“It’s no big deal, I’m glad you called me,” I reply, popping my own earbuds from my music player into my ears just to cut down the sound. I’ve got some heavy-duty ear protection in the truck, but I don’t think it’ll be necessary.
“Come on in and see what you can do about this racket because I’m about to take a shotgun to the damn thing. It’s that newfangled one you installed a couple of months ago.”
I step inside and see what she means. After Oliver had a gas leak at one of his properties, he had me purchase and install detectors at all of his rental units in town and one at his mother’s house, too, just to be sure. I use a chair to climb up to the alarm, unscrewing the cover and removing the battery. The silence is beautiful until Ms. Steele lets out a loud whoop of celebration, extra-loud because she still can’t tell how loud she is through the ear plugs. I pop a new battery in and the light shows green, problem solved. “Bring that chair on back into the kitchen. Breakfast is just about ready.”
I smile, shaking my head, knowing she’d pull something like that. I love the woman and her breakfasts. They’re the second-best in town. Only Mindy can lay claim to better cooking, and she’s got a kitchen full of professionals to depend on. Sitting down in the chair, I drape a napkin over one leg and take a moment to look at the perfectly cooked cheese, bacon, and veggie omelet in front of me. “Ms. Steele, call me to fix something anytime if you’re gonna feed me like this.”
I tuck in, savoring the delicious flavors. More than just throwing a bunch of good stuff in the eggs, she knows how to balance all of them so that the saltiness of the bacon and cheese doesn’t overpower the veggies, and the eggs are a fluffy cloud that supports it all. I’m not a chef, but I can appreciate good cooking.
She looks on in fond approval, then gets her own plate. “Well, I’m happy to have boys to cook for. Oli is so busy with work and Mindy and the kids, and with Tony gone off to Hawaii, I don’t get to cook for appreciative folks much anymore.”
There are a few moments of silence as I eat, and then she speaks up. “I talked to Tony last weekend. He said that he and Hannah are loving the island life, something about an addition, which I thought was his way of saying they’re expecting, but apparently, he meant an actual addition to the resort. He was disappointed I wasn’t more excited about some cottages, but really . . . compared to a grandbaby? Psh. I told him you and Cassie were working on a house project together.”
I groan. I haven’t told Tony about 614 Douglas for a reason. He’s my best friend, but he can be a bit rough sometimes. “Oh, man, what’d he say to that?”
Ms. Steele smirks. She knows how we get along. “I think his exact words were that it’s going to be explosive—either the house or y’all—and he’d lay fifty-fifty odds either way. Apparently, y’all have a tendency to needle each other?”
Fair enough. “Yeah, you could say that. Meeting under competitive circumstances probably didn’t do either of us any favors, because we spent most of the first week we knew each other giving each other shit and teasing each other mercilessly. But we’re good. We work together well and still tease each other more than is probably normal, but whatever. It’s us.”
Ms. Steele is looking at me with a shrewd look in her eyes. “Tell me about her. I don’t know her other than in passing when I go into Oli’s office. Mindy mentions her every now and then, but there’s a difference between that and working together. Tell me more.”
I pause for a moment, then start in, saying a little more than I intended to at first. “Well, she’s a pain in the ass, always getting under my skin, but she makes me laugh a lot. We can just hang out and do nothing, but somehow, we always end up laughing our asses off, usually at something we said. She’s just light, always smiling, and she makes people around her happy. And that’s not easy. She had a bit of a rough upbringing—nothing major, but things that would’ve made a lesser person bitter or plain mean. She just lifts her chin and smiles at the world, daring it to go for another round.”
Ms. Steele nods, sipping at her coffee. “She’s a pretty girl. She always seems put-together when I go into the office. And in talking with Martha, she says that Cassie’s always bringing a sense of humor to her work, too. Something about Deadpool, but I haven’t seen the movie. Just the sort of girl that people like, though. I always wondered if she was seeing someone.”
I swallow, not liking the thought of her seeing someone. “Yeah, she’s gorgeous. Inside and out. But nah, she’s not really seeing anyone. I don’t think. Well, maybe kinda . . . but not really.”
Ms. Steele laughs, half choking on her eggs. “I think that was the most non-answer answer I’ve ever heard. Caleb, are you and Cassie dating?”
I’m sure I’m turning a pretty violent shade of pink. I don’t really know how to answer this one. “Uhm, no, not dating. Not exactly.”
“Then what exactly . . . more than dating or less than dating?” Ms. Steele asks.
I shift uncomfortably, not sure how to explain the concept of fuck buddies to her. I mean, I know she’s not totally innocent, but Ms. Steele’s always struck me as the
