Page 103 of Enemies in Paradise

And, once again, Bear is offering me a safe place to rest. I’m not at his apartment, wrapped in one of his blankets or his jersey, sleeping in his bed.

But I’m at home in a way I haven’t felt for a very long time.

Chapter 34

Bear

After talking to Cassie,I toss and turn all night. Mostly because I’m angry at her captain. I’d like to set Lynette’s squirrels on him. Or rig his pipes to explode. Or punch him in the face. Or all of the above.

She didn’t deserve to be treated like her only worth comes from the way she looks and not from who she is. No one deserves to be treated like that, but especially Cassie.

She’s smart and tough and drives fierce enough to win the Indy 500. And she’s intuitive. Her face doesn’t reveal much except that she’s always watching, evaluating what’s happening, determining who she can trust.

Cassie doesn’t trust many people. But, last night, she trusted me with her story. I’m holding tight to that fact and determined to protect her and her words. She’s been through more than sherealizes, working with a man who tried to humiliate her at every turn.

But those aren’t the only thoughts keeping me awake. I can’t stop thinking about Cassie being in my bed. Days have passed, but the scent of her shampoo lingers on my pillow and the thought of her sleeping in my jersey makes me so restless, I try reading to calm myself down.

It doesn’t work. There’s a huntress in my book, and I keep picturing her as Cassie. By the time the sun rises, adrenaline still courses through my veins like I’ve had too many cups of coffee. So I layer up and go for a run.

The air feels warmer than it should for this time of the day and year, but I chalk that up to my already being worked up before I stepped outside. No one is on the road, so I run down the middle of it. It’s plowed and dry while mushy, half-melted snow covers the side of the road.

My feet take me to the shop where all the lights are off. I stop anyway. Cassie is expecting me, but not this early, and I promised her breakfast. Still, I wait longer than I should to see if her lights turn on, wondering what I’ll do if she wakes up. Knock on her door at seven a.m.? That doesn’t sound like a good idea unless she’s a morning person.

So I turn toward home. But along my run back, I come to a decision and spend the rest of the run thinking it through from every angle. As soon as I get inside, I call Grandpa. Early mornings have been part of his routine since the military, so I know he’ll be awake.

He doesn’t take any convincing when I tell him what I want. In fact, he acts as if he understood what I wanted before I did. Which is possible, so I end the call by telling him I love him.

Then I leave without kissing Mom goodbye—not something I usually skip—because I don’t want to run into Grace. It’s onlyeight o’clock, but that’s usually when she gets to Mom and Dad’s. I can hang out at Britta’s until it’s time for breakfast with Cassie.

I don’t plan to take Molly with me since Cassie’s cat can’t be trusted, but she’s waiting for me when I get to the Jeep. She looks at me with her big brown eyes, and I can’t say no.

“All right, girl. Get in.” With a happy bark, she jumps in the backseat. “Yeah, you won’t be so happy when you have to stay there.”

When I get to Britta’s, the only other car there belongs to Darlene Voglmeyer. For half a second I consider sitting in my Jeep until she leaves, but after last night, I shouldn’t be afraid of facing her. I stood in front of the city council and spoke to them and an entire room full of people, and I did a pretty good job. The council voted to give me a chance, even though she didn’t want me to have one. I can hold my head up with her.

So, I leave Molly in the Jeep and go inside. Before the door closes behind me, I say, more loudly than necessary, “Good morning, Darlene!”

She jumps, then faces me, wiping at a spot of coffee she’s spilled on her blazer. “Good morning, Bjorn. You’re awfully cheerful for someone who didn’t get what he wanted last night.”

The first thing that comes to mind from last night is my conversation with Cassie, which is exactly what I’ve wanted for a long time. Then I realize Darlene means the city council meeting.

But she’s still wrong.

“Actually, I’m glad I ran into you. Grandpa is coming by your office today to sign the historic designation paperwork for the shop.”

She freezes in place, so I step past her to tell Britta—whose mouth is also hanging open—my breakfast order. “I need a couple orders of ebelskiver and another Americano, please. Oh! And bacon!”

My sister’s face slowly transitions from surprise to a smug satisfaction. She lifts an eyebrow and the corner of her lip. “Feeling extra hungry today? Or sharing with someone special?”

I return Britta’s smile and shrug. I’ve never been able to keep anything from her.

“So, someone special… I hope it’s who I think it is.” She looks around me at Darlene, who’s still standing behind me. “Anything else, Mayor?”

Darlene shakes her head with her lips pressed together tighter than a pipe clamp, then walks stiffly toward the exit.

“You’d think she’d be happier about winning,” I say as the door swings closed behind her.

“You’d think. But it’s more about the fighting than the winning for Darlene.” Britta calls my order to the kid in the back, working the ebelskiver pans and faces me again. “Spill the tea. Did you talk to Cassie last night? Is that why you’re in such a good mood?”

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