Page 42 of Screwed
One corner of her mouth lifted. “I don’t need to, but I want to. I have the luxury of having the funds to start my own business—and believe me, I know most people don’t have that, and I know how lucky I am—but I want it to be a success. I’m just kicking myself for not thinking about getting business cards made. I’ve started working on a website, though.”
He shook his head. “Really? You’re doing it yourself?”
“No!” She laughed. “I thought of trying to do it myself, but I want something really nice and professional. And I need to be able to take orders online. So Kristy is going to help me.”
“Oh right, she’s a graphic designer.”
“Yes. She helped me come up with a name for the business, too.” She peeked at him through her eyelashes. “It’s going to be called Caked.”
He grinned. “I like it.”
“Thank you.”
They stepped out of the elevator and exited the building into the afternoon heat. Cash stopped on the sidewalk to face her, to say goodbye. At least that was his intent. But he was curious about her ideas and wanted to know more about what she was planning. Was she being unrealistic and naive? She’d been an art major in college, not a business major. What did she know about starting a business? She liked to bake cookies, for fuck’s sake. So he found himself saying, “What are you doing now?”
She shrugged. “Nothing. Now that the cake is done, I don’t really have anything else to work on.” Then she smiled. “Other than sending Melanie a big old invoice.”
“I hope you’re charging her a fortune.”
“I am.” Her smile was luminous.
“I want to know more about your bakery.”
“Really?” She hesitated. “Do you think I’m crazy?”
“Of course not.” Well, he hoped not.
She blew out a breath. “Thank you.”
He didn’t move for a moment, studying her beautiful face, her long dark hair shining in the bright sun. Spending time with her was a bad idea. A very bad idea. But he said, “Let’s go get a drink, and you can tell me more.”
She didn’t answer right away, and he knew she was having the same doubts he was. They were friends and they had fun together, and he didn’t want to lose that, but he also knew it was risky spending time with her. “We’re friends. Right?”
She nodded, her eyes big. “Yes.” She caught her bottom lip in her teeth briefly. “I’m sorry about what happened…last weekend.” She peered up at him through her eyelashes. “I just want to say that…I…” She swallowed. “It won’t happen again.”
He gazed at her, his chest tight. That should make him happy. It didn’t.
Curse his depraved soul.
He pulled in a long, slow breath through his nose, then nodded. She was right. It couldn’t happen again. “Okay. Let’s go to the Wild Turkey.”
She gave a relieved little laugh. “I was just there the other day with Kristy.”
“Want to go somewhere else?”
“No, that’s good.”
Beau hated that place and refused to go there, so they weren’t likely to run into him or any of his friends.
Jesus, it was as if they were sneaking around behind his back. As if they were the ones who were cheating, when it was fucking Beau who’d done that. He didn’t need to feel guilty about having a drink and maybe playing a little pool with a friend, even if that friend was his best friend’s ex.
Yeah, he could keep telling himself that. And he could keep telling himself Callie was just a friend.
Chapter Nine
Four years ago
Cash linked his arm with Kristy’s and started down the aisle of Garden Oaks Baptist Church. The groomsmen were walking the bridesmaids down the aisle, and as best man and maid of honor, they were last, followed only by two of Callie’s little cousins acting as ring bearer and flower girl.
