by Bella Andre
“This is delicious, Mrs. Sullivan,” Flynn said, gesturing to his plate. “Truly the best Irish food I’ve eaten.”
“Call me Beth. And thank you.” Cassie’s mom beamed at Flynn. “You and Ruby are welcome to eat here anytime. In fact, if you’re free Friday night, why don’t you come to dinner with Cassie and the rest of the family? My grandson, Kevin, loves playing with other children, and I’m sure Ruby would have a wonderful time with everyone. Plus, I want to make sure I see her again soon.”
Cassie almost groaned at her mom’s hard sell. Especially because she couldn’t help but suspect she had ulterior motives. Beth Sullivan had always been a matchmaker. The fact that it hadn’t worked yet didn’t deter her in the least.
Though Flynn looked surprised by the invitation, when he saw the way Ruby was grinning up at Beth, he readily agreed. “Dinner on Friday night sounds great. Thanks.”
Sean carried over a green plastic bowl shaped like a four-leaf clover that he’d filled with apple puree and set it on Ruby’s tray. Beth pressed a kiss to the baby’s cheek. “Enjoy your meal, my little treasure. I’ll see you on Friday.”
Flynn handed the spoon to Ruby, then gently placed his hand over hers, dipped the spoon into the apple puree, and brought it to her mouth. She sniffed it, then shoved it into her mouth. Most of the sauce landed on her bib, but what did make it onto her tongue obviously pleased her, as she immediately tried to scoop up more.
Cassie grinned. “I think she likes it.”
Flynn was also grinning as he helped the baby with her second bite. Again, most of the applesauce went onto Ruby’s bib—and hands and hair and legs—but she didn’t seem to mind at all. On the contrary, she seemed absolutely delighted.
Fifteen minutes later, Ruby wasn’t the only one covered in applesauce. Both Cassie and Flynn had been splattered with more than their fair share.
Flynn gently wiped Ruby’s face and hands. “You need a bath,” he said in a soft voice to her. Then he looked down at himself and Cassie. “We all do.”
Ruby replied by rubbing her eyes with the backs of her sticky hands. She reached out to Flynn, who lifted her from the high chair and settled her against his chest, making Cassie’s heart melt again. They were the sweetest pair.
“Sorry to eat and nap, but I think I’d better get this one off to bed. I think she’s still making up for last night.” He smiled at Cassie. “Thanks for lunch.”
“It was fun.” Especially once she’d been able to act like a normal human being, rather than a blushing fool. Maybe Flynn’s effect on her was wearing off.
She almost snorted at that thought. It was so ridiculous, considering every one of his smiles lit her up inside like a Fourth of July celebration.
“Are you sure I can’t convince you to keep the bracelet?” he asked.
“Nope, you can’t.”
“Well, then we’ll see you Friday for dinner.”
“My workshop is only a couple of blocks from my parents’ house. If you come by around five thirty, we can walk over together.” She stroked Ruby’s back. “Have a good nap, cutie.”
Flynn and Ruby had only just left the café when Cassie’s mom sidled up to her. “Ruby is lovely. So is Flynn.”
“Thank you for being so wonderful to both of them,” Cassie said, “but don’t even think about matchmaking.”
“Me? Matchmake?” Her mother adopted her most innocent expression. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”
“Seriously. You know how I feel about being set up. It’s always a recipe for disaster. Smith needed a favor for his friend and colleague. Any one of us would have stepped up to help. End of story.”
“So you don’t find Flynn attractive?”
“Mom!”
Beth put an arm around Cassie, not the least bit repentant. “Ruby reminded me of how lovely it is to hold a baby. It’s been a long time since Kevin was that small. You can’t blame me for wishing for more grandchildren, can you?”
Cassie decided it was wisest not to reply. “Thanks for a great lunch. I’ve got to get back to work now. See you Friday.”
On her short walk back to her workshop, the air seemed sweeter, the sky a brighter blue, the town square prettier. Cassie wasn’t naïve enough to think it was coincidence.
No, she understood exactly what had happened to her: Despite knowing just how far out of her league Flynn was, and despite her protests to her mother, she had not only fallen head over heels for Ruby, she had also fallen for the baby’s handsome, brilliant, overwhelmed uncle.
Cassie’s mother hadn’t needed to do any matchmaking at all.
CHAPTER SIX
Flynn always avoided places that reminded him of where he’d grown up. He worked out in a gym, rather than outside surrounded by trees. He vacationed in big-city skyscrapers, never in a log cabin. And he deliberately chose to live in one of the busiest, most-pavement-heavy cities in the world. Had he not felt trapped by the media vultures in Los Angeles, he would never have come willingly to the Maine woods.
And yet, after three days, Flynn was surprised by how much he enjoyed the smell of the fallen leaves mulching on the ground, the smog-free blue sky, the honest physical effort of chopping wood to make a fire, and especially the quiet. As for Ruby, she was never happier than while strapped to his back in a baby carrier as they hiked through the trees, her eyes huge with wonder as he pointed out squirrels and birds and flowers.
For the first time, it occurred to him that he didn’t actually hate nature and its lush green forests. No, what he hated was the way he’d been raised, with shame and anger and not an ounce of the love that Cassie’s mother, Beth, showed her own children. Ruby, too, who had lapped up both her affection and her apple puree.
His gut twisted every time he thought about the half-truths he’d told Cassie in the café. She was the first person he’d told about his sister, the only one who knew that Ruby was his niece. But he’d immediately followed that up with a lie about his parents dying in a car crash.
Lying had never sat right with Flynn, but at seventeen it had seemed like the only way he could start fresh without being dragged down by his family history of drugs, booze, and misery. He’d not only changed the story of his life, he’d changed his name, too, renaming himself after the actor who starred in his favorite movie, a tale in which the hero fought back against his oppressors—and won. Once he started telling those made-up stories to his new friends and colleagues in Los Angeles, he was soon in too deep to climb out and come clean.
All the while, he justified his behavior by telling himself that he hadn’t hurt anyone by shedding his past and becoming someone new. What’s more, he would have given anything to bring his sister out West so that she could start over too. If only she had agreed before it was too late…
Cassie was different, though. She wasn’t hard or jaded or fake like so many of the people he knew in Hollywood. She was a nice person doing a nice thing for him and Ruby.
Which was why lying to her made Flynn feel like the lowest of the low.
For the first time since he was seventeen, he found himself thinking seriously about coming clean. Only, it wasn’t just his future at stake anymore—it was Ruby’s life, Ruby’s future, that mattered most.
Again and again over the past three days, he asked himself the same questions: What was the best thing he could do for Ruby? Keep pretending that there were no shadows in their past? Or admit it all, regardless of the consequences, and forge a new path forward?
His gut continued to churn as he checked Ruby’s diaper bag to make sure they had everything they might need for their evening out. Less than a month ago, he would have been mixing cocktails in his high-tech kitchen for Anja and her friends before heading out to a hot new restaurant in Beverly Hills. As he gave Ruby a last-minute change, due to a leaking diaper, the contrast couldn’t have been bigger. She happily kicked her legs as he stripped off her dress, wiped her down with baby wipes, then put her in new leggings and a top with yellow and green butterflies.
Butterflies and rainbows. That was how Cassie had described her movie-viewing choices. Last night, he’d found Trolls on a streaming service and put it on for Ruby to watch, thinking she might enjoy the bright colors and singing. She had fallen asleep in his lap not long after the opening credits. Flynn had continued watching, however, and had been surprised by how much he’d enjoyed it.
Heartfelt was right on the money. And the story wasn’t half bad either. After nearly two decades spent writing movies, Flynn could spot a story hole or character-motivation misstep from a mile away. He couldn’t think of much he would have done to improve the screenplay. What’s more, he couldn’t deny that the characters—cheerful Poppy and grumpy Branch—reminded Flynn of the two of them. Cassie, at the very least, seemed like she might break out in song at any moment.
No one in Hollywood would dare admit to preferring a movie like Trolls over the latest dark and brooding Oscar contender. The more esoteric and artsy a film was, the more people in the business fawned over it. Even when the truth was that they were bored out of their minds while watching it.
Once he was done changing Ruby, Flynn lifted her up and hugged her to him. Who would have guessed that big one-toothed smiles and clean baby skin beat cocktails and models any day of the week?
Twenty minutes later, he and Ruby were knocking on the door to Cassie’s Confections.
“Hi.” She opened the door with powdered sugar dusted across her cheek. “I just need to set the thermostat for the evening so that nothing melts.” She reached for Ruby, and the baby happily went to her. “Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes?”
She nuzzled the baby’s cheek as she took them past a room with a desk and filing cabinets, then down a short hallway. He’d expected a candy store, but this looked more like the entrance to a commercial kitchen.
“How have the two of you been doing the past few days?” she asked.
“Good. I was inspired by your mom to make Ruby some puree—” His mouth fell open before he could finish his sentence. “You said you made candy.”
“I do. All of this—” She gestured to the large work in progress on the wide stainless-steel countertop, which looked like the foundation for a building. “—is candy.”
“This isn’t just candy.” He scanned photos on her walls of what he assumed were other structures she’d made. “You create masterpieces.” That was when he realized something else. “I’ve seen your work before. Smith has used your confections in a couple of his movies, hasn’t he?” He circled the worktable. “You have the most incredible eye for detail. How do you do it?”
She looked a little shell-shocked by his praise. “You know what a good cook my mom is. It was easy to learn from her. And speaking of my mom, we’d better get going before all the bacon-and-cabbage rolls are gone. My siblings eat like savages. I’m warning you, if you don’t want to walk away hungry tonight, be bold and pushy when you’re filling your plate.” She tapped a few buttons on the thermostat by the door, then gestured for them to head out.
But he wasn’t ready to stop admiring her work. She was so talented that his jaded Hollywood mind was blown. “Is there anything you’ve made that I can taste before we go?”
“Sure.” She took a tray out of one of her many stainless-steel refrigerators. “This is a sushi-style candy. It’s a really popular style in Japan.” It really did look like a sushi roll. “It’s sweet, but with a little kick at the end.”
The sugar melted instantly on his tongue, followed by a hit of spice and heat.
Cassie not only had a gorgeous face and a kind heart, she was a brilliant confectioner as well.
“That was extraordinary.”
She was extraordinary.
Her skin flushed pink at his compliment. “Thank you.”
“Honestly, I think it might be the best thing I’ve ever put in my mouth.”
And as Cassie flushed an even deeper rose, he couldn’t help wondering if she would also taste as sweet…
* * *
Flynn was more nervous than he wanted to admit about tonight’s dinner with the Sullivans. He hadn’t spent much time around families during the past twenty years, not when life with his own had soured him on the idea of family.
Beth greeted them at the front door. “Flynn, Ruby, Cassie—I’m so happy you’re all here!” Just as she had at the café when the three of them walked in, Cassie’s mother took Ruby into her arms. “I’ve missed you so much, my little treasure.”
In response, Ruby reached out happily to pat Beth’s cheeks, making them both laugh.
Settling the baby on her hip, she said, “Come on in and meet everyone, Flynn, while I get you both a drink.”
“We can take care of our own drinks, Mom.” Cassie turned to Flynn. “What’s your poison?”
Three fingers of whiskey would go a long way toward taking the edge off. But Smith hadn’t connected Flynn with his aunt, uncle, and cousins so that he could get drunk in their house. He also hadn’t suggested Flynn stay in Cassie’s cabin so that he could seduce her…
“A beer would be great. Thanks.”
As though she could tell he was nervous, Cassie said, “My family can be a bit much to take in if you’re not used to a million people all talking at once. There are seven of us, not including my parents, but two of my brothers aren’t in town tonight, so that will save you trying to remember a couple of names.”
Seven siblings. He couldn’t wrap his head around it. Flynn had been close to his sister when they were young, and it had felt like the two of them against the world. But once she’d hit her teen years, there had been nothing he could do to keep her out of harm’s way.
The next thing he knew, he was in the middle of a group of men and women who had all stopped talking to stare at him.
“Everyone, this is Flynn, and the adorable little girl in Mom’s arms is Ruby.”
Flynn had been worried that Ruby would be overwhelmed by so many new people and yet another new house. Fortunately, she seemed fascinated by everything around her—the food, the people, the house, and especially the enormous fluffball of a dog lying on the floor in front of the stove. Clearly, that was the place to be if you wanted to catch falling food.
“Flynn, meet Rory, Turner, Lola, and Ashley.” Cassie scanned the kitchen for someone else, finally finding him in the view from the window. “There’s Kevin, Ashley’s son, in the backyard. He’s ten.” She squatted down to scratch between the dog’s ears. “And this is Bear.”
Flynn shook hands with Cassie’s brothers and sisters. The family resemblance was strong—the Sullivans had all been cut from very attractive cloth—but at the same time, they were each distinct. Rory was rugged looking, and judging by the calluses on his hands, he obviously worked with them. Turner, though as broad in the shoulders as his brother, was not nearly as tanned, nor were his shoes as scuffed, so Flynn guessed he worked at a desk. Ashley had delicate features and seemed to be the quietest of the bunch. She barely looked old enough to have a ten-year-old son. Clearly, there was a story there. And then there was Lola, who looked like she’d walked straight out of a fifties pinup calendar.
He knew plenty of guys who would fall hard for both Ashley and Lola. But though they were beautiful women, Flynn didn’t feel the slightest hint of a spark with either of them. Not the way he had from the first moment he’d set eyes on Cassie.
“And this,” Cassie said as a distinguished-looking man walked into the room, “is my dad, Ethan. Dad, this is Flynn, Smith’s friend who is staying in my cabin. And this is his little girl, Ruby, who I’m sure Mom hasn’t stopped talking about since we saw her at the café earlier this week.”
Ethan Sullivan’s grip was strong, his voice deep…and his eyes held a definite warning. Don’t mess with my girl. “It’s good to meet you, Flynn. I’m glad you and Ruby could join us for dinner tonight.” So that I can keep a close eye on you.
Flynn had never met the fathers of any of the women he’d dated. Not that he and Cassie were dating�
�she was a million times too good for the likes of him. Which her father had clearly sussed out at a glance.
“Thank you for having me to your home.”
Every eye remained trained on him, and though he’d had to prove himself a hundred times over in Hollywood, tonight felt more difficult than any of those film-studio meetings.
He wasn’t here to prove that he was talented. Instead, he was trying to live up to being given a seat at the Sullivan family table. To make matters worse, he had no idea what any of them knew about him. Not when the bits of press that he’d seen during the past three weeks served only to stoke the mystery of who Ruby’s mother might be—and what else he might be hiding in his past.
Cassie handed him a beer and one of the coveted bacon-and-cabbage rolls.
Turner broke the ice. “I’m a big fan of your work. I’ve watched Silent City many times.”
“You wrote that?” Ashley looked pleasantly surprised when he nodded. “You’re really talented.”
“Thanks.” Though he appreciated the praise for his work, Flynn was never comfortable in the spotlight. He’d much rather turn the focus on someone else. That way, there was a smaller chance of screwing up and getting a piece of his story wrong.
Cassie seemed to sense his discomfort, because she said, “Turner works in movies too.”
Flynn had thought her brother looked familiar. “You’re Turner Sullivan, the animator.”
Before Turner could reply, Cassie told him, “He worked on Trolls!”
Everyone laughed at her enthusiasm, with Lola informing him, “It’s one of her favorite movies, if you were wondering.”
“I know.” Flynn was glad to feel much more relaxed now that he was no longer the absolute center of attention. “I watched it last night.”
“You did?” Cassie clearly couldn’t believe it. “What did you think?”
“The story was good.” He smiled at her before adding, “Heartfelt.” He turned back to Turner. “And the animation is great.”