Page 54 of Defending Casey

Her father rocked her gently side to side. “You’re a wonderful mother, Casey. You’ve done so much on your own with Nora. Don’t ever discount the effect that your love has on her. She’s the spitfire she is because of you.”

She wanted to argue, but she knew her dad, he’d just argue right back, and she just didn’t want to fight over something so silly. Casey gave him a little smile. “I should go in and break the news to Nora.”

He stopped her before she could make it to the door. “I think this is the right day to take my girls out for ice cream.”

Casey widened her eyes at him. “Dad! We haven’t even had breakfast yet!”

“Okay, breakfast first.”

She relaxed at that. “Good.”

His grin broadened and her brow furrowed.

“We could always get the ice cream in a waffle cone. That’s breakfast, right?”

“Dad!” She hugged him tight. “You were always the one that told me ice cream would rot my teeth.”

He gave her a wink. “I only said that because I wanted to finish off the rest of the carton after you went to sleep. Come on, let’s go get our darling girl and grab breakfast at the diner.”

Casey smiled because she wanted to. She smiled because her dad was just that amazing. And yes, breakfast at the diner sounded amazing. “Let’s go.”

Casey gaveNora a kiss on the top of her head as they exited the diner. “Look both ways before you cross the street and-”

“And hold grampa’s hand. I know, mom.”

“I know you know, daughter, but I’ll never stop worrying about you.”

Nora’s exaggerated sigh was accompanied by a huge smile. “Mom?”

“Yeah, sweetie?”

“Are you sure you don’t want to come with us to get ice cream?”

Casey shrugged. “I’m too full for that. You and grampa go and get some. I’m going to go and talk to Avery if she has a few minutes to spare. Okay?”

Nora pointed at the crosswalk leading toward Laurel’s Florals. “Make sure you look both ways before you cross the street.”

Casey’s dad pretended to look away like he didn’t know what was happening right in front of him, but his shoulders were shaking from his laughter. “All right, you two. Try to keep it to two scoops!”

It only took a few seconds for her to cross the road and push open the door to the florist shop and spot Avery behind the counter. “Hey! I thought I saw you through the window.”

“Guilty as charged.” Avery gestured at the vase she was filling with flowers on the counter. “A few last-minute orders,” she craned her neck to look at the order pad near the phone, “want me to check and see if there are flowers for you?”

Casey gave her friend a curious look. “Why would they be for me?”

Avery shrugged and picked up a long-stemmed carnation. “Because I got a call earlier to make an arrangement for you and deliver it.”

“Deliver what?”

They both turned and smiled when Sparrow walked in through the door in her uniform.

“What’s going on?”

Casey shrugged as Avery put the carnation in the vase she was working on.

“Casey stopped in, and I’ve got an order that I can give to her and save myself the delivery time.”

Sparrow stepped up to the counter and leaned against it. “What did Hale order?”

---