Page 93 of Risky Move

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Lauren and Dave did not allow her to dwell on the horror of the day. Despite her protests, they insisted she sit at the dinner table with them. Pasta, soup, and garlic bread—the ultimate comfort food—tempted her. Despite claiming she had no appetite, Cassie accepted a portion of garlic bread and nibbled on it.

Dave opened a bottle of wine and poured glasses for Lauren and Cassie. She drank hers much too quickly, but the warmth that spread throughout her chilled body dulled her thoughts. She shook her head when Lauren offered to refill her glass.

“Not just yet—empty stomach.”

Lauren nodded at her plate. “The chicken is fabulous. I know Italian food is your weakness.”

Cassie sampled the chicken and suddenly felt her appetite awakened. “Comfort food.” She spun her fork to gather spaghetti and spoke quietly. “Thank you for this afternoon…I’d still be staring at Daniel’s mobile.” She caught Lauren’s eyes. “Have you heard from Caryn? Any updates?”

“No pneumonia—and that’s because you took care of Danny just like a paramedic. You got all the water from his lungs.”

“Least I could do.” Neither Lauren nor Dave acted as if they heard Cassie’s muttered sarcasm.

“Just a few more days, and we have ten days free.” Lauren changed the subject.

“When does your family arrive?” Cassie asked Dave.

“No one’s given me their flight schedules—I have a feeling we’ll have a merry-go-round with members of my family coming and going. Be prepared for a madhouse. My family overwhelms and captures all the oxygen, but I think you’ll enjoy Kimberlee—she’s about your age, Cass. She’s always wanted to swim with dolphins.”

“Me, too, as long as the dolphins don’t live in a concrete pool or captivity.”

“If there’s one around, she’ll find it,” Lauren predicted. “School may come as a welcome respite, Cassie.”

“I no longer have to worry about completing all my coursework by the All-Star break.” She looked at Dave. “I hope I can test out of remedial math next week if you think I’m ready.”

“You’re more than ready, kiddo. You just need to believe in yourself. We can try a practice test if you’d like?” Dave continued. “I went to the site of the company that produces these tests. They have several you can use for test prep.”

“How did I not know that?”

“Your school may not advertise it, but don’t worry—everything’s legit.” He paused a moment while he drank some beer. “We may want to try a practice test before my family descends on Tampa. I highly recommend that.”

Cassie looked at Lauren. “You put my stuff in your office. You’ll need the extra space for the family.”

“Nothing’s set in stone yet. We don’t even know who’s coming when.”

“My nephews can sleep in the screened porch unless we get a cold snap,” Dave added.

“You think you can keep them away from your secret pool off the master bedroom?” Cassie asked.

Lauren giggled. “We’re hoping they don’t figure out it’s there. We’ll take them to the big community pool and get passes. No problem.”

“I think I’ll apply for on-campus housing.” Cassie sampled another bite of the chicken. “I’d considered it before but didn’t think I could handle the commute. Now that’s not a problem, so I might as well get the full college experience.”

“Cassie, you’re welcome to stay here. Today, next week, as long as you want,” Dave said. “Don’t go to the dorm because you think we don’t want you—or that you’ll inconvenience us. We enjoy having you with us.”

Her eyes suddenly misted, and Cassie reached for her water. When she finally spoke, her voice sounded hoarse. “Thank you. If you weren’t here, I don’t know what I would do…where I would go.”

Lauren grasped her hand and squeezed it. “We’re family, Cassie. You can stay as long as you want.”

* * *

Tom arrived home with Jenna to an empty house. He called Cassie’s name, but didn’t expect to hear her answer. He carried Jenna with him as he walked to her room. The open door revealed no sign of his rainbow girl.Not really surprised. Andrew’s temper on top of the guilt she feels…I’d want to get away from here too. I’ll check with Lauren. Either Cassie’s phone died, or she turned it off.

“You hungry for dinner, Miss Jenna?”

His niece patted his shoulder and babbled words he assumed meant “Yes.” He stopped in the nursery to change her diaper before allowing her to speed crawl to the great room. She made a quick turn into the play area, and Tom chuckled as she pulled out the basket of blocks, then wandered to the window overlooking the pool.

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