Cassidy laughed. “I mean, I’m standing here with a cup of coffee. I’m assuming you have coffee too. I thought I’d pop over and pay you for the flowers and…and maybe discuss what else you’re going to do.”

“It’s…it’s seven.”

“And? You’re up. I’m up.”

“I have bedhead,” she said as she quickly ran a hand over her hair, trying to tame it.

Cassidy laughed. “So do I. I’ll be over in a second.”

Oh, crap. She was still in her sleep shirt. She was barefoot. Did she have time to run upstairs and put on a bra? No. But she shouldn’t care. This was her time. Her quiet time. She shouldn’t have to be concerned with neighbors popping over at daybreak!

She narrowed her eyes as Cassidy walked through the dew-dampened grass in flip-flops. She was dressed similarly in a T-shirt and loose-fitting cotton shorts. However, that’s where the similarities ended.

“You so do not have bedhead,” she accused.

“No? I just assumed. I haven’t looked in a mirror yet.” She smiled. “Or brushed my teeth.”

God…so this is how she looks when she gets out of bed? That is so not fair, she thought as she again ran a hand over her unruly hair.

Cassidy pointed at one of the patio chairs. “May I?”

Not only did she probably look a hot mess with her bedhead, but she’d apparently forgotten all her manners. She nodded. “Of course.”

“This patio is great. Inviting,” Cassidy said as she looked around. “Love all the flowers. Have you always had a green thumb?”

Laura shrugged. “I’m not sure. This is my first attempt at it.”

“Really?”

“My mother…well, flowers—plants—that was always her thing. She can’t do it anymore, so when I moved here…”

Cassidy nodded. “Oh, that’s right. You said your mother was an invalid.”

Laura felt herself blush. “Well, I may have exaggerated a bit. She uses a walker to get around, mostly. Wheelchair too.” At Cassidy’s raised eyebrows, she explained. “She was in a car accident three years ago. Frankie was driving.”

“Ah. Your stepfather.”

“Again…not my stepfather. I couldn’t stand the man.”

“Yeah, he was a bit on the obnoxious side. To be honest, I couldn’t get that privacy fence up fast enough.”

“I guessed he was the cause of it. But with the pool and all…I suppose you need one.”

Cassidy met her gaze and smiled. “Yes. Especially since I enjoy skinny-dipping.”

Laura tried. She really, really tried. But the blush started at her toes and crept up to her face anyway. She wanted to look away, mainly because she was embarrassed. Cassidy’s expression told her she knew Laura had seen the activity at the pool. Well, there was no sense in trying to deny it.

“You have the worst taste in women,” she blurted out.