Mixed Connection (Cypress Lake Reunion #1)

15. Chapter 15

15

Alma

Are we still on for our Criminal Minds marathon?

And miss out on what Gideon is gonna do next?

Wiping my hands on my pants, I grab a cold bottle of water from the fridge and chug it. We’ve done nothing but work on this house and watch the days fly by. We’ve finally got the entire house painted in a range of moody colors, my favorite being the first bedroom that has been color drenched from ceiling to baseboards in a deep green. I wipe my brow and double check that the paint cans are all closed up.

The flooring team should be arriving in the next day or two and the install is going to make a world of difference, along with freeing up my schedule for a couple days.

I haven’t been able to see Cassidy as much as I want because of all the work. We’ve been texting and video calling, but it’s not enough, it’s never enough, not when it comes to her. The last time I saw her was when we spent the night together, talking about her parents, and enjoying each other’s company. Throwing the tools in my bag, I snatch the towel off my shoulder and wipe my face. Maybe I can find a way to see her tonight, even if just briefly.

“I think I might be calling it a night. The doctor said I need to get Pepper in for a checkup to make sure everything is healing well after being spayed. I don’t want to be a dog grandpa… ever ,” Anders yells from the only working bathroom in the house. “And your cheap ass needs to get a hotel because this room is next! No more air mattress!” he says.

“Yeah, I know!” I laugh off his instructions, but he’s right. “Go ahead and head out, I got a few more things I want to finish up.”

“Alright man.” Knocking his fist with mine, he pounds his fist with my outstretched one before heading towards the front door. “Pizza and wings tonight?”

“Hell yeah!” I nod my goodbye and walk through the house, admiring all the work we’ve put in. It’s starting to look more like a house again and all I can think about is showing it to my Babygirl.

Taking what is probably one of my last showers here, I yell to Alexa to play my last audiobook and laugh a bit to myself. It wasn’t that long ago when I first listened to the naughty werewolf book Cassidy lent me. Now I’m stuck on this series of shifters. The action in it is wild, and I can’t lie, knowing exactly what turns her on does it for me. Does she want an angry wolf-shifter man throwing her over his shoulder? Probably not. But I love knowing what she enjoys. A smile starts to creep up my face and if I were to look in the mirror, I know I look like I’m up to something.

And I am. I know exactly what I need to do.

Toweling off from the much needed inferno of a shower, I rub oil onto my scalp and let my hair air dry before pulling on a pair of gray joggers, a deep-green t-shirt, and a flannel. Unplugging my phone from the charger, I can see I have just enough time to grab what I need before meeting Anders at the pizza joint downtown. I clasp the gold watch around my wrist, slide on a few of my favorite rings and I’m toeing my shoes on before making it out of the door. I press the key fob to my truck twice to unlock the doors, hop into the SUV, and my bluetooth speaker connects to resume the second book of the shifter romance I was listening to in the shower.

Is this what it’s like to be a book lover? I’ve listened to plenty of books on business, self-help, and finance, all things that would give me knowledge to better myself, or work on growing Crews. The content in those is enjoyable, but not like this. Not in the way I can completely escape with these stories.

My phone rings and Alma’s name shows on the screen, along with a picture of her smiling. Thumbing the “answer” key on the steering wheel, I greet her, “Alma, what’s up?”

“Jameson, honey, how are you? How’s that pretty young lady doing?” If we were on a video call I know she would be leaning way too close to the phone, giving me that willful look she has.

“She’s incredible. I’m falling hard.” I speak the truth, noting how well Alma and I have gotten to know each other since the night of the reunion. Mixed with her years of life experience and just being one of those people who can see right through others, she reads me like a book. We’ve kept in touch since Babygirl accidentally gave me the wrong number.

I have since learned Alma’s husband passed away several years ago and they never had children. It’s just her unless she visits Europe where her only sibling and their children live. I kind of adopted her in a way. I make the next right on Ridge Street and pull into the parking lot of the farmer’s market.

“So you’re staying then?” she asks, though it sounds more like a statement than a question. “You can’t be travelin’ around if you’re going to settle down.”

“I can’t imagine being anywhere else.” And it’s the truth, but if I am going to make that a reality then I need to make a permanent decision. Traveling to meet new clients is something I enjoy. I love it. But I love— the thought stops me. Do people fall in love this quickly? Am I nuts? I shake the thought away, blinking a few times as my chest fills with a warmth that feels all-encompassing.

“You are a treasure, Alma, I don’t know what I would do without you,” I say, truly appreciating the friendship we’ve grown. The senior-only neighborhood she lives in reminds me of high school but with walkers.

“I can’t wait to rip them a new one. I’ve been working out, using those two-pound weights. I’m going to slaughter them!” Her war voice is scary, even with the quiver of old age. “Are you still coming up for my surgery?”

“Alma, you gotta lay off the true crime shows.” I chuckle. “Heck yes, I’m coming. I’m not letting you go through surgery by yourself. The next time we talk, I’ll be up there and you can tell me how you took down Janice and her team. They never stood a chance!”

“Well, alright.” I can hear the joy in her voice, she’s going to give them hell. “I love ya,” I say my goodbyes and shut the truck door, having arrived at my destination.

This is one of the few places that carries the wine I love so much; I want to get a bottle for Cassidy. She loved the taste of it and I’m addicted to how she tastes when she drinks it—she’s my new favorite flavor.

Walking quickly to the pick-up counter line, I wait for the attendant to finish up with the person ahead of me when I feel a small thump at my side.

“Oh my God, I’m so sorry.” She looks at me for a moment before she starts to squint. I’m not sure if she can’t see or if she’s stuck in a memory. “You’re Jameson, right?”

“I am. We’ve met before.” Not quite a question, not quite a statement. I recognize this woman, but placing her is a fog to me. She can’t be any taller than five feet, her deep-magenta hair falls in loose waves, cut sharply just above her shoulders. That’s when it hits me. “You’re Paloma. Cassidy’s best friend.”

She laughs off my aha moment which I’m thankful for and asks, “So where have you been? I haven’t seen you around Shaken Tropes lately?”

“You both have a great thing going at the bar, I planned on stopping by later tonight. I’ve actually been working on the flip I bought prior to the reunion,” I reply.

“You flip houses?” Paloma’s voice perks up at that. Anytime someone is interested in flipping I get excited.

“I do. Actually, my buddy did the remodel for Shaken Tropes. I’m part owner of Crews Construction and Consult. It’s a small world,” I explain. Her eyes widen in surprise and I continue, “Truthfully, I’m kinda in love with this house I’m working on. I’m considering listing it as a short-term rental since there’s that golf tournament happening, I think it’ll bring in good, short-term tenants.”

“That’s a really great idea but, um, you know mentioning the tournament reminds me I need to go check on our golf cart.” She seems to clam up just a bit, and her eyes snap away to look at anything but me.

“You know what, I’m running late to meet a friend, so I’ll see you around?” I say, the syllables falling around me lamely as I give her an easy out. She nods her head and scurries away like she can’t move fast enough. I never really know what someone is going through and I don’t know her well enough to ask.

I move towards the back of the truck so I can stash my goods. Pulling open the lower level compartment, the floor of the trunk slides open to reveal a secret opening. Sometimes I’m too busy between errands to run home to drop off things, but this truck has this secret stash area. It is completely hidden and puts my mind at ease that I don’t have to worry about anything going missing. Watching the rear lights blink as I click the lock button on my key fob, I turn and begin jogging towards Wings’n Tings, the pizza and wings spot where I’m meeting Anders.

The door swings open as I grab the knob, and a few guys walk out clapping each other on the back.I make my way in and spot Anders in the back booth. He throws his hand up in a wave, ushering me over.

“Hey man, how’s my niece?” I ask, squeezing his shoulder before sitting down across from him.

“She’s great, bro.” He huffs a small laugh. “I almost didn’t leave her.”

I smile at the thought of Anders and Pepper snuggled up at his house in that oversized couch of his. Maybe I need to order Pepper a dog bed and a few new toys. What kind of dog uncle would I be if I didn’t? She is the greatest gift I have ever given him. I remember he told me he was thinking of getting a dog but he was holding back, not sure he wanted to take on that level of responsibility while running a company.

I got Pepper for him a few weeks later, knowing if I took some things off his plate he’d have more time for a pet; I’m glad I did. He takes her everywhere, including projects, when she’s not at doggy daycare.

“My niece needs a mama, Big Dog,” I jest.

“Yeah, I just don’t see the point J. I don’t want to be bothered with a relationship.” He smirks then, peering over his shoulder at what I assume is his next victim. “Not yet anyway.”

I shake my head at his thinking. “One day the perfect woman is going to spring up on you, then what will you do?”

“I’ll believe it when I see it. How are you feeling about the design plans for the house?”

“I like it a lot, man! You really helped me create the vision I wanted. Moving on to the remaining rooms in the house makes more sense now from an aesthetic perspective, then we can get the backyard fixed up.”

Since my side of Crews is spanned across three different states, I travel a lot. Between connecting clients with potential properties or paying subcontractors to complete remodels, I’m always on the go. It’s great to be in Cypress Lake for an extended period of time working on this project together. It makes me realize that I wouldn’t be moving here just for Cassidy, for Anders too.

My eyebrows raise nearly to my hairline as I tilt my head to the side in a joking manner. “I don’t know if I want to give it up though. Maybe I should just keep it for myself.”

“You can have another house, J. Not one this good! This one is in a prime area where we could really make a lot of money.” He stops for a minute, shaking his head before taking a sip of his water. “What do you mean keep it for yourself? Are you thinking of moving back home?”

“ Back home ." I know he meant it as being back in our childhood home town, but it does feels like home again, not just a place for a quick visit. Cassidy is here and she is what makes this place feel like home for me. I didn’t realize it until this very moment, how much more Cypress Lake feels like home, more than any other place I’ve lived in the last ten years, even more than when I was a kid.

That’s not because it was terrible living here either. My parents are amazing. From game nights with aunts and uncles, who later on in life I found out weren’t blood related, but were my mom and dad’s closest friends. Sleepovers where my friends and I stayed up way too fucking late playing Donkey Kong. Or the last weekend of every summer break when we would have the family over. Every single time my dad would burn the burgers on the grill, before he awakened into the grill master he is now. He would complain his way into the kitchen for the back-up burger patties Mama made him buy, just in case. There were two too many times for him to burn the burgers before Mama decided enough was enough.

I felt like a stranger coming back to Cypress Lake after being gone, basically, since graduation. Once I went to college my parents wanted to travel, they were still pretty young then and wanted to see the world once they were empty nesters. When they decided they wanted to travel the world, they gifted me the house.

Which is exactly why I have short-term tenants in it now. It helps with keeping up on the costs that come with homeownership. Having people live in the house, who truly care, helps me out too. I don’t have to worry about looking after it as much because someone already is. It was my first official flip, and the first one I couldn’t sell. I don’t think I ever will, I want the option to pass on my parents’ house to their grandchildren one day.

But being back here now, with Cassidy—what I’m starting to hopefully build with her—makes this whole placet feel like home.

“I know man. You know I get attached easy.” His head drops back as he wraps his arm around his stomach, laughing at the truth in my statement. His hand waves frantically, silently begging me to stop. Anders knows me well enough to anticipate I’ll crack a joke, and where it’s going. Before I can get another word in, my phone chimes and “Babygirl” flashes on the screen.

“Hey babe, what’s—” Cass’ panicked whispers stop me from finishing my greeting.

“No, no, no this isn’t happening!” Her voice is filled with fear and silent sobs come through the line. “Jameson, please, please, please.”

“Baby, talk to me. What’s going on?” I force my chair back and stand up, moving towards the exit. I can’t sit still waiting for her to tell me what’s wrong. I can hear panic in her voice and I need to get to her now. “Cassidy.”

“Someone is in my apartment, th-they kicked the door in. Please. Oh my God. Please, before he finds me.”

I don’t bother explaining anything to Anders but I know he’s right behind me, without question following me out of the bar. I jump into the driver’s seat, the phone automatically connects to bluetooth and we peel out of the parking lot the moment Anders shuts his door.

“Baby?!” The phone is quiet, I can hear her heavy breaths and muffled sobs. “I’m on the way. Fuck!”

I can get to Cassidy’s house with my eyes closed and we arrive in less than five minutes. Throwing my door open, I look back at my best friend, nodding my head before I rush to the stairs. I take two steps at a time to get to her apartment when I notice the door is slightly open, and I quiet my steps. The pounding in my chest is unrelenting, it’s beating so loudly I can hear it muffled within my ears. Easing the door open, I take my first step inside.

Anders is only a few paces behind me, pulling his phone out to make sure the police have been called the moment we see the vase from the counter, now shattered on the floor. My call with Cassidy is still connected, which gives me the faintest amount of hope that she’s still here and safe, somehow. I make my way deeper into her space.

A heavy thunk from the back of her home urges me into a sprint as I make my way to her bedroom and see the bathroom door wide open. Broad shoulders that aren’t my Babygirl’s hover in the door frame. The person must hear me behind them as they turn, quickly barreling towards me. I have about a second to think, but I’m not concerned, I have at least sixty pounds of muscle on this guy. Nothing is going to keep me from getting to her.

My fist connects with his face and I hear the crunch of his nose breaking beneath my fingers. I lean into my next swing, connecting with his jaw, knocking him off his feet before my best friend is behind me, his hand gripping my shoulder. “I got him, J. Go find your girl.”

I nod at him, not looking back before picking the phone up and putting it to my ear. “Cass, Baby, can you hear me? Are you still there?” I say, loud enough for her to hopefully hear me on the phone as well as in the house. She must have put the phone down because she’s not responding, a faint sob catches my attention from down the hall towards the spare bedroom. I force myself to slow my steps, not wanting to scare her, but also wanting to get to her as quickly as possible.

Pulling the door open, I see her curled into a tight ball, her knees pressed into her chest in the corner of the room. It’s dark in here but I can’t take my eyes off her.

“Jameson. Y-you came!” Her voice trembles with adrenaline that I’m certain is leaving her body as she reaches for me.

“Of course I came, Babygirl.” I wrap her in my arms, pulling her onto my lap as I sit on the edge of the bed. “I will always come for you.”