Cade took a breath.
She might not be breathing at all.
Their gazes remained locked until a warning signal flashed through the haze. Danger, again. This was stillCade, after all. Apparently, a few days in Magnolia Bay could make her a teenager again, secretly giddy over Cade Landry.
He must have gotten the same radar blip. “Sorry.” He quickly backed up a step. “I should’ve asked?—”
“No, it’s okay. I didn’t want to be walking around town with a mustache.” She grinned, though her shaky hand belied the breeziness she infused in her tone.
He crumbled the napkin and moved to throw it in a trashcan. “Remember that time you had spinach in your teeth for Mrs. Swanson’s entire fourth hour class?”
On the other hand, maybe she’d imagined the whole chemistry thing. He was just strolling down memory lane now. “Oh, I remember.” She swatted playfully at his arm, knocking his aim askew as he went to toss the napkin. “Everyone said that’s why Justin Davies said no to being my date for the ‘Girls Ask Guys’ spring fling.”
“Actually, that’s not why.”
“What do you mean?” She took another sip of latte—which really wasn’t great—and frowned at him over the lid. What did he know?
Cade drew a breath. Did he regret bringing it up? “Justin Davies said no because I’d threatened him.”
She lowered her cup. “What?” Just in time, she remembered to swipe her own face with her wrist for leftover foam.
“I overheard him in the locker room during gym. Justin had heard you were going to ask him and he was bragging about plans forafterthe dance.” Cade shrugged, a bit of red flushing the base of his throat. “So I made sure he understood that accepting an invitation from you would be…let’s say, painful.”
Her chest warmed. He had tried to protect her?
Avoiding her eyes, Cade started to pick up the wadded paper on the ground, but Rosalyn stopped him with a touch on his arm.
“Let me get this straight.” She let her hand fall. “You threatened to beat up Justin Davies if he came on to me?”
Cade rocked back on his heels. “Well, technically, I had Simon LeMoine ready to beat Justin up.” He smirked. “Simon was a linebacker. It made more sense.”
Rosalyn released an incredulous laugh. “You went to all that trouble? For me?”
The red at his throat deepened as he fiddled with his pastry bag. “It was nothing.”
But she couldn’t let it go that easily. “It was definitely something. I thought you barely tolerated me.”
“Only when you beat me.” He winked.
She lifted her chin. “Well, that was all the time, so…”
“Ha, ha.” He rolled his eyes. “You weren’t so bad—when you weren’t listening to Amber’s all-men-stink speeches, anyway.”
She opened her mouth, then closed it. He had a point. And still…“She was right about a few things.”
“Maybe. Regardless—” Cade picked up the napkin and took aim once more. This time, it landed easily. “Let’s just say I’ll always have your back, Ace.”
Rosalyn swallowed, trying not to be affected by the secret he’d kept, by the chivalrous way Cade opened the shop door, ushered her through first as they filed outside.
He’d have a lot more than her back if she weren’t careful.
It’d be way too easy for him to have her heart.
six
Rosalyn shook the dwindling ice in her cup, then swiped a yellow highlighter across the next line on the spreadsheet. “Has the film company called you back yet?”
“Not yet.” Cade set down his iPad and leaned back in his chair. Was it her imagination, or did his eyes linger on her a moment? She looked away before she could decide.
