Cassie's New Plan(22)

“Are you feeding an army, Tess?”

“Nope, just your man here. These Johnson boys can pack it away. You better learn how to cook if you decide to stay with him.”Tess winked, placing the platters laden with thick French toast, scrambled eggs and Canadian bacon in front of them.

“She cooks great. Where’s hers?”Rob asked, grinning as he reached for the platter. Tess smacked his hand.

“Didn’t your father teach you any manners? Here are your plates. Fill the lady’s first,”Tess ordered.

Rob chuckled. “Yes, ma’am! Is that enough, Cass?”

Cassie just nodded, feeling a little overwhelmed.

“How do you know her?”she asked after Tess left.

“Her dad played linebacker and retired a while ago. She’s met Bry, but not Glenn. Eat. It’s real good.”

Cassie took a bite before launching into the meal. He was right, it was delicious. She made a mental note to add nutmeg to her French toast recipe.

“And a touch of amaretto,”Rob added, seeing her trying to decipher the ingredients.

“You like to cook?”Cassie asked, surprised.

Rob nodded. “Yeah, it’s fun. I got tired of takeout real fast. Wait until you see my new kitchen. It’s a gourmet’s dream.”

“I’ve never seen your house,”Cassie said quietly.

Rob’s eyes twinkled. “No one has. You will be the first. In fact, let’s stop by the market and pick up stuff. We can make dinner together.”

Cassie eyed him suspiciously. He was like hot and cold running water.

She swallowed nervously. “Are you going to, well...”

“Yes, I will be punishing you. I’m sorry, but you deserve it and I care too much about you to have you put yourself at risk again. But it will be done and over with and we can go forward,”Rob said firmly, meeting her eyes.

“I don’t want you touching me again like that. It makes me feel disposable,”she whispered, hanging her head.

Rob frowned, reaching for her hand. “What do you mean? If I didn’t care, I wouldn’t put the effort into correcting you.”

“You were mad, and you didn’t even…”She fought back tears.

Rob bit his lip, realizing his mistake. “I didn’t comfort you after. Gosh, Cass, I’m an idiot. I’m sorry. I forget that you have different needs than us guys. You would think, at my age, I would have my shit together. I’m not perfect.”

“I’m sorry I’m such a burden to you...”

“I swear, if I hear you say that one more time, you will be going across my knee.”Rob’s eyes darkened. Cassie blushed, looking around. Several people had heard him and were chuckling. He lowered his voice.

“I never want to hear another derogatory word about yourself coming from that sweet little mouth of yours. Ever. I love you, Cass. More than I care to admit. And NOT as a roommate or a neighbor,”Rob forced out. She blushed again, hanging her head. He cleared his throat, plopping some bills on the table. “Come on, let’s get out of here before the storm hits. Tess was right, it’s gonna be a doozy.”

Cass remained silent as they stopped by the market to get food for the house, watching as he selected the ingredients to make pork tenderloin. He asked her opinion and she smiled shyly, adding other ingredients to the shopping cart. He purchased them without question, not missing the baking chocolate and promise of another cake.

Fat rain droplets started landing upon the windshield as they drove another twenty minutes. Cassie glanced around; the area was well wooded with dense thickets and occasional copses of cypress and willow trees. A haze settled over the grounds, giving off an eerie appearance. It was an abnormally cold day for this part of the country. Rob glanced at her with a smile.

“This is part of my property. Got a small lake behind the house. Like it?”

“It’s pretty. You must love bugs,”Cassie grinned, swatting a mosquito.

“Part of living in Florida. I have misters to keep them out of the house. I also checked, and there are no gators or snakes in the lake.”

“Good, because I hate both. Except fried,”Cassie giggled. Rob pulled up to a stone and red wood, two story farm house that was nestled in the center of an oak grove, with a small orchard of avocado and orange trees to the side.

“This is beautiful! Wow, did you do it yourself?”she asked, getting out of the truck and admiring the structure. Rob nodded proudly.

“Yep. Come in, I’ll show you around.”

He put the groceries on the island in the kitchen, showing off the high end appliances, ovens and storage. Cassie clapped gleefully.

“I can’t wait to cook in here. This is incredible!”she squealed.