For so long, she’d held onto anger. Her victimhood.
And today he’d whisked it out from under her. All this time she’d thought he hadn’t felt the same way. It meant everything to her that he had.
If only he’d told her back then what he’d explained today…
I’d have gone to Michigan.
And my life would’ve turned out so differently.
Everything must’ve played out across her features, because Cassian got up, all his energy focused on her. It’s still there. They’d always been so connected—he could read her better than anybody.
Every cell in her body blossomed, opened…sang for him. She missed him, wanted him, craved him…
But her mind screamed, Run. She might understand things better, but that didn’t mean she could trust him.
And, so, heart pounding, palms clammy, she turned and walked away.
As Gigi started to wash the green facial mask off her face with a warm washcloth, someone knocked on her door.
Seriously? She was not going to have any me-time on this trip. “Coming.” Snatching a towel off the rack, she dried her hands and peered through the peephole.
Expecting either Grant—maybe he wanted to jam—or Kevin—to talk about tomorrow’s schedule—her heart flipped over at the sight of Cassian.
Without thinking, she opened the door. When his smile turned to surprise, she remembered the green mask. “Hey. What’s up?”
Normally, he had this air about him, like he never broke stride because he knew doors opened automatically for him. But standing in the doorway, his shoulders tight with tension, that stride had faltered. “There’s no group dinner tonight, so I thought we could go have some fun.”
Part of her was like hell, yes. But another, louder voice, urged her to keep her distance. “Thanks, but I’m having a spa night.”
“I see that.” He shifted his weight onto the other foot. “Have you eaten dinner?”
“No. I thought I’d just order in.”
“Yeah, that’s probably a good idea. There’s a kids’ soccer team staying here, and you’d scare the crap out of them if you came down to the restaurant looking like that. So, sure, you stay in.” He hitched a thumb over his shoulder. “I’m going to head out, then, to my homemade dinner. Mrs. Carson’s got some brisket, mashed potatoes, and apple cobbler for me. I asked her to make it for two, but…” He patted his stomach. “I had a light lunch.”
“Mrs. Carson? Is that a teammate’s mom?”
“Nah. I looked up interesting things to do in this part of Kansas. Found some good stuff.”
Crossing her arms over her stomach, she leaned against the door jam. “You know, you can just say it. You made plans for me.”
“That’s one approach.”
“The direct one. Out of curiosity, what exactly do you think’s going to happen if I go out with you?”
His unease flamed brighter. “I’m serious about fixing us. I want us to talk. I want you to talk to me.”
She wanted that very much. “Then, it better not be in a restaurant or any other public place. Because, let me tell you, it could get loud.”
“You say that as if I don’t know you.”
She was really curious now, but she wasn’t about to let him know that. “You can’t handle any more bad press, so another woman yelling at you…especially a Lollipop…?”
“It’s in a field.”
“You’re feeding me dinner in a field?”
“Yes, a large one. And I’m going to make you earn it.”
“Earn my dinner?” Oh, dammit all to hell, he was being charming and fun.
“That’s right. Everything’s better when it’s earned.”
“And what do I have to do to earn it?”
“You have to find your way through the second largest maze in the world.”
Like she could say no to that. “And what if I can’t find my way out?”
He lifted his hand, revealing a paper bag. “I’ve brought snacks.” He opened the bag and tilted it toward her.
“Twizzlers? That’s my dinner if I don’t make it out of the maze?”
He pulled out a bag of peanut M&Ms. “Protein.” He pulled out a box of fruit roll-ups. “I’ve covered the food groups, so if you fail, you won’t die in the maze. Because that would be embarrassing. To both of us.”
Charming, fun, and irresistible. I’m in. “Give me ten minutes.”
As they drove along a country road, Gigi caught glimpses of farmers on tractors, cows swishing tails in fields of green grass, and endless rows of waist-high cornstalks. “How far is this place?” They’d been in the rental car for nearly forty minutes.
“It’s the second largest maze in the world.” Cassian cut her a look. “It takes some serious acreage to pull that off.”
A big part of her wanted this—to feel like they were seventeen again. But another part didn’t like it. He acted like telling her the truth had lasered away the pain he’d caused. Like now they had a clean slate.
She took another bite of her frosted Strawberry PopTart.
“You’re not going to have room for dinner.”
“The odds of me making it through a maze are low. The horse flies alone will drive me back to the parking lot. Besides, I didn’t eat lunch.”
“Yeah, I don’t think we should let Kevin handle catering from now on. That meat…”
“Oh, is that what we’re calling it?”
“It looked like a crusty brown pot holder.”
She smiled. “That’s exactly what it looked like. I hope dinner in a field is better.”
“Trust me.”
Two simple words hit her bloodstream like ice. “Yeah, don’t hold your breath.”
“No, I didn’t mean…” Color spilled into his cheeks, and his lips sealed shut. A moment later, his hands flexed on the wheel. He looked stubbornly determined. “I’m well aware that I have a lot of work to do to earn your trust. I will do it.”
What’s the point? She wanted to ask. But she bit back the snarky come-back, because it meant the world that he cared enough to do it. She wiped her hands on a napkin. “This is weird. You and me in a car together.” Getting along.
“It’s nice.”
“I’m gonna stick with weird. I never thought I’d talk to you again.”
He went quiet for a moment, and she didn’t know if she’d made him uncomfortable. Like, here he was trying to fix things, and she just kept smacking him down.
But then he said, “I’ve missed you every day.” He kept his eyes on the road. “Every single day.”
Oh, God. His tone was drenched in despair. She wanted to reach out, touch those fingers that clenched the wheel so tightly his knuckles had gone white.
But she wasn’t going to comfort him. “Well.” The car ate up endless miles of asphalt. Cornfields gave way to…sunflowers? Acres and acres of them loomed high on either side of the road. “I don’t know what to do with that. I really don’t. You say these things, but for nine years you’ve acted like you forgot all about me.”