Page 46 of Last on the List
“Nothing, I’m fine,” I snap, frowning at him.
Josh looks at Dean. Those two used to hate each other back when Dean offered to be Lynsey’s baby daddy over Josh, the actual baby daddy, but now they seem in cahoots with each other. I don’t like it.
“Are you bothered about Everly at Wyatt’s cabin?” Dean asks, watching me pensively. “Your brothers’ cabins are kind of in the middle of nowhere, right?”
“Yeah, but I’m not worried about that. Everly loves it up there.”
“Then what has your panties in a twist?” Calder inquires, his brows wagging like he already knows the answer.
“Let’s play another hand. Whose deal is it?”
“Yours,” they all answer in unison.
Rolling my eyes, I grab the deck of cards and begin aggressively shuffling. Cassandra has been out for over an hour now. If it was a bad date, she’d likely be home by now, right? My house isn’t far from downtown. A five-minute Uber ride at best. Maybe she needs a ride? I haven’t had any whiskey in a while, so I could pick her up. Maybe I should text her to make sure she’s safe. She does live on my property, so that makes her my responsibility.
Me: Do you need a ride home?
I hold my breath when I see the typing bubbles pop up and then instantly deflate when they go away. I’m staring at my phone as I try to shuffle again and curse when cards slip out of my hands and clatter to the floor.
“Fuck,” I growl, pushing my chair back to pick them up.
“Jesus Christ, I can’t watch this anymore,” Luke bellows from the far end of the table. “You were barely fine before the nanny left, and since then, you are low-key losing your fucking mind. Just admit it already.”
“Admit what?” I grab the cards and shoot a murderous look at my baby brother.
“That you want to nut the nanny!” Calder cajoles.
“That’s enough,” I bark, dropping the cards on the floor again. “Show some fucking respect, asshole.”
My hands are shaky as I pick up the cards and picture her laughing at some guy’s joke. The young guys in Boulder are douchebags of top variety. They’re Instagram success stories who like to jog, pretend they like IPAs, and they likely have a dog they’re obsessed with. Basically, Dean fucking Moser.
He’s my friend, don’t get me wrong, but he owns the Boulder scene like no one’s business. And men outnumber women here by like five percent so if Cassandra’s “date” doesn’t work out, I’m sure all she’ll have to do is turn her barstool around to find another douche who claims to love brunching.
A bead of sweat forms on my brow as I sit up and find everyone staring at me.
Josh is the first to break the silence. “I saw this coming on the first weekend. You were way too interested in her backstory. Obsessed almost.”
“I wasn’t obsessed. I was annoyed because she’s secretive as fuck. She makes me crazy.” I toss the cards down on the table with a huff.
“Something’s already happened, hasn’t it?” Dean leans forward and eyes me closely.
I clench my jaw and debate the fallout of answering this question. Telling them I attacked Cassandra in the guesthouse isn’t a good look for me. But these crazy thoughts aren’t going away, and if I can trust anyone with this heavy burden on my mind, it’s the men at this table.
Shoving a hand through my hair, I mumble, “I stopped it before it got too far.” And I’ve been living in a constant state of regret that usually ends with a hard-on after I replay every second of that night in my mind.
They all make knowing sounds.
“And you let her go out on a double date with Blondie?” Calder hooks his thumb over his shoulder. “Rookie mistake, man.”
“What was I supposed to do? Club her over the head and drag her back to my bedroom? She’s my kid’s nanny.”
“Who cares?” Dean asks seriously. “I was an investor in Norah’s bakery and look how we turned out.”
“What you and Norah have is not what I want with Cassandra.” It’s not what I want with any woman. I grip the back of my neck and sigh. “I just…can’t get her out of my head. And last night, she told me she was looking for a summer fling, and ever since then, I can’t fucking see straight.”
“If she said she was looking for a summer fling, she was giving you the green light, man,” Calder declares knowingly.
“I hate to agree with him, but I do,” Josh confirms. “Plus, she’s not some young chick fresh out of college who you’re taking advantage of. She’s a grown woman with life experience. Hell, she graduated from college at nineteen.”
