Page 68 of Turn

CHAPTER TWENTY

Cassidy Gentry.

There were times when I thought there was no one around who I had less in common with.

And then there were other times when I felt such an overpowering pull toward that girl I could barely keep myself in check.

It wasn’t just her body that kept me up at night, though I certainly didn’t mind looking at it whenever I got the chance. I kept thinking about how she’d come home to find me sitting at the kitchen table and fretting over Brecken’s math book. The things she said meant so much more not only because they were kind but because they came from her. Cassie didn’t have a reason to bullshit me. She didn’t want anything in return. She said whatever she felt in her heart. And even though I would have given a lot to hear more about what was going on in her head I didn’t dare ask.

At least working my ass off at Scratch was a good way to redirect my thoughts away from Cassie.

“Hey, man,” Deck Gentry said when he walked into the workshop and offered me a fist bump.

“What do you think?” I asked, pointing to the collection of clothing, coffee mugs and other objects of various sizes that had been printed with the Scratch logo just this morning. None of it was the cheap kind of quality that could be found on most online sites.

He nodded approvingly. “Good job. Next week we’ll work on rearranging the lobby to create a gift shop space. Already ordered the shelving. And Cassie’s looking into getting the stock up on the website.”

“Sounds good. Oh, Cord said he wanted me to train with Freya for the rest of the afternoon unless you’ve got other plans for me.”

“Nah, that’s fine.” He leaned against the far wall and scrutinized me. Deck still managed to pull off being one hell of a daunting guy. I could understand why people went out of their way to please him. “So you’re moving to the new place in a few days?”

“That’s right. I’ll get the keys on Sunday.”

“If you’re looking for some furniture, Jen just ordered a new bedroom set for Isabella so we’ll be unloading the old one. It’s white but it could be painted any color you want for Brecken. Jen even said she’d like to tackle the painting project herself. That’s her new hobby, refinishing furniture.”

It was impossible to miss the way Deck Gentry’s voice changed when he spoke the names of his wife and daughter. So much pride and love.

“Please thank her for me,” I said, genuinely touched that Deck’s pretty wife would go to any trouble for me. “We’re not picky. Whatever color she decides on is fine.”

Deck nodded and when his face grew serious I knew he was going to bring up Tristan so I braced myself.

“I wish had some news for you,” he said. “Anything at all. Every turn has been a dead end where the kid’s concerned.”

I swallowed. “I haven’t had any luck either. The fact that he probably doesn’t want to be found makes it tougher. Thanks for staying the course though. It means a lot to me.”

Deck’s dark eyes were sympathetic. “I’ll keep trying, Curtis.”

“I know you will. And I really appreciate it.”

Deck said he needed to go find Cord to discuss some financial matters but first he wanted to tell me that he knew of a used furniture store that was going out of business and unloading its inventory for peanuts. I thanked him for the tip and said I’d definitely check it out. The apartment was unfurnished and I suspected my brother would want a place to sit when we moved in.

Cassie wasn’t at her desk when I walked by on my way to go track down Freya. It was always a little disappointing when I didn’t see her sitting there even though I rarely ever said anything to her aside from a generic, “Hey.” At least that way she’d never suspect how much space she took up inside my head.

After a few hours of observing Freya perform piercings on a variety of body parts I figured I ought to check with Cord and see if he needed me to stay late tonight. Cassie was at her desk in the lobby, looking at a pocket mirror and applying lip gloss.

“Hey,” I said, marveling over my conversational skills where this girl was concerned.

She pushed the cap back onto her lip gloss and rubbed her lips together. They were pink and shiny. And fuck, I might go to hell for thinking this but I really wanted to know what they’d feel like sliding over my cock.

“Hey,” she responded and smiled.

“You have class tonight?” I asked, wondering why the question came out of my mouth when I already knew this wasn’t a day when she went to class.

“No, only on Mondays and Wednesdays,” she said.

“Right.”

“And today is Friday,” she explained. She probably thought I had the IQ of a cantaloupe. “Oh, that reminds me, Curtis, I have something for you.” She jumped to her feet and shoved a neatly stapled packet of papers at me. I wasn’t looking at the papers right away because my eyes were glued to the way her shirt neckline shifted, exposing the top inch of her left breast. It was nothing by porn standards but that brief glimpse of soft skin drove me wild.

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