item he pulled from the bags.
“Oh, I love peppers. I’m glad you got red and yellow ones. Fresh mushrooms? Yes! And Orville Redenbacher movie theater popcorn. His is the best. Bananas? Do you know how long it’s been since I’ve had a fresh banana? Neighbor, way the hell too long.”
Shep wandered in and generally made a nuisance of himself, taking every step Cassie made and staying under her feet as she put away everything from fruit to canned goods.
“What do you want, boy?” She leaned down and nuzzled him once all the sacks had been emptied.
“You didn’t get his favorite thing in the world,” Breck noted.
“What do you like, Shep?” she asked, scratching between the dog’s ears.
“Nilla wafers. It’s his special treat. He’ll do tricks for them a hundred times in a row. Go through an entire box if you let him.”
“I didn’t know that cookies were on the Shep diet.” Cassie immediately reached for a pen sitting by the phone and jotted the item down on the pad before tearing it off and putting it on the front of the refrigerator with a magnet.
“Wow. I like your style, General.”
“Add anything to this list when we run out or anything else you like that I didn’t buy. I’ll be sure to keep things well stocked.”
He bit into a Granny Smith apple. “Okay, let’s go carpe diem this other situation.”
With Breck’s help and Rhett’s credit card, Cassie had the car towed to a garage for tire replacement and arranged for the mechanic to return it to the rental company. She had the Range Rover to get back and forth now so she would no longer need the sad Toyota. She also arranged for deliveries of alcohol since Breck said they were down to two beers and she contacted a cleaning service. She would interview applicants tomorrow afternoon.
Breck nodded with approval. “You did that in record time. Never worry about the bills. They go to Rhett’s accountant. He pays them. Nothing out of the ordinary, so it’s like it never happened.”
Cassie frowned. “It still bothers me, Breck. Randi’ll think she got away with something. What she did was mean. Vicious, actually. She should own up to such juvenile delinquent behavior.”
“When the time is right, you’ll know when to spring it on her—and Rhett, if it comes to that. I’m hoping he’ll dump the slut before that happens. The thing is, Cassie, you’ll need to watch your back. Randi is vindictive. She’ll go for your jugular. I’ll do my best to keep you two apart but make sure you keep an eye out for her.”
“I don’t feel right about keeping this from Rhett. He’s got a crazy woman running loose in his house. He’s my boss. He should know what’s happened in his own home.”
“Believe me, it’s better to keep quiet. Ride out the storm. Won’t be the first time I’ve protected Rhett this way. And besides, Randi would never lift a finger against Rhett.”
“I think you deserve a raise.”
Cassie looked and saw Rhett leaning against the door frame, spooning Greek yogurt into his mouth. Instantly, she panicked. She wondered how long he’d stood there and what he’d heard of their conversation. As she studied him, though, he didn’t seem to be reacting to anything other than the one luxury item she actually bought for herself each week.
“I see you found the yogurt.”
Rhett’s eyebrows raised. “Is that what it is? I thought it was a little container of heaven. Seriously, I’ve never had yogurt this good. It’s like cool velvet carpeting my mouth.”
“This I’ve gotta try,” Breck announced. “The boys’ll definitely be happy tonight.”
“Boys?” Cassie looked from Breck to Rhett.
Rhett licked the spoon contentedly. “I hold a weekly poker game here. A few guys come over. We’ve ordered pizza the last couple of times.”
“What time will they be here? Do they expect dinner or snacks?” She pointed to Breck. “Or do they eat around the clock like this one?”
“Hey. I had that apple. And a few grapes.”
“And Ritz with peanut butter. A bowl of ice cream. Plus, half a bag of pretzels—all while you were helping unload and store the groceries.”
“Did I hear ice cream?” Rhett’s eyes gleamed.
Cassie laughed. “I thought you’d found heaven in that yogurt.”
His smile turned wicked. “Yeah, but ice cream? That’s paradise.”
◆◆◆
“Seriously, Cassie, you didn’t have to go to all this trouble. Besides, you’ve been here all day.”
Cassie looked at her boss as if he’d sprouted another head.
“One, it’s my job to be here all day. Two, this is