Hot Summer Nights: A Four Seasons Novel Read online

  I didn’t bother to undress before flopping gracelessly onto my bed. I was too exhausted from the potent combination of nerves, excitement, and annoyance that had held me for most of the day. My phone showed a dozen missed texts from my best friends, Jillian and Jess. Ones wishing me luck and checking in on me. The messages had gotten progressively more anxious when I hadn’t responded.

  First comes love, then comes marriage, and then there’s the friend left behind. The single one. Me.

  I couldn’t avoid them forever, so I heaved a sigh and sent a message back to Jess.

  Cassie: Chat?

  Jess: I think it’s like 1 AM in Scotland. Jillian might be asleep.

  I kept forgetting to check the time difference. She’d only been gone for a few weeks. Not long enough to process her absence fully. Even during summer vacations when I headed home to Texas, we hadn’t really been that far away from one another. But before I could backtrack, she responded.

  Jillian: I’m up!

  Of course, she was up. She’d probably been having toe-curling sex with her boyfriend, Liam. He was the reason she was halfway across the world. In fact, both of my best friends were out of the country, thanks to the men in their lives. Jillian in Scotland with her boyfriend and Jess in Mexico with her husband. Another change I hadn’t fully processed yet.

  It took a few minutes to get both of them on the screen. Jess was lounging in a hammock, sunlight haloing her face and highlighting her honey blonde hair. She was tanner than I’d ever seen her and thanks to her lack of make-up, I noticed she had a few more freckles speckling her nose than she usually did in rainy Washington. It was dark in Scotland and Jillian had clearly snuck off to have this chat without waking up Liam or his family. I could barely make out her dark hair piled into a messy crown atop her head. Her mascara was slightly smeared and she had a glow radiating from her that wasn’t courtesy of cosmetics. I’d been right about why she was still up.

  “You look gorgeous!” Jillian sang, no doubt referencing the fierce color palate of sharply lined eyes and classic red lipstick I’d chosen in an effort to look less like the baby intern I was. “Very boss babe.”

  “I don’t think I fooled anyone into thinking that,” I said with a roll of the eyes.

  “I bet they had a ton of applicants and they chose you,” Jess reminded me, her image swaying slightly on the screen as if she was being rocked by a gentle, invisible breeze.

  “There are two interns,” I said in a measured tone, meant to sound casual. Both my friends visibly tensed, but waited for me to continue. “It wasn’t what I expected.”

  “Tell us about it,” Jess said, moving the screen closer to her face as if to show her genuine interest.

  That was the amazing thing about best friends. They knew exactly when to listen, even when the sad single of the lot wanted to cry about ex-boyfriends and rough days at work. I hadn’t been too busy to notice that both of them had started calling less frequently for venting sessions of their own. Now they had their own significant others to cry to, which, if I was being honest, made me a little jealous. Not that I was losing them—I knew that I’d never really lose either of them—but because part of me wanted what they had. For the moment, they were stuck dealing with listening to my life’s little curveballs.

  “Yeah, spill it,” Jillian encouraged as if she could read my mind. She had an uncanny knack for knowing how to say just what I needed to hear. She was here for me. Jess was here for me. Regardless of their relationship statuses.

  “I ran into Luka,” I started, deciding to make the day’s events a slow burn. At least today had the makings of a helluva story.

  “Wait, freshman year Luka? The Italian sex god who spent all day in the gym?” Jillian clarified.

  “It seems like you remember him fine,” I said with a shake of my head. Maybe I didn’t want to relive today or all the memories it dredged up.

  “There was a one-month period where you only left your room for classes—and don’t get me started on how loud you two were.” Jess’s lips pursed as if recalling an unsavory smell.

  “You’re one to talk. I spent my last vacation listening to you and Roman bang,” I reminded her. I was teasing, especially since she had a point. At least, she’d been discreet with Roman. Luka and I had been caught in the men’s restroom by the dormitory advisor and been cited on several occasions for noise violations. Yeah, my relationship with him was memorable.

  I filled them in on that awkward, chance encounter, even admitting to my idiocy with the credit card machine.

  “That was a real crappy start to your day,” Jillian said with sympathy.

  “At least, it could only get better, right?” Jess chimed in.

  Such wishful thinking. If she only knew. “Actually, then I ran into Danny.”

  “Danny?” They both repeated in unison with blank faces.

  “The nice guy who kissed me like he was my brother.”

  That jogged their memories.

  “Oh, he was super nice. I liked him! I don’t even really remember you two breaking up,” Jess said. She was a big fan of nice guys. She’d always dated them. She’d nearly wound up getting engaged to her own yawn-inducing boyfriend because of it.

  Jillian for her part giggled. “He was boring.”

  “But nice,” Jess appended as if offended on his behalf.

  “He was nice,” I agreed, before tacking on, “and boring. He remembered how I took my coffee.”

  Both my best friends visibly cringed, their discomfort growing as I recounted the rest of that spontaneous reunion.

  “Wow,” was all Jillian said when I finished. If she only knew.

  “Just wait. It gets better,” I muttered. “Guess who the other intern is?”

  Jess’s mouth dropped open mirroring the expression of horror on Jillian’s face. My girls knew me too well. Or maybe they’d always seen Trevor for the scum bucket he was and had expected something like this to happen.

  “No!” Jillian vocalized her disbelief.

  “Señor Douchebag,” I confirmed, satisfied by their reaction even if I was still pissed at his behavior.

  “I can’t believe he did that,” Jess said after a few moments of silence. “Who does that?”

  “I mean, he knew you applied for that position!” Now Jillian was getting riled up.

  It was as though they’d lived through the waking nightmare of this morning, too. In a way, they had. They’d been present for every poor choice and resulting heartbreak I’d made over the years. They’d met all of these guys. It wouldn’t be hard for them to sympathize with my plight.

  “All these boys stacking up. It’s like a none-too-subtle reminder of every bad choice I ever made dating,” I admitted in a low voice.

  “Think of it like a path,” Jess said. “They’re just a reminder of how far you’ve come.”

  “And where you’re headed,” Jillian added.

  I wasn’t sure when my best friends had gotten so wise, but I suspected it was when they had found their own forevers. I wanted to believe them.

  “I think maybe I took a wrong turn or two,” I said dryly. I was done looking for love in all the wrong places and falling in love with all the wrong faces. Dating, men—they were bad habits that I had kicked thanks to heartbreak, romance novels, and my trusty vibrator.

  “Nah.” Jillian shook her head. “You’re just not there yet.

  “Where?” I asked, my eyebrow curving up.

  “You’ll know when you reach it,” she said simply.

  “Seriously, when did you two turn into freaking gurus?” I couldn’t help having a little fun at their expense.

  “How was the rest of your day?” Jess asked, bypassing the good-natured taunt altogether.

  “I broke the copy machine, except I didn’t. I just pressed the wrong button, so I looked like a jerk when I told my new boss I did.”

  “The same boss that overheard you threatening Trevor?” Jillian asked.

  “Mr. Tall, Dark, and Hand
some himself.” I sighed at the memory. “Then he got on me for not being at my desk when I was out making the rounds and meeting people.”

  Jess’s eyes narrowed. “I hate him already.”

  “We hate him,” Jillian chimed in.

  “Meanwhile, Trevor practically glued his lips to this guy’s ass. You’ve never seen such a sycophant.”

  “Were you jealous?” Jess asked.

  “I mean, sure, he’s insanely hot. But he gets this weird look on his face every time he sees me. I guess he is the boss, but that doesn’t mean I’m beneath him.”

  “I meant about Trevor,” Jess said.”

  “Oh.”

  “She thought you were talking about the boss,” Jillian said with a touch too much enthusiasm. I braced myself for the inevitable peer pressuring that followed.

  “It’s been six months,” Jess said as if she’d been keeping a calendar of my break-ups.

  “I told you that I’m done with men. Or really, boys. Basically, anything with a penis.”

  “Thanks for the clarification.” Sarcasm dripped from Jillian’s voice. “It’s okay to date again.”

  “Just take it slow,” Jess advised.

  “I’m hanging up,” I warned them. My finger hovered over the disconnect button.

  “I’m sure he doesn’t think you’re beneath him,” Jillian said.

  “He just wants you beneath him.” Jess grinned wickedly.

  “Isn’t marriage supposed to make you settle down? You’re shameless.”

  “Speaking of, my husband is calling me into dinner, so I need to run.” The grin morphed into a full-blown smile that lit up her whole face. Even thinking about him had that affect on her. I couldn’t remember ever feeling something so strongly that it radiated from me like the sun.

  Jealous. Table for one.

  “I should get some sleep. We’re driving up to Inverness tomorrow.” Jillian yawned, and I realized it was now after two in the morning in her part of the world.

  “Tell my sister hi,” Jess said as we began our goodbyes.

  “I’m going to tell her that you’re love crazy and acting like a damn fool.” I would do no such thing, but Jess had been my straight-laced, good girl friend for too long to not revel in the insane 180 degree turn she’d made that had ended only a month ago in her elopement.

  “I worry about her,” Jess said. “I think we may lose her to Scotland.”

  “I’ll call her mother,” I threatened, only half joking. I wanted my best friends to find their happily-ever-afters. I just wanted them to do it closer to home.

  * * *

  “Does your cat know how to open drawers?” I asked as soon as Lillian got in from the office hours later.

  She startled at the sound of my voice but recovered quickly as she dropped her purse and briefcase on to the dining table. “Not that I know of.”

  Lillian and I were still growing accustomed to each other’s presence. Since I’d spent my last three years living in a dormitory it was a bit easier on me. She still seemed surprised to find me there every night. It had only been two weeks since I’d moved in with Jess’s older sister for the summer. Since Lillian was a high-profile lawyer she worked late. Really, really late. She pretty much used her condo for the bed and shower, even going into the office on weekends.

  That was one of the reasons she had agreed to let me stay with her when I landed the internship at NorthWest Investments. There had been stipulations, of course. No partying. No boys. Since I wasn’t in the market for either, I’d agreed. Seattle was an expensive city and I knew I wouldn’t find cheaper rent anywhere. Okay, free rent. I hadn’t figured out yet whether I should stay in my room and out of sight, or if she wanted company.

  Tonight, she smiled blearily as she dug through the fridge and came out with a takeout container. She didn’t bother to reheat the noodles. Instead, she grabbed a fork and sat on the opposite end of the couch.

  “How was the first day?”

  I shrugged, not ready to share the details after my hour-long conversation with Jess and Jillian. Lillian didn’t pry. We weren’t exactly close. Given her insane workload, she’d only visited Jess in Olympic Falls a few times. We’d been out to dinner or come to the city to see her, but we didn’t know one another that well.

  “That good, huh?” She slurped down a long, greasy noodle.

  “You can tell?”

  “Lawyers know how to read people,” she explained. Her cat jumped into her lap and glared at me as if to say this was her time with her.

  “It was just stupid first day stuff.” I closed the book I’d been reading and decided to slip back to my quarters, so she could relax in her own home.

  “I spilled coffee on one of the partners at my first internship. A steaming hot, vanilla latte. Gave him second degree burns. Did you do that?” she asked, her lips tugging up as if the memory amused her. Maybe now that she was successful, she could see past the mortification. I laughed a little, which startled the cat and she ran off. Lillian stretched her legs now that she’d abandoned her lap.

  “I didn’t.” Yet. I sensed this situation was doomed somehow. I’d probably drop my mocha on Gavin tomorrow and ruin his expensive suit. Then he really would hate me. That was if I didn’t dump it over Trevor’s stupid head first.

  “Then you’ll be fine,” she promised.

  “I’m heading to bed,” I told her. Pausing at my door, I called back, “What did he do? Your boss?”

  So, I hadn’t spilled burning hot coffee on Gavin North, but he didn’t like me. I wondered how her boss had reacted when she’d doused him with a latte.

  “He fired me,” she said, “so I went across the street and got an internship at their rival firm.”

  “Nicely played.” Somehow it didn’t surprise me that Lillian had the moxie to march up to another law firm and ask for an internship. Her sister had always called her a workaholic. It seemed she had always been that way. “Good night.”

  Going to the rival of NorthWest Investments? That wasn’t going to be an option for me. Besides which, I hadn’t been fired. I just needed to prove that I could cut it, and I would without groveling to the higher up, especially Gavin. That man wasn’t going to bring me to my knees.

  I did my best to ignore the faint ember that thought stoked inside me. Getting involved with someone wasn’t going to happen anytime soon. Getting involved with my boss wasn’t going to happen ever. The growing beat between my legs suggested my body was considering mutiny.

  The truth was that what I missed most about being in a relationship was the sex. I’d never admit that to anyone. It made me sound easy. But that wasn’t it. I’d worked hard to get where I was: landing a full-ride scholarship to Olympic Falls University, keeping my grades up so I didn’t lose it, building my resume. On a daily basis the stress of it wound around me until I was a ball of anxiety. Sex had been my release. The trouble was that sex came with emotional baggage I didn’t have room in my life for anymore. I needed to find new ways to relieve that stress. For now, I turned to my dresser.

  And found the damn cat sitting in the open drawer.

  “How do you do that?” I asked, before scooping her up and depositing her back into the hall. The last thing I needed was anyone—even a cat— trying to get into my panties.

  Chapter 3

  Being five minutes late on my second day—especially after my emotionally traumatizing first day—felt like as bad an omen as the gray sky above. Seattle was usually sunny in the summer, offering a brief reprieve from the nine months of drizzle it was known for, but today was the exception. I dashed into the lobby as the first soft droplets hit the pavement. George, the receptionist, looked up and shook his head.

  “I know, I know.” I dug into my purse to fish out my brand-new employee ID card. Somehow I’ve already managed to lose it. I found it at the very bottom, it having worked its way down to the bowels of my bag like all important objects usually do. I held it up triumphantly.

  George leaned towar
d the counter and lowered his voice conspiratorially. “Mr. North is on a tear. I’d head straight to the sixth floor. He hasn’t made it there yet.”

  “Thanks,” I said gratefully even as my stomach took a nosedive. Not only was I late, but if I wasn’t careful, I risked angering my already annoyed boss.

  “Look busy!” he called after me.

  The elevator took the length of a Bible to arrive after I hit the button, my stress level ratcheting up with each second that passed until I’d hit a level of anxiety previously unheard of in a human being. I could be studied for science. When it finally came I breathed a sigh of relief, stepped in, and hit the button for the sixth floor.

  I wasn’t certain what Gavin North’s problem was exactly. At the first opportunity, he’d passed me off to another associate for the tour. Then he’d shown Trevor around himself. Maybe he was a chauvinist, another white guy holding on to an old boys club mentality. It hadn’t been what I expected to encounter when I came to work here. Not after my numerous phone interviews and not after the research I’d done on the company. To be fair, there’d been a lot less information on Gavin North available. Most news outlets preferred to focus on the scandalous life of his late, silent partner Nathaniel West. Reporters were obsessed with figuring out why the real estate investor had chosen to get into business with a relative novice in his industry. Part of me was curious as well. I’d have to actually spend some time with him to find out, which would be difficult if he continued his preference for Trevor’s company.