His smile widened as he walked toward her.
Cassie’s dark hair was caught in a ponytail. She looked cute in a baggy, red T-shirt that she’d tucked into a pair of faded jeans. Compared with the women he’d met in New York, she was completely different. Cassie might value her privacy, but when it came to helping people, there was nothing she wouldn’t do.
There was something about her that made him want to stay close, to help her be successful and follow her dreams. And right now, teach her how to waltz.
With her eyes closed and earbuds silencing everything around her, she had no idea he was there.
He listened as she counted the beat, dipping and rising in the one, two, three rhythm he’d learned as a teenager.
Now that he was standing a few feet away, he wasn’t sure how to interrupt her. Scaring her to death wasn’t an option, so he cleared his throat. Loudly.
Cassie kept dancing.
He waited until she was close, then reached out, pulled her against his hip and led her across the grass. Well, that was the plan, anyway.
As soon as their hands touched, Cassie’s eyes flew open. Her ear-piercing screech echoed around the lake, sending a flock of birds into a frenzy.
As he threw his hands over his ears, he smiled. Unfortunately, it didn’t look as though Cassie shared his sense of humor.
When she got over the shock of seeing him, she yanked out her earbuds. “Haven’t you been told it’s rude to sneak up on someone? Especially when they’ve got their eyes closed.”
He winced at Cassie’s high-pitched indignation. “I didn’t want to interrupt what you were doing.”
“You don’t think grabbing me around the waist and pushing me across the grass is an interruption?”
Noah sighed. “I was trying to be helpful. Your basic waltz steps are fine, but your quarter and half turns need some work.”
“You know how to dance?”
The surprise on Cassie’s face gave him a faint glimmer of hope. A few seconds ago, he thought he’d be banished from the cottage and forced to sleep in his SUV. “Grandma taught me how to waltz, foxtrot, and two-step my way out of trouble.”
Cassie bit her bottom lip. “How would you feel about teaching me to dance?”
He pretended to consider her request carefully. With raised eyebrows, he asked, “How long have we got until you need to be step-perfect?”
“A week.”
Noah’s eyes widened.
“I know,” Cassie said miserably. “Sam is getting married next Saturday and I still don’t know how to waltz.”
Noah’s confidence took a nosedive. “Does your date know how to dance?”
Cassie frowned. “I’m not going with anyone, but Sam and Caleb have been practicing for months. They kept warning me that there would be lots of waltzes, but I’ve been so busy—”
“I’ll do it,” Noah said quickly.
Instead of looking relieved, Cassie’s frown deepened. “That was fast. What’s the catch?”
“There’s no…” The words that would have come out of his mouth disappeared. Throughout most of his life, there’d always been catches. But not now. Not with Cassie.
She banged the palm of her hand against her forehead. “I shouldn’t have said anything. Now you’re thinking of all the things you can weasel out of me as payback for the lessons.”
Noah hoped she was joking. “I don’t weasel things out of people. I use my superior negotiating skills and charming personality to encourage people to agree with me.”
“What’s your price, Noah?”
He didn’t want to spoil Cassie’s righteous indignation, but the piercing blue glare she aimed at him wasn’t intimidating. It was hot. His grandma would blush if she knew how useful her dancing lessons were about to become.
“I want to come to Sam and Caleb’s wedding with you.”
Cassie’s mouth dropped open.
“It makes perfect sense. It’s much easier to dance with someone who knows how you move. And I won’t be insulted when you step on my toes.”
“Would that speech be part of your superior negotiating skills or charming personality?”
Noah grinned. Maybe Cassie did share his sense of humor after all. “I’ll go for charm, but only because I’m saving my negotiating skills for another day.”
Cassie didn’t smile. “You’re forgetting one important thing.”
Noah’s eyebrows rose. “I am?”
“You’re leaving on Sunday. That only gives us one day and a few hours to perfect our technique.”
“I could stay in Sapphire Bay for a few more days.”
Cassie seemed as surprised as he was by what he’d said. “You have to go back to Manhattan. You’re the chief executive.”
His grandfather’s voice boomed inside Noah’s head, agreeing with Cassie. Not for the first time, he ignored it. “I can work from here almost as well as I can from my office.”
“You’ll get fired.”
Noah shrugged. “Possibly. But the board can’t do anything about it until our next meeting. That gives me a whole month to do what I want.”
Cassie silently studied his face.
“Do we have a deal?” He held his hand toward her, hoping like crazy she’d accept his offer.
She shook his hand.
The flame of hope inside Noah rose a little higher.
“We have a deal,” Cassie said. “Dancing lessons with no strings attached.”
Noah smiled. “I didn’t say there wouldn’t be any strings.”
Her eyes connected with his and a bolt of pure energy shot through his heart.
“Be careful what you wish for,” she murmured. “It might come true.”
Noah’s smile disappeared. That’s what he was hoping.
Cassie wondered whether she was plain crazy. Standing on the shore of Flathead Lake, dancing with a man who stopped at nothing to get what he wanted wasn’t how she usually spent her Friday nights.
Instead of sitting in front of her workbench, creating another client’s order, she was learning the art of waltzing. And even though it pained her to admit it, Noah was a great teacher.
“Back straight. There’s no room for round shoulders in a waltz.”
Cassie pulled back her shoulders. “Are you telling me I’ve got bad posture?”
“How you stand when you’re dancing is different from everyday life. My grandma told me a man who could dance was worth his weight in gold. And that pot of gold depends on your posture.”
He let go of her hand and took two steps backward. “Hold your arms like this…” Noah extended his arms as if he were dancing with her. “Lift your upper body like you have a string attached to your head, and use your hips to alter your direction. You can’t go wrong.”
Cassie held her arms in the air, pulled in her tummy, pushed back her shoulders, and twisted her hips.
“Move your foot in the direction your hips are rotating. Left foot, left hip.”
She tried again, quickly stepping away from Noah and twisting her body like the hinge on a door.
“That’s better.”
Cassie sagged in relief. “I thought waltzing was supposed to be fun?”
Noah’s grin made her heart pound.
“It is once you know how to dodge everyone else.”
“It’s just as well you’re my partner. You can maneuver your way around the dance floor and all I have to do is follow.”
Noah took hold of her hand and pulled her close. “As long as you remember who’s in charge, we’ll be fine.”
“I can’t help it if I’m naturally assertive,” Cassie muttered as Noah settled her against his hip.
“You can be assertive off the dance floor. I can’t lead if you refuse to move your feet.”
Her traitorous body almost whimpered when he wrapped his arms around her shoulders. “What are you doing?”
“Unless you want to sing as we dance, I need to untangle your earbuds so we can both listen to the music.”
> While Noah fiddled with the twisted wires, Cassie practiced standing tall. She visualized their dance steps, did everything she could to distract herself from the sight and smell of the six-foot-two heartthrob standing within kissing distance of her mouth.
“Nearly there.” Noah’s breath whispered along her skin, sending shivers down her spine.
This wasn’t what she was thinking when she’d asked him to help her. She was utterly and hopelessly attracted to Noah, but she didn’t have time for a boyfriend. Or friend, or whatever their relationship was becoming. He worked in Manhattan, had a life that didn’t involve her.
He also had a brother who didn’t hesitate to do a background check on her, and when she refused to work with Noah, he’d tried to blackmail her.
But his grandma had taught him how to dance, so he wasn’t all bad.
Noah brushed a strand of hair away from her face and handed her an earbud. “Cue the music, Cassie.”
Next time she was in town, she was buying a portable speaker. Dancing with him was dangerous enough without having to share her only set of earbuds.
She found the music app on her phone and pushed “Play”. As the first notes of an Anne Murray song drifted into her ear, Noah tapped the beat against her shoulder. “Should I ask Sam what songs they’re playing at the wedding? We could practice dancing to that music, too.”
“Focus, Ms. Harper.”
Cassie sighed. She’d unleashed a monster when she’d asked Noah for dancing lessons.
“One, two, three…”
Noah’s muscles tensed a moment before he stepped forward.
Automatically, her body moved backward, matching his long, graceful stride. Her sneakers brushed against the grass as each step became easier, each turn a little less awkward. Cassie forgot about Noah’s rock-hard body pressed against hers, the way they moved together like long lost lovers. She simply enjoyed the moment, lost herself in the music, and fell a little in love with the man in her arms.
Her eyes widened as they completed their first flawless circuit of the backyard. “We did it,” she whispered.
Noah dropped his hand to her waist and sighed. “We did. But where do we go from here?”
Cassie searched his face, trying to decide if he was still talking about dancing. “I guess we go back the way we came.” It was the coward’s way out of his question, but Cassie didn’t care. She still hadn’t told Noah whether she would work for him. And until that was settled, she wouldn’t be getting any closer to him, even if Anne Murray was asking if she could have this dance for the rest of her life.
Noah turned over the steak on the barbecue. After they’d finished dancing, Cassie had invited him for dinner. They could have been any other couple, anywhere in the world, enjoying each other’s company. Except they weren’t a couple. They weren’t friends. They were something in between that didn’t make a whole lot of sense.
“Would you like Dijon, ranch, or honey mustard dressing on the salad?”
Noah turned toward Cassie. For a moment, he forgot what she’d asked and soaked in her beauty. While he was sitting on the veranda, she’d changed into a white T-shirt and a long, pale blue skirt. She looked like the girl next door, the woman a man would be mad not to marry.
“Noah?”
He cleared his throat and tried to remember the options she’d given him. “Sorry. Ranch would be great.”
Cassie smiled and turned toward the living room.
“Can I ask you a question?”
“Sure.” Her smile dimmed but didn’t completely disappear.
“Have you and your dad decided whether you’ll work for Wilson Enterprises?”
“I…” She took a deep breath and focused on the table between them. “I was going to talk to you about that after dinner.”
“Is there a reason we can’t talk about it now?”
Her chin lifted to meet his gaze. “Dad doesn’t want to work with you. He’s happy where he is.”
Noah rubbed his temple. “Would it help if I talked to him? I could explain—”
“He knows what could happen if we created jewelry for your company. But he wants to keep working with his friend. Steve was one of the few people who believed him when he said he didn’t steal the designs.”
“Loyalty won’t make him rich or famous.”
Cassie winced. “None of that matters.”
He’d said the wrong thing. Disappointment blazed from Cassie’s face and left him feeling less than the man he knew he was. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”
Cassie sent him a sad smile. “When I was younger, Dad told me you can’t expect loyalty from people if you don’t give it. If you haven’t learned that by now, Noah, you never will.”
There was a wariness in her gaze, an inevitability that made his heart clench tight. If he stood any chance of rebuilding his relationship with her, he had to let her see who he really was.
Letting someone close had only happened once. Tasha had spent time with his family, been privy to information no one else knew. She’d used that information against him, almost destroying his relationship with his grandparents and bringing him to breaking point. But he had more faith in Cassie. She wouldn’t use what he told her against him, wouldn’t pretend to be anything other than herself.
Noah sat on the edge of a wooden seat. “Six years ago, I was engaged to a woman I thought I loved. But she told a competitor about a major acquisition my grandfather was about to make. Our competitor made an offer for the same company and bought it for a ridiculous price. They immediately stopped supplying our core product and nearly bankrupted Granddad’s business.”
He looked across the lake, drawing on its stillness to keep him centered. “What my fiancée did was wrong, but what it did to my grandparents was worse. The stable family we’d built was almost destroyed. Granddad was scrambling to raise money to keep his business operating. Grandma was so stressed she had a heart attack. After my parents died, I swore I would keep my grandparents and brother safe. By letting Tasha into my life, I didn’t do that.”
“You weren’t responsible for what happened.”
“I shared information with Tasha that no one else knew.”
Cassie studied his face. “She must have known what she was doing was wrong.”
“She knew the person who bought the company. She said it was an honest mistake.”
“But you didn’t believe her?”
“No. Tasha didn’t make mistakes like that.”
“Did you start your own company to help your grandparents?”
Noah nodded. “By the time everything was settled, they were exhausted. Granddad sold his business and invested in mine. What happened made me wary of trusting anyone.”
“I can understand that. Is your Grandma okay now?”
Noah gripped the tongs so tightly that his knuckles turned white. “She died two years ago. The damage from the heart attack permanently weakened the muscles in her chest. She passed away peacefully in her sleep.”
“I’m sorry.” Cassie reached out and touched his arm.
The warmth of her hand centered him, gave him the courage to continue. “Working for Wilson Enterprises could take your career to a different level. At least promise me you’ll think about it.”
She started to say something, then frowned at the barbecue. “Do you want me to check the steak? It smells as though it’s burning.”
Noah spun around, flipped the meat, and switched off the grill. When he turned back, Cassie was gone.
He just hoped she didn’t feel the same way as her father. Because, regardless of what her dad thought, money was important to a lot of people.
Cassie wiped down the outdoor table. Over dinner, Noah had told her more about his fiancée and his life with his grandparents. It must have been difficult growing up without his mom and dad. Especially when they sounded like amazing people.
Her childhood was almost the polar opposite of Noah’s. From what he’d said, his family vacations on Shelter Isla
nd were the closest to her everyday life. Her mom and dad were different and, looking back, she felt blessed to live a simple life.
“Would you like me to clean the barbecue now or in the morning?”
Cassie looked over her shoulder and smiled. “Neither. You’ve already done enough for one night.”
Noah slung the dish towel over his shoulder. “I’m grateful you took pity on me and invited me to dinner.”
“I couldn’t leave you to fend for yourself when I had enough steak for two people. I’ve got something else you might like, too.”
“If it’s a letter of intent to work with Wilson Enterprises, I’ll be thrilled.”
“It’s better than that.” Cassie laughed at Noah’s dramatic sigh. “I bought one of Megan’s strawberry ripple cheesecakes this afternoon. Would you like a slice?”
“That sounds like the perfect way to end the evening. How is Megan?”
“Did you know she’s pregnant?”
Noah nodded. “Nora told me she was having a baby on the night of your birthday.”
“And you didn’t tell me?”
“I swore on a pinky promise that I wouldn’t tell anyone. Besides, it would have spoiled the surprise when Megan told you.” Noah followed Cassie into the kitchen, sat on a kitchen stool, and watched her take the cheesecake out of the refrigerator. “It must be the time of the year for people to be pregnant. My secretary’s baby is due in December.”
“I think it’s got more to do with our age. Most of my friends are either getting married or having children.”
Noah rested his arms on the counter. “Do you want to get married and have children?”
“One day, but at the moment I’m too busy creating jewelry. What about you?”
“I’m not sure anyone would want to marry me.”
Cassie almost smiled, until she saw Noah’s serious expression. “Why do you say that?”
He shrugged, but she saw the hurt he was hiding. “I’m thirty-eight years old. I work long hours and hardly take any time off work. Even if I did find someone, I’m not sure I could give them the happy ever after they’d want.”
She slid a piece of cheesecake onto a plate. “Have you ever considered that being yourself would be enough? Happy ever after doesn’t have to come gift wrapped with a sparkly red bow.”
The Sweetest Thing: Sapphire Bay, Book 5 Page 12