Page 63 of Risky Move

Her mother didn’t speak for a long moment. “You’re planning to do this independently?”

“Isn’t that the whole point of becoming an adult? To become independent?” Cassie paused for a moment. “Dad can start a college fund for Taylor.”

“Have you told him this?”

“Not yet, but I will. I’d wanted to surprise both of you once I started classes—but I’ll tell Dad next time we talk.”

Her mother chuckled softly. “Congratulations, Cassandra. You became an adult when I least expected it.”

“Um…thank you?”Was that sarcasm or sincere? Hard to tell.

“I’m proud of you, Cassie. Just focus on your goal.” Cassie heard her mother clear her throat. “And don’t let your father off the hook so easily. You deserve the money.”

As usual, bitterness leaked into her mother’s tone. “Mom, please let it go. I don’t want to be in the middle any longer.”

“You’re the only thing your father and I have in common. You’ll always be in the middle. That’s just what happens after divorce…So, you’re definitelynotcoming to Vancouver for the holidays?”

“I’m not choosing one of you over the other. Not any longer. I’m not going on the cruise with Dad, and I’m not going to Vancouver. I’ll visit when I can spend time with both of my parents.”

Any good feelings Cassie experienced when her mother praised her “adulthood” evaporated.Nothing ever changes…probably never will. But I can and will remove myself from the negativity.

* * *

With the Suns in town for an extended December home stand, Tom tried to include Cassie in his post-game plans. If she stayed home with the twins, he arrived soon after the game with some food they could share—dinner for him; snack for her. When Cassie attended a game, they either had dinner at a restaurant between the arena and home—or picked up food and enjoyed it in Tom’s apartment. Occasionally, their schedules matched, and they enjoyed a movie, a drive along the coast, and once, even, that promised beach walk under a full moon.

He knew they had skipped right over the usual first dates and getting-to-know-each-other process.Went straight from maybe-more-than-friends to a couple…after just one official date. Maybe it’s because we live in the same house and I see her almost every day?Sometime during the past eight months, he’d stopped thinking of her as Jenna and Daniel’s nanny. He noticed the good-natured, optimistic, and down-to-earth woman…who just turned men’s heads wherever she went. He loved the untamed mass of hair that often cascaded over her shoulders, painted different colors of the rainbow according to her mood. She wasn’t a girlie girl, equally at home in cut-offs and T-shirts or brightly colored dresses and sandals. She didn’t care if the twins’ sticky hands grabbed her hair or flung a spoonful of food at her face, never showed a hint of frustration or irritation over Jenna and Danny’s games.

They double-teamed the twins one afternoon while Caryn and Andrew tackled Christmas shopping. During their nap, Cassie checked the pool before the scheduled swimming lesson. Despite the lanai, bugs landed in the pool drains regularly. Cassie used the net to skim the pool and check the drains.

“I can picture Danny popping one of those flies in his mouth,” Cassie said as she made a face.

“He’d probably swallowthatinstead of spitting it out.” Tom rose to help her, but Cassie waved him aside.

“I’ve got this. I always wanted to be a lifeguard and skim the pool.”

“Don’t let me get between you and your dreams,” Tom smirked, then ducked as she aimed the net toward him. Holding up his hands, he backed away, content to enjoy watching her. When she reached toward the middle of the pool, her cut-offs revealed more than she realized—probably?—and her tank top stretched across her chest.She has no clue how sexy she looks.He itched to slip his hands around her and “help” her move the net.Not a great idea when we’re taking care of the twins.He glanced at the monitor to distract his thoughts.

Cassie yelped, then laughed when she opened a drain cover. “You poor thing!” Tom stood, ready to remove the invader, but Cassie gently scooped a frog into her hands and returned it to the yard. “You thought I was afraid of a frog?” She laughed when she saw his expression.

He shrugged. “Guess not.”

Cassie walked around the pool to check the other drains. “Now, if I find a snake, come to my rescue.” Tom could see her shiver. “I hate snakes.”

“If we found a snake inside the lanai, Andrew and I would be double securing all entryways. Not Caryn’s favorite, either.”

“Exactly! And there are so many poisonous snakes in this area, I don’t wantanynear this house.” She checked the last drain, then returned the strainer to its hook. “You don’t keep an anti-venom supply in your apartment?”

“Eh…no. That’s something best treated in the hospital. Still, it’s highly unlikely you’ll encounter a poisonous snake or get close enough for it to bite. Most snakes don’t want to be near you any more than you want to see them.”

“Promise?”

“To my best knowledge. Stay away from the brush, especially near a lake…”

“Alligators in lakes, I know.”

“That, too. If you go rock climbing, wear gloves…”

“Not likely unless it’s indoors,” Cassie responded.

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