The Best Is Yet to Come (21)

“I won’t be long. I’ll be by to pick you up in a few minutes.”

“Okay.”

Sure enough, Cade arrived back at the cottage in short order.

“I can’t thank you enough for this,” she said, after she climbed into the truck, sitting next to him.

“No problem.”

“But it was,” she countered. “I mean, this took more than two hours out of your afternoon.”

“Didn’t have anything going on, so no sweat.”

How quick he was to dismiss her appreciation. She wanted to thank him and could think of only one way. While he’d been dealing with her vehicle, she’d cooked dinner. A real dinner, pork chops in mustard sauce, and not something quick that she so often threw together.

Cade pulled into the grocery parking lot and eased his truck next to her car. Even before she could ask him to join her for dinner, he said, “I’ll follow you home to be sure there aren’t any problems.”

Hope decided to wait until they were back at the cottage before she mentioned the meal she’d prepared. “I’d appreciate that.”

Her car ran as if there had never been a problem, and Hope was grateful.

And nervous.

She wanted to invite Cade to dinner. Past experience told her he would likely refuse. It came to her how much she hoped he’d agree to join her. She wanted to get to know him better. He’d built a barricade around himself, one as thick as the Great Wall of China, and she was eager to see the man behind that thick barrier.

After she’d claimed the parking spot next to the cottage, she got out of her car. Cade was already backing out when she stopped him by waving her arm over her head.

Rolling down his driver’s-side window, he looked impatient to leave.

“Thanks again,” she said, walking over to his truck. As awkward as this felt, she wasn’t about to let him go this easily.

Cade kept his hands on the steering wheel. “Like I said, it wasn’t a big deal.”

“It was to me.”

He acknowledged by dipping his head.

“While you were busy dealing with the tire, I cooked dinner…I was hoping you’d join me.”

“Not necessary.”

“It’s the least I can do.”

“Another time.” He started to close the window.

“It’s my grandmother’s recipe for pork chops in mustard sauce, with fried potatoes and salad.”

He hesitated. “Pork chops?”

She nodded, seeing a small crack in his defense. Her grandmother was right when she’d claimed the way to garner a man’s interest was to wow him with her cooking. Unfortunately, the handful of recipes she’d gotten from her grandmother was limited. She did make a tasty meatloaf, though.

That crack closed almost as fast as it appeared. “Another time.”

It was hard to disguise her disappointment before she accepted his decision. “Okay, I understand you’re probably busy. How about I put together a plate for you to take with you?”

He looked away from her and then back. “Thanks anyway, I’ve got other plans.”

Earlier, he’d assured her he had nothing on his agenda. He’d lied in order to get out of spending time with her. Enough said. She got the picture.

“Sure,” she said, finding it hard to swallow his rejection. “Another time.”

He agreed with a quick nod. Hope knew without him ever saying it that he had no intention of following through.

She stood on her porch steps and watched as Cade drove away. As he pulled out of view, she couldn’t help but wonder if she would ever be able to understand what made him tick.

Her phone chirped with a special ring that told her it was her dear friend Tonya.

“Hey,” Hope said, happy to hear from her college roommate. “It’s been a while.”

“You were on my mind. How do you like living in Washington?”

“Love it.”

“Meet any interesting men?”

Sometimes Hope wondered if Tonya had psychic powers. “Now that you mention it, I have.” For the next ten minutes she relayed her brief history with Cade. “Do you have any words of wisdom?” she asked her friend.

“Patience,” Tonya said, without hesitation. “You took the first step. Let him be the next one to reach out.”

“And if he doesn’t?”

“Then you have your answer. Some men are worth the effort and others aren’t. Let Cade tell you into which category he falls.”

After briefly catching up, Hope ended the call and mulled over the advice her friend had given her.



* * *



—

The next morning, before her first class, Hope stopped by Dean Wilcox’s office. She had to wait a few minutes before he was able to see her.

“More trouble with Pender?” he asked, as soon as she took a seat in his office.

“Unsure. I have a question, though.”

“Fire away.” He leaned back in his chair and placed his hands behind his head, ready to listen.

“Did you happen to speak to anyone about our conversation after I left the school yesterday?”

Dean Wilcox frowned slightly. “What makes you ask?”

“My car was vandalized yesterday afternoon.”