Cassie feels a smile tugging at her lips. “And I suppose you want a copy of my key too.”
“Only if you want me to have it.”
“I do.”
Actually, it’s exciting. She’s given out her key before, but usually just to a friend like Zoe in case she got locked out. Moving in with Joel would have terrified her, but this feels like the right level of commitment. They’re moving forward, but not too fast. She loves him, but that doesn’t mean they’re making babies yet.
Within minutes, Cassie has a copy of Joel’s key. She digs into her purse to get out her keyring, but out of the corner of her eye, she sees a face at the door to the hardware store.
It’s Maureen the Homeless Lady. Dressed in her usual puffy coat with two scarves. Her face nearly pressed against the glass.
Cassie startles, taking a step back. Her heart is beating fast in her chest as she steps behind a display of wood, trying to conceal herself. What is Maureen doing here? They’re really far away from the bookstore—far from Maureen’s home. Doesn’t she need to stay by her stuff, to guard it?
And why is she staring into the hardware store?
“Are you okay?” Joel squints down at her. “You’re not having second thoughts, are you?”
“No, I just…” Cassie peeks out at the door to the hardware store. Maureen has vanished. “Nothing. Never mind.”
As Cassie digs her keys out of her bag, she decides she’s been letting her imagination run wild. There’s no reason why Maureen shouldn’t be allowed to take a walk around the neighborhood. She’s just feeling paranoid after everything that’s happened lately.
Chapter 33: The Ex
I don’t know what I’m doing here.
It’s a mistake. I sense it’s a mistake as I walk through the glass doors to the cardiology practice where Dr. Dean Pourakis is employed. I’ve waited too long—Dean won’t want to see me. At the very least, I should have called. I don’t know what I was thinking, showing up like this.
I didn’t plan it. I was walking by the practice, where I’ve escorted Nonna once before, and I was seized with the urge to see Dean. It isn’t until I get to the front desk, where a blond girl ten years younger than me and far prettier is manning a computer that I entirely lose my nerve.
“I’m sorry,” she says to me. “We’re closing for the day.”
“Oh, I’m not…” I clear my throat. My cheeks feel suddenly warm. “I’m not a patient. I just… but if you’re closed…”
I glance behind me at the vacant waiting area. It’s clearly been the end of a long day, judging by the way every chair in the room is slightly askew and magazines litter the seats. Still, the room gives off a sterile air that I appreciate in a cardiology practice.
“Well, well, well, if it isn’t Miss Loren.”
I jerk my head up and see Dean standing at the door to the back. He’s wearing a white dress shirt paired with a dark blue tie, and he looks so freaking handsome, my knees feel weak. I cinch my coat tighter around my waist. “Hello, Dr. Pourakis.”
He takes a few steps toward me, his dark eyes trained on my face. He isn’t quite smiling, but he doesn’t seem upset either. “To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?”
The attractive secretary is staring at us, waiting to see what I’ll say. The whole room has gotten very quiet all of a sudden.
“My grandmother forgot her glasses,” I blurt out.
He raises an eyebrow.
“I mean, at her appointment yesterday,” I say. Even though Nonna’s glasses are almost certainly perched on her nose as we speak. “We’ve been looking for them and she thinks she left them behind.”