It was this long. Furry. Big, fluffy tail.”
“What color was it?”
“Brown. I think. It had a black head, though. What kind of freak animals do you have down here?”
He chuckled. “It was probably a fox squirrel.”
She looked at him evenly. “Like that’s a thing.”
“I swear it is.” He picked up his tablet and tapped the screen until he pulled up a picture of a fox squirrel on the Internet. “Here.” He spun the table to face her. “See?”
She looked at it, and then shrugged.
“I guess it did look like that thing.” She sighed and sat back. “It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter if it was a fox squirrel or a pig dog. It’s no excuse.”
“Excuse for what?”
“For losing it, Ty. My brother stuck his neck out, getting me a job. First Harmony and now Rick? I’m the mess that keeps on giving.”
“You’re not a mess.” He reached out and covered her hand with his. “Your family doesn’t think of you as a mess. Believe me.”
“So you said the other night.”
Ah, the other night. When she’d driven him crazy and then even further. “We never really had our talk.”
Her eyes darted to the doorway of the break room, and then back to him. “Shh. I don’t want everyone here to know what happened the other night.”
“I promised you wouldn’t be the subject of gossip, Cassie. You can believe me.”
“I know.”
Her simply-spoken statement said a lot more to him, though. She trusted him. For some reason that escaped him right then, she trusted him.
“So just get back up on the horse.”
Her eyes went wide. “I have to ride a horse now?”
“No. Actually, I wanted to invite you to take one of my eco-tours tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?”
She nibbled on her full lower lip and he couldn’t help but remember how sweet her kisses were.
Refocusing, he nodded. “Dr. Robbins thought it would be good for you.”
“But what about Rick? Doesn’t he need me here?”
“I already talked to Rick and he gave his okay.”
“Big surprise there.” She gave him a small smile. “I’m sure he’s really going to miss me here.”
Ty just shrugged. “So the tour is first thing. Right at nine.”
“Okay.”
She didn’t look very okay, though.
He came to his feet. “And I promise, no pig dogs.”
That earned him a laugh at least. She still looked worried, though.
“I have to find something else though, Ty. No joke.”
He had no idea what to say to her now. He’d always tried to tell his sister Tracy what to do and look how good that had turned out?
Cassie was staring ahead, her mind most likely working as she tried to reason out her dilemma. God, he wanted to fix this for her. He was in no position for that, though. She had two brothers to look after her. What was he to her anyway? A guy she’d fooled around with a couple of times?
“Well, I’ll see you in the morning,” he said.
She nodded absently and he left the Sales Center. He felt unsettled and he was damned if he could figure out why.
Chapter 11
Ty found Cassie waiting for him in lobby of the Sales Center Tuesday morning. She was turned away from him, thumbing through the activity and property pamphlets set in clear plastic holders on one of the low tables. He took a minute to just check her out. Closely. Her shorts hugged her sweet ass and her legs looked strong and sleek all the way down to her sneakered feet. He’d felt the strength in those slender legs. In her smoothly muscled arms, too. She’d nearly pulled the iron headboard off his bed when he’d driven her crazy the other night. And after? Mmm.
He must have made a sound, he wasn’t sure, because she straightened and turned to face him. Harmony must have loaned her that Cypress Institute shirt but he couldn’t imagine it hugging any other woman’s body but Cassie’s. Damn.
“Good morning,” she said.
“Hey.” Brilliant conversationalist, Ty. “Good morning. All set for an adventure?”
She arched one graceful brow. “You promised me I wouldn’t have to ride a horse.”
“And you don’t. We’ll be taking the gator.”
Her mouth dropped open. “A gator?”
He smiled. “It’s a rugged kind of golf cart, Cassie.”
“Oh, one of those green and yellow ones? I saw those in the parking lot.”
“Yep. No worries.”
“Yeah. For you.”
“And you. I promised you we’d tour the tamer parts of Cypress today.”
She didn’t look too reassured but she nodded. “I’ll take your word for it. How many people are you touring today?”
“Just you and two ladies from the conservation club.”
She smiled. “Is one of those ladies Lettie?”
He laughed. “God, no. I love her and she’s a great friend to my mother but the woman wears me out.”
“I like her, too. She’s feisty.”
Her eyes sparkled and he almost forgot what they were talking about. Seriously. Just then, the ladies from the conservation club entered the Sales Center.
“Let’s head out, then.” He turned to face the two women, ladies about the same age as his mother. One was tall and thin. She had a long gray-streaked braid resting over one shoulder and wore some flowy shirt with embroidered jeans and Birkenstock sandals. The other was a little bit stockier, with very short salt-and-pepper hair. She wore olive green overalls, work boots and a no-nonsense expression.
“Ty Walsh?” the shorter one asked. When he nodded, she stuck out her hand toward him. “I’m Marge Atkins.”
Ty shook her outstretched hand. “Very nice to meet you, Marge.”
“And I’m Marigold Atkins.” The taller woman smiled. “We’re sisters.”
Ty marveled at that for second, and then shook her hand too. “It’s a pleasure to meet both of you. Cassie Chapman will be joining us.”
At the mention of her name, Cassie came forward and shook hands with the ladies. Her smile was genuine and both Marge and Marigold quickly fell under her spell.
“Miss Chapman!” Marigold grasped Cassie’s hand in both of hers. “I’d heard you were giving property tours for the Sales Center.”
“I was, yes.”
“But I thought you were working at the Institute?” Marge put in.
Cassie gave a nod. “Yes, I was there as well.”
“A true Renaissance woman?” Marigold asked with a grin.
“More like Jack of all trades, master of none.”
Both ladies crinkled their brows, and then laughed when Cassie waved her own comment away. Ty didn’t miss it, though. Cass
ie really believed there was nothing she could do well.
“Why don’t we head out?” he offered.
Marge gave a firm nod and strode toward the door. Marigold trailed after her, chattering about the possible animals they would see on the tour while her sister spoke of taking a closer look at the prevalence of weeds choking the lakes and retention ponds.
“After you?” he asked Cassie.
At her nod he placed his hand on her lower back, his fingers tingling where they touched her. Withdrawing, he stepped back and simply watched her head out after the Atkins sisters. Saying a silent prayer that he’d be able to concentrate on the tour, he stepped outside to join them. Cassie might not know if he misrepresents any animals or plants they encounter but Marge and Marigold? He was afraid they’d school him but good if he screwed up.
The gator cart was a custom four-seater. As he’d expected, the sisters took the rear seats, leaving Cassie to sit beside him. He had access to a larger, six-seater as well, which he used when he had tours from the high school. He liked running the more intimate tours, though. For where they were going, a small group was always easier to keep on the quiet side of things. However, with Cassie seated so close and the growing heat of the day sending her flowery-sweet scent his way, he was going to have a tough time for sure.
“Today we’re going to tour the east side of the property,” he began. “Not too far into the wild, though.”
Cassie looked relieved and he didn’t hear any complaints from the sisters. As they left the manicured paths lining the golf course, Ty went on to point out the water fowl and birds of prey as he caught sight of them.
“I’d heard that homes with alternative energy sources will be built soon?” Marge asked.
“Yes!” Marigold said. “Solar and wind, perhaps?”
“What, windmills?” Cassie asked.
“Turbines, dear,” Marigold put in. “There is plenty of property to put them, isn’t there Mr. Walsh?”
“There is, but the sounds can be intrusive,” Ty said. “I believe algae fields would be better suited to the land and its inhabitants.”
“Yes, algae,” Marge said. “Nice, clean fuel. Do you know when construction would begin on the fields?”
“When will the houses be converted to use the energy?” Marigold asked.
Ty just shook his head as he maneuvered the cart down the sandy path. “That’s something the Institute and the developers are working on. I don’t know the particulars at this point. I am excited about the prospect, though.”
Cypress Corners Boxed Set (Books 1-3) Page 43