Page 20 of Next to You

God, I was losing it so bad over him. I had to force myself to keep up my half of the conversation. Concentrating was going to be difficult when he looked this good. Maybe I shouldn’t look at him at all. Would that be rude? I decided against it because it would definitely be weird.

“Uh, yeah. I moved into one of the cabins a few years ago. It’s perfect: one bedroom, one bathroom, cozy, and not too far from civilization. I can order from the Inn’s restaurant if I don’t want to cook. They have everything now: a spa, a gift shop, even a little coffee hut near the road. You’d love it there. It’s secluded like this place.”

My grandparents had owned an inn called The Honeybrook for over forty years. It was busy year-round as Mt. Hood was one of the most popular destinations for skiers worldwide.

“I stop there for coffee way more than I want to admit.” His mouth slid into a smirk, and he held his mug toward me for a toast. “It’s almost as good as my coffee.”

That did it. I clinked my mug to his, vowing to spend all of my mornings at Mystic Mocha from now on. Then, I’d be sure to run into him more often.

“The coffee is amazing,” I agreed. “It rivals Violet’s Café in Sweetbriar, but I will never say that publicly, so don’t even try to quote me.” Violet’s coffee shop was widely regarded as the best coffee shop in the area.

“I won’t say a word.” He passed me an Oreo from the bag on his lap. “You forgot about these.”

“Gimme!” He chuckled as I eagerly reached for one. Our hands brushed as he placed it into my palm, and my entire body heated. Immediately, I looked away, dunking the cookie in my coffee to cover the fact that he was getting to me. “Yum. Best breakfast ever.”

“Agree. Nothing better.”

“Uh, what do we have in there for lunch?” I asked inanely.

“Mostly pantry stuff and frozen dinners. There’s no meat, or I would have dug out the grill.”

“In this weather?”

His sideways glance was adorable and don’t get me started on his grin.

“Nothing stops a Cassidy man from grilling, Lucy. Rain or shine.”

At this moment, it became clear. Forget about dying of exposure. This hopeless crush I had on him was going to do me in. I was in real danger of making a fool of myself over him.

“Are you a meat group foodie?” I teased. It felt good to flirt with him. He wasn’t constantly pushing for more than I was ready to give. It was as if he had an innate sense of how far to go. Or maybe he was just a gentleman or even an expert flirt.

“Yes. I like to cook. It’s relaxing. And I love to bake, too. I have a chocolate chip cookie recipe I’ve been perfecting. Those are my favorite.”

“I know about your cookies. I’ve tried one, and they’re amazing. You entered the harvest festival bake-off with those cookies and won last year. It was quite scandalous around The Honeybrook.”

“Yeah, I can’t believe I beat your grandma.” His lips twitched with suppressed laughter. “My father was mortified.”

“Ehh, she got over it. Especially since she kept her streak going in every other category.” My grandma had won every ribbon in every Honeybrook Hollow bake-off competition since before I was born.

The day he beat her was another day of many when I had regretted not talking to him.

“So she’s not pissed at me?”

“Nope, “You can’t win ‘em all,” she said. She thought it was hilarious that everyone was tiptoeing around her like she would be upset.”

“So, then, if I picked you up for a date, she won’t run me off the property?” There was an invitation in the depths of his eyes. One I was determined to finally take.

I sighed, delighted at the turn in our conversation. “No. You’ll be safe. Are you asking?” My eyes hovered on his, relieved when a look of flirty indulgence crossed his face, and he smiled at me.

Not to be dramatic, but I was starting to believe if I didn’t get to see his smile at least once a day, I would die of withdrawal.

“You asked me first last night, remember? For tacos.” He teased, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees to face me fully.

“You’re right.” I inhaled slowly trying to be cool and not throw myself at him. “That I did.”

“But I have to say, I wish I had been the one to ask first; it should have been me. I wanted to so many times over the years. I’ve actually thought about asking you out for a long time.”

My mind whirled as I replayed every interaction we’d ever had. So many missed opportunities.

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