Page 53 of Country Charm

“You don’t have a first aid kit?”

“Nope, I never get sick.” Her tone is official.

“I hope that sticks.” The server comes and Cassidy rattles off a ton of things for us to eat.

“I’m starving, I can’t wait for it to come out!” She rubs her hands together and does a little dance in her pillowed seat. The smell of searing meat and spices comes from behind me, and I pray that I am not disappointed by the food this woman has ordered. Up until this very moment she has been a dream girl—spunky, charming, funny, smart, stubborn—but sushi-lover was not on my dream girl list.

“How was the rest of your week? I haven’t heard a lot from you since Wednesday night.”

“Huh, I was texting you… and you were texting back…”

“Cass, you were hittin’ me up day and night before the middle of the week,” I say. She drinks some of the sake she ordered and shrugs.

“I’ve kind of had a lot on my mind. Work is changing for me.” She sounds concerned. I hate it when her voice sounds small and unsure. I like it when she’s fearless. I think back on all our conversations about her job, and nothing really raises a red flag. If anything, this week was supposed to be slow for her. The only thing that comes to mind is that douche canoe I met at the bar.

“That Dom guy giving you trouble?” I hear the edge to my tone and Cass’s brows rise in surprise.

“No, No! Nothing like that. Although that man cannot take a hint.” She sighs and a white plate with decorations on it is served between us. I take a better look and realize some of the decorations are actually food. They’re colorful and rolled up, drizzled in sauces, and artfully displayed. I’ve known what sushi is, seen it in movies and such, but never before in front of me.

“Then what is it?” I grab the jury-rigged eating utensils and look over at Cassidy. She has them masterly placed in her hand and she uses them to pick up a roll of fish, rice, and vegetables. I go to copy her, but my hands struggle with the delicate material.

I finally get a piece in between the chopsticks and shove the whole thing into my mouth before I drop it. Looking up, I see Cassidy watching my reaction. I chew and wait for my stomach to revolt or even to scowl at the taste, but it doesn’t. The fish is refreshing, the sauce tangy, and the vegetables and rice balance the two. I chew and swallow.

“Well shit, this is pretty damn good.” I smile and grab another. Cassidy reaches across the table and rubs herthumb into the corner of my mouth before bringing it back to her own. Her plump lips part and her pink tongue darts out to lick the orange sauce she retrieved.

“Yeah, it’s real good.” She shovels another piece into her mouth when the server arrives with an additional plate. After trying a few different rolls and deciding I’m not a big shrimp fan, I grab another eel roll and then set my chopsticks down. We’ve been eating in companionable silence except for the small talk related to the sushi rolls.

“Tell me about work, Cass.” She’s mid-stuffing a roll into her mouth. I honestly can’t believe how much food this girl has eaten tonight. She swallows and chugs some water.

“It’s nothing big; we got the email with the account projections for the upcoming quarter and people are starting to try and lock positions with them. I always go for mid-range accounts because they bring in good, consistent money, but I still get home early enough to take a bath and read. This week I was looking the accounts over and I just feel like everyone around me is so driven. Am I just a floater?” Cassidy is realizing something I’ve seen in her. She plays it safe.

“Do you want to take on a bigger account?” I reach across the table and lazily draw on the back of her hand with my fingertips.

“I’m going to sound lame saying this, but no. I feel like I should want to take on a bigger account, but I really don’t. I don’t want to lose a bunch of hours of my life for something I’m not passionate about.” I give her a minute to let her words sink in with the both of us.

“Well, maybe one day an account will come by that you will be passionate about. You could just be reserving your efforts for something like that.”

“That sounds a little bit like a cop-out, but it’s one I like.” She wraps her fingers in mine and squeezes my hand.

There are a few lonely lingering rolls of sushi, but we both ate enough to stuff us full. She waves the server over for the check and I snatch it quickly before Cassidy can.

“Hunter, I chose this place, let me pay,” she says softly.

“It’s dinner and it’s on me.” I flip over the piece of paper and cough. Over a hundred dollars for uncooked fish! Unbelievable.

“Let me pay, Country Charm. Sushi is expensive.”

“I’ve got the money, just can’t believe uncooked food is this much.”

“It’s a delicacy. Don’t be such a caveman.” She rolls her eyes as I set the cash down on the table, tip included.

“Show me around your city, Cass.”

We walk hand in hand through the streets. I constantly look over to her as she goes on and on about each area that we pass. Then she has a minor rant about her favorite bookstores and how we should have planned better, so we could have done a book tour. It’s cute and only solidifies she’s going to love my surprise.

She’s oblivious to my stare, and I inspect every little detail of her as we walk. I take my moments to look up and see what she’s trying to get me to appreciate. All I’m doing is growing a greater admiration for Cassidy. She’s well-spoken and carries herself with confidence and grace.

Her hair lacks the glimmer it held for the first few weeks after we met. A part of me grows sad seeing that it’s already washed out. I liked how it would catch the sunlight and brighten her overall look. It matched how I see her.

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