Page 127 of Resting Beach Face
“Oh, hell yeah.” He grinned. “As long as Kat was safe and happy, you couldn’t pry me out of your bed.”
I laughed, relief sweeping in. “Okay, then. We’re on the same page.”
“I guess we are.” Cash faltered, and I could tell there was still something bothering him. “But I’m leaving my mom high and dry.”
My heart ached for him. “It’s not easy to cut ties.”
“I help her with the house payments, and now she’s just on her own? Like oops, sorry, guess you’ll just lose your house.” He scrubbed his hands down his face. “I’m a terrible son.”
“No, you’re not,” I said sharply. “You’re protecting yourself and your sister.”
“Why do I feel so shitty then?”
I wrapped my arms around him, hugging him tight. “Because you love her. It’s not an easy thing you’re doing, but easy isn’t alwaysright.”
“My mom shouldn’t have to pay the price for my dad’s behavior.”
“Maybe not,” I said. “But she made a choice. And now you’re making one too. And in the end, maybe your choice will help her figure out she needs a change, too.”
Cash slumped against me, tension leaking away. But I wasn’t so sure he was relaxed as much as exhausted. Emotional turmoil took a toll.
“I wish it wasn’t so damn hard,” he mumbled. “I wish I wasn’t the one making these choices.”
“I know, love.” I pressed a kiss to his temple. “It’ll get easier. You just have to get through it. There’s a light on the other side. I promise.”
He settled back onto the pillow, and I held him and whispered reassuring words, unsure of how much they helped. But as long as I kept saying them, kept holding him close, at least I was doingsomethingto ease his pain.
“I couldn’t do this without you,” he murmured sleepily, patting my arm, which was still wrapped around his middle. “I’m so happy to be here.”
Cash could have done it without me. He had a whole group of friends who were supportive as hell. But I was glad he didn’t have to. I wanted to be the man he counted on, the one who comforted and reassured him.
I squeezed him, heart full. “Don’t ever leave.”
“Okay,” he whispered.
Just as I was about to drift off, my phone chirped. I checked it, fearing it might be the camera alert at The Roost, though there’d been no more signs of trespassers.
I rolled over and picked up my phone while Cash’s soft snores drifted across the room. It wasn’t the camera alert. Just a text.
Nate:
Hey, man, sorry for over-reacting the other day. Let me know if you change your mind. Ball’s in your court, however long it takes.
A second text followed the first.
We can talk about the remote job, too. If you’re still interested in working with me.
Huh. It wasn’t like Nate to apologize. He’d definitely gone too far when we spoke last. He’d seriously made me doubt our friendship. Maybe he’d just been in bulldog mode, though. Natewas a closer, and he closedhard. It probably hurt his ego that he couldn’t bring this deal home.
Still, there was something about his one-eighty that rubbed me wrong. Maybe it was just that I had more people in my life now, people I trusted, people Iloved.I couldn’t imagine Cash—or hell, even Hudson or Skylar—pressuring me the way Nate had.
Taking the job offer with him would solve a lot of problems, though. I’d just told Cash he could count on me. Could I really afford to go chasing dandelion dreams instead of a reliable paycheck?
I hesitated a moment, then answered.
I appreciate the apology. I’ll think about the job. But the development deal is still a no-go.
Nate responded instantly.
