Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 67468 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 337(@200wpm)___ 270(@250wpm)___ 225(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67468 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 337(@200wpm)___ 270(@250wpm)___ 225(@300wpm)
That was sweet.
And also really sad.
Because now that I was looking for it, the fairy paraphernalia was a little bit everywhere.
Hidden in beautiful bushes. High in the palm trees. Even up against the house.
“What about your brother?” I asked. “Did he have anything out here he absolutely loved?”
Getting him talking about the people he lost was the first step to healing. My therapist shared that with me when my mom died when I was younger.
Remember, loving them wasn’t ever a bad thing. Loving them was a very good thing. Talking about your love for them can help strengthen that connection that you felt to them, and remind you that even though they’re not here anymore, they’re always going to be right there with you.
“The pool,” Cassius murmured. “Mom and Dad came into a large sum of money when my brother was just entering high school. Kase begged them to build a big ass pool in the backyard. I have so many fond memories about coming home and having the time of my life in the pool.”
“The maintenance of this place has to be intense,” I found myself dropping down to my haunches as we reached the side of the house, where a curious noise that I’d previously written off as the waves rolling onto the shore—and the wind coming off the ocean—started to make itself known.
But my eyes were all for the flower that I was staring at.
“This was my mom’s favorite flower.” Cassius sounded like he was choking. “The girl that maintains the grounds? Colly? She does a good job.”
He started walking back around the house, and I came to my feet and hurried after him, only to come to a sudden halt when Cassius did.
My hand went to his back to steady myself, and I stared at the chaos in front of me.
“That girl?” I questioned.
His eyes went to the pool party that was currently being thrown…
“You have access to this beach via the public beach access about a mile down the road,” he said quietly, taking all the people in that were utilizing a pool that meant something deep to him. “That’s gotta be why there are no cars.”
“Did you, uh, give her permission to use this place like her own?” I asked.
Because that was what she was doing.
“No,” he growled.
Rut-roh.
There were people all over the backyard, including the back porch, beside the swimming pool, inside the swimming pool, and even down on the beach just beyond the swimming pool.
“Um, Cassius,” I said, angry for him. “Do you want me to…”
Before I could finish, there was a loud, excited squeal.
I didn’t think that I could get any angrier.
But then there was a blonde girl that ran up and practically threw herself into his arms.
At first, it didn’t occur to me that the girl’s physical contact had made Cassius stiffen. No, all I could see was a lot of well-oiled skin pressed up against a man that hadn’t shown me any indication that he wanted me in any way.
Hell, he’d been pressed up against me for practically two hours while we’d been fishing, and I’d never felt anything from him that would show he’d been even slightly excited to be where he was.
So I really had no right to be as pissed as I was…
“Colly,” Cassius tried to push her away, but she wasn’t having it. She held on as if her life depended on it. And hell, maybe it did. I’d seen his eyes when he’d gotten a load of everyone using the pool.
He’d just been telling me all about it when we’d come around the corner and seen all the people.
That’s when I really took a hard look at him without my jealous, green-eyed monster glasses on.
He was pissed.
As in, about to lose his shit and throw her straight into the ocean, pissed.
I could see his muscles bunching and contracting as if he was ready to downright lose his absolute shit.
Then, before I could think better of it, I moved toward Cassius and the girl and helped peel her off of him.
“Excuse me,” I said carefully. “But he’s pretty upset right now, and I think you should back off of him.”
She looked at me like I was crazy. Not to mention disgusted that I would touch her.
“Colly,” someone said. “Can we go into your house and get the margarita machine?”
Oh, boy.
Based on how Cassius stiffened, that didn’t sound good.
“Uh, no,” Colly replied, finally realizing that her lying wasn’t going to work when the odds were stacking against her.
“I think it’s time to gather all of your friends and leave, please,” I said softly, watching out of my peripheral vision as Cassius walked away, I assumed, to collect himself.
Colly watched him go, her mouth worrying her lip.
“How often do you do this?” I asked her.
She opened her mouth and closed it.