Page 24 of Most Likely to Fear Love

There was a brief pause, then Cassidy asked, “Do you have any siblings?”

“One sister. Sarah.”

“Oh, that’s right. The one that struggled with fertility.”

“Yep.”

“Sorry, I should have remembered that.”

“Don’t always have to be on your A game, remembering all the details of every person you meet.”

“Right.”

“What about you? Any siblings besides Hannah?”

“Just Hannah,” Cassidy answered. I could hear the smile in her voice. “She’s enough of a handful on her own.”

“I can imagine. Go ahead and ask another question.”

“Umm, what’s your favorite color?”

“Green. Yours?”

“Pink.”

“How’s the chocolate?”

“Delicious. Yours?”

“Same.”

And on we went, tossing inane questions back and forth, deliberately steering clear of anything too personal. Or anything that might trigger Cassidy. Finally, I heard her yawning and glanced at the clock. It was after eleven.

“How’re you doing there?”

“Good.” Another yawn. “I think I might actually be able to sleep.”

“I’ll let you go then.”

“Okay. Um, thanks very much for this.”

“You’re welcome. Good night.”

“Good night.” Her voice was so soft, barely audible. Then the line went dead, leaving me sitting in my shadowy living room with my mind spinning.

CASSIDY

Istrolled down the quiet street, a small smile playing on my lips as I remembered the conversation with Harle last night. God knows I’d needed it. I guess Harle knew, too. For the first time in such an incredibly long time I didn’t feel so… wound up. Or like I was living in a pressure cooker, about to boil over. Weird how life goes, sometimes.

Dragging in a lungful of fresh, spring air, I took a minute to admire the streaks of purple and pink streaking across the sky. Summer was just around the corner. My favorite season.

My smile widened when Mia and Emily’s house came into view. It was a compact, cobalt-blue bungalow with crisp white trim and a neat little porch. As I neared their driveway, Maya’s beat-up old truck pulled up to the curb, so I stopped to wait.

Poppy got out of the passenger side. “Perfect timing. Can you take this for me?”

I stepped forward, taking the big, white box she handed me. “What’s this? It smells amazing.”

“A new red velvet recipe I’m trying out.”

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