“We’re going to take that table in the corner, Mom.” Though Flynn hadn’t said anything about remaining anonymous, when he’d slipped on his hat and glasses after getting out of the car, it had been a clear cue that he didn’t want anyone to recognize him.
“Great,” Beth said. “Here is the list of specials. Amy will come take your order in just a minute.”
Flynn looked a little dazed as they sat down, and not from lack of sleep this time. “Your mom is very nice. And a bit of a whirlwind.”
Cassie smiled. Whirlwind was the perfect description of her mother. No wonder he was an award-winning screenwriter—he obviously had a way with words. “She’s pretty darn special.”
When he realized she’d echoed his comment about Ruby, he smiled back. And wow…did it ever do crazy things to her insides. It felt like a dozen butterflies were now flying around inside her stomach.
Hoping to cover her reaction to him, she said, “My mom is a baby whisperer. I swear even babies on the street see her and stop crying.”
“You’re a baby whisperer too, you know.” He smiled again, making even more butterflies go wild. “We wouldn’t have made it through last night without you.”
Suddenly, it occurred to her that this was the first time the two of them had been alone. Okay, so there were other people eating in the café, and Amy had come over to gape at Flynn with the menus still clutched in her hands. But as soon as Cassie took the menus so that Amy could drool over him from across the room instead, they were effectively alone again.
And she was fighting a losing battle against getting lost in his deep-blue eyes.
“You would have been just fine without me last night,” she insisted. “It was blind luck that I happened to see the tooth poking through her gum. It probably also helped that I wasn’t jet-lagged.”
“It’s not jet lag that’s the problem.” He ran his hand over his chin. “You’re probably wondering what the heck is going on. Why I’ve been taking care of Ruby for only three weeks and where her mother is. I don’t know what Smith told you, or what you’ve read—”
“You don’t need to explain anything to me, Flynn.”
He scanned her face, as though he was trying to see all the way into her heart. Finally, he gave a little nod, like she’d just passed some invisible test. “You’ve been so generous. You shouldn’t have to be completely in the dark. Plus, I don’t want you to believe whatever you might see in the press.” He paused briefly before telling her, “My sister passed away recently.”
Her heart broke for Ruby and Flynn all over again. “I’m so sorry.”
“I am too.” Sorrow was etched into the lines of his face. “It was never public knowledge that I had a sister—still isn’t.” The words were clearly a warning, one she wanted to tell him he didn’t need to give her. She would never gossip about him to anyone, not even her family. “I wasn’t able to see much of her over the years. Not nearly as much as I would have liked. But as soon as I found out she died, I had legal custody of Ruby within forty-eight hours.”
“What about your parents? Are they able to help at all?”
“They’re also dead.” It wasn’t sorrow that passed over his face this time, but an emotion that looked a whole lot closer to anger. His gaze flickered away from hers. “Car crash.”
“Oh, Flynn.” She reached out to put a hand over his for a brief moment—long enough to register how warm, and strong, he was. “You’ve both been through so many changes in such a short time. I wish there was something more I could do to help, other than just offering my cabin and a few teething tips.”
“You’ve helped more than you know. Life in Hollywood…” He shook his head. “It isn’t where Ruby needs to be.”
“What about you? I’m assuming most of your business meetings take place in Los Angeles.”
“They do, but when I’m deep in a new script, I deliberately avoid them. Nothing ruins creativity faster than listening to some guy in a suit drone on about audience segments and profit margins.”
“I deliberately avoid meetings too,” she agreed. “Unfortunately, my lack of business acumen is currently reflected in my profit margins.”
As she was speaking, he shot another glance toward the kitchen. He’d been doing that since they’d sat down.
“I’m sure Ruby is doing great in the back with everyone,” Cassie said softly, “but if you’d feel more comfortable having her out here with us, Mom would be happy to bring her back to you.”
She could see how much he wanted to have Ruby close by. Badly enough that he seemed to be fighting a silent battle with himself before saying, “Ruby looked like she was having fun with your mom. It’s good to see her laugh.” He turned his focus back to Cassie. “You made her laugh too. Thank you for that.”
Cassie felt her cheeks go hot under the intensity of his gaze. “Anytime.”
Beside the table, Amy cleared her throat. How long had she been standing there? Long enough to see Cassie turn beet red just because Flynn was looking at her?
“Do you two know what you’d like to order?” Amy asked.
“I’d like the colcannon fish pie,” Cassie said, “and a coconut latte.”
“I’ll have the Irish stew,” Flynn said, “with an espresso.”
“So,” Cassie said once Amy walked away. She had to have at least one conversation with Flynn where she didn’t get so flustered. “You were saying you’re deep into a new screenplay.”
“Smith and Valentina are waiting on a new thriller. Only, I’m not sure when I’m going to be able to work on it now that I have more than just myself to think about.”
“I’m sure you want to spend as much time as you can with Ruby—who wouldn’t? But have you thought about bringing in a nanny for a few hours every day?”
His expression darkened. “I tried that back in LA. Suffice it to say that it didn’t go well.”
“Did the nanny hurt Ruby?” Fury rose inside Cassie.
“No, thank God. But she did try to sell our story to the media.”
“That’s horrible.” Cassie couldn’t understand how people could be so mercenary. “Some of my well-known cousins, like Smith, have had issues like that in the past. I always feel so bad that they have to go through it.”
“It’s the price an adult who has chosen a career in the spotlight pays for notoriety. But kids should never be put in a position like that.”
“I totally agree.” As soon as her mom brought Ruby out, Cassie wanted to give the sweet little girl a hug.
“Smith is the one who intercepted the story,” Flynn told her. “I owe him big-time.”
“You didn’t buy him a diamond bracelet, did you?”
She wasn’t sure if she’d been right to tease Flynn, especially during such a heavy conversation. But she hated seeing him look so upset.
Thankfully, the corner of his mouth quirked up. “Nope. He looks better in emeralds.”
As Amy dropped off their drinks, Cassie laughed, glad that he no longer seemed quite as tense.