Page 9 of Cassidy

It was disconcerting to see him as a victim. Especially one determined to protect himself.

“Go back to sleep,” she said. “I won’t wake you until six.”

“Okay.” He hesitated, then added, “Good night, Cass.”

It was the same low, husky voice he’d used earlier, and hearing it sent shivers down her spine.

“Good night.” She quickly turned away. What was wrong with her? Since when was she attracted to Gabe Melrose?

He was her friend. Not a potential date. End of story.

Maybe she needed a CT scan of her head too.

After resetting her alarm, she crawled back into bed. This time, sleep didn’t come easily, and she stared up at her ceiling for a full hour before drifting off. When her alarm blared, she groaned out loud.

Shaking off her fatigue, she decided to take a shower, change her clothes, and dry her hair before waking up Gabe. One thing she knew for certain was how much he liked to eat. His desk drawer was always stuffed with snacks.

“Gabe?” She made sure to stand a few feet away from the bed this time. “Gabe, it’s Cassidy. Time to wake up.”

Thankfully, he didn’t react as if she were his assailant this time. He groaned and rolled over, blinking at her. “Hey. You’re clear, not fuzzy.”

Her eyes widened with concern. “I don’t understand what you’re talking about. Are you okay? Is your headache worse?”

“No, I’m fine. I meant I can see you clearly.” He lifted his hands to his eyes. “I’m not wearing my glasses. I usually do, right?”

“Yes.” That made her relax. “I noticed that last night. You recently got contact lenses. Although I’m not sure why you decided to go down that path.”

His brow puckered, but he shrugged. “Maybe I wanted to see clearly when I woke up.”

“Makes sense to me.” Reassured his memory was returning, she turned away to give him some privacy. “I’ll start breakfast while you wash up.”

It was still dark outside at this hour, so she flicked on the kitchen light. She normally ate oatmeal with fruit but decided to make eggs and toast, adding the fruit as a side.

Despite her lack of sleep, she hummed under her breath as she worked, anticipating a productive day ahead of them. Once they knew who had attacked Gabe, she and her teammates would work quickly to find and arrest the person responsible.

Her coffee maker was set ahead of time to brew at exactly six o’clock, so the pot was already made. She sipped the steaming brew as she worked. She placed cut strawberries and blueberries in a large bowl, then set about making scrambled eggs. While they cooked, she dropped four slices of bread into the toaster.

When Gabe entered the kitchen, she was struck by how handsome he was. It was odd to notice his looks now when she saw him every day. “Something smells great.”

“Have a seat.” She poured him a cup of coffee. “Breakfast is just about ready.”

“Do you eat like this every morning?” Gabe asked, eyeing the fruit and the two plates of eggs and toast she set before him.

“No, but you deserve it.” She sat beside him. “I’m so glad you’re feeling better.”

“Me too.” He eyed her over the rim of his cup. “My headache isn’t as bad as it was. I just wish my memory would come back.”

She tried to mask her disappointment. “I thought your memory had returned.”

“Nope.” He set his coffee aside, then folded his hands in his lap and bowed his head. It took her a moment to realize he was waiting for her to say grace.

“Dear Lord Jesus, we thank You for providing this food we are about to eat. We also thank You for keeping Gabe safe in Your care. We ask You to please heal his memory too. Amen.”

“Amen,” he echoed. Then he grinned. “Dig in.”

That was a phrase Roscoe had coined back when he’d joined the team, making them laugh when he said it after every prayer. Hearing Gabe repeat it gave her hope that his memory would return in full. Maybe the key was to keep him preoccupied with other things. It seemed his memory worked better when he wasn’t pushing himself to recall details about the assault.

They ate in silence for several minutes. She tried not to stare at him, even though she was acutely aware of seeing him in a different light.

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