she only said, “I don’t think cookie-baking elves were part of the spruce-up, no.”
She stepped aside so he could go in, but he motioned for her to enter first, earning points for manners even if he had just put down her town. Or at least, that was how Cassie viewed it.
She did go in ahead of him, though, wanting nothing so much as to have this over with so she could get home and not see this guy again until she was more presentable.
He followed behind her as she set the key on the small table just inside the door.
“It’s all pretty much here, where you can see it,” she said then. “One room. Kitchen, bedroom, living room—”
She did a display-model sort of wave to present it to him and gave him a moment to glance around at the few cupboards, sink, miniature refrigerator and two-burner stove that lined the wall to the left of the door; the sofa, armchair, coffee table, single reading lamp and television beyond that and the double bed, nightstand and chest of drawers that made up the bedroom in an alcove toward the rear of the space.
It had all been cleaned and painted, Cassie noted. Plus there were new slipcovers on the furniture and a fresh quilt over the bed she was betting had just-bought linens on it.
“The bathroom is through that door,” Cassie added after a moment, aiming an index finger at the walnut panel facing into the bedroom alcove. “There’s a claw-footed tub with a shower over the center of it, along with the rest of the requisite accommodations—nothing luxurious but it’s all in working order.”
She was just about to ask if he had luggage somewhere when she saw two leather suitcases on the bench at the foot of the bed.
“I guess someone already brought your bags,” she said unnecessarily.
“I had them sent ahead. Glad to see they got here.”
Cassie ventured to the refrigerator then and opened that door to peer inside, discovering what she’d suspected even though no one had filled her in beforehand.
“The fridge is stocked,” she informed him, moving to look in the cupboard above the brand-spanking-new coffeemaker. “There’s coffee and filters. And breakfast cereal. Fruit in that bowl on the counter. But I don’t see any cookies, baked by elves or not.”
He chuckled despite the fact that there had been an edge of sarcasm to her voice.
“Too bad. I like cookies.”
Cassie glanced at him then, discovering him smiling amiably enough, clearly unaware that he’d ticked her off. Which probably meant she was being overly sensitive when it came to her hometown—another throwback to other days. To a different man. So she consciously discarded her own minor pique and amended her tone.
“Is there anything you need that isn’t here?”
He shook his head. “Seems comfortable enough. I have my cell so it doesn’t matter that there isn’t a telephone. And I can probably get cookies somewhere else.”
He could probably snap his fingers and the dean or the mayor would come running with freshly baked ones, Cassie thought. But she didn’t say that. Instead she allowed Joshua Cantrell a small smile.
“Great dimples,” he observed with a tilt of that handsome head.
“Mmm,” Cassie said, beginning to wonder if the guy was working her for some reason. Maybe he was the kind of man who had to win over and try to seduce every woman he came into contact with. Because surely that could be the only explanation if he was actually flirting with her the way it seemed.
“Tomorrow—” she began.
But that was as far as she got. “Alyssa has only one class tomorrow so she and I are going to spend the day together. You’re off the hook as potential-donor baby-sitter in place of what was his name? Curt or Kirby or…Kirk—that’s it. The guy I was supposed to hook up with tonight who already let it slip that he’s the head of fund-raising.”
So he knew.
Cassie didn’t deny it. “Kirk Samson. He hurt his back late today and will be out of commission the whole week.”
“Which is why there was the Sunday night phone call to you, dragging you away from moving and not warning you that what they want my sister’s freshman adviser to do is take over schmoozing the moneybags.”
Cassie flinched and made a face.
“It’s okay. Comes with the territory. But let’s just do it like this—I know up front what the powers that be want of me. You don’t need to put in any kind of plugs or pleas or promotions. Let’s just shelve that right off the bat, okay?”
“Okay.”
“What I’m interested in is getting familiar with the school, the town and the people my sister is going to be in close proximity to and relying on for the next four years. So to tell you the truth, since setting eyes on you, I’ve been thinking that Kirk the Fund-raiser’s accident is a stroke of luck for me—”
“I doubt that it was that for him.”
“True. But for me it means that now I get the insider’s view. Kind of like going into a restaurant through the kitchen instead of being ushered in the front door and taken to the VIP section. I’m also thinking that if people around here meet me as a regular guy who one of their own is showing around, this will all go much more smoothly. There will be less of a chance of anyone realizing who I am or calling some damn tabloid to report it, and that will ultimately give Alyssa the chance of staying off the radar here. And even if someone does track her to Northbridge eventually, it would help if, by then, your little town likes her—and me—enough to circle the wagons to protect her. I think that could all start now, with you.”
In other words, the dean and mayor wanted her to win his favors, and he wanted her to make the whole town love him and form an instant loyalty to him and his sister.
Was that all?
Nothing like a little pressure. And with everything she owned still in boxes she should be unloading.
For the second time—only to a different audience— Cassie said, “I can’t make any promises about people liking you or circling wagons to protect Alyssa. But I will show you around and introduce you as Joshua Johansen.”
But unlike the mayor, Cantrell seemed satisfied with her reply. “Good enough. I just want a low-profile, low-key, no-big-deal week.”
“I’ll do my best.”
“So tomorrow night? The Welcome To Northbridge College thing?”
“Right. It’s a meet-and-greet—mainly with administrators and other parents. The teaching staff will be at the reception on Wednesday night, which you will hear about at the Welcome To Northbridge thing when the dean outlines all of the activities and events scheduled for Parents’ Week.”
“We can hook up for that, then? After my day with Alyssa?” he asked.
“Sure.”
“Great. I’ll be looking forward to it.”
Cassie
