Page 26 of Whispers of Redemption

“This is Cassie,” Wade said. “Hugo and I are working on a case for her. Cassie, this is my grandfather, J.P. Riley.”

J.P. pumped Cassie’s arm. “Well, you won’t find a better police officer than my grandson in all of Whispering Pines.”

Wade shook his head. “I think you may be a little biased, Pops.”

“No, I’m not,” J.P. said, turning to Cassie. “He had a stellar career as a city cop in Grand Rapids. But he gave it all up to move here to Whispering Pines. I think he missed us,” he added in a conspiratorial whisper. “Wanted to be closer to family.”

Cassie smiled, unable to resist the older man’s obvious love and pride in his grandson. She wondered what it would feel like to have such a fanboy grandparent like that.

“There you are!” Tilly Fontaine Riley came up alongside J.P. He bent and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “You were wonderful up there, darlin’. Great speech!” Then he turned to Cassie. “I’d like you to meet my beautiful new bride, Tilly, also known as the president of the Whispering Pines Mural Society.” He smiled down at her.

Tilly greeted Cassie warmly, and they began chatting. Moments later, Alex, Jake, Ani, Zoe, and Hugo rejoined their group. In the course of their conversation, Cassie was surprised to discover that Tilly was Alex’s grandmother. “So wait, how does this work?” she said, confused.

Zoe explained the connections. “Jake and Alex met last summer and fell in deep looove,” she said, and Alex elbowed her in the ribs, making her jump. Zoe grinned and went on, “Alex was staying with Tilly for the summer. So, while she and Jake were busy falling in love, so was this big guy,” she smacked a hand on J.P.’s massive shoulder, “and Tilly. It was a beautiful thing to witness.” Zoe sighed. She fluttered her eyes and placed her hands over her heart, making everyone laugh.

The rest of the group continued talking among themselves, and Cassie turned back to Wade. “Looks like you have a very fun family,” she said. “I can see why you’d want to be near them more.”

“Yeah,” he said. “Plus, I really love the small town vibe of Whispering Pines and the natural beauty of this area. When we were growing up, my brothers and I spent almost every summer living here with Pops and my Nana. Nana died several years ago.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that,” Cassie said with sincerity. She glanced over to see J.P. with his arm looped across Tilly’s petite shoulders. They were snuggled close with their heads bent together in private conversation, looking just like the newlyweds they were.

“It took Pops a long time to get over the loss of my Nana,” Wade said, following her gaze. “But none of us could have asked for a better step-grandmother than Tilly.”

Cassie could hear the emotion in Wade’s voice. The love and appreciation he obviously felt for his family touched her on a deep level. What was it like to be a part of a big, loving family circle like this?

She pushed the thought from her mind. “So,” she said, changing the subject, “according to J.P., you were born following the rules, huh?”

Wade smirked. “I don’t know. Maybe that’s true. My mother died when my brothers and I were young. My dad wasn’t around much when we were growing up. And since I’m the oldest, I guess I always felt a strong responsibility to take care of my two younger brothers. I think having rules in place, and sticking to them, gave me—gives me—a sense of security.”

Cassie didn’t want to feel what she was feeling. This man was a cop, and cops had always been the enemy for as long as she could remember. But his sudden vulnerability and willingness to share this piece of himself moved her. She almost felt as if she should reciprocate in some way, share a glimpse into her own life. But years of practice keeping her true feelings safely hidden behind a wall stopped her. She was too used to playing it close to the vest. And exposing herself always led to pain. With the exception of Ani, Rachel, and Mark, nobody else had ever penetrated that wall. And nobody ever would.

Just then, Ani threw an arm around Cassie. “Are you ready for ice cream?” she asked.

After they bid everyone farewell, Cassie, Ani, and Angel strolled slowly up the sidewalk to the Dairy House, which was just a few blocks from the library.

“Did you have fun?” Cassie asked.

“Yeah! I had a great time,” Ani said. “I know Zoe was happy I was there. And I really liked talking to Hugo. He’s such a funny guy. Super willing to try all the apps I tell him about. And his attempts at using them are hilarious! He also acts genuinely interested in me. He asked a lot of questions about Mack and Lila.”

Cassie looked at her sharply. “What did you tell him?”

Ani lifted one shoulder. “Not too much, just that they’re not great, but they’ll do. He wanted to hear all about my friends, too. It’s like he really cares about me or something.”

“Yeah, well, he’s still a cop,” Cassie said, giving Ani a stern look. They arrived at the Dairy House, which had a full restaurant inside and a separate window just for ice cream. The aroma of sugary cones baking in the oven wafted through the open window as they passed it on their way to the end of the line full of families and young couples.

“C’mon, Cassie, all cops are not bad,” Ani said. She gave Cassie a sideways look. “Besides, you looked like you were having a pretty cozy chat there with Officer Wade.”

Cassie was annoyed to feel her cheeks begin to burn. “We were not having a cozy chat,” she said. “Just a normal conversation between two people. And don’t be ridiculous! You, above all people, should know the one thing I would never do is get cozy with a cop!”

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