Page 13 of Espresso Your Love
Cassie
I’m deliberating on what I should tell Ashley about the…events…of last night. Eventually, I text her.
Ash, I’m in trouble.
After last night, I really am in trouble. I don’t know if I’m more desperate than I think I am and simply falling fast for the first guy to catch my attention, or if this really could turn into something. I know it’s early still. I don’t even know why he’s here. I know, I know. It seems like an obvious question to ask. “What brings you to Meadowbrook?” But it wasn’t. It never even came to mind.
We talked hobbies, and he made me laugh. I wasn’t thinking about anything, including work which I thought was impossible. I was enjoying being with him, and on top of having a great personality, he is insanely handsome. Put-him-on-a-billboard handsome. Out-of-my-league attractive. He could play the real-life version of Prince Charming. Okay, you get the point.
Three little dots appear immediately.
Oh no, is the goat-astrophe worse than it sounds?”
Goat-astrophe. haha that’s a good one!
Leave it to her to make me laugh in the middle of a crisis.
Right? Ryan said it.
YOU SAW RYAN?
My heart is pounding inside my chest.
He came by Coffee Loft, and he was scanning the room. Probably looking for you.
Looking forme? I feel a little lightheaded.
Did he say anything?
No, but he looked disappointed that you weren’t here.
Even sad, he still probably looked like a supermodel.
I’m disappointed I wasn’t there.
You need to fill me in on last night! Mom told me about the wallet. Details, Cass. I need details.
I’ll be by in an hour or so.
The goat-astrophe is as bad as it sounds. The goats have eaten most of the scarecrows. I’m not sure whose idea it was to use real hay instead of artificial. That was mistake number one. And leaving them out overnight? That was asking for this goat-astrophic event.
Several people are here helping clean up, which is a huge plus to living in a small town. Everyone rallies together, no matter what we need. It’s like a huge family. That’s one of the reasons I’ve stayed here even after my parents left. They are traveling the world in their RV. After my dad retired, they picked up and left. My brother had already left for the Air Force several years before that. He’s stationed overseas right now. So now, it’s just me living in my parents’ house that they, thankfully, left for me.
Sometimes it’s hard being here without them, but that’s why I love this community so much. I’ve grown up here, and this is my family too. And now I have the privilege of planning events here and keeping traditions going. I wouldn’t change it for the world.
Right now, I desperately need to get things moving for this event. Vendors to confirm, marketing to finalize, and a team meeting. But first, my meeting with Chief Dobbs, which is…I check my watch…in ten minutes.
“I have to run to the station. Y’all got this handled?” I shout out to those here helping me clean up.
“We got it, Cass!”
I wave and pick up my bag by the gazebo and head to the precinct. I’m desperately missing my coffee already. I was on my way to work at Coffee Loft a bit before my meeting when I saw a group of people gathered in the town square. And here I am, starving and coffee-less,andI need to be alert for this meeting.
The police station seems a little lively today.
“Hi, Cecilia. How are you today?”
“I’m fine, honey. You’ve been busy, huh?”
