Page 44 of Blame It On the Secret Santa

Twenty-Six

Cassidy

Ihad the day off,so I got to the hotel early to check-in. It was still fifteen minutes before I could check in, so I sat in the lobby and scrolled through my phone with my suitcase beside me. I didn’t need much since I was only staying the night, but I had been able to fit Sean’s gift in it, which made it easier not to have to lug a ton of stuff around with me. I’d also added a bottle of wine and a few packs of fudge from Sugarplum Sweets so I could drown my sorrows after the party while soaking in a garden tub.

“Cassidy?”

I looked up after hearing my voice and felt my heart jump in my chest. At first, I thought it was Sean standing in front of me, but I immediately recognized the differences. It also helped that I knew Declan was in town.

“Hey, Declan.”

“How’s it going?”

“Good,” I said, putting my phone down beside me. “How are you?”

“I’m doing good as well. I’m in town for the holidays with my family.” He shoved his hands into his pockets and rocked back on his heels as if he was nervous to be talking to me.

“I met your little girls yesterday at Waldon’s,” I said with a smile. “They were there with your mom.”

“They told me. I heard Carly invited you to dinner as well,” he replied with a chuckle.

“Yes. I feel bad for breaking her little heart. She looked so sad when I told her no.”

“Yeah, she does that. I told my wife, Stephanie, that she gets it from her.”

“She most certainly does not,” a beautiful woman with long brunette hair down to her butt said as she walked up beside him and locked her arm in his.

“Cassidy, this is my wife, Stephanie. Stephanie, this is Cassidy. We grew up together.”

“Nice to meet you,” I said, standing up to shake her hand.

“You as well.”

“What are you guys doing here?” I asked, immediately hating how rude that sounded. I scrunched my face and shook my head. “I’m sorry. That sounded so rude.”

“Not at all,” Stephanie replied with a laugh. “We’re actually staying here. We were supposed to be going to his parent’s house for dinner, but they seem to have kidnapped our children and have given us another date night since ours was tied up in running errands last night.”

“Ahh. I see. Well, enjoy your night. I won’t keep you guys.”

“Not to sound rude either, but what are you doing here?” Declan asked, eyeing my suitcase.

“My work is having their annual holiday party here tonight, and for some strange reason, I decided to take one of the rooms when another employee canceled their reservation. It’s silly because I have my own place and can’t really afford to be doing this. But here I am.” I lifted my hands and shrugged.

“Sometimes fate intervenes and gives us what we don’t know we need,” Stephanie said. “Maybe this is its way of telling you to slow down and focus on you for a bit. This time of year can get super busy. Do you have kids, too?”

“No.” I shook my head quickly. “I’m not even in a relationship.”

I swallowed hard as I felt her sympathetic gaze.Why was I telling them this? They didn’t need to know my personal details when they were just being friendly, to begin with.

“I mean, not that I would mind one, but then again, maybe not. They’re a lot of work, and I’m always so busy. It’s just not my thing right now.” I lowered my hands to keep from talking with them and clasped them in front of me.

“It sounds like you just haven’t found the right one,” Stephanie said as her words started to fade and her features shifted. “Wait. You said your name is Cassidy?”

I nodded, unsure of where this was going and why she suddenly seemed angry.

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