Crazy Love: Wrong Girl meets Wrong Guy

Cassie Easton gazed out the window of the taxi she was in, feeling numb as one too many cups of coffee held her frayed nerves together. The only reason she wasn’t bawling her eyes out while explaining to Makani, her taxi driver, why she was a failure was a steely determination to cry only when alone. The beautiful loch and the promise of exploring Pearl Harbor weren’t enough to make her feel better. Even thoughts of her boyfriend, Tucker, weren’t enough to bring a smile to her face. Well, thinking about Tucker hadn’t brought a smile to her face in a long time. Ever since they went to different colleges, things weren’t the same between them. Cassie was sure she could make a long-distance relationship work after they graduated from high school. Ha, she sighed. She’d been certain about a lot of things. Cassie took a deep breath and tried to relax, loosening her vise grip on the bag clutched to her chest like a lifeline. She glanced at the seat next to her. A small suitcase lay open, the contents scattered about. The burn at the back of her eyes started again. She pulled out her phone, calling Tucker. “Come on, pick up. Please pick up.” Her voice choked. All thoughts of giving him a surprise were gone. It was a terrible idea from the beginning. Cassie wasn’t spontaneous. She wasn’t the type of girl to book a last-minute trip to Hawaii in an effort to save her relationship. She thrived on having a plan, and her greatest satisfaction was when everything went just how she planned it. The dial tone sounded in her ear. Her hand fell into her lap, defeated. The screen showed 20 beside Tucker’s name. In the last hour, he hadn’t answered a single one of her calls. He must be at the beach or something. Even as her mind offered excuses, something twisted in her gut. Tucker was never there when she needed him. Cassie sighed, ignoring Makani, who was shooting her concerned looks. He was really a nice guy, introducing her to different sites as he drove her to Ewa Beach. That was until she had a meltdown when she realized she’d ended up with the wrong carry-on. He offered to turn back, but they both knew it was unlikely she would find who took her luggage. She glanced at the large t-shirts and oversized shorts that belonged to a man, grimacing. Her hold on her backpack tightened. “Cha, we're here,” the taxi driver said. “Sorry.” Cassie jolted, looking out her window. She was relieved to see a beach house matching the picture Tucker had sent her. She stuffed the clothes back into the carry-on, dragging it out behind her as she apologized and paid the driver. “I’ll wait,” he said, shutting off the car. “You don’t have to,” she said. “My boyfriend lives here.” He glanced at her and then at the house, shaking his head. “I’ll wait.” Cassie frowned, looking at the house. There was nothing wrong with it. In fact, it was beautiful. It sat right on the beach, two stories, with lots of windows and a wrap-around deck. She could imagine sitting and watching the sunrise with a cup of coffee and her sketchbook. Cassie saw a towel and surfboard resting against a deck chair. She was now sure Tucker missed her calls because he was swimming. “It’s fine,” she said. The rest of her words died on her lips as she saw the look in Makani’s eyes. He wasn’t leaving. There was also something else: kindness and concern. Like he knew she was going to need a ride. Cassie laughed. She was tired, and her imagination was getting the best of her. The walk up the driveway felt long. The closer Cassie got, the more her heart pounded, and her feet felt heavy. She wanted to turn and run. She couldn’t understand why she felt this way, since she’d been looking forward to seeing Tucker for months. “You got this,” she said, pressing the doorbell. The door swung open. “Look, Ally, it’s over…” the voice trailed off as two stunned gazes collided. “Who?” “Mr. Reeves?” Cassie's voice squeaked, her eyes trailing down smooth, tanned skin. She caught herself ogling him, her eyes snapping up. Tucker hadn’t told her his dad would be there! “Sorry, Mr. Reeves. I came to surprise Tucker.” “Tuck? Cassie!” His mouth dropped open before snapping shut. He reached up to pinch his brow. He opened his mouth several times but didn’t speak. “Why don’t you come inside?” he said, stepping to the side to let her pass. Her feet were glued to the floor. “Can I speak to Tucker?” Her voice sounded wrong, distant. The man in front of her sighed. Blue eyes looked at her with compassion. She locked her spine to hold still, meeting his gaze instead of looking away. “Cassie, Tucker isn’t here. Last I checked, he was flying to New York to visit you. Something about supporting you at a competition.” Blood pounded in Cassie’s ears, and she felt so hot. Her hand reached for the door frame but missed, landing on warm skin. He’s hot. Wait, he’s hawt and hot, she thought, laughing before everything went black. *** Marcus Reeves caught his goddaughter. Her too-light body was concerningly warm. He held a hand to her forehead. She had a fever and was probably dehydrated. Soon, she would be brokenhearted. Cassie was a good girl. His son, Tucker, was not a good boy. He used to be or did his best to pretend he was, but like most guys, they thought college was a time to have fun, and having a girlfriend got in the way. The meetup in New York was supposed to be a group of friends. Marcus hadn’t said it, but Tucker heavily implied that Cassie and he agreed to take a break from dating while at college. Marcus lifted her in his arms. He wasn’t looking forward to the conversation after she woke up. If Tucker were here, he’d lay into him. He groaned as he saw Makani ambling up his driveway. Of all the taxis Cassie could have gotten into. “Howdy, neighbor,” he said, brown eyes focusing on the girl in Marcus’ arms. “She’s a little young.” “She’s my goddaughter, and we're not neighbors.” Marcus toed open the door, more than a little annoyed when Makani followed him in. His relationship with Spencer was solid. But Marcus didn’t know what his best friend would say when Marcus explained his son had screwed over Spencer’s baby girl. “Could’ve fooled me, the amount of time you spend in the house next to mine.” Makani trailed behind. “This is a nice house. A little too haole for my tastes.” He picked up something pink and showed it to Marcus. “You invited other friends over, but not me. Wonder if Ally knows about your other friends.” Marcus rolled his eyes. “She said she was divorced.” “Bruh, she lied.” He left it unsaid that Makani warned Marcus that Ally was nothing but trouble. “Give me a break.” Marcus rested Cassie on his bed. He should have brought her to the guest bedroom, but that’s where he usually had s*x with his dates, never allowing them into his bedroom. It felt wrong to have her here, but it would be worse to bring her there. Makani leaned against the doorframe. The pink thong dangled from a finger. “If Ally has her mouth open, either she's sucking someone's d**k or lying.” “I didn’t know that.” Marcus didn’t want to think about Ally. It was ironic he scrapped off one crazy ex only to pick up another. “You knew. The problem was you were using the same d**k she was sucking to think.” Makani slingshot the underwear at Marcus. He caught it and threw it in the trash. “Your friend’s not gonna want that back?” Makani asked. “She’s on a plane to Canada. She’ll have to get a new one,” he said, taking Cassie’s shoes off and covering her. Makani laughed, loud and booming. “Bruh, with your luck, she noticed it was missing and is coming back here to find it.” Marcus loosened the collar on her shirt and put an ice pack on her forehead. He riffled through the first aid kit, but there weren’t any smelling salts. He knew he had some. “Can we focus on Cassie?” “Wouldn’t do that if I were you. Focus on a woman like that for too long, and you end up in trouble.” The suggestion shocked Marcus, his eyes jumping from Makani to the girl in his bed, bringing something he’d ignored into focus. There was a beautiful woman in his bed. “She’s my best friend’s daughter.” “That’s why you should listen to me this time.” Marcus laughed. It wouldn’t happen. Cassie was beautiful, but she was the type of girl you built a family with. Marcus had been there and done that. He also wasn’t going back there. “I’m pretty sure my son just broke her heart.” “Must be a Reeves family tradition.” He resisted the urge to throw something at his uninvited guest. “Make yourself useful and get the smelling salts from the bathroom.” He filled a cup with water, ready for Cassie to drink when she came to. He wasn’t looking forward to this conversation. Marcus wished he could drag Tucker here to do his own dirty work, but didn’t think Tucker would handle Cassie with care. Marcus shifted Cassie’s hair out of her face. He hadn’t recognized her when he opened the door. In his head, she’d stayed fourteen and knob-kneed like the last time Marcus saw her. Now, she was nineteen and had grown into a gorgeous woman. “I’ve got to run,” Makani said, coming out of the bathroom and tossing a bottle to Marcus before heading for the door. “See you Friday.” “Wait, did Cassie say anything?” Marcus tried to follow, but Cassie woke, grabbing his arm. Large brown eyes gazed up at him, desperate, searching for an answer he couldn’t give. She must have seen something on Marcus’ face. The hopeful look in her eyes crumbled, and she started talking. “I called him, you know. Yesterday. Said he was having fun on the beach. Wished I was there with him. That’s why I did it. Got on a plane. Came here to make a fool out of myself.” “Shhh, have something to drink.” He lifted the glass to her lips. She sipped at it as tears spilled from the corner of her eyes. She didn’t seem to notice them, looking at him like she was waiting for Marcus to give her the answers. Marcus ripped off the proverbial bandage. “He told me you two were on a break.” So you could enjoy college was left unsaid as Cassie burst into tears, buried in his arms, hot tears scalding his skin as his heart clenched.