Page 54 of Whispers of Redemption

“That was the goal,” he said, and looked at her in that way that always made her heart beat a little faster.

“Time for presents!” Ani announced.

They all moved into the Wainwrights’ living room, where a small pile of gifts awaited. Cassie felt a bit self-conscious as she sat down on the sofa. But Ani broke the awkwardness, saying, “Open mine first!” and shoved a small package into her hands.

Cassie smiled at her foster sister, then tore at the wrapping. Everyone laughed when Angel jumped up to help, tearing at the shreds of paper with her tiny, sharp teeth. Cassie pulled out a small gilt-edged frame that held a photograph of her and Ani at the beach. With the waves of Lake Michigan in the background, they were both looking at the camera and laughing, their arms wrapped around each other’s waists. Cassie’s red mane and Ani’s dark one mingled together in the breeze as they pressed their faces cheek to cheek. Cassie suddenly remembered Hugo taking the picture for Ani with her cell phone when they were all at the beach party together.

“Oh, Ani!” Cassie said. “I love it! I never realized that we don’t have any printed photographs of the two of us together.”

“I know, right?” Ani said. “I got one for myself, too. Sisters forever.”

“Sisters forever,” Cassie agreed, and moving at the same time, they reached out to hook their right pinkie fingers together. They wore matching rings that clinked together as they did this, and Cassie noted Wade looking at them curiously.

“Our turn!” Rachel said, handing her a bigger box.

Cassie opened it and pulled out a narrow white cylinder-shaped object that was bent at about a seventy-degree angle. She looked questioningly between Rachel and Mark.

“It’s a cordless lamp that’s designed to reduce eye strain,” Mark said. He tapped a touch panel to show how the bar of light transitioned between different types of light and six brightness levels. “We know the lighting in your apartment isn’t probably the best, and we figured this would help when you’re studying late at night. You can bend it to whatever angle you need, and there are no cords, so you can move it anywhere. Plus, it lasts for hours and hours on a single charge!”

“That’s so cool,” Cassie said.

“Yes,” Rachel said, giving Mark a pointed look. “So cool that we somehow have one in our home office now, too.”

Mark looked a bit sheepish as everyone laughed.

“Okay, now it’s my turn,” Wade said, handing her a small wrapped package.

“Wade, you didn’t have to do that. You already made me the cake!” Cassie exclaimed.

“I know I didn’t have to, I wanted to,” he said with one of his heart-melting smiles.

She looked down and quickly unwrapped the present. Inside was a boxed set of DVDs. The cover showed a middle-aged bald man holding a noose in his hand and the words beside him read, “The Alfred Hitchcock Hour: The Complete Collection.”

She stared at it blankly. “Uh...thanks, Wade.”

He was watching her closely. “You don’t know what this is, do you?”

“Sure, it’s a...TV show?”

She looked up to see Rachel and Mark trying not to laugh while Ani looked as confused as she felt.

Wade moved quickly to sit beside her on the sofa. “It’s not just any old TV show, Cassie. It’s a classic! Alfred Hitchcock’s nickname was the ‘Master of Suspense.’ He was famous in the 1960s for his mysteries and psychological thrillers. I figured since you seem to like solving this Olga mystery so much, you might enjoy watching some of these. My brothers and I watched all of them with my grandparents when we were growing up.”

“Wade’s right, they are classics,” Rachel said. “I think you’ll enjoy them, Cassie.”

On impulse, Cassie gave Wade a hug, her heart pounding in her chest as she did so. She could feel Wade's body responding to the contact, and for a moment, she allowed herself to get lost in the sensation. But then he pulled back, and she suppressed a sigh of disappointment.

Ever since their dinner date, they’d spent time together on an almost daily basis. Meeting for lunch before his shift, hiking together in the woods, spending time at the beach and out on the water. But with the exception of the two times she’d sworn he was about to kiss her, Wade hadn’t made a move toward her in that way.

At first, she’d appreciated his restraint. But now, she was beginning to feel frustrated. Over time, she’d come to value him deeply on an emotional level. And her feelings for him were moving into unchartered territory. The thought both scared and excited her. But at this point, all she wanted was for Wade to finally make a move.

“I know you have to get to work soon,” she said lightly, “but I’ll be studying late tonight. Why don’t you come over after your shift and we can watch one of them together?” She felt almost shy saying it. But the look on his face made her insides do a little flip.

“That’d be great!” he said, hazel eyes shining. Then he glanced at his watch. “I actually do need to get going.” He rose and addressed Rachel and Mark. “Thanks so much for inviting me to the party.”

“Of course!” Rachel said. “It would have been incomplete without you!”

After he left, Rachel and Mark headed into the kitchen to clean up and Ani slowly began gathering up the torn shreds of gift wrap, wrestling a few pieces from Angel, much to the little dog’s dismay. “Sooo...” Ani said with a sidelong glance. “Another date with Wade tonight, huh? You guys sure have been spending a ton of time together.”

---