Page 40 of Risky Move

Cassie laughed. “Lauren says she and Dave chose a romantic evening at home, too. I wouldn’t want to be a third wheel with the newlyweds.”

“I’m not pushing you out the door, Cassie. But I can promise you a quiet night around here. Tom’s meeting a friend of ours for dinner—the nurse who helped me during my pregnancy emergencies.”

Cassie felt her heart fall with a thud. “That’s Katie, isn’t it? The one who moved?”

“Yes, I’ll see her tomorrow. She’s just in town a few days to get some paperwork processed at the hospital. She will not believe how big our little angels have grown.” Caryn touched Cassie’s arm. “Make plans if you want to go out—or enjoy the evening with us. You’re part of our family.”

“Thank you,” Cassie said, wishing she could capture the warmth washing over her. “I love your family.” She paused for a moment. “Maybe I’ll go to the party for a while…I don’t know. I haven’t seen Amelie in a while.”

“Cam asked you as his date?”

Cassie shrugged. “Don’t think so. ‘Come early, come late, just an informal gathering.’”

“If you feel any hesitation, don’t go. We may take advantage of some time without Drew’s peanuts,” Caryn encouraged. “But, if you want to go, take an overnight bag in case you and Amelie want some girl time. Just don’t go because you think you need to give us privacy. When we close the bedroom door, that’s our special time.”

“Thanks, Caryn. I’ll think about it and check-in with Lauren. I’ll let you know once I figure it out.”

* * *

Cassie lay back on her bed and debated if she wanted to accept Cam’s invitation.He suddenly wants to see me. Why now, after all this time? Just because he saw me last night? Has he forgotten the rude accusations when he thought I’d taken Amelie clubbing and encouraged her to drink? Is this “typical Cam” attention?

But no need to hang around here tonight. Tom’s out with his ex—they’ll probably realize how much they miss each other. There goes that fantasy. That’s all it is, really. Tom knows I’m still trying to decide “what I want to do when I grow up.” Wake-up call? Time to stop fantasizing about my hot hockey doc?

Impulsively, she grabbed her phone and pressed Amelie’s number. Her friend’s greeting lessened her disappointment…make that reality check.

“Cassie! Cliff said he invited you to our get-together tonight—can you come?”

“Who will be there?” Cassie asked. “He said you just decided to have a few friends over?”

“Yes, we used to do this all the time at home. You’ll know a lot of the guys—some rookies on the Suns, their dates, oh…Chance is coming, too!”

“Seriously? So, he’s going to…chaperone…the young guys?”

“Highly unlikely,” Amelie giggled.

“Everyone’s coming with a date?”

“It’s not like that, Cass. Just a bunch of friends hanging out. Please say you’ll come.”

Cassie asked, “What time?”

“As soon as you can get here, Cassie. I could use some help to get things ready. Cliff thinks all he needs is a cooler filled with beer and bags of chips. I told him we needed to up that game. We just placed a ginormous order, and I sent him out for mixers, beer, and wine.”

“So,you’rethe one putting this party together? Casual?”

“Definitely. Please come as soon as you can. Bring a bag in case you stay overnight. Then you won’t need to worry about enjoying a few drinks!”

Cassie had already pulled a pair of skinny jeans from the closet to pair with a crop top. She didn’t plan to spend the night but packed a change of clothes and toiletries in her backpack, along with one of Dave’s Suns T-shirts—just in case.

Cassie touched base with Lauren to fill her in on her plans.

“That sounds like fun, Cass. About time you went to a party!”

“Sounds like Cam invited some younger players…Guess who’s Amelie’s date?”

She heard Lauren’s quiet laugh. “Don’t suppose it’s that sexy French dude she was…let’s say very cozy…with the other night.”

“Could be the same.”

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