Page 172 of Taeja

A hint of a smile played on his lips when he said, “Nothing.”

Cassedi stopped chewing her lower lip as she glanced between the two men. “You were all so tired yesterday. I feel like I’ve been a bad host to you both.”

Damon looked up from his half-empty plate. “You’ve been amazing.”

“Great! Then I’d like to know more about my daughter’s, um, boyfriends—” She laughed. “Sorry. I never imagined that was something I’d say.”

“It takes some getting used to,” Taeja said, smiling at her men.

Damon looked more relaxed — he’d been so stressed lately with his increased workload. And for Zain. Well, he still looked uptight. But whenever she caught him stealing glances, she’d smile. And he’d smile back.

Taeja looked from Zain to Cassedi. She could still feel Zain looking at her, making her hairs stand. How did this man always touch her without actually touching her? It was a mystery she’d never figure out.

“I bet it does,” Cassedi said. “What do you do?”

“Me or him?” Damon asked.

“It doesn’t matter.”

“I’m the head of the IT department,” Damon said, his voice laced with pride.

“I’m a personal trainer,” Zain said.

“Oh, nice,” Cassedi said, inhaling a big breath. “Sorry. I know I talk fast, but let me know if you want me to slow down.”

“We can understand you,” Damon assured. “What do you do?”

“I clean houses and sell goats.” Cassedi looked down at her empty plate with an embarrassed smile. “I know it’s not fancy like your jobs.”

“A job is a job,” Damon said, and Taeja nodded as a weight laid on her shoulder.

Cassedi smiled, standing. “Are you finished?” she asked, looking at Damon’sempty plate.

“Can I get more?” Damon asked, and Taeja chuckled.

Cassedi nodded. “Of course. I’ll go—”

“That’s fine. I can do it.” Damon stood. He glanced between Taeja and Cassedi. “Maybe you could go do something else?”

Cassedi gulped, then she nodded. “Okay. But let me know if you need help. Baby girl, let’s go to the backyard.”

Taeja followed behind Cassedi, pausing to look over her shoulder at Damon and Zain, who stood beside each other. Damon did a thumbs up and gave her a brave smile. With his hands tucked into his pockets, Zain nodded his head. As simple as the actions were, they boosted her morale.

Throwing them a smile, she closed the door behind her and went into the backyard. There was a small garden — full of potted plants, vegetables, and a tall apple tree. They sat on the plastic chairs beneath the tree. The leaves provided shade from the scorching sun.

Cassedi cleared her throat. “I figure you want to hear why I left first?”

“No,” Taeja said, and Cassedi’s eyes widened. “I want to know about your kid.”

Cassedi’s brow furrowed. “My kid?”

“Yes. Yourcookie,” Taeja said, and Cassedi chuckled.

“Cookie’s not my baby. She’s my grandniece, and her name’s ZsaZsa.”

“Oh—” Taeja blushed and looked away. “Sorry. I didn’t know.”

“It’s fine. I would be confrontational, too,” Cassedi said, stumbling over the word ‘confrontational’.

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