Last on the List (Wait With Me #5)(3)

I clear my throat, knowing I need to take over this interview that’s venturing on completely ridiculous with a candidate who listed Subway as her last place of gainful employment four years ago. “I’m afraid our life philosophies don’t quite match up, Cassandra. My ex and I like Everly to stay busy and feed her mind. She’s on the swim team and does gymnastics. She has piano lessons and her chess club. We have her booked up for several camps this summer. Oh, and her book club—”

“I’m in a book club…What are you guys reading right now?” Cassandra interrupts.

“It’s called Mostly The Honest Truth…it’s kind of sad.” Everly looks disappointed.

I frown and open my mouth to respond to that but am cut off once again. “I love a good tearjerker!” Cassandra gushes, adding excitedly, “Especially the kind that makes your nose run. It’s like your body’s way of cleansing your soul.”

“Cleansing your soul?” I mock.

“I never thought about it like that!” Everly peals with a thoughtful smile, erasing the sadness in her voice she had a moment ago.

Cassandra returns Everly’s smile and shoots a small wink at me before refocusing on Everly. “It’s fun to think about things, isn’t it? That’s what doing nothing gives you the opportunity to do. Let your imagination run wild and daydream.”

“So that’s really your proposal with my daughter this summer? To do nothing?” I ask dryly, hoping she has a backup response that she’s going to pull out of her back pocket at any moment.

Cassandra nods proudly. “We’ll also do a lot of sitting. I’m an expert at sitting,” she deadpans.

“Okay…I think we’ve heard enough, Cassandra.” I move to stand, but she reaches out and touches my arm, halting me in my tracks.

“Cozy,” she corrects with a wink.

The teasing look in her eyes causes my skin to tighten. I do my best to shake it off as she refocuses on Everly to share with her the last book that made her cry. Her hand slides off my arm, and my eyes lock on the way her index finger trails off the fabric of my suit.

I’m left struggling to shake this silvery feeling her delicate touch has left on my arm, so I take a moment to inspect Cassandra a bit closer now that her focus is off me. Her facial features are round, a faint dimple appearing in her cheek as she talks animatedly to my daughter. Her alabaster skin is a stunning contrast to her nearly black hair cropped bluntly just above her shoulders. She has shockingly plump lips slathered in a pale pink gloss that thankfully doesn’t match the orange jumpsuit that looks like something a teenager would wear. Her ample curves indicate she’s very much not a child.

“How old are you?” I blurt out and then blanch at how unprofessional of a question that is. I close my eyes and curse under my breath. “I’m sorry, you don’t have to answer that.”

“I’m twenty-six, Big Daddy,” Cassandra replies with another wink and then immediately dives back into conversation with my daughter.

Big Daddy? I frown at that very unpleasant label. Jesus Christ, so unprofessional. No fucking way…over my dead body. This will not work. I click my tongue and bring out my CEO voice. “Cassandra…I thank you for coming in, but I’m afraid—”

“You’re hired!” Everly bursts out, standing up so she’s eye level with me. She thrusts her hand across my face and reaches for Cassandra’s, mimicking me to a T how I’ve handled many successful boardroom transactions.

My mouth hangs open as I sit frozen, watching Cassandra stand in what feels like slow motion to take Everly’s hand and accept the offer.

“This is so awesome!” Cassandra shakes Everly’s hand so hard, she starts to giggle. “This summer is going to be GOAT!”

“Goats?” I exclaim, finally breaking free of my stunned-stupid response to my daughter taking over this meeting. How is Everly so charmed by this…this…I don’t even know what to call a person like Cassandra. “No one said anything about farm animals.”

Cassandra and Everly burst out laughing like they’ve been buddies their entire life. Everly places her slender fingers on my shoulder in a way that makes me feel like the eleven-year-old in the room. “Dad, GOAT means greatest of all time.”

My shoulders slump. “Oh.”

Everly leans over to Cassandra and whispers loudly, “I’m so glad this worked out. If we didn’t hire someone today, my dad was totally going to get a case of his stress poops again.”

“Everly!” My eyes fly wide when Cassandra turns her green gaze to me. I push a nervous hand through my hair and quickly rush out, “I don’t get stress poops. I don’t know what that kid’s talking about.”

Cassandra reaches out and pats me on the other shoulder. “Hey Mr. Fletcher, no judgment here. Maybe you should try some of that kombucha out there you won’t let your staff have? It’s really good for the digestive system.”

I groan and pinch the bridge of my nose. This summer is going to be a disaster.





“Rebecca just told me you’re moving into this guy’s guesthouse?” Dakota hollers to me from somewhere in my sister’s spare bedroom that I’ve been living in for the past few months. I’m tucked away in the small walk-in closet, so it’s hard to hear her.