Page 97 of Risky Move

Cassie smiled when she looked at the pancakes on her plate. “You made these for my birthday all the time. The ultimate comfort food. Thanks, Lauren.”

“My stress relief food, too,” Lauren reminded her.

“I’ll need your recipe,” Tom told Lauren. “Unless it’s a family secret.”

“I’ll share—but you have to promise to cook these for Cassie.”

“Easy promise.”

“Not that easy, since I’m no longer living in the house.” Cassie sipped her juice after tasting the pancakes. “How’s Caryn? Exhausted?”

“Hope she can catch some sleep today.”

“When do you think Danny will come home?”

“Maybe today, at the latest tomorrow.” Tom brushed the hair away from her face.

“Thank God.” Cassie met his eyes. “What about Jenna? She can’t be happy confined to a hospital room.”

“I brought her home with me last night. I’m off for a couple days. Kelly’s watching her now.”

“I’m glad.” Cassie nodded. She ate silently, the negative thoughts returning to her mind.Just another screw-up. Had the perfect job, incredible employers, and most lovable children in the world…Then only in a matter of minutes, Danny nearly dies, I destroy Caryn and Andrew’s trust, and my presence in their lives is no longer tolerated. Press the DELETE key. I’ve fallen short of Mom’s lowest expectations—further proof that I’m unable to function without her oversight.

A voice nagged her. It didn’t have to end this way. Would they understand she only left the twins with Amelie for a few minutes? Would that change anything? Shift some blame to her friend? Could she even do that and live with herself? Probably not. But why did Amelie allow herself to get distracted with that phone?

Cassie’s heart ached at the thought of not seeing the twins every day, not feeling at home in Andrew and Caryn’s home. She hated accepting help from Lauren and Dave. She needed to decide where to move and how to take care of herself.

Cassie swallowed a sigh and drank some juice. She glanced at Tom beside her.Family means everything to him—Family comes first, as it should.Cassie promised herself that she wouldn’t become a wedge between Tom and his family.

53

Later that day, Tom asked Terri and Steve if they could stay with Jenna. He invited Cassie to go for a ride with him—walking on the beach might soothe her mind. He debated sharing his belief that Caryn would ask Cassie to continue as their nanny.Andrew will eventually come around. Once he relaxes and thinks rationally. But, if I say something to Cassie, she may get her hopes up, and then they decide to go without a nanny.

He reached for Cassie’s hand and squeezed it as she stared out the passenger window. “Outstanding scenery?”

Cassie shook her head and looked at him. “Just thinking. Couldn’t tell you where we’re headed.”

“Getting closer to the Gulf. Would you like to walk on the beach?” He lifted her hand and pressed his lips against it. “I go there when I get stressed.”

“Helps?”

“For me, just breathing the air at the beach de-stresses. Walking is a bonus.”

“I need that in megadoses today,” Cassie said.

Tom glanced at Cassie. “Promise, we’ll go wherever we need to find it.”

“Can we go back in time?”

He squeezed her hand. “Maybe not that, but we can find a way to ease your mind, put everything in perspective.”

* * *

Grateful that Tom didn’t engage in conversation, Cassie felt a semblance of peace descend as they wandered down the beach. The sun had just set and very few people remained. If she concentrated on the sensation of soft sand brushing against her feet and the gentle sea breeze caressing her skin, she could blank her mind. The constant movement of the sea sweeping in, then clearing the sand as it retreated, lulled her into an almost-hypnotic state. Her mind quieted after a while, allowing her to process the preceding day’s nightmare.

She clutched Tom’s hand as she tried to examine every act that had led to Daniel falling into the pool.If only I’d paid more attention to the surroundings—how long had that door been open? Did Amelie forget to close it after she went out to the pool deck to study? I can’t imagine Caryn leaving it open, and I hadn’t stepped on the pool deck all day. Maybe Amelie thought she had closed it, but the lock didn’t engage completely? Even if she had turned the lock, it wouldn’t hold if the door hadn’t closed properly.

She felt the negative thoughts closing in and consciously pushed them to the back of her mind. She’d never had a problem defending herself or speaking out. Why now? Amelie hadn’t called her—maybe feeling guilty herself or trying to escape any blame? Possibly she had called? Cassie remembered that she hadn’t checked her phone.

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