“I agree.” Cassie let a truffle melt slowly on her tongue, too busy savoring the delicious treat to pay much attention to what was beneath the egg-paper wrapping of the small box she found inside the larger cardboard box Doug had just delivered.
“Cassie.” Lola went from gushing to dead serious in a heartbeat. “That’s definitely a Tiffany box.”
Pulling off the rest of the wrapping paper to reveal an elegant, oblong velvet case, Cassie realized her sister was right. “There must be a mistake. I can’t think of anyone who would send me something from this store.”
“Open it already,” Lola urged, “so we can find out what it is and who it’s from.”
Cassie popped open the case…and they both gasped.
“Oh my God.” Lola slid off her stool to get a better view. “Look at all those diamonds. And there’s a note. Quick, read it!”
Cassie slid a tiny card out of a small blue envelope.
Thank you for everything. You’re a lifesaver.
Flynn
Lola’s gaze flew to Cassie’s face. “Flynn?”
“He’s Smith’s friend who needed a place to stay,” Cassie reminded her sister. No one in her family had assumed Flynn was anyone famous, and it hadn’t occurred to her to tell them he was a famous screenwriter. Especially not when she knew he’d wanted to come to Maine to get away from his fame. “He arrived last night.”
“Did Smith also happen to mention that his friend is the kind of guy who says thank you with diamonds?” Lola took the bracelet out of the case and held it up to the light. “This is absolutely stunning.”
It was. But that was irrelevant. “I can’t keep it.”
Lola looked mildly horrified at the thought of Cassie giving it back. “Why not?”
“Because it’s way too big a thank-you for helping him out last night.”
“Wait. I thought you were just letting him stay in your cabin for a little while. What else did you help him out with last night?”
Cassie rolled her eyes at her sister’s dirty mind as she took the bracelet and laid it carefully in the case. “With his baby, Ruby.” Cassie’s heart softened the way it always did when she thought of the little girl. “You should see her, Lola. She’s beautiful.”
“Wait… You’re not talking about Flynn Stewart, are you?”
“That’s him.”
“Oh my God.”
“You’re starting to sound like a broken record.”
“That’s because only you would forget to tell me that Flynn Stewart is the guy we’ve been talking about this whole time. What’s he like?”
“Honestly, I don’t really know. We’ve barely spent any time together.” All she knew for sure was that he would do anything for Ruby. And that he wasn’t a fan of Cassie sticking around the cabin, unless absolutely necessary.
“You were obviously together for long enough that he felt compelled to send you diamonds.”
“I don’t want to gossip about him, especially when I’m guessing that’s part of the reason he needed to get away from Hollywood.” Cassie frowned. “How did you guess so easily it was him?”
“I heard that an actress was wearing a dress made of one of my fabrics. While I was on the website, I read a rumor that Flynn had become the guardian of a baby a few weeks ago, then left town in a rush. There’s all kinds of speculation about whose baby it really is.” She held up her hands, looking a little guilty. “I know I shouldn’t read that stuff, but I swear I’m not asking you to gossip about him. All I’m asking is if he’s as hot in person as he looks in the press?”
Cassie couldn’t keep the heat from flooding her face at the memory of exactly how hot Flynn truly was.
Lola grinned. “That’s a yes. In all capital letters and bold font.”
Cassie looked down at the diamond bracelet. “I can’t believe he thought he needed to send me a gift like this when all I did was help him settle Ruby down.” She was pretty sure it wasn’t gossiping to tell her sister, “The baby was teething and wouldn’t stop crying, and my number was the only one he had in the area.”
“What time did all this take place?”
“Four.”
“In the morning?” Lola was doubly horrified. “Sorry, but not even Flynn Stewart is good-looking enough to warrant getting out of bed that early.”
“I’m glad he called.” Cassie knew she sounded defensive, but after the night she’d shared with Ruby and Flynn, she felt extremely protective of both of them. “Ruby was miserable, but once we figured out that she was teething and gave her something cold to chew on, she settled down. I already told him I was happy to help, so he should have known that there was no need to send me this.” She popped the jewelry case shut. “Honestly, who gives someone a diamond bracelet for helping with their baby for a few hours?”
“By this standard,” Lola agreed, “Ashley owes us piles of jewelry.” Their nephew, Kevin, was ten years old and an extremely independent and self-sufficient kid. When he’d been a baby, however, all of them had pitched in to help Ashley out when they could, so that she could finish high school and then get her business management certificate at the nearby junior college.
“I’ve got to return this bracelet to him immediately.” Cassie gestured to her progress—or lack thereof—on the Town Hall commission. “I’m useless here today anyway.”
At least now she had an excuse to check on them.
“I’d ask you to tell him that you have a sister you want to set him up with,” Lola said, “but you’re right—helping him with a baby definitely doesn’t warrant a gift like this. I have a feeling he’s got a crush on you.”
“A crush?” Cassie felt herself blush so hard, her face might have just gone purple. “That’s impossible.”
“Why? You’re gorgeous, smart, talented, successful.”
“That’s nice of you to say, but I’m pretty sure he only dates supermodels.”
“Guys like him always think they want a supermodel, when really what they’re craving is homemade apple pie. You’re full of so much sweet and wholesome goodness that any guy with half a clue would want to take a bite out of you.”
Cassie couldn’t help but laugh as she locked up her studio behind them. “You have been watching way too many episodes of The Great British Bake Off.”
“Bite your tongue,” Lola scolded. “There could never be too many episodes of British people baking in tents on big estates.”
Laughing at the paradox of her sister, who had never sifted flour or used a mixer, being far more passionate about TV baking shows than anyone she knew, Cassie gave her a hug, then headed over to her cabin to return Flynn’s over-the-top gift.
CHAPTER FIVE
Mid-morning, when the doorbell rang, Flynn immediately tensed up at the thought that the paparazzi had already tracked him down. He’d been careful not to leave any clues as to where he was going, and he knew Smith wouldn’t have told anyone. Maybe someone Flynn had encountered during his cross-country travels with Ruby yesterday had seen through his glasses-and-hat disguise?