Page 26 of Crazy Little Thing Called Love

“Ready, sweetheart.”

Cassie glared at Del as they stopped in front of Jack’s. “Sweetheart?”

He shrugged. “You didn’t like baby.”

“Because I’m a full-grown woman, not an infant.”

She glanced up at the building. They were really doing this. They were going through with this outlandish plan. In moments they were going to tell his siblings they were getting married. No turning back. Oh God, she was going to be sick.

“Hey.” He brushed a hands against hers squeezing her fingers in a comforting gesture. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” She shook herself. No time to panic, she had to get it together “Let’s just get this over with.”

He rolled his eyes. “The words every man longs to hear from his adoring fiancée.”

They weren’t even married yet, and she already wanted to kill him.

“I’m kidding.” He laughed, nudging her shoulder before the humor in his eyes morphed into something more serious. “But seriously, are you okay?”

“Yes.” She sighed. “I’m just…nervous.”

“Hey, come here.”

He held out his arms and for some stupid reason, she walked right into them. She needed reassurance, and if Del was willing to give it, who was she to say no?

His lips brushed against her temple. “Everything is going to be fine, Cassandra. I promise.”

His warm arms circled around her, holding her tight to a chest so hard and yet, somehow comforting. She turned her face into him and inhaled deeply. Mmm, he smelled like coffee and man. Two of her favorite scents.

Suddenly realizing she was standing on Goldmine street in broad daylight, cuddling up to Del, she pulled back. “Sorry, um, I’m just worried about telling your family. And Charlie.” Her stomach sank. “Oh God, Charlie. She’s never going to believe this. I wish I could tell her the truth, but—”

“But the more people who know, the more chance it has of getting back to Mandy and the lawyer,” he reminded her.

She nodded her head sadly. “I hate lying to my best friend.”

“Don’t think of it as lying, think of it as stretching the truth.”

She huffed out a soft laugh. “Yeah, really stretching.”

He smiled, grasping her hand, not letting her pull away fully. “It’ll be fine. Besides, it’s just my siblings. Mom’s still on her summer girls’ cruise.”

Thank goodness for that. Dorothy Jackson was the sweetest woman alive, but she could smell a lie from a mile away.

“You ready?” he asked with a wink.

“Ready as I’ll ever be.”

Giving her a quick peck on the lips, Del turned and pushed through the side door, pulling her along behind him.

Jack’s didn’t open for another couple of hours, but someone already sat at the bar. Penny Williams, their web designer, and BJ’s best friend. She had a genius IQ and the awkward social abilities to go with it, but Cassie always found her to be sweet, if not a little odd.

Del gave the tiny redhead a wave. “Hey, Penny. What are you doing here?”

“BJ and Ace wanted to see some new formatting designs I came up with for the website.”

Penny glanced down to Del and Cassie’s joined hands, but she said nothing. Her eyes held a plethora of questions, but Cassie knew the woman would never ask them. Penny never asked anyone anything if she could help it. Poor thing was as shy as they came. Boggled her mind how someone so painfully introverted became friends with outgoing, funny BJ, but they’d been joined at the hip for as long as she could remember.

“Are Thing One and Thing Two around?” Del asked.

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