Page 30 of Love in the Details

He studied her expression, and she looked away, wiping at a stray tear.

Without her hearing him cross the room, he was next to her, his hands resting lightly on her upper arms. “Hey, you sound more attached to this place than I am, and I grew up here.”

“Exactly!” Kassidy said, her head snapping up to look at him. “There is so much to love about this place. It’s always been the Wakefield Mansion. To sell it would lose the history behind it.”

He shrugged. “I didn’t really think about it like that. I mean, this is the first time I’ve come back in years besides my grandfather’s funeral, so what good is an empty house to the valley?"

He seemed to be staring at her, really asking her opinion on the matter.

“Sounds great in theory, but this will always be Wakefield Mansion. And who knows, maybe you’ll be able to work yourself out of a job, or at least assign things to people in order to come visit more often.” With his hands on her arms, she was getting light-headed.

“Does that mean you’ll actually miss me when I leave?” His voice sounded hopeful, and she lifted her gaze to match his.

“A couple weeks ago, my answer would have been adamantly no. But now I think there’s a lot of you that could benefit from a yearly trip to the mountains.”

They stood there, staring at one another for longer than was usual, and Kassidy was sure someone had sucked all the air out of the room by vacuum.

"I could get behind that idea, if I had something worth visiting." His gaze was soft, and even as all the alarms went off in her head, she couldn't help the shiver that ran through her as he brushed a section of hair behind her ear.

She opened her mouth to respond but stuttered, not knowing whether to focus on those bright blue eyes or his lips or his hands resting gently on her arms.

He seemed to be contemplating the same, his head bending over an inch before the attic door opened.

Kassidy jumped back, the heat of embarrassment coursing through her cheeks.

"Dusty," a woman called out. "We need to go over the final guest list for the gala tonight." The slightly bent woman climbed the stairs and smiled at the two of them. "Ah, Kassidy McBride, you look just like your mother. She used to run around with Dustin’s father.” She paused a moment, looking like she was pushing away all the emotions that came with her son’s memory. “I’m Grace Wakefield. You can come along and help too. The sooner we have it figured out, the better. People have already started calling to see if we’re still having the gala or not."

"Um, I'm not sure I'd be of much help. I really don't know that many people." She bit the inside of her cheek, waiting for the woman to dismiss her.

Instead, Mrs. Wakefield waved her hand and said, "What better time to learn than now? I have a feeling you'll be decorating this place for years to come. Learning all the usual people who come now will be a benefit in the future."

"But I thought Dustin wanted to—"

Mrs. Wakefield raised her hand again and shook her head. "Whatever Dusty does with the house after I go is his choice, but I'm hoping he'll have a reason to stay."

Both of them had said that within the last few minutes, and Kassidy wondered why his grandmother had said it in front of her.

Of course, if Dustin had leaned in all the way for a kiss, Kassidy would’ve been in heaven. But life wasn't a fairy tale, and no matter how much she could see herself at the mansion, that was a dream she wasn't qualified for.

Chapter 17

Sitting across from Kassidy while his grandmother pulled out card after card of people she'd invited to the gala over the years, Dustin kept stealing glances in her direction. She was beautiful and smart, funny, and he was sorry he hadn't been able to kiss her. He was usually so guarded, but when it came to Kassidy, he trusted her in ways he wouldn't have trusted anyone else.

"John Seaberg. I've heard he's in Canada this year for something with family." His grandma set the card to the side in the growing pile of no's. "Lila Birch. Oh."

The mention of the name of the woman who'd betrayed him five years ago caused his blood to boil. He'd found her making out with the drummer of a popular band the event planner had hired to play at the gala. He could still feel the weight of the velvet box in his pocket as he turned and walked from the room.

That was the last time he’d let himself be fooled. Now his dates were just for show, taking out a different girl to every charity ball and auction where he needed to represent the company. But none of them had mattered to him. No woman had gotten to him.

Except Kassidy.

She was staring at him now, curiosity boiling over. When Dustin's grandmother put the card into the no pile, he picked it up and ripped it to pieces.

"She shouldn't be included in the list ever again," he said, his voice sounding foreign.

"I agree." His grandma gave him that pitying look she’d mastered by the time he’d come to live with her. Turning to Kassidy, she reached out and covered the back of Kassidy’s hand with her palm. "She is Dustin's ex-girlfriend. Didn't know how good she had it when she messed things up."

Dustin pressed his thumb and forefinger on either side of his nose, near the eye bones. Another headache was starting, and he stood, walking out the door to get some fresh air. The deck boasted a beautiful view of the valley below, but he only saw it for a second, blowing out a breath in the cold air.

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