Chapter 6

 

Cassie would be blind if she didn’t notice Mason staring at her from across the way, but she also would be an idiot if she thought it could be anything past simple attraction. Her life was too much of a tangled complicated mess to allow anyone in—even if he was a Roman god come to life with perfect chiseled features and the sexiest smirk she had ever seen.

She wouldn’t be surprised if the guy melted panties from a single look. What made him even more attractive, if that was even possible, was that he didn’t seem to realize how good looking he actually was. She expected someone who was blessed with his perfection to be cocky, self-indulged, and obsessed, but he wasn’t any of those things. He was quiet, but when he spoke, he was intelligent and funny. He was serious, but he knew how to lighten up. He was a breath of fresh air among the hardships she had been dealt, but even so, she couldn’t help but be skeptical.

A man like that just didn’t exist. There had to be something wrong with him, something he kept hidden beneath the surface that was bound to come out. It was only a matter of time.

She had to be careful. Mason Hayes might have seemed perfect, but she wasn’t ignorant enough to fall into that trap again. She would keep her distance, and in doing so she would also keep her eyes open to the things that she was usually blind to.

Betty Hayes, who Cassie briefly met earlier, waved her hand at the corner of the bar and Cassie went over, offering her a friendly smile. “What can I do for you, Betty?”

“You’re a pretty thing. High cheekbones, good facial structure, healthy.”

Cassie had never been outwardly assessed before, but this was Mason’s grandmother and she wanted to make a good impression, so she continued to listen.

“What do you think about children?”

“I don’t really think much about them at all. Did you want a refill?” Cassie pointed to her half-full glass, hoping like hell the woman only wanted to top her drink off and this was all some weird small talk.

“Do you like them?” Betty asked.

“Like who? Children?”

“Of course. What else would I be talking about?”

Confused, Cassie narrowed her gaze to Betty, but the woman didn’t even blink, just stood patiently waiting for an answer. “Sure,” Cassie said. The Brewster twins were entertaining and helped keep her mind occupied. She actually really enjoyed playing tag and looking for bugs with them “Kids can be fun.”

“Good to know.”

Cassie tilted her head as she looked the woman over. The question had been strange, but the response was even more bizarre. She kept expecting Betty to add on to her statement, but when she stood there, eyes roaming Cassie up and down, Cassie couldn’t wait any longer. “Why do you ask?”

“My Matthew is finally giving me a great grandbaby. Only had to wait thirty-six years. And I’m ecstatic, really I am. It’s all I’ve ever wanted, but the poor child will be lonely without any cousins. Every kid should grow up with cousins. Don’t you think?”

“Cousins?” Suddenly the realization as to what Betty Hayes was talking about sunk in. Betty gave a knowing look as she swung her attention across the tasting room to Mason and back, giving Cassie a confident nod, her bright blue eyes filled with that same confidence.

“You’d make beautiful babies.”

Cassie sucked in a shocked breath. If she had been drinking something she would have choked to death.

With a calming inhale, she let the shock wear off and gathered her thoughts. “You must have the wrong idea. Mason and I aren’t—”

“Do you not think he’s attractive? My grandson is very handsome.”

Cassie tried to speak, but she had lost control of her words. Of course he was attractive. He was the epitome of attractive. And as far as she could tell, that attractiveness ran beneath the surface to where it really mattered.

But that didn’t mean she wanted to have his children.

“He’s very handsome, you know that, but he’s my boss,” she finally said to Betty, whose blue eyes had been fixated on her from the minute she asked the question.

“So?”

“We’re not together. We can’t be. It would be unprofessional.”

“I’m not asking you to marry him. Just let him knock you up.”

Cassie’s eyes widened, her entire body jolting back at this sweet looking woman. Man, she did not sugar coat a single word that came out of her mouth. Cassie went to speak but the shock prevented her from forming sentences. She had known what Betty was getting at, just hadn’t expected her to be so blunt about it.

“Oh, you young people today. You think I’d ask you to murder someone. I’m just asking you to let him slip…”

“Grandma!” Mason said, coming up behind Betty and draping his arm across her shoulder. Cassie leaned against the bar, sighing a breath of relief. “Grandpa is looking for you,” he said.

“Of course he is.” She kissed Mason on the cheek, pulling back and looking at him with so much love. Francine used to look at her like that, and out of the many things Cassie missed, that was probably the thing she missed most. “I’m so dang proud of you.” She pinched the same cheek, causing a blush to spread across his face.

From the blush to the light sparkle in his eyes, Cassie could tell those words meant the world to him.

Betty patted Cassie’s hand. “Remember what I said, dear.” She gave her a wink and walked away.

“Let me guess,” Mason said, crossing his arms over his chest, making his biceps press impressively tight against his Five Leaf Brewery t-shirt. “She is trying to talk you into having my babies.”

“How’d you know?” Cassie asked, wondering if they had some sick plan worked out, and he was in on it the whole time. It would make sense, pretending to be perfect, meanwhile he was sizing up her womb the whole time.

“Because my grandmother is nothing if not predictable. She wants great-grandchildren, and she’s not shy about it. Now that Matt is honoring her wishes, she’s moved onto me. Sorry if she offended you in any way.”

For two seconds, she hoped that he did have some sick and twisted plan. It would be easier not to like him, but god, the man was perfect. Even apologizing on his grandmother’s behalf.

She waved it off. “It’s fine. She meant no harm.”

“She never does but it doesn’t make it any less embarrassing.”

Cassie could see how Betty’s forwardness could swing either way, especially since she had been taken aback by it, but when it came down to the heart of it, there was no mistaking her intent. “You can tell she means well.”

“She does.” Mason looked across the crowded tasting room, that glimmer in his eye, the one he got every time he took a second to take it all in.

He had worked so hard for this, and even though it had only been a week since they met, she knew without a doubt that he deserved all of this.

His attention came back to her. “How you holding up?”

“Good. Everyone is so friendly. I know I’m working, but it doesn’t feel like work.”

“Maybe I should have you clean the spent grain out of the mash tun.”

“If you want me to I will.”

“I’m kidding. I wouldn’t have you do that. I wouldn’t even let my sister, Hadley, do that, and she spends her days cleaning out chicken coops.”

“I met her earlier. She seems great. Your whole family does.”

“Don’t let them fool you; they’re all pretty evil.”

“For some reason, I highly doubt that.”

“Okay fine, they’re pretty great. And I’m happy you’re enjoying yourself.”

“I am.”

“I wouldn’t want it any other way. I want you to want to come to work, not for you to feel like you have to.”

“Mission accomplished, then.”

“It’s only the first day,” he said. “Let’s give it a month then see how you feel.”

“A month? Does that mean I passed my week trial?”

Mason reached behind the bar and grabbed two glasses before joining her behind the bar. There was plenty of room for the two of them, but being confined to tighter quarters, she could feel his warmth, smell that delicious scent of musk and man. He walked over to where she stood, reaching around her to the taps. She could feel his presence, strong and dominating but not in a way that she feared. In a way that made her feel safe and happy.

He pulled back from the tap, handing her a glass of the IPA—her favorite—then filled his glass with the porter. When the head came to a rest just below the top of the glass he held it up to her. “Welcome to the team, Cassie.”

“Seriously?”

He nodded and, not able to control her excitement, she threw her arms around him, spilling her beer and knocking into his. Cold liquid sloshed down her back, and she pulled away, immediately noticing the nice wet spot on his shirt.

“I am so sorry,” she said, putting the glass down and reaching for a rag. She wiped at his shirt, apologizing over and over. Heat flared in her cheeks.

Fear had her rubbing at his shirt; a mistake like this was an invitation to be punished. Her already burning cheek stung at the memory of Dylan’s palm as it made contact, almost like he was there.

Mason’s hand rested on hers, a gentle touch that brought her frantic swipes to a halt. He put his beer down and tilted her chin with his finger, urging her to look up. “Don’t apologize,” he said, his hand moving to her cheek then stopping before his palm pressed against her skin.

“But that was foolish of me.”

“It was an accident. It happens.”

“But if I was more careful. If I thought before I did things accidents wouldn’t happen. Accidents can be prevented.”

“Cassie,” he said, his voice soft and soothing yet curious and unyielding. “That’s not you speaking, is it?”

His question froze her in place. His dark green eyes held her captive. “I don’t know what you mean,” she said in a poor attempt to deflect his inquisitive mind.

“I think you do.”

“I…” she stammered, searching for the right words, but the intensity of his gaze made her stop talking. She didn’t want to lie to him, but she didn’t want him to know the wretched truth either. Those were things that she never wanted to say out loud. What would he think of her? Would she think she didn’t have the courage to run sooner? That she still lived in fear every single day? That her ex would find her and drag her back to that miserable existence?

She was too ashamed, yet she couldn’t seem to look away from Mason like a part of her wanted her to tell him, and let someone else help her carry the burden that she’d been shouldering on her own for so long.

She had no idea how long they stood there, staring into each other’s eyes. It could have been seconds, it could have been minutes; time didn’t seem to exist between them.

“Um, Mason?” his older brother said from the other side of the bar. The entire tasting room had gone quiet, and everyone was staring in their direction.

There was one thing Cassie hated above everything else, and it was unwanted attention. She shifted awkwardly from one foot to the other, quickly moving away from Mason till she got her bearings, grabbing an empty glass off the bar, and making herself busy.

“What? She had something in her eye,” Mason said loud enough for the room to hear.

A few oh’s sounded around the space, and within seconds everyone was talking and laughing again like nothing happened.

Cassie wished she could go on like the rest of them, but unlike them, she knew it wasn’t nothing. It was something, and she had no idea what she was going to do about it.