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Cassie looked at me funny. “Aren’t you going to take it?” She pushed the papers more insistently my way.

I took the packet, surprised to see it was a collection of information about how to obtain a GED in the state of Arizona. She must have really been paying attention when I mentioned that I’d never managed to graduate from high school.

“There are online materials that help you study for the test,” she said. “And you know my Uncle Chase? He’s a high school teacher and I already asked him if he’d help you study.”

“That’s really…nice of you,” I managed to say. Of course Cassie did something nice. Cassie herself was the grand duchess of niceness. And someday she’d meet some guy who was bound to be equally as nice and they’d have a nice wedding and enjoy a whole lot of really nice sex. I fucking hated him already.

“Are you excited for the big move?” Cassie asked. “You must be sick of sleeping on the couch.”

“Actually it’s the most comfortable couch I’ve ever encountered.”

She laughed. “I guess it is above average. I’ve dozed off there enough times to be the judge.”

“And soon you’ll be free to doze off there again.”

Cassie’s smile lingered but she grew thoughtful. “It hasn’t been so bad, having you guys around. I know my mom’s really hoping you’ll still let Brecken come stay with us once in a while.”

“He’d like that.” I folded the packet of papers and stuck it in my back pocket, noting the time was close to five o’clock. “I’m grateful for the GED research. You must be heading out of here soon.”

She nodded. “Yeah. I’ve got a few errands to run and then I’m meeting a friend later.”

“The same friend you were out with last week?” I asked and Cassie looked at me with some surprise. A slight blush colored her cheeks.

“A different one,” she admitted and for some reason a flash of jealousy overcame me. She glanced down at herself. “I thought about running home to change but I’m just going to stick with the casual look.”

Aside from the newly applied lip gloss, Cassie wore little makeup. She apparently was going to remain in her v-neck shirt with a denim skirt that reached her knees. Honestly, she looked freaking fantastic to my eyes but even I knew she wasn’t dressed like a girl heading out for the hottest date of the year. And even if she was, who the hell was I to get bent out shape about it? Cassie didn’t owe me a thing and she had a right to see any guy she pleased.

Although I had to admit that the idea of Cassie on the arm of some faceless fucker who’d inevitably pop a boner as he stared at her tits made me want to punch a brick wall.

“Guess I’ll see you around,” I said because if I stuck around much longer while under the spell of Cassie’s luminous blue eyes I was bound to say something stupid.

Well, something even more stupid than “Guess I’ll see you around.”

Something like, “I’d give up two years of my life to put my mouth on your pussy right now.”

Yeah, that was definitely not something I ought to say out loud.

When I found Cord in his office he told me to clock out for the night. I would have liked to talk to Deck again but he was already gone. He had more than one business to run and so he left most of the management of Scratch to Cord.

Back at the Gentry house, Brecken must have been waiting for me to show up because he ran out of the house as soon as he saw my car pull beside the curb.

He was jumping around with a piece of paper in his hand. “Read it and weep,” he said proudly.

“I will if you stand still for a second.”

Brecken held the paper up and I saw the circled red B in the top right corner. “Holy shit, you got a B on a math test?”

“Yes!” He beamed. “I’m going to pass summer school. I won’t have to repeat math next year.”

“That’s great, kid.” I hugged him. “I’m really proud of you.”

Brecken was still grinning. “Proud enough to take me to Pancake Buffet for dinner?”

“Sure. Why not?”

Saylor was working in her home office and Cord wasn’t home yet. She told us to go on ahead and enjoy our dinner.

“What about Cassie?” Brecken asked. “Where’s she at? I know that’s her favorite restaurant.”

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