Page 110 of Enemies in Paradise

“Of course.” I grab the chair in the corner and pull it next to the bed. “I’ll sit right here for as long as you want me to.”

Cassie shakes her head and raises a worried gaze to mine. “I don’t want you that far away. I need you to hold me. “

It takes a few seconds for my brain to process what she’s said, but she doesn’t have to ask a second time.

I slip off my shoes, climb into the bed next to her, and pull her into my arms.

Cassie rests her head on my chest, then curls her body around mine. Within minutes, she’s asleep.

I listen to her breathe, feeling her heart beat next to mine, our chests rising and falling together. I never want to leave.

But I have appointments to cancel first, so I reach for my phone. While I’m texting my receptionist to cancel everything, I get a call from Zach. I send it to voicemail, but he calls right back.

I shift Cassie just enough that I can turn my head and answer with a quiet, “Hello?”

Zach’s voice blares through the phone. “What happened? Is Cassie okay? Georgia’s on her way over now.”

“Everything’s fine,” I whisper. “She’s sleeping. Tell Georgia not to come. How did you two even hear?”

Cassie stirs, but doesn’t open her eyes.

“I called Grace to check on Mom and she told me.” Zach lets out an audible sigh of relief. A few seconds pass before he says in a calmer voice, “Did Cassie tell you Lynette wants to deed you the pond?”

“She didn’t, but Lynette told me something like that.” I turn toward Cassie, but she’s still sleeping soundly. “Don’t do it. I’m not putting anyone on that pond again.”

“Good, because I already talked Lynette out of it.” Zach’s voice has a hint of laughter in it, which should make me mad, but all I am is relieved.

“Of course you did,” I answer with a small laugh. “Always looking out for your little brother.”

“Somebody’s got to do it,” he jokes before growing serious. “I know you don’t like me telling you what to do, but I hope you’ll listen to me now…”

“Don’t beat yourself up about Cassie,” Zach says in the encouraging voice that’s his go-to when I need it most. “Nobody could have been more cautious than you’ve been with checking that ice. That’s not going to be possible in the future with all the new growth. I know you’d try because that’s what you do. You protect people. You want to take care of everybody. But you’d make yourself crazy trying to protect anyone who might go on that pond. None of us really knew that before today, but I hope you see it now, too.”

I let his words sink in, then sigh. “You’re going to make me say it, aren’t you?”

“Say what?”

“You’re right.”

“Excuse me? I didn’t quite hear that.”

“Goodbye, Zach…and thank you.”

I end the call and close my eyes. Despite Zach’s encouragement, a thousand worst-case scenarios have been running through my mind since this morning. What if I hadn’t gotten there in time? What if one of my girls had decided to get some practice in and gone on the thin ice before Cassie? What if it were to happen again?

As much as I hate the idea, giving up the pond is the right thing to do. If I hadn’t ignored my feeling, or Zach’s warning, Cassie wouldn’t have nearly drowned.

I pull Cassie closer. In her sleep, she nuzzles in to me and wraps her arm around my waist. I breathe her in and vow to never let her go.

I wake a few hours later, melting faster than the ice on the pond. I’d turned up the heat for Cassie, and now it’s way too hot in here, even though she’s not next to me anymore. I peel off my long-sleeved shirt, wondering where she could have gone, when a loud clang—like metal on metal—echoes from the kitchen.

My first thought is that Cassie might be hurt again. I dash shirtless into the kitchen where she’s standing near the sink, holding two mugs of coffee.

“Sorry! I dropped a spoon in the sink. I didn’t mean to wake you,” she says, looking sheepish.

I breathe a sigh of relief. “What are you doing out of bed?”

She gives me a quizzical look, then holds up one of the mugs. “I thought you might need some coffee.”

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