Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 67227 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 336(@200wpm)___ 269(@250wpm)___ 224(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67227 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 336(@200wpm)___ 269(@250wpm)___ 224(@300wpm)
“I don’t know what’s going on in your head, but I can tell you one thing for sure. If she gets to LA but ultimately decides to stay in New York, which she will because her family is here, and you haven’t stepped up beforehand?”
“She’ll think she’s nothing but a convenience to me.” He wondered if he could rip out his own hair.
“Exactly. She won’t trust you when you’re on the road, and you two won’t stand a chance at making it in the future.”
Hearing Cassidy’s brother lay it on the line sent him spiraling, but he knew enough to realize what he needed to do. “She needs a grand gesture,” he said.
Axel tipped his head to the side. “Maybe you’re not as dumb as you’ve made yourself out to be. But I still can’t believe I had to lead you here like a fucking horse to water.”
Dash let out a laugh. “I caught on awhile back. I just knew you needed to have your say.” No need to let Axel get a bigger head thinking he’d guided Dash on the right path.
He might have been slow getting to this point, but he wasn’t going to fuck it up in the end. Now he just had to hope Cassidy wasn’t already on a plane to California.
* * *
Cassidy realized the moment she boarded the plane at JFK International Airport that she’d made a mistake. Actually, she’d accepted her error on the two-hour car ride from East Hampton to the airport. But she’d pushed on, sitting for a few hours at the terminal during a delay. Now, her carry-on – because she wasn’t planning on staying more than a day or two – was in the plane’s overhead compartment. Her purse was under the seat and her heart was in her throat.
What was she doing? She didn’t want to live in Los Angeles alone without her brother or Sasha. Or Dash, but that was another thought process altogether.
If she stayed in New York and Dash wasn’t in love with her and didn’t want a future, she might wish she’d taken the job in California after all. But at least she’d have all the other people in her life surrounding her while she healed. As for her professional future, she knew for sure it lay with Sasha’s production company.
Cassidy was loyal and wanted to be with K-Talent Productions from the ground up. She wanted to be by her best friend’s side as she built her company and made a splash in the industry. And she was sorry she’d let her fear and sadness about how Dash had reacted dictate her choices. No matter how encouraging and understanding Sasha had been, Cassidy should never have considered this new position she hadn’t really wanted.
She picked up her bag from the floor. Thank goodness she had an aisle seat, she thought, as she stood and took her small suitcase from the top compartment. Everyone had already boarded, but the plane doors weren’t yet shut, which meant she had to get out of here fast, before the small window of opportunity to leave closed. She didn’t think she could bear five hours on this plane only to end up where she didn’t want to be, far from home, for no good reason.
She eased her way down the aisle and told the flight attendant she was not making the trip. She had to give her name so they could adjust their passenger list and head count, then she walked back down the jet bridge toward the airport gate, at peace with her decision.
She wouldn’t regret not flying to LA to find out more about this job, but she would most definitely regret leaving Dash without telling him that she loved him. All of her issues with worrying about other women and his past were just that. Her issues. Reasons she’d used to keep him at a distance because her feelings for him were so big they scared her. Getting on a plane to run away because she hadn’t had the courage to face her fears or trust in him was stupid.
If he wasn’t ready for a serious relationship or commitment, if one day they broke up … New York was still where she belonged.
And dammit, she wanted Dash to be her home.
She walked back into the airport and paused to catch her breath. In a few minutes she’d make her way outside and call for a car to take her back to her house. A long two-hour drive, or more if there was traffic.
At least the distance would give her time to plan what to say to Dash.
* * *
Dash had never been more grateful for his Ferrari than he was on the drive to John F. Kennedy International Airport, hoping he could catch Cassidy before she left for LA. Thank God she’d given Sasha her airline and flight number since she’d left her brother in the dark. Sasha, bless her loyal soul, hadn’t wanted to share the information, but Dash had sworn that one way or another he was bringing Cassidy home. Even if he had to catch a last-minute flight to California to do it.