Total pages in book: 50
Estimated words: 47521 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 238(@200wpm)___ 190(@250wpm)___ 158(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 47521 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 238(@200wpm)___ 190(@250wpm)___ 158(@300wpm)
I walk out of the kitchen and barely get through the living room when I hear Haven loudly whisper, “Ooh, girl. He’s got it bad. Tell me everything.”
I can’t help but smile. Haven’s right. I have it bad.
CHAPTER 13
CASSIE
“Ooh, girl. He’s got it bad. Tell me everything.”
I’m watching Baker walk away, and I’m smiling as he goes. I’m not sure how he knew how I was feeling, but he caught on and wanted to reassure me the only way he thought he could. And it was perfect. Honestly, I would have eventually told Haven anyway.
I look at my best friend and am trying not to freak out. “He likes me, Haven.”
She laughs. “He more than likes you. Did you see the way he was looking at you? I swear it got ten degrees hotter in here.”
I slap her on the arm. “Stop. Let’s talk about you. How’s modeling going?”
She rolls her eyes. “It’s fine. But I think I need to start thinking about retirement.”
I gasp. “Retirement? You’re twenty-five years old.”
She nods knowingly. “I know that. I’m a plus size twenty-five-year-old model. It’s about time.”
“So what are you thinking about doing after?”
She shrugs. “I don’t know.”
“Don’t lie to me, Haven. You have some idea what you want to do.”
She doesn’t look happy. “I know exactly what I want, but it will never happen.”
“Tell me,” I insist.
She takes a drink of her water. “Are you going to laugh?”
I roll my eyes at her. “I think you know me better than that. What is it?”
She starts to ramble. “I want to get married and have babies.” She cringes and covers her face. “Did I just set women back fifty years or what? I sound so lame.”
My mouth drops. I’ve known Haven a long time, and I’ve never heard her talk this way. “First of all, no you didn’t just take us back fifty years. It’s 2024! Women can have whatever we want. And you deserve that. You should do it.”
She measures me with a look. “You know me. I can’t get close to people, how do you expect that to work?”
I think about everything I know about Haven. I’m the first person that ever told her I loved her. She’s never had affection in her life, and she’s right. If she continues like she is, there’s a small chance it will happen. I blurt out. “You should hire a cuddler. If that’s what your therapist recommends, that’s what you should do.”
“Cassie,” she starts, and I shake my head.
“No, Haven, hear me out. If that’s what you want, you have to get to the point where you can accept intimacy. Do it.”
She tilts her head to the side. “I’ll think about it.”
I nod and pat her on the shoulder and then draw back when she tenses up. “Sorry. Look, you’ll figure it out. You’re so smart and talented. And you’re a hard worker. If you want something, you’ll make it happen.”
She shrugs, and I have to ask her, “Will you move back to Whiskey Run? Or stay in the city?”
“I really don’t know.”
I grab the plate of cake in the middle of the table and cut two pieces. I set one piece in front of her. “Here.” She shakes her head, and I insist. “Haven, you ate chicken and lettuce with no dressing. Enjoy the cake.”
She picks up the fork and takes a small bite then moans and smiles at me. “That’s good.”
I nod. “Yep, really good.”
We spend the next couple of hours talking. When Baker comes out of his office, Haven stands up. “I really need to get out of here. I have a shoot in Jasper tomorrow afternoon.”
Baker looks apologetic. “Don’t leave on my account. I just needed to stretch my legs.”
She shakes her head. “No, I really need to go. It was nice to meet you, Baker, and thank you so much for dinner and the cake. See you later, Cass.”
We walk with her to the front door, and I call out to Haven as she walks down the steps, “I love you!”
She waves back, and we stand on the porch and watch her pull out. When we walk into the house, Baker is smiling. “She’s nice. She seems like a good friend.”
I agree with him. “She’s the best.”
He wraps his arms around me. “So are you mad at me?”
I squeeze him around the waist in a big hug. “No, I’m not mad at you.”
I pull at the hem of his shirt and pull it up his body. He lets me remove it, but I don’t miss the surprised look on his face. As soon as I have my hands on his bare skin, I caress him, running my fingers across his nipples. He grabs my hand. “Cassie?”
I lean in, pressing my lips to his nipple, circling it with my tongue like he did to me. “Argh,” he moans.