She frowned. “What should we do? Someone got in. Why they didn’t touch your car surprises me. Why mess with a beat-up rental that’s ten years old?”
He shook his head. “Oh, honey, you still don’t get it, do you?” Breck gave her a long look. “Nobody got in. And only one person has gone out.”
Shock reverberated through Cassie. “Randi? You think Randi did this?”
“I guaran-damn-tee you she did. You must’ve set off that fiery little temper she has. You probably gave her as good as she was tossing to you. And you took Rhett away.”
“Took him away?” She was baffled. “He’s my boss. We went inside to go over business. Lunch was more of the same. Why would she do something like this?”
Breck grinned. “’Cause she’s a fuckin’ nut case. I told Rhett that from the start. Models are wacko. They don’t ever eat, which would drive any sane person crazy. They keep weird hours. Hang around with looney photographers. They do drugs and drink all kinds of shit that makes ‘em loco and keeps ‘em skinny. I warned Rhett that he was making a big mistake getting involved with Randi.”
Cassie gave Breck a knowing glance. “But all he saw was tits and ass and legs up to here?”
“You might say that had a bit of an influence on him.” He looked over at the car and shook his head. “Still, she’s a mean little bitch. How she thinks you wouldn’t figure out it was her beats me.”
Cassie’s chin rose. “I won’t give her the satisfaction.” She paused. “How do we handle it so Rhett and the papers never know?”
“This is the kind of stuff you’ll get used to. I’ll show you where the credit card is. Rhett probably forgot to give it to you and I know where Carreen keeps it. Come on inside. We’ll tackle this mess together.”
“No, we need to get the groceries taken care of first.”
“Okay. I especially wouldn’t want any ice cream to melt.” He looked at her hopefully. “That is, if there was any ice cream that might melt.”
Cassie smiled. “Oh, I think there’s Rocky Road and Double Dutch Chocolate, along with some frozen strawberry bars.”
Breck grabbed her and smacked her loudly on the lips. “God, I love a girl who knows how to shop. Let’s go, General. You’re definitely in charge from now on.”
She stood and watched Breck sweep up several sacks and march in. Her face burned beet red. She knew he didn’t mean anything by the kiss but months had passed since her last kiss with an asshole who’d stuck her with their dinner bill. He’d gotten all touchy-feely during dessert and then took a call on his cell and raced out of the restaurant, saying he had an emergency and would call her the next day. Cassie paid the bill with her already overextended Visa card and sworn off men ever since.
Worse, the jerk never bothered to call so she could tell him off.
They got the groceries in and Breck showed her the freezer off in the butler’s pantry. He was like a kid at Christmas, excited over every new 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.”