“Why would he text so early? I thought he was going to interview you last night”, Grace asked slyly. She raised her eye brows and waited for Kresley to answer.
“He brought me home, checked out downstairs and up here for intruders, then hugged me, kissed me downstairs and told me he would see me at 8 AM to talk to me since I looked so tired. But then he texts this morning and said he needed to change it to 9 AM since he was taking his Aunt Mae to run an errand instead”, Kresley said as she took her first sip of coffee and sighed happily.
“Okay, so he gets more brownie points when he ditches you, a woman he is liking, to take care of something his aunt needs instead. That’s really sweet”, Gertie stated with a hand over her heart.
“Yeah, well, I’m not much of a morning person when I wake up. Y’all all know that. And now Cade knows it, too, if our text convo was any indication.”
“Don’t be a rude heifer to him Kresley. Just because you aren’t Suzie Sunshine in the mornings doesn’t give you the right to be so harsh with everyone else. Now who’s acting like an asshole.”, Francie stated in her older sister way.
Kresley was about to rebuke her sister and remind her of her own bitchy ways, but was stopped by Birdie. “So, I hear an ex of yours got axed outside our building last night. What’s up with that Kres?”
Kresley put her face in her hands and let out a groan. Okay, so it was out this morning. She shouldn’t be surprised. The gossip mill in town was fast and furious. “I don’t have any answers of why, Birdie. I wish I did. But I don’t. But I’m not saying anything else until Cade gets here because I don’t feel like saying this over and over again.”
At that moment, a knock came at the partially open door and Cade walked in, looking like sex on a stick. He didn’t seem surprised that the room was full of women. He nodded his head toward the stairs and stated, “morning ladies. If the phones ringing downstairs are any indication, it’s going to be a busy day. You also have two people who came in behind me looking for some help”. At that statement, Grace took off downstairs.
Kresley took in a deep breath and held it, giving her a moment to take in just how beautiful this man looked. She took a look at her sisters and all three of them had similar looks on their faces of total shock and awe. Francie seemed the least effected, but she had seen Cade last night in action, so she knew what she would see today. Cade was dressed in khaki slacks, a white polo shirt with the MSPD logo on the pocket area. His brown loafers were clean and shining and he wore a heavy metal watch with all kinds of gadgets on the face. His dark brown hair was brushed and tamed and his blue eyes were sparkling as he took all of the red-haired women into his view. He was freshly shaven and Kresley had a thought that she missed his scruff. Standing at his full height, Cade was much taller than the Anderson girls, but that didn’t stop Birdie from sizing him up and walking up to him with a slight swagger of bravery.
“You Cade?”, Birdie asked. When Cade nodded in the affirmative, seeking out Kresley at the counter, Birdie took a deep breath and stated in only her way, “Well done, God. Well done on making this one. Cade, do you have any brothers?” Cade raised his eyebrows at that question and threw his head back and laughed.
Kresley’s three sisters all grinned at that laugh and immediately began fighting over who would give up their chair for Cade to sit at the bar. He carried with him a box of donuts and a carrier of coffee cups from the local bakery. He set both down on the counter and immediately walked to the end of the bar where Kresley sat, sipping on her coffee quietly.
Kresley wasn’t going to freak out. So, what if she had bed head, and wore ratty old pajamas that had seen better days. She hadn’t brushed her teeth yet and probably had a pillow crease on her cheek still. She wasn’t that girly-girl kind of woman who needed to vamp for her man all of the time. But a mint would be a good idea probably. She watched as Cade walked over to her and pulled her out of the chair. She stood before him, both hands held in his, looking up into his eyes intently.
“Good morning baby. Hope you were able to go back to sleep after I woke you this morning. Sorry for doing that, by the way”, Cade stated warmly, looking down at Kresley’s sleepy puffy face. He really wasn’t that sorry because it showed him another facet to Kresley’s personality. Not a morning person. Got it. Because he felt like confusing her and making a statement in front of her sisters, Cade leaned down and gave her a sweet, affectionate kiss on her lips. Mouths closed, hands still only holding each other’s, he wanted to show her that he wasn’t just about the passion. He was about the caring as well. Hearing her sigh, as well as her sisters, he took a step back and indicated for her to get a donut from the box on the counter. Kresley silently opened the lid and selected a chocolate iced donut and began eating, her eyes bouncing from person to person in the room.
Cade stood by her, watching her eat and sipping on his own coffee. Gertie, Birdie and Francie all stood quietly, watching Kres
