Page 16 of It Just Feels Right

He opens his mouth, looks at me, and then nods his head. “Yeah, sure. I completely understand, Cassie.”

I sit with one hand on Cassie’s knee as Brandi excuses herself. It’s obvious she’s mad. Cassie stands up, brushing my hand from her leg. “I’m going to go help Mom bring in dessert.”

As Dad starts talking to Roger, I get up and follow Cassie and her mother into the kitchen. I don’t trust my stepmom, and I’m not really sure what kind of relationship they have, but I do know I’m not going to stand by and let Cassie get upset.

As soon as I get into the kitchen, I see Brandi cornering Cassie against the counter, and when she hears me come in she steps away and turns to me. Her smile is instant, but it’s too late. I’ve already seen the pure evil on her face. I position myself next to Cassie. “Cass, I’m sorry to do this to you, but I’m going to need to get to it. Do you think we can skip dessert so we can get to our meeting?”

She’s overwhelmed, that much is obvious, and she has been since I got here tonight. I hate it and that’s one of the reasons I want to get her out of here. She nods and sighs in relief. “Of course, I’m sure you’re tired after working a full shift too. I’ll grab my purse.”

I wait for her to go and without a word to Brandi, I walk back into the dining room. “Dad, Cassie and I are going to go ahead and go. We have work to do.” I look at Roger and hate that my parents brought me up with impeccable manners. “Roger.”

My dad stands up. “Roger, I’ll be right back.” He follows me to the front door, where I wait for Cassie. I’m on high alert because if Brandi goes looking for her, I’ll be following.

My dad is looking around the empty entryway. “Everything okay? What’s going on?”

I grit my teeth. I have done my best not to talk shit about his wife, but man, it’s hard. “Nothing, Dad.”

He spits out, “Bullshit. Talk to me. Is Cassie okay?”

I nod slowly. “Yes, she’s all right. I’m not sure what the hell your wife was thinking trying to fix her daughter up with that man.”

He holds his hands up. “I’ll talk to her and tell her no more blind dates.”

I want to punch something, but I know it’s not my dad’s fault. The poor guy is innocent in all this. “Okay, sure, thanks, Dad.”

Cassie comes down the stairs. “I’m ready. I should probably go—”

I cut her off. “It’s okay, I’ve already told them bye for us.”

My dad nods his head. “It’s fine, honey. You two have a good night. Let me know if you need a ride or anything.”

I roll my eyes. He has been the best dad ever, but seeing him as a girl dad has been something else. I like that he’s protective and caring over Cassie, though. She needs all the people on her side she can get. I put my hand at the small of her back and help her out the door. My dad waves bye to us, and Cassie starts to walk to her car. “I’ll follow you since I’m not sure where we’re going.”

I laugh. “Nope, you can ride with me.”

She jerks to a halt. “Baker, that’s ridiculous. You know you’re tired, and you’re not going to want to drive all the way over here to bring me home. I can just drive.”

“Cassie,” I say sternly.

She reaches out and wraps her hand on my forearm. “I’m just thinking about you. You look like you’re dead on your feet.”

I cup her cheek. “Will you please ride with me? I want to spend as much time as possible with you.”

She takes a step back and looks up at the house. “I’ll ride with you. But this isn’t a date. I appreciate you getting me out of that sticky situation, but this is us working on the carnival together.”

I let out a breath and walk around to the passenger side of my squad car and open the door. “You’re the boss.”

She comes to get in and stops next to me. “You mean that, don’t you?”

I shrug. “Of course I mean it. I haven’t hidden the fact that I like you, Cass, but ultimately whatever happens between us is up to you.”

She seems more than satisfied by my answer as she gets in my car. I only live two neighborhoods away, and as I pull into the driveway, she leans forward to look out the window. “Is this where you live?”

I nod. “Yeah. Why? You seem surprised.”

She doesn’t wait for me to come around to open her door; she gets out and meets me at the front of the car. “I’ll withhold judgment until I see the inside. I mean, you are a bachelor. Am I going to see bean bags in place of a couch?”

I laugh and lead her up the stairs to my front porch. “I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.”

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