Page 19 of Guarding Bristol

He shrugged.“I’m the funcle.I’m for whatever makes her happy.Because I’m fun.”

“Gavin’s not fun?”

“Come on.I’mwayfunner than he is.”

“Nice English.How did Autumn react to the transformation?”

“She saw the smile on Carly’s face and thought it was great.We kept things subtle, nothing overboard.But they said I spoil her too much.You believe that?”

“No,” she gasped, widening those pretty eyes in fake astonishment for a moment before a smirk took hold.“She has all three of you firmly wound around her little finger, and you know it.”

“Yeah, that’s fair.”He was good with it.

Growing up, he and his siblings had been the opposite of spoiled.After their parents had died, too often they’d gone to school or to bed with empty stomachs, their sister and older brother scrambling to make ends meet and put food on their table.So yeah, he was just happy that Carly would never know that kind of life.

“There are worse things for a teenage girl than being adored and spoiled by her dad and uncle.”He didn’t miss the almost wistful edge to her tone as she took out her sidearm and began taking it apart.

He picked up his own to finish cleaning it, dying to know more about her background but knowing he had to be careful not to pry.For all her friendliness, Cassie was private.She tended to keep to herself and never talked about anything personal.

It made him want to know about her even more.“Bet you’ve got your parents wrapped around your finger too.”

“Maybe once upon a time.But not anymore.”She got busy cleaning the pistol.

And that was it.Nothing else, and her closed reaction told him he’d hit a nerve.

He curbed his impatience.But it seriously bothered him that after months of working together she still didn’t seem to trust him.She was professional and a good teammate but continued to hold herself a little aloof from him and the others and didn’t socialize with them much outside of work.

He’d realized a while ago that if he wanted to win her trust, he was going to have to earn it.He just wasn’t sure how.

It was a new experience for him, and he didn’t like it.None of the women he’d been interested in before were like Cassie.Most of them were the exact opposite with talking about personal stuff, to the point of oversharing.

He racked his brain, searching for something to get her talking again.

Food.She loved food.Ironic, since he had issues with sharing it.“So what’s so great about this pie you had?”

Her face brightened as she wiped down the barrel of her pistol.“Best lemon sour cream pie ever.Made from scratch, with a graham crust, then the lemon sour cream layer, and whipped cream with grated zest on top.It’s incredible.”

“Is it from a place in town?”He would have to find it and bring her a piece.

“No, there’s a diner on the highway between here and Portland.Bristol stopped on her way back.”

“She went back again already?”She and Cassie had just gone there the other day.

Cassie made a frustrated sound.“She— Never mind.”

He set his weapon down to watch her, sensing she’d been on the verge of opening up a bit.He wanted her to.“No, what?”Something was bothering her.It was just the two of them here.If she was ever going to talk to him,reallytalk to him, this was as good a moment as any.

She hesitated, seemed to battle with herself, then sighed.“She decided to go back there yesterday to track down that TJ guy across the worst parts of the city—alone, as it was getting dark.”

“Why?”

“She’s on another crusade.Won’t listen to anything I say.”Her tone was loaded with annoyance.

“I got a twin like that.”

She gave a grudging chuckle, and it warmed him inside.“This isn’t the same thing.But it’s all good.Although, apparently, I’m not allowed to be mad, because she had pepper spray with her.”She rolled her eyes, sarcasm dripping from every word.

“What did you mean by ‘another crusade?’”

---