Chapter 14
Cassie
Monday seemed to come fast, which was good because I couldn’t hide out and text Scott on Sunday with my mother’s weekly Sunday brunch on the terrace. They kept me busy all day, but I was used to it since I grew up that way. What I wasn’t used to was wanting to be somewhere else and with someone else. It was an exciting feeling, but at the same time, I knew we wouldn’t be able to keep it up forever. Still, I was going to enjoy it and hope we could keep it up through the summer. It felt too good to let go.
I was more than happy that Bill had meetings all morning and left the daily checklists to me to complete. That meant I was on my own to wander around the site. All I wanted to do, though, was find Scott every chance I could and smile at him from a distance. I was pretty sure I did about thirty laps through his area in the first half of the day. It never got old, nor did that charming, gorgeous smile he had. He was amazing in every way. He was careful with me, understanding of the position I was in, and he acted like he one hundred percent adored me. I had never felt as special as I did when I was around him.
From the first time I met him, I knew there was something special about him, something that drew me to him like a magnet. It didn’t all become clear until I opened up and fully let him in, trusting him with everything. Thinking about our time together brought butterflies whirling through my chest and almost took my breath away. It was unlike anything I had felt before.
I went back up to the office to switch up the clipboards and grab a cup of coffee. I walked out onto the steps and looked over the yard, watching Scott walk toward the dumpsters with a load of scrap metal. Electricity shot through me, and I found myself swooning like a young girl. I was falling for him, and so fast that it scared me a bit. We had gone from zero to a hundred almost overnight, but no matter how much fear I had, I didn’t want to see it end. He had become one of the most important people in my life, and that was huge for me. The last time I had a boyfriend, I’d been in high school, but it was nothing like this. I thought for the longest time that he would be the one I wanted, especially since I lost my virginity to him, but that relationship was nothing compared to what I felt when I was with Scott. He made my whole world turn upside down, and in a good way. I felt like I could do anything, be anyone I wanted to be, and tackle anything when he was by my side. It was what I always pictured falling in love to be like, only with him, I couldn’t tell a soul.
Though that wasn’t much different than the relationship I had in high school. That one had been secret, too, since my father wasn’t allowing me to date anyone. We would sneak around outside school, hold hands in the hallways, and do whatever we could to be around each other. It didn’t last long though, and the thrill of it all wore off quickly. My high school relationship only seemed to be exciting because of the secret, but with Scott, it had nothing to do with that. It was about so much more than secrets. It was about being together no matter what. It all sounded corny, but I hoped those feelings didn’t change. I knew all too well that dating me was a difficult thing to do, which was probably why, after high school, I stopped.
After high school, I dedicated my motivation to getting through college, getting good grades, and working toward the future. I never had a boyfriend, just some one-night stands to hold me over, and I was perfectly okay with that. It kept the drama out of my life and kept me from having to explain anything to my father. I didn’t want the stress of it anymore, and I couldn’t have another fight with my dad about it. It was too much to deal with. It had worked out perfectly until I met Scott, but at that moment, everything changed for me.
When I was focused on school, getting my kicks here and there, my father never even mentioned dating or boys. He backed off, never questioning me about whether I was seeing anyone or not. He was happy I had given up on the idea of being in a relationship and went on with his life like it was no big deal. I knew that should irritate me, but I was happy to have him off my back for a little while. I wasn’t sure I would ever be able to have a normal relationship with a man while my father was around.
The sound of a truck pulling up in front of the office pulled me from my thoughts, and I smiled as Bill stepped out of the vehicle. He looked tired, and I didn’t blame him. My father had been pulling him all over the place the last week or so. He grabbed a couple bags from the back seat and smiled at me as he walked up the steps.
“I picked us up some Chinese for lunch,” he said. “Come on, I bet you’re starving.”
“You got that right,” I said, walking over to the picnic table to the right and sitting down with him. “Things have been nice and quiet around here this morning, and everyone seems to be right on track.”
“Good,” he said, handing me my food.
“I’m sorry to interrupt,” Carl said, walking up, “but there’s a guy who needs you on the other side of my site, Bill. He says it’s important.”
“All right.” He sighed, putting down his fork. “I’ll be right back.”
“Okay.” I smiled and watched him walk away.
My smile slowly faded when I thought about how it was strange that Carl came all the way over to get Bill when the guy could have radioed for him. That was the whole point of having the radios in the first place. I turned my head toward Carl, who was standing there staring at me. I shook my head and opened my plate, hoping he would go away. I started to eat, feeling his beady little eyes staring holes into me. I refused to give him the time of day, though. He was not someone I was the least bit interested in talking to, and it was really creeping me out that he was standing there looking me over from head to toe. I pulled my shirt down to make sure there was no skin showing and sighed, dropping my fork onto my plate. Slowly, I turned to Carl, who had an eerie smirk on his face.
“What?” I said. “What can I do for you? Or you just going to stand there and stare at me for the next twenty minutes?”
“No,” he said. “I think it’s such a coincidence that we find ourselves here, alone, no one around to bother us. It keeps happening. Maybe it’s fate bringing us together under the beautiful summer sunshine. You have to admit, we do end up in the same place at the same time pretty often.”
“Because we work at the same company and it is my job to check up on you to make sure you aren’t slacking like you usually are,” I said through gritted teeth.
“No.” He sighed, walking closer. “I think the universe is telling us something.”
“It’s not fate, or coincidence, or some cosmic signal from the stars,” I said, looking at him angrily. “It is you making up excuses to get me alone, and I’m going to tell you right now, I don’t like it.”
“Sure you do. All girls like you want the attention,” he said. “You play hard to get, but deep down you crave the moments that are carved out for us to be alone. When are you just going to give in to it and free yourself?”
“You sound like a fucking idiot,” I said. “I am free, which means I am free to stay the hell away from you. Don’t you fucking understand that technically I am your boss, and if I really wanted to, you could be gone tomorrow? The only thing saving you is the fact that we need the extra hands on this project.”
“Fine, fine.” He chuckled. “Keep lying to yourself, sweetie.”
“Don’t call me sweetie,” I said, standing up. “Go back to work.”
“Why don’t you come with me? There’s a little spot in the downstairs that no one goes to,” he said. “We could sneak off in there and do it right.”
“I am not going to do this with you,” I said. “Get away from me.”
“I don’t understand you,” he said, getting angry. “You walk around here strutting your stuff, acting like you are so much better than everyone else, but in the end you just want to get fucked. You are like any other girl in this town, just with nicer clothes and a fancy car. You’re all sluts. All of you.”
“Go away,” I said. “I don’t want to have anything to do with you.”
“Hey, guys,” Scott said, walking up to us. “I heard yelling over here and figured I would come over and check in on you. Carl, are you giving—uh, I’m sorry; I forgot your name.”
“Cassie,” I said, hiding a smirk.
“Are you giving Cassie here a hard time?”
“Fuck off, Scott,” Carl said.
“No. I think you’re the one who needs to get moving back to your station,” he said.
He played the part of not knowing me perfectly, and in a way, it really turned me on. He was the hero again, like the first time. Only this time, I knew exactly what he was thinking. He was protecting me, and that was hotter than anything he had done before.
“Whatever,” Carl said. “She’s too much of a whore anyway. Like a fucking hotdog down a hallway.”
“You better watch that mouth of yours,” Scott said. “You are talking to a lady, and you might find that tongue doesn’t work too well after you get what you deserve.”
Carl put his middle finger up in the air as he stomped back off toward his station. I could feel the butterflies in my stomach growing stronger just standing next to Scott. He was so strong, so manly, and I wanted him to take me right there.
“You okay?” he asked, watching Carl walk off.
“Mhmm,” I said. “But I have to say, that was really fucking sexy.”
“I know.” He winked at me before walking off.
I shook my head and smiled, walking back over to the table. I picked up my fork as Bill sat down across from me, shaking his head. That wink had sent electricity surging through my chest, and I was finding it hard to speak at the moment.
“I don’t know what he was talking about,” Bill said grumpily. “Nobody over there needed me. Everything okay over here?”
“Just fine,” I said.