If she even wants someone waiting for her back home. The way Cassidy spoke earlier, it was hard to tell.
“Trust me,” Bridget said, pulling me from my thoughts. “I know what I’m talking about. You have a small window before she runs off to her fans. Make sure she has a reason to come back.”
Nodding, I finished up my talk with Bridget, then hung up the phone and tossed it on the table beside the couch. My sister was right, of course, but as much as I wanted to tell Cassidy the way I felt, I feared how her manager might react once he realized she’d been hiding out in my shop this entire time.
Not wanting to get her into any trouble, I sent her a text that hopefully looked like it came from a friend more than anything else.
“Making sure you got home okay. Call me when you’re
ready.”
I hit send before I could second-guess myself. Once I did, I went back into the kitchen to make something to eat even though the only thing I wanted right then was her. I wanted to hear her voice, her laughter, and to feel her lips on mine. I wanted her hands in my hair and our bodies pressed close together.
Most of all, I wanted to know if she was okay. Did she regret what happened today? Would she come back?
Heart in my throat, I busied myself and did everything I could not to think of her.
It didn’t work, and as I turned down the covers for the night, I checked my phone one last time before finally getting into bed.
Cassidy never answered.
Chapter Twelve
Cassidy was waiting for me when I arrived the next morning. Tucked away in her car, she barely noticed me as I walked up the stretch of pavement between her car and the back door. To say I didn’t expect to see her until later on was a huge understatement. I figured she’d get stuck somewhere with her manager as he read over her rights as a performer, where to go, and when to pick up his calls.
Needless to say, I was happy to see her. Thrilled, actually.
Her manager must’ve heard about her time in my shop by now, which meant one of two things. She was here to say goodbye, or she’d talked her manager into some strange contract, possibly with a curfew.
Granted, I didn’t know the guy, but the way Cassidy went on about him…
“Morning,” I said, gently tapping on her window.
“Listening to anything good?” The beat thrumming inside her car was low but still audible once she turned it down.
“Just an old mixtape I like to take out from time to time,”
she said, turning off the car before finally joining me in the parking lot. “Laura made it for me. I had the tracks put on a CD and always have it on me in case of emergencies.” She released a small laugh. “It gets me hyped up before a show, among other things.”
“Power music,” I said with an approving nod, holding the back door open for her so we could get out of the cold. “I have a few playlists like that. They change whenever the mood strikes.”
“Not this one. This one has been my go-to since forever.”
“Did it help? The music this morning, I mean.”
She paused once we reached the front registers, leaning with her elbows on the counter while I booted up the computer. “A little, but not as much as I’d hoped.” She
deflated in front of me. “I think I may have jumped the shark yesterday.”
“Getting ahead of yourself?” I asked, double-checking the cash before putting it in the drawer.
She offered me a partial shrug, then turned so her back was pressed into the edge of the counter. She took in a deep breath, admiring the wall of books on the opposite side of the store.
“It was a good idea at the time.”
Her voice dropped at the end, and when she refused to like at me, I knew yesterday was something she regret. Cassidy tensed, practically jumping out of her skin when I closed up the register.
“Anything you want to talk about?” I asked, keeping my voice level as to not startle her.