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“I am sure whatever you make will be great, Mom. They would be crazy not to hire you,” Mav assured her.
“Go get some of the homework done while I clean up,” Reese ruffled his still wet hair before he could stop her. The gesture got her the typical teenaged complaints, but Mav went to find his books.
“Going to kick me out?” Cash asked when Mav was safely upstairs out of earshot.
“I don’t know what to do with you,” Reese admitted.
“Come here,” Cash pulled her into his lap, wrapping his arms around her. “Think about it while I hold on to you.”
Reese laughed. “I am not sure that is how this works.”
“Me either, but we are going with it,” Cash rested his head on top of hers.
“Cash, I don’t know how to do this anymore. I,” Reese was interrupted by her son once again.
“Mom, all I have left is algebra, and I need some help,” Mav yelled.
“Jesus, we have to work on that kid’s timing,” Cash grumbled.
“It is the teenaged sonar. They know when to interrupt. It has to be something ingrained in them. Anytime I get comfortable or sink into a nice hot bath or get to a good part in a book, there is a hey mom shouted from somewhere,” Reese sighed. “Looks like it will be a late night. First algebra, and then I will figure out what to bake.”
“No.”
“No? What do you mean no? Mav has to get his homework done, and I have to be ready for my interview tomorrow.”
“Beautiful, you stay here and bake whatever you want. I will help Mav with his math.”
It wasn’t so much an offer as it was a declaration of what was happening. Standing, Cash deposited her back down on the chair before yelling at Mav to get his shit and get down to the living room if he wanted help. Reese smiled, wondering how long it would be before the man gave up. She neglected to tell Cash Mav was in the advanced algebra class.
Knowing she may not have long, Reese flipped through a few pages of a book before landing on the perfect thing. Excited about the ideas popping into her head, she dug through the cupboard until she found what she knew was stashed in there somewhere. A cute little tart pan she picked up at a yard sale for a quarter. Listening to Cash’s groan, Reese figured the man was finally getting clued in on the advanced part she left off.
Tuning them out, she got to work on the crust. Once they were in the oven, she decided on two fillings. Her potential boss would, fingers crossed, be impressed. When the mini tarts were cooled, filled, and topped with chocolate shavings from her secret stash, she tuned back into the sounds of the house. The joy she felt creating the sophisticated little treats turned to dread when the quiet of the house infiltrated her senses. Reese poked her head into the living room to see the math books stacked on one side of the coffee table while Mav was passed out on the floor. Cash snored lightly with his big body hanging more off than on her couch.
Checking her watch, Reese was surprised to see it was past ten. Creeping over to the front door, she could see the lights were on at Cash’s house. There were two figures in the front window. Looking closer, she saw they were dancing. Unable to contain her smile, Reese flipped the lock on her front door. It looked like Pappy was spending the night at Cash’s house. Rousing Mav took some convincing, but eventually, he trudged up the stairs to his bed, still half asleep. Reese ignored his mutters about never using algebra equations in real life.
She knew there was no possible way Cash was comfortable on her couch. He had kicked his boots off, but one foot was on the floor, and one leg extended past the armrest. His left elbow rested on the floor with his other arm tucked under his head with her throw pillow. Reese knew he was a big man but seeing him on her couch like that made him seem even larger. Stepping over his leg into the space between the couch and the coffee table, she tried to wake him. “Cash,” Reese touched his chest, gently shaking him.
“Hmm.”
“Cash, you can sleep in my bed tonight. I will sleep on the couch.”
“Fucking algebra,” Cash mumbled.
Reese smacked her hand over her mouth, trying to prevent the bubble of laughter threatening to escape. One eye popped open a crack, just enough to aim a glare in her direction. Biting her lip behind her hand, she tried to hide her reaction. The amusement danced on her face, unable to be missed by that one eye.
Cash grumbled something else before moving faster than she gave him credit for after waking up. Before she could evade, he had her curled against him, sharing the tiny sliver of the couch his big body didn’t take up.
“Just for that, you are going to lay here and let me hold you for a while,” Cash pulled her tighter against him, wrapping his body around her before tucking his nose in her hair and falling back asleep.
A few hours later, Reese was at war with herself. Should she stay or carefully disengage herself from the arms wrapped tightly around her? It was better than she remembered being curled against a hard body while she slept. what-if Mav saw them? Reese tensed.
He sensed her indecision and the tension seeping into her body. Cash opened his eyes. It was still dark. “Stay,” he mumbled, dropping a kiss in her hair.
Reese wondered what would it hurt if she stayed, just for a little bit. It was only for another hour or so. She could get up before Mav woke up or Pappy came home. With a plan in her mind, Reese closed her eyes.
Chapter 9
The sun streaming through the front windows woke Reese the next morning. Opening her eyes, she saw the day come alive around them. Her heart stalled. She was still on the couch, and Cash was curled up behind her. It was daylight. Mav or Pappy could see her. Groaning, Reese tried unsuccessfully to free herself.
