Page 24 of Crazy Little Thing Called Love

He let out a sigh of relief. For a moment there he feared those had been tears of disappointment.

She tilted her head, brown curls bouncing as they hit her shoulder. “It’s silver.”

“You hate gold. I remember you told Charlie one time that it clashes with your colors.” Whatever the hell that meant.

“And you got a ruby.”

“You’d never wear a diamond.”

Everyone knew that. Cassie made it clear on multiple occasions what she thought of the diamond industry. Her parents’ work had taken her to some locations where she’d seen horrible things. He respected the hell out of what her parents had done with their lives, but sometimes he questioned their decision to bring their young child along to such dangerous situations.

“I had a local artist commission it. Sorry I had to go to your competition.” He knew she wouldn’t mind as all the folks in Kismet tried to help each other out. With a town this small, you had to share business or everyone would go under. “When I told her no diamond, she suggested your birthstone instead.”

At her stunned expression, he laughed.

“Are you really so surprised I know you this well? It’s been over fifteen years we’ve known each other. I’d be a real jackass if I didn’t know your jewelry preferences and birthstone.”

She shrugged a delicate shoulder. “Most guys don’t pay attention to that stuff.”

He wasn’t most guys. Never mind the fact that he’d actually bought jewelry for Cassie before. No one knew because he’d never given it to her. As a stupid fifteen-year-old kid, he’d developed a major crush on his sister’s best friend. One year he’d saved up all his money from his part-time dog-walking job and bought a truly hideous silver heart pendant necklace with the initials C&D etched into it. He kept the trinket in a box under his bed for a solid year, too chicken to ever give it to her.

Eventually his crush faded from memory, as did the location of the gift.

That was a lie. He knew exactly where it was.

Okay, he had it shoved in an old shoebox of memories in the back of his closet. But he wasn’t still crushing on Cassie…much.

“Are you going to stare at it all day or put it on to see if it fits?” he asked.

She pulled her fingers back, teeth worrying her bottom lip. He understood her hesitation. Once she put the ring on, this thing between them would be real. Not real real, but the moment she slipped that circle of silver and red on her finger their plan would be set into motion. No turning back.

“Here.” Taking the box from her, Del grasped the ring and reached for her left hand. “Let me.”

“Wait!” she cried out, pulling her hands off the table. “We need rules first.”

“Rules?”

“Yes. Rules. Guidelines so we don’t…confuse anything with this…plan we’re doing.”

He chuckled as her meaning became clear. “Oh, you want to set a sexual boundary. Afraid you might jump me in the middle of the night?” He gave her a wink. “Don’t worry, Sassy. I don’t mind if you can’t keep your hands to yourself.”

Her hard gaze narrowed. “I can keep to myself just fine.”

She probably could. Though he knew his appeal and had seen her glance at him a time or two over the years with a small amount of interest, he didn’t kid himself that Cassie had the same crush he did. Why the hell would she? He was two years her junior and a simple bartender. What the hell did he have to offer a woman like her? A good time in the sack if that kiss was anything to judge by.

Scratch that. A fantastic time. At least he knew Cassie felt something for him. Even if it was only an unwanted case of lust.

“Look, Del, we need to be serious about this. If we’re going to get away with this we need everyone to believe we’re real. If any word gets back to Mandy, she’ll contest this thing so fast. She already threatened to hire a private detective to follow me around,” Cassie grumbled. “Though where she’d find the money for that, I have no idea.”

The Kismet grapevine had all kinds of branches that could get to anyone who’d ever even stepped foot in the place.

“Plus,” Cassie continued. “We need to agree that when get a divorce, we both leave this…situation…without fighting over assets or belongings”

He tilted his head, noticing the way she was nervously tugging on a curl. “I’m not going to try and take your grandmother’s house, Cassie, if that’s what you’re worried about. Just like you don’t want any claim to Jack’s.”

“Of course not.” She lifted her chin. “You’ll have to move in with me after the wedding though. You can have Gran’s old sewing room, and if anyone asks why we have separated beds, I’ll just say you snore.”

He gave a loud snort. “Like a lumberjack.”

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