Chapter 14: Weekend in Paradise
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Cassidy and David made love multiple times over the course of the night. By 1 a.m., exhaustion overtook them, and they fell off into a deep sleep. It was the motion of David climbing out of bed that awakened Cassidy just past five in the morning. She waited until he came out of the bathroom before releasing a fear that came to her mind.
“So, what number am I?”
David was halfway between the bed and the bathroom door when he stopped abruptly at her question.
“What do you mean?” David queried back.
“You must have had other women in this bed,” Cassidy challenged while she laid naked and prone beneath the bedspread. “What number am I.”
“You’re the first,” David answered softly.
Cassidy silently studied David as she considered his answer. She paid no attention to the fact that he was standing nude in the middle of the room. She searched for something in his manner that suggested he lied, but she saw no indication of it.
“Well, maybe not this bed then,” Cassidy conceded with a hint of reluctance. “But you have been with other women in other beds?”
“A few,” David agreed with a nod. “But they were different.”
“Different how?” Cassidy asked with a trace of suspicion.
David paused with a small smile that bordered on a smirk. He softened his manner and spoke in a comforting tone.
“I didn’t seduce them. I allowed them to seduce me.”
Cassidy thought about his reply for a moment and then responded with a shrug.
“And how is that different?”
“I like you, Detective,” David said softly. “And I want you to like me.”
His answer did not ease Cassidy’s suspicions. Her defenses were up, and she interpreted subterfuge in everything he said. The possibility that he was sincere was not a consideration. She was unable to believe it which caused her to be overly defensive.
“And how many women have you said that to?” Cassidy asked, feigning indifference.
David recognized Cassidy’s fear of being just another conquest and turned to face her. He slowly moved to her side and knelt next to the bed so that they were eye-to-eye. He paused there, holding her gently with his eyes before answering.
“None. You’re the first.”
Cassidy was so touched that she had to catch her breath. She pushed herself into a sitting position to examine his face. She found the relief she so desperately needed in his expression.
“Can I believe you?”
David stared into Cassidy’s eyes and smiled, then he leaned in and kissed her softly on her lips.
“When it comes to how I feel, you’re one of the few people who can, Detective Tremaine.”
All her resistance fell away with his answer. She gazed back into his eyes and smiled.
“Cassidy—call me Cassidy.”
“Cassidy,” David said while reaching over to place his hand on her cheek and softly caress her lips with his thumb. “I would never deliberately hurt you.”
Cassidy took solace from his words and faintly smiled despite her earlier worries. They gazed hopefully at each other until David abruptly broke the connection with a passionate kiss. Cassidy enthusiastically returned his affection by pulling him into her embrace. David pushed himself up from the floor and tumbled into the bed with Cassidy. They rolled into a tangle of arms, legs and kisses that quickly turned into sex. Twenty minutes later, they were half asleep in each other’s arms again.
Cassidy stirred to consciousness shortly after seven-thirty later that morning while nestling atop David’s chest. Sunlight filtering through the curtains proved to be too much for her to ignore. Cassidy grumbled at the annoyance and put her hands over her eyes, trying to remain comfortable within David’s embrace.
“What do you want for breakfast,” David asked.
“Don’t bother,” Cassidy moaned. “I should be going home.”
“No, you’re not leaving,” David teased. “I’m not letting you go anywhere.”
“I have to go,” Cassidy pouted with a laugh. “My family is going to be looking for me.”
“I have a phone,” David informed her mockingly.
Cassidy knew that communication with her family was not a problem. She heard her cellphone vibrate more than five times during her stopover at the hospital and later adventures yesterday. She had little doubt that the callers were either one of her parents or one of her brothers. She suspected that there might have been one or more calls while she slept, and she had no doubt that there would be more calls to come later this morning. David was the reason she felt she should go home. She was not ready to explain him to her family. She was not sure who she was to him or vice versa.
Cassidy knew her parents and siblings were already aware that she did not go straight home from work yesterday. Her home phone would have been the first number they tried. And they would have likely tried it repeatedly yesterday evening. By going home this morning, she believed there was a chance to avoid any question about where she spent the night. It was not a major concern for her, but it was in her nature to avoid unnecessary questions.
“I have a life, relatives, friends, waiting for me at home,” Cassidy said evasively. “I should get back to that.”
“You have a weekend that you can use any way you want,” David countered as he pushed himself up onto one arm and turned toward her. “Spend it with me. Your friends and family will still be there when you go home Monday morning. I promise.”
Cassidy was flattered by his invitation and responded with a wide smile. She had not expected him to be willing to spend his entire weekend with her and away from his club. To her, it was another indication of his affection for her. She could barely contain her glee. She giggled briefly and then sat up and kissed him. She broke from their embrace with a look of mild shock.
“I have nothing to wear.”
“Mi armario es tu armario,” (My closet is your closet) David replied with a wide smile.
Cassidy flashed David a big grin.
“Really?”
“Absolutely,” David insisted before grabbing Cassidy by the waist, pulling her down on the bed and smooching her neck.
For several seconds, Cassidy giggled under David’s intense ministrations. She then pushed him back with a grin.
“So, what are we supposed to do here, just the two of us, for the whole weekend?” Cassidy asked while barely containing a grin.
David pretended to ponder the question a moment.
“I believe I have a Parcheesi board in my storage closet,” David said with a frown.
Cassidy snickered at his suggestion and shook her head.
“No?” David questioned with a look of surprise. “Well, I’m sure I have a deck of cards around here somewhere,” he continued with a confused expression.
“I don’t think so,” Cassidy declined while restraining a grin.
“Are you sure?” David asked with a confused look. “Gin Rummy is a very diverting game.”
Cassidy shook her head while desperately holding back a laugh.
“Wow! No cards either,” David complained with fake dismay.
Cassidy lost control and briefly let her laughter out. David returned her laugh with a silent grin and then he contrived a look of seriousness.
“Well then in that case, we’ll just have to spend the weekend in bed.”
David nuzzled and smooch Cassidy’s neck. She giggled under his attention. Then he shifted his interest down to her breast. Cassidy laughed and gasped for air attempting to speak.
“So, your plan is to keep me naked in your bed?”
David stopped fondling Cassidy’s breast and moved up to look her in the face.
“Pretty much, yes,” David replied with a smile.
David began kissing Cassidy softly on the tip of her nose, her cheeks and chin. He then nuzzled her neck again. Cassidy suppressed a laugh then moaned. Moments later, they found themselves wrapped in each other’s arms engaged in deep and playfully exploratory kissing.
“Spend the weekend with me, Cassidy,” David whispered breathlessly.
Cassidy smiled at David then gave him a soft kiss before responding.
“Okay, but I’m not spending it in bed.”
David returned an elated smile then kissed Cassidy on the lips, jumped out of the bed and raced into the bathroom while querying her for a breakfast selection. Cassidy lounged in the bed while David showered and brushed his teeth. When he finished, he quickly got dressed, stole another kiss from Cassidy and went into the kitchen to prepare her selection.
Cassidy climbed out of bed and took her turn in the bathroom. Twenty minutes later, she emerged wrapped in a towel with another around her hair. She savored the smells of bacon, eggs, toast and coffee that David sent wafting from the kitchen, but her first thought was to search for something to wear. Wearing the same clothes that she arrived in was unthinkable since she was not going back home. Now that her plans had changed, she needed something clean and comfortable, so she targeted David’s wardrobe for a solution.
Cassidy’s cellphone startled her when it began to vibrate. She pulled a pair of pajamas out of David’s bottom dresser drawer then rushed to answer it. She had anticipated that someone in her family would want to speak with her due to her involvement in the warehouse fire, and her suspension from the force, and her absence from home. Cassidy had no wish to talk about any of those things, least of all her absence from home, but she was eager to dispel any concerns they might have about her wellbeing.
“Hi Mom,” Cassidy said after hearing her mother’s voice.
“Are you alright?” A startled Margaret asked.
“I’m fine, Mom,” Cassidy assured.
“We heard you were in the hospital and the department suspended you,” Margaret prattled on. “And then you didn’t go home. The whole family has been worried sick. We’ve been trying to reach you since yesterday evening.”
“I’m fine,” Cassidy insisted a second time.
“But, where are you?”
Margaret’s question informed Cassidy that her mother was aware that she was not at home. Cassidy was not surprised, so the question made it clear to Cassidy that there was no need for her to pretend to be home. She thought it likely that her mother or one of her brothers had probably tried to contact her yesterday and this morning.
“I spent the night with a friend,” Cassidy explained with an air of indifference.
“And you didn’t think to call someone so that we would know that you’re alright,” Margaret challenged with disbelief.
“It just happened,” Cassidy retorted defensively. “It wasn’t planned, Mom. I just lost track of the time.”
“Did you lose your phone too?” Margaret continued with incredulity in her tone.
“I’m sorry, Mom,” Cassidy insisted with emphatic finality. “I promise the next time I get suspended and decide to spend the night with a friend I will call you right away.”
“Okay, okay honey, I’m sorry,” Margaret responded in a conciliatory tone. “I was worried. But you’re okay?”
“Yes, Mom, I’m fine.” Cassidy said in a passive voice.
“So, why were you in the hospital?” Margaret asked, still worried.
“I fell, Mom. That’s all. It’s nothing…”
Before Cassidy could finish her sentence, David popped into the bedroom doorway with a message.
“Your breakfast is going to get cold if you don’t…”
David stopped short when he saw Cassidy put her hand over the mouthpiece of her cellphone.
“Who was that?” Margaret asked after hearing David’s voice.
David whispered out an apology as he backed out of the room looking mildly stunned.
“That’s my friend,” Cassidy confessed hesitantly.
“A man,” Margaret declared.
“Yes, Mom. My friend is a man.”
“Oh,” Margaret returned with a smile in her voice.
There was a moment of silence between mother and daughter. Cassidy braced herself for her mother’s next words.
“So, when will you be returning home?” Margaret asked, amused and interested.
“I don’t know, Mom,” Cassidy answered with more than a hint of annoyance.
“Well, can I call you at home this evening?” Margaret pried with a little pleasure.
“You know, Mom,” Cassidy countered with some exasperation for the conversation. “I think I should call you.”
There was another moment of silence between them. Then Margaret felt playfully inspired.
“You know what, I’ll call anyway. You might forget.”
Cassidy’s exasperation reached a whole new level. At that moment, she knew that trying to conceal her plans from her mother was a waste of time. Aware of her mother’s motivation, Cassidy elected to tell Margaret as much as she needed know to end her inquisition.
“I won’t forget, Mom. I’m not going to be home until Sunday afternoon at the earliest. I will call you when I get in.”
“Oh,” Margaret responded with surprise and delight. “So, you’re going to spend another night with your—friend.”
“Yes, Mom,” Cassidy confirmed with impatience. “Tell everyone I’m okay. I have to go.”
“Okay, dear. Have fun,” Margaret returned, sounding both pleased and amused.
Cassidy disconnected the call then took a deep breath to shake off the effects of her mother’s interrogation. Feeling renewed, Cassidy dressed for her day with David. She arrived in the kitchen wearing a pair of his black silk pajamas. When they were both sitting at the table eating, David inquired about her call. Cassidy dismissively explained it as a checkup call from her mother.
“That reminds me… I don’t have a power cord for my phone,” Cassidy reflected aloud.
“That’s not a problem,” David returned. “Forward your calls to my home phone.
Cassidy considered his suggestion with skepticism.
“Well, I have to be able to make outgoing calls,” She explained with a contemplative expression.
“My phones can do that too,” David said with a hint of sarcasm.
“I know that,” Cassidy returned with a wide smile. “But I need to be able to call out on my cellphone.”
“Detective Tremaine, are you trying to hide me from your family?” David asked in a mocking tone.
“It’s not that,” Cassidy immediately countered.
Then she paused to consider what she just said and began again.
“Well, it’s mostly not that.”
David gave Cassidy a look that said he was confused by her answer, and for a moment she resisted the temptation to explain.
“My cellphone is my link to the precinct. I wouldn’t feel comfortable disconnected from it.”
“My phone is registered with 9-1-1.” David reported with a dismayed look.
“No, it’s just a police protocol thing,” Cassidy was quick to explain. “In an emergency, all I have to do is dial into my precinct. Because they know my number, they won’t ask a lot of questions. It saves time.”
“So, detective, are you saying that you’re afraid to be alone with me without backup on standby?” David questioned with a smirk.
“No,” Cassidy answered with a playful scowl. “Just forget I said anything. I’ll turn the phone off and check for message every few hours.”
“That sounds like a plan,” David retorted with a laugh.
Cassidy dug into her breakfast and said nothing more about her cellphone. After breakfast, she and David spent the day lounging, watching movies, cooking, cleaning and making love. After dinner, they spent a few hours strolling through Central Park under a cloudless, star filled night. They returned to the condo after 9 p.m., made love, noshed on pizza and wine, and slowly fell asleep in front of the television.
For Cassidy, it was the end of one of the better days of her life, and the best day she had lived for several years. She had not given any thought to her job or the Greenbelt Nine for the entirety of the day. It had become a day that she never wanted to end. All her reservations and fears were gone. He was the man of her dreams and she was not reluctant to show him. Her favorite place to be was nestled in his arms. She had no desire to go anywhere or to see anything that would require them to behave differently from how they were when they were alone. She was at the height of her passion for David. While she was with him, the rest of the world did not exist.
It was shortly past 7 a.m., Sunday, when Cassidy and David climbed out of bed. They had been awake for more than an hour, but a bit of amorous frolicking delayed their departure. Their love play extended to wherever they were when together. They showered together. They prepared breakfast together, and they washed the dishes together. Everything that was a chore two days ago was an opportunity for the two of them to interact with each other.
When the preliminaries of the morning were behind them, Cassidy and David moved into mid-day with no plans. They followed their instincts and made decisions on the fly. They rarely chose to do anything that took them into the company of others. Because of their natural drives and impulses, their activities today mirrored the day before. Shortly past 4 p.m., their progression deviated from their established pattern. Cassidy made her third check for messages on her cellphone. She found three messages waiting, but the one from Lt. Graham altered the course of her day.
“Cassidy, this is Lt. Graham. Andrew Lantz’s body was found in Dutchess County a couple of hours ago. He’s the owner of the warehouse. It looks like suicide, but the locals are still investigating that. The cause of death is a gunshot wound to the head. I’m told that a handgun was found at the sight, along with a handwritten note confessing to the Greenbelt Nine murders. So, if this plays out the way it looks then you may be up for another commendation. Either way you’re off suspension. Your shield and your ID will be waiting for you tomorrow.”
“What’s wrong?” David asked after seeing her expression change.
“I’m off suspension,” Cassidy answered with a stunned inflection.
“Already?” David questioned with surprise.
“Yeah. I think it’s over,” Cassidy replied, bewildered and in awe.
The investigation that had been her preoccupation a few days earlier felt like a distant memory at that moment. She remembered how important it was to her, but her effort to rekindle that obsession was not working. Somehow the case had deteriorated into a small event in her life that had come to an end. She concluded that her passionate feelings for David had relegated the investigation to the back of her mind.
“They got him?” David asked, referring to the owner of the warehouse.
“He’s dead,” Cassidy answered with a perplexed expression. “The case is over. He confessed.”
“So, you go back to work tomorrow?” David asked.
“Yeah.”
There was a little sorrow in Cassidy’s voice. She had already made it her plan to leave for home by 6 p.m. James had called earlier and left a message that he would deliver Cynthia and John to her at 8 p.m. She had every intention of delaying her departure time for as long as she could. But now she had reason to move that time forward. She wanted to be in a position to hear more news as it came in.
“I have to go,” Cassidy confessed to David after a moment of thought.
“Okay,” David agreed with a soft smile.
Cassidy looked intently at David with a small, sad smile. She was worried.
“Will I see you again?”
“Yes,” David insisted energetically. “You’re not rid of me, Detective Tremaine.”
Cassidy’s smile broadened. She stepped in close to David, and with her arms wrapped around his torso, she pulled him into a passionate kiss.
“So, I’ll call you tomorrow,” Cassidy said when they broke for air.
“I’ll be out of town tomorrow,” David returned without a moment’s hesitation. “I have some affairs to deal with in London. But I’ll be back on Thursday and we’ll make plans then, if that’s alright with you.”
“Yes, that’s alright with me,” Cassidy agreed with a smile that was followed by another kiss.
One kiss led to another that quickly blossomed into full on sexual contact. Afterward, Cassidy gathered her things and left. On her ride back to Staten Island with her cellphone plugged into her car’s auxiliary power outlet, she made three calls. The first call she made was to James.
“Where the hell have you been?” James barked.
Cassidy ignored the question and the temperament attached to it in favor of a question of her own.
“Are the kids okay?”
“Yeah, the kids are fine,” James insisted, annoyed. “What’s going on with you? First, I hear that you’re hurt. Then I hear you burned down a warehouse in Brooklyn and you’re suspended from the force. And now there’s a rumor that the suspension is off. And why haven’t you been answering your phone?”
Once again Cassidy ignored James’ raucous speech.
“I got your message about bringing Cynthia and John home at 8 o’clock. I’m just calling to make sure you’re not coming sooner because I’m out of the house right now.”
“Are you going to tell me what’s going on?” James roared back at Cassidy.
“Ask Aaron, like you usually do,” Cassidy returned with some heat. “He’ll know everything soon enough. What about the kids?”
Aaron’s continued association with her ex-husband was a source of friction between Cassidy and her older brother. She understood that Aaron and James had been good friends for many months before she first met James. But she had a hard time forgiving her brother for continuing an association with the man that broke her heart.
“You want me to keep them until eight,” James replied in an infuriated tone. “Fine! Message received and understood.”
That was all Cassidy needed to know and wanted to hear. She jumped at the opportunity to end their conversation.
“Good. I have to go.”
Cassidy’s second call went to Lt. Graham. She wanted to know more about Andrew Lantz’ death.
“The Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office believes Lantz’s death was a suicide,” Lt. Graham reported. “But that’s not the official report yet. The suicide note looks to be a match for his handwriting, and the weapon he used is yours.”
Cassidy was surprised to hear that Lantz used her gun to kill himself. She paused to absorb that information. A moment later, Lt. Graham continued his report.
“Needless to say, that puts Lantz inside the warehouse, with you, when the fire started. And it supports your claim that he attacked you.”
Cassidy smiled to herself, then after a moment, her expression changed with a new thought.
“Did the note explain how he killed the Greenbelt Nine or why?” Cassidy asked.
“No,” Lt. Graham answered, “But he does confess to the killings, attacking you and to setting fire to his warehouse.”
“Was there anything else in the note?” Cassidy asked.
“He also confessed to being a distributor of Ecstasy,” Lt. Graham returned with barely a thought to the question. “The fire department confirmed that a couple of accelerants in the warehouse fire were chemicals that could be used for the manufacture of Ecstasy.”
Cassidy paused to consider that last bit of information.
“Is that it?”
“Isn’t that enough?” Lt. Graham questioned back with astonishment. “It clears you and the city of any responsibility for the fire.”
“Yeah, I guess,” Cassidy returned without conviction.
“What’s wrong?”
Cassidy was hesitant with her reply.
“I just have this feeling that some pieces are missing.”
“What pieces?” Lt. Graham quickly asked.
Cassidy paused to consider the question before answering with, “I don’t know.”
Cassidy thought a little more.
“I guess I’m just trying to make sure there are no loose ends.”
“Don’t worry about that,” Lt. Graham assured. “We’re going to sift through this guy’s life from top to bottom.”
“Okay,” Cassidy responded after reflecting upon what she just heard.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Lt. Graham said in closing.
“Yeah, Lieutenant, I’ll be there,” Cassidy returned in kind.
When Cassidy disconnected the call, she was still confused about something, but she could not put her finger on what that was. She thought about it a while but still could not find the thought that eluded her. Then her thoughts turned to her parents. She knew they were waiting for her with multiple questions, and she felt now was the time to entertain them.
“Are you at home, honey?” Margaret Tremaine asked Cassidy over the phone.
“I’m on my way,” Cassidy answered as she drove. “How are you and dad doing?”
“We’re fine except for our concern for you,” Margaret returned with an astonished tone of voice. “Is it true that your suspension has been lifted?”
“Yeah. I get my shield and ID back tomorrow.”
Margaret heard Cassidy’s answer but found herself more interested in the traffic sounds she heard in the background.
“So where are you right now?”
“I’m just coming into Staten Island,” Cassidy stated as she steered her way over the last quarter of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge.
“Then come by the house,” Margaret insisted. “I’m sure your father has some questions for you.”
“That’ll be a first,” Cassidy retorted with a mixture of humor and sarcasm.
Margaret took more notice of her sarcasm than the words and quickly reinforced her request with a personal appeal.
“I want to see you.”
Cassidy anticipated a visit to her parents’ home. She suspected they were worried for her and had questions, and she was happy to give them answers regarding her job and the investigation. Her happiness had nothing to do with the end of her suspension and everything to do with the waning feeling of euphoria she was still feeling from her time with David.
“Okay, Mom, I’ll stop by, but I can’t stay long.”
“Good, we’ll be waiting for you,” Margaret cheerfully acknowledged.
It took Cassidy a little more than five minutes to get to her parents’ home. Margaret gave her a big hug as soon as she walked through the front door. Daniel, uncharacteristically, stood further back in the middle of the living-room waiting to greet his daughter.
“Are you hurt?” Daniel asked as he examined his daughter with concern.
Daniel feared that Cassidy had been severely injured in the warehouse fire and assumed that was the reason she stayed away.
“I’m fine, Dad.”
Cassidy recognized her father’s worry and responded with a smile and a hug. Daniel enjoyed their embrace for a moment, and then clasped Cassidy by the shoulders and held her out at arm’s length.
“Then why the hell didn’t you come home?” Daniel demanded with some temper.
“I’m sorry, Dad,” Cassidy returned with a smile bordering on a grin.
Cassidy patted her father’s arm and walked out of his grasp. That type of response to one of her father’s angry outbursts was out of character for Cassidy, and that fact did not go unnoticed by Margaret. Their verbal clashes were legendary within the family. Now that she was an adult, it was common for Cassidy to respond to Daniel’s temper with her own.
“I was just a little upset, and I needed some time alone,” Cassidy explained as she slipped out of her coat and sat down on the couch.
Daniel sat in his lounge chair.
“Did you ever stop to think that your mother and I might be worried?” Daniel returned with a tinge of anger.
“I was planning on calling, but mom beat me to it,” Cassidy explained as she crossed her legs and reclined into the couch.
“Are you going to stay for dinner, honey?” Margaret asked hopefully.
“No Mom,” Cassidy responded with a shake of her head. “I just wanted to stop by, show my face and fill you in on what’s going on.”
“Okay,” Margaret agreed with a smile. “I have to get back into the kitchen. Don’t leave without talking to me.”
Margaret turned and set off for the kitchen. The smell of food cooking permeated the house.
“So, what is going on?” Daniel asked with a ruffled brow.
Cassidy responded by giving her father an account of the events that led to her going to the Brooklyn warehouse, what happened when she got there, the repercussions of the fire and the news about Andrew Lantz. Daniel listened to it all without question or comment until she finished her narration.
“You really need to quit this job.”
A broad smile spread across Cassidy’s face in reaction to his comment. Then she pushed herself up off the sofa and walked over to her father.
“I’m sorry, Dad, but that’s not going to happen.”
Cassidy gave her father a kiss on the cheek and then headed off toward the kitchen. Daniel shook his head in resignation as she left.
“I’m going to take off now, Mom,” Cassidy announced as she walked into the kitchen.
Cassidy smiled and gave her mother a kiss on the cheek. Margaret was in the middle of cleaning some recently used cookware when she paused to accept her daughter’s kiss and catch her attention before she could leave.
“You seem to be in a good mood today.”
Cassidy knew where this conversation was going and nearly grinned despite her desire to hide it. She stopped and leaned against the counter not far from her mother.
“I’m off suspension,” Cassidy explained continently. “I’m happy about that.”
“Oh, is that it?” Margaret questioned with a sly smile.
“Yes Mom, that’s it.”
Cassidy took a pause to give weight to that statement.
“But I do have to go.”
Cassidy had just started to leave again when Margaret stopped her with a question.
“What’s your friend’s name?”
Cassidy stopped in her tracks, then turned to look at her mother with a mixture of exasperation and amusement.
“He’s not anyone you know,” she said defensively.
“What difference does that make?”
Cassidy resigned herself to the idea that she was going to tell her in the end.
“His name is David,” Cassidy stated, slightly aggravated.
“Just David,” Margaret inquired, showing little interest.
“Just David for now,” Cassidy returned.
“Oh, okay,” Margaret surrendered with a smile and a nod.
“Is the interrogation over?” Cassidy asked with a palms up gesture.
“Honey, I hope you don’t think I’m prying. I’m just interested in knowing who your new friend is.”
With an incredulous look, Cassidy watched her mother feign an expression of sincerity. Then she mimicked her mother with her own feigned expression of sincerity.
“Oh, of course not. I would never accuse you of prying.”
Mother and daughter gave each other a momentary silent grin.
“I’m going to take off now, Mom.”
Cassidy turned to leave once again. And once again she was stopped by the sound of her mother’s voice.
“So, how long have you been in love with him?”
Cassidy turned to face her mother once again. She dropped her head and gave it a shake as she pondered the appropriate response.
“What makes you think I’m in love with him?”
Margaret turned from the kitchen sink drying her hands with a towel and gave her daughter a moment of study.
“The last time I saw you this happy you were wrapped around James’ arm.”
Cassidy took a moment to squint her face up at her mother.
“You think you’re so clever.”
Margaret said nothing but her self-satisfied look and a smile spoke volumes.
“I got to go, Mom,” Cassidy said as she turned to leave the kitchen with a smile of her own. “Bye.”
ns216.73.216.13da2
and then Add to home screen.