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“Is that when you promised yourself that you’d never fall for another guy again?”
“Yep. I think I’m doing okay. I’ve been on a couple of dates. Not many. Chuck was my first one in a long time.”
“Daniel’s very protective of you as well.”
“I know. He was like a father to me when my own was a waste of space.” She tucked some hair behind her ears. “I think I put him through hell for a little while. With my parents gone, I started my … monthly cycle while I was in the sheriff’s office toilet. I was waiting for my father to be cleared, and I must have screamed or something. Daniel came, and he did everything he could to explain to me what happened.” Her cheeks were on fire now. She didn’t know why she was telling Slade this stuff. She covered her face. “You’re so horrible.”
“Why am I horrible?” he asked, laughing.
“You make me comfortable, and then I start telling you all these embarrassing things about myself.” She looked at him through her fingers. “Is this some kind of deputy spell? You get me to spill my innermost secrets?”
“This is no way a secret. You’ve got someone alive who knows what happened.”
“I know. For the longest time, I couldn’t look at him I was so embarrassed.”
“Daniel’s been a good friend to you.”
“He has, and I appreciate everything he’s ever done for me.” She grabbed her burger, and took a large bite. “What about you? Any interesting tales to tell?”
“Not a chance. I’m a cool as they come.” He winked at her.
“I don’t believe it.”
He rolled his eyes. “Okay, there was one time … I screamed when I first woke up. Many years ago.”
“Why?”
“Well … I was hard.” He pointed down at his dick, and she started to smile. “I didn’t know why, and I kind of panicked.”
“Wow, I never, that is just … so funny. You didn’t even realize you had a hard-on?”
“I didn’t, and you know at times when you talk it makes me forget that you’re this little innocent virgin.”
“I have never said I was an innocent virgin. You can think what you like.” Some of the books she read were downright dirty. Just because she kept everyone at arms’ length to protect herself, didn’t for a second mean that she didn’t want to connect to others. Andrew had hurt her in a really bad way, and she didn’t want it to keep affecting her, but she knew she was going to have to change something in her life to be able to find some kind of happiness.
****
In the end, Slade settled on a cruise for his parents’ anniversary present. He and Cassie had picked up a few trinkets, a picture frame, a photograph album, and a vase for them to take to dinner.
He had a month to go until the dinner, but everything was booked, ready, and he was all set.
Sitting in his backyard, soaking up the sun on a Saturday morning, he tried not to listen to Jessica, Cassie, and William as they spoke about online dating. The kids were playing around, and he didn’t like not being there, being part of it.
Finally, after twenty minutes of only hearing little snippets of conversation, he lifted up their fence, and entered her yard.
“Isn’t that trespassing?” Jessica asked. William and Jessica were sitting on either side of Cassie as she had a laptop perched on her knees.
“No, he calls it friendship access,” Cassie said, smiling up at him.
Damn it. He was really loving her smile, and he found himself giving her reason to. “What are you all doing?” he asked, moving behind Cassie, to see a dating website was pulled up.
“Jessica said I needed to meet new people, so I started a page for a dating website.” Cassie pointed at it.
The picture was a cute one taken when she’d been gardening in her little vegetable patch.
Slade didn’t like the stab of jealousy that washed over him at seeing her picture on a dating site.
“Anyone pinged you yet?” he asked.
