Heaven Beside You by Christa Maurice Page A

planned on stopping to visit them,” Jason said, following her past the detergent aisle.
    “I didn’t. I’d hoped to duck them.” Cass dodged into paper products. She should have known she’d never get in and out of town without her parents catching her. Even if she did, they would have come up the mountain. She grabbed a package of paper plates and a mixed bag of plastic utensils. When she turned back, he stood behind her, so close she could feel his body heat. She clutched the plates against her chest.
    “Why?” he asked.
    “Why?” Cass bit her lip. “I didn’t think you’d want to meet my parents. It’s not like we’re dating.”
    His lips curled into a slow smile. “I see. I suppose you’re right.”
    She thrust the plates and utensils at him. “You’ll need these.”
    “Thanks.” He plucked them out of her hands and paused for somewhat shorter than a heartbeat before stepping back and allowing her past him.
    As she turned the corner, she glanced down to make sure she hadn’t put on high heels at some point. No, still wearing tennis shoes. Maybe the floor had become more uneven with age. Or maybe West Virginia was having its first earthquake since the Cretaceous. At the end of frozen foods, she stopped before she stumbled into a freezer case. “Okay.” She tried to cough the squeak out of her voice before trying again. “Okay, here you are. Every frozen food known to Potterville, West Virginia.”
    Jason peered down the long aisle of lit cases. “Anything you recommend?”
    “I don’t eat many frozen dinners.”
    “I guess not. I wouldn’t either if I could cook like you.”
    He was gazing at her again, and Duke Henderson wouldn’t be interrupting this time. She should thank Jason for the compliment, but didn’t think her mouth would work.
    “I was hoping you’d bend your rule about not cooking for the guests at least one more time,” he murmured, and reached for her hand. The callused tips of his fingers scraped across her palm.
    A sigh built in the back of her throat. Her vision seemed to be filled with Jason. In Henderson’s. Henderson’s Grocery, where every Pottervillian bought the bulk of their groceries. Where anyone could see her and know, or assume, she’d fallen for her famous winter guest, giving them one more thing to feel sorry for her about. She drew her hand away. “I’ll go get your deli order. Tombstone pizzas are supposed to be good.”
    She turned and walked away. Where had she gotten the willpower to pull back? When it came to a quart of mint chocolate chip ice cream, especially if hot fudge were involved, she never had that much willpower. Jason was premium mint chocolate chip with homemade hot fudge, whipped cream and a cherry.
    Much more than she could handle. She was a generic ice cream girl; premium would be too rich. Jason had been not just around the block, but around the city...the country. Around the world. He knew good from better from best, and if he had some idea about her, then maybe she didn’t want to ruin it by letting him know the truth. Plus, it was a small town and word would get around. The way things were around here, the grapevine would buzz anyway and she’d be at a distinct disadvantage to denounce it if it were true. So what, if he made her pulse do a Zydeco beat and her fingers twitch uncontrollably to coil through his hair? If he did have some crazy notion about dropping back to the minor leagues for a little fun with her, well, she didn’t have to start thinking she had any chance of moving up to the majors with him.
    Of course, other people managed to have flings. She’d had campers who met their lovers for one-week stands and then went their separate ways. During one memorable new age retreat, neighboring cabins had combined into one and the resulting couple had stayed on for an extra week before going back to their regular lives. When Cass had spoken to the woman at the end of the second week as she turned in the keys, she’d