Page 103

But Reese smiles, then she presses her lips to mine, and I let myself hope, just a little, that this could work for us, no matter how much things change.

So long as I don’t fuck things up.

* * *

But things at work are different than at home, and I decide there’s no point in waiting the few days left until filming wraps to talk to Cass. That, at least, I can get done.

I knock on her office door the next morning, right around the time she goes downstairs to grab her daily coffee.

But I’ve got one ready for her, to ease the pain of my news.

I push out the door, trying to refrain from humming “Me and Bobby McGee.”

“What?” Cass asks without looking up over her computer.

I smile. I’m going to miss this, the way we talk to each other like we’re still teenagers barging into each other’s rooms for a fight.

“I got you this,” I say, lowering her coffee on her desk.

Cass frowns. “What did you do?”

“Nothing. I’m putting in my resignation.”

Cass smirks in that way she does when she’s trying not to laugh, but picks up the coffee, taking a sip. But when I don’t say anything else, she lowers her coffee, her smile dropping. “Wait, you’re serious?”

“Yup.” I flop down in the chair across from her, grinning like a fool. “I can stick around for a bit, maybe through Christmas, but you should get Blake to start putting out feelers now for my replacement.”

I’m surprised to find I’m not nervous about this at all. Maybe because Cass is my twin sister, who’s seen me through everything from howling in pain at the age of five when I caught my junk in the zipper of my monster truck pajamas to putting a hole through a wall of my best friend’s house when I found out he was sleeping with my little sister.

I sit up a little straighter at that memory. Classic Eli, overreacting because I was so sure Chelsea was in trouble. But I’m not like that anymore—if theChef’s Apprenticesituation has taught me anything, it’s that sometimes my habit of diving into things without thinking can turn out great.

Look where it’s gotten me with Reese.

I grin stupidly once again.

But Cass isn’t smiling. She just closes her eyes for a half second before she says, “No way, Eli.”

She goes back to her laptop.

I blink. I knew Cass would be pissed. But I don’t expect whatever this is.

“What are you talking about, no way?”

Cass snaps her laptop down and stands up in one quick move. “No way in hell am I letting you throw everything you’ve got at a woman without even waiting a half second to decide if it’s remotely a good idea.” She comes around the side of her desk and presses her forehead into her hand. “Eli, I love Reese. To bits. In fact, I’m shocked she seems to be so into you, after what you pulled with her.”

Somewhere, my phone buzzes with an incoming text. But I don’t look—there’s anger percolating in my chest at Cass’s words. “You don’t know anything about what happened between us, then or now,” I say, rising to my feet.

“I know you rushed into a relationship with her when the ink was barely dry on your divorce papers with Kelly.”

I take a breath, willing myself to not let the anger take hold. “We didn’t exactly have a relationship—”

“Right. Did she know that?”

My sister is making it very fucking hard. Still, I remember my words back then.I don’t do casual.

Cass continues. “I can’t believe you didn’t learn anything after giving Kelly everything.”

The anger comes up hot and sharp. It’s an old wound she’s pressed, one I thought was healed. “Things are different now, Cassandra,” I manage.