Page 97 of Meet Dare

I shake my head. “I’m here to stay.”

He grunts and continues on his way without another word.

As I watch him leave, I realize I didn’t lie. I am in Winter Falls to stay. My brother and his family are here and now my parents are too. I’ve missed too much of their lives because of one sentence I overheard and misinterpreted over a decade ago.

It’s time to plant some roots. Now I just need to convince Cassie to stay here with me.

Chapter 32

When all else fails, try hiding in plain sight. Who knows? It might work ~ Cassie’s rules for living her best life

Ifinish placing the beer in the refrigerator under the bar and stand. The door opens and I glance over. When I see who it is, I debate dropping back down to my knees and crawling away.

“You can’t hide when you manage a bar in Winter Falls,” Cedar calls.

But I can try.

“I’m busy.”

He motions to the empty bar. “No, you’re not. The bar doesn’t open for another hour.”

How dare he point out I’m lying! I cross my arms over my chest and shoot daggers at him through my eyes. The daggers must not have any effect on him as he doesn’t explode into a big ball of flames. Bummer.

“We need to talk.”

Talking to him is at the top of my list of ‘things I plan to do when hell freezes over’.

“There’s no need to talk. I understand.”

“What do you understand?”

“You’re leaving,” I grit out.

I’m such an idiot. I knew he was a wanderer when we met, but the knowledge didn’t stop me from falling in love with the guy. I’ve kept my heart encased in the world’s most thief-proof safe for decades but then Cedar comes along and – boom! – it flies open for him, and he didn’t even need to learn the combination.

“I never considered taking the job.”

Does he expect me to believe this bullshit?

“Sure, you didn’t. Did you forget you’re a drifter?”

The door bangs open and Lennon strolls in. “I’m here.”

What is he doing here? It’s the middle of the week. I don’t need his help today. I didn’t ask him to come in.

“I see you are. The question is why.”

Cedar chuckles. “Princess.”

I glare at him. “I’m not your princess. I’m not your anything.”

My chest squeezes at the words, but they’re true. Cedar and I are over.

He places his hands on the counter and hops over it to my side. My gaze drops to his arms, and he flexes his biceps. Holy shit. Cedar jumping over the bar was literally the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen. I debate crossing my legs to alleviate the ache growing in my center, but I don’t want him to think he’s won. Being sexually attracted to him doesn’t change anything.

But you love him. Oh, shut up, little voice of reason. No one wants to hear your opinion.

“Do you want to talk about this out here in front of Lennon or in your office?”

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