Page 24 of Risky Move

“No, I seriously doubt that. Shall we eat in the sunroom?”

Cassie nodded and added silverware and napkins before moving to the sunroom. She heard the door open and Lauren’s greeting. She laughed when Tom set the pizza boxes in the middle of the table. “Outnumbered again, Dr. Tom.”

“And I should mind that?”

“Well, you have Daniel to help even the odds,” Cassie said.

“My boy, Danny. Though, you realize I’m usually outnumbered by my brother’s and his friends’ wives.”

Cassie saw the smirk hinting at his mouth.

“Well, Jenna and I aren’t married,” she added.

“Jenna, I can handle. You? Not so sure about that.”

Cassie leaned against the table, her eyes challenging him playfully. “You don’t think you can handle me?”

His response was interrupted when Caryn and Lauren brought drinks to the table. Cassie hugged her aunt, though her eyes drifted back toward Tom, silently questioning him. He merely winked in response, but that was enough to cause goosebumps to erupt all over her skin.Is he teasing me or maybe something more?

“Cass, what are you drinking?” Lauren caught her attention. “A glass of wine?”

“You don’t mind, Caryn?”

“Of course not. You’re legal age at home and if Lauren doesn’t care…”

“Not planning to take your new car for a spin?” Lauren teased her niece.

“Not if I have a drink.”

“Good answer,” Tom said as he helped her finish setting the table. Their fingers brushed against each other, and Cassie swallowed a gasp as sparks sent tingles up her arm. She glanced to see if he noticed, but Tom had already taken the napkins to set beside each plate. She felt her aunt’s eyes on her but averted her glance.The less anyone knows about my crush, the better.

14

“Hey, Cassie. Look at this.”

Cassie reluctantly flipped over and balanced on an elbow to see what Amelie wanted to show her. The sun’s warmth and the gentle sound of waves lapping at the shore had lulled her into a dream-like state. She took the card Amelie held toward her and squinted at it in the bright afternoon sun.

“Why did you get a Florida driver’s license? Do you need it for work?”

“Check my age.”

Cassie did some quick calculations, then looked at Amelie. “This is a fake?”

“It’s just to get into clubs. Cliff has one, so I badgered him until he took me to get one. Don’t tell anyone.”

“Who would I tell?” Cassie laughed. She handed the ID back to Amelie and resumed her position on the beach towel.

“This beach is obviously not the place to meet guys.” Amelie moaned. “Great for parents and little kids, though.”

“Yeah, I can see Daniel and Jenna running around in the sand in a year. It’s a nice beach, anyway.”

“But absolutely no action.”

Cassie heard the hint of disappointment in Amelie’s tone. “You only wanted to come to the beach to meet guys?”

“Well…yeah.”

Cassie swallowed a giggle as she sat up. “We could drive down the coast further. Maybe Clearwater’s not the place college kids gather.”

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