“Just teasing,” he said, as a grin lit up his face. “Your eyes had some fire, though, damn!” He shook his head hard, still grinning, then his expression turned serious. “I like a girl with spunk.”
Cassidy tried to find some snarky retort, but her mind went blank. Quinn returned and Bo softened his grip on her shoulder so she could exit the booth, then followed. The walk to the door seemed to take years, each step agonizingly slow. Once outside, Cassidy was so grateful for the fresh air. She felt dizzy.
“See you tomorrow, brother,” Bo said, giving Quinn’s hand a sideways slap followed by a fist bump. “Hey, speaking of Deadman’s, there’s a northwest swell coming,” he said to them, giving Cassidy a quick glance. “Saturday. Let’s meet up.”
“Sure,” Cassidy said, her voice sounding garbled.
They said goodbye, then Bo spun on his heel and strutted away. When he disappeared around a corner, Cassidy exhaled her relief.
“I already called a car,” Quinn said, his face frozen.
Cassidy nodded. As much as she wanted to fall into his arms, Special Agent Harris had warned them of the possibility that they were being watched.
A white Leaf pulled up to the curb, and Cassidy gratefully slid inside. Her phone buzzed from her pocket and she slid it out to read Bruce’s text:
Keep the conversation light. Don’t talk about the meeting.
She flashed the screen to Quinn, who nodded.
Quinn expanded on the topic he had shared with Bo about the increase in minimum wage and what it was doing to his business model. Cassidy dutifully listened and commented, feeling like she was performing in a play. Were Bruce and the other agents still listening?
After exiting the Leaf, she practically ran up the stairs, fumbling with her key.
“Hey,” Quinn said, gently assisting her with the door. “It went okay. It’s over. You shouldn’t have to see him again.”
Cassidy nodded, hoping this was true. She had completed the task. Nothing bad had happened. Given different circumstances, she might even have enjoyed it. “He wanted to take me home,” Cassidy said as Quinn got them inside.
“Pushy, isn’t he?” Quinn slipped off his shoes and added them to the shelf behind the door.
“He acts like a horny teenager. The only thing missing is the acne.”
“How’d he react when you turned him down?”
Cassidy suppressed a shiver. “Said he liked a girl with spunk.”
Quinn raised his eyebrows. “Persistent, too.”
“What happened when I was in the restroom? He’s meeting you tomorrow?”
“He’s hooking me up with a free month of linen supply. But he hinted that it was just the beginning.”
A knock at the door startled them both, but it was only Bruce. Seeing him brought on a rush of emotion she couldn’t explain. Bruce pulled her into his arms and held her softly while she tried to understand this jittery energy racing through her.
Slowly, her fear ebbed and she stopped shaking. Bruce stepped back, his concerned gaze sizing her up. “You okay?”
Cassidy nodded.
Bruce’s face relaxed. He glanced at Quinn, who gave a one-shoulder shrug. “Piece of cake.”
“You did amazing,” Bruce said. “Both of you. Really well done.”
“I’m ready to get this thing off though,” Quinn said, tugging off his shirt.
Within moments, Bruce had detached Quinn’s hardware, then turned to Cassidy, starting with the transmitter. Cassidy helped by pulling up the side of her shirt.
“Wasn’t too bad, was it?” he asked.
“No,” Cassidy replied as his gentle touch tickled her skin. “Though I was nervous when I came back from the bathroom because then he was on my right side.”
She felt Bruce stiffen. “You sat next to him?”
“He didn’t give me a choice.”
Bruce followed the wire to where it moved up her front. There was an awkward moment where she thought he was going to reach into her shirt.
“I can get it,” she said, and hurried into the bathroom. Inside, she ignored her reflection and quickly undid the wire from her bra strap, then returned to the living room.
Quinn was getting beers from the fridge while Bruce stood on the balcony, his hands on his hips.
“I’m gonna take off for a bit,” he said, cracking the lid on the first beer and handing it to her, “if that’s okay.”
Despite the late hour, she didn’t bat an eyelash. Typical Quinn. “Of course, it’s okay.”
He cracked the remaining bottle and carried it toward the patio.
“You aren’t joining us?” Bruce asked as he took the beer from Quinn’s hand.
“Not this time,” he said. “But make yourself at home,” he added, sweeping his arms wide.
The two of them shook hands, locking eyes for a long moment. Cassidy thought she saw something pass between them—an understanding, perhaps. For some reason, seeing two people she cared about so much joined together like this, meshing so easily, settled something inside her heart.
Quinn disappeared inside, and as Bruce stood there, framed by the soft night sky, his warm eyes calm and his smile simple, easy, the feeling from earlier returned, giving her goose bumps.
“I know it’s been a long night. You want me to go?”
“No,” she said. “Stay. Please.”
Fifteen
“This is one of my favorite neighborhoods,” Bruce said, gazing out at the black night. “Can you see the ocean in the daytime?”
Cassidy took one more deep breath to calm her jittery stomach. Bruce is just a good friend who’s looking out for me, she told herself.
She nodded at the building across the street, barely visible in the gray lamplight. “No, but there’s a lady who cleans her house in her underwear and there’s a couple who yell at each other a lot, and an old man with a bonsai garden on his balcony.”
“Sounds like you’ve spent a lot of time here.”
Cassidy sipped her beer. “Quinn’s made it pretty easy. I have my own key, my own drawer, a wetsuit and board…”
“He seems to have a pretty full life, but I’ll bet he misses you when you’re gone.”
“Quinn’s not very sentimental or anything, but we’re
