by Lena Gregory
He pressed his lips into a thin line and laughter danced in his eyes.
“Don’t you dare laugh.”
“Oh, honey. Would I laugh at you?”
She stared at him.
He lowered his gaze. His shoulders shook. “With you, honey. I would never laugh at you, only with you.” He finally recovered himself enough to look up. “Surely you can see the humor here?”
“Not really.”
“Besides, you know what they say . . .”
“Enlighten me, Bee. What do they say?”
“There’s no such thing as bad publicity.” He waggled his eyebrows.
“He might be right, Cass. Everyone I’ve talked to today is planning to attend the group reading tonight. Even with the new room upstairs, you might still have to turn people away,” Stephanie said.
Bee huffed. “Yeah, well, some of that interest might have more to do with a ghost leading Cass to her body than any video Stevie Rhymes put out.”
The wind chimes interrupted any further discussion of her TV debut.
“Hey, Cass.” Emmett held up his toolbox. “I’m just going to take care of these locks now. Don’t want to miss any of the reading.”
“Is Sara coming?”
“Yup. Said she’d meet me here.”
Cass shrugged off her humiliation. “All right. Let’s get started. There’s too much to do for me to worry about this right now.”
“That’s a good attitude,” Bee said.
Cass glared at him.
He just grinned.
At that moment Isabella stuck her head in the door. “Anyone have a free hand?”
“I do.” Together, Bee and Stephanie made a beeline for the front door.
Now she was going to have to stand up in front of all these people knowing most, if not all of them, had witnessed her fall. Cass needed a moment to compose herself. She opened the small refrigerator beneath the counter at the back of the shop and took out a bottle of water, then shook two ibuprofen into her hand and swallowed them. If she didn’t get rid of her headache, she’d never get through the night.
Isabella preceded Bee into the shop and held the door open while he carried in a five-foot hero wrapped in cellophane. Stephanie followed behind with a box of salads.
Cass’s mouth started to water. With the shop being so busy, she hadn’t eaten all day.
“There’s still another hero in the car, Cass. I decided to do two when I heard how many people were coming.” Isabella caught her bottom lip between her teeth while she watched Bee maneuver the hero up the spiral staircase. “Hope that’s okay.”
“Great, thanks. Both Italian?”
“Yup, that’s what always goes. But I do have the smaller American one we talked about.”
“Perfect.” Cass preferred Italian herself. Pepperoni, salami, capicola, bologna, provolone, lettuce, tomato, onions, and Italian dressing on a five-foot-long, soft Italian hero roll. Her stomach growled, and she pressed her hand against it. Maybe they should eat before the reading.
“Where do you want this, Cass?” Bee had returned and he stood by the stairway with the coffeemaker in hand.
“I set up a table in the far corner for the coffee.”
“You got it.”
Isabella and Stephanie followed him up, their hands full of paper plates, paper cups, utensils, and napkins.
Cass shook off her mood. She’d been looking forward to this all week. No way she’d let anything as foolish as her pride interfere.
Stephanie stopped at the bottom of the stairs and stared at her. “Hey, you okay?”
Cass sighed. “Yeah. I just have a pounding headache.”
“Did you take something for it?”
“I just took ibuprofen.”
“Have you had your caffeine fix yet today? I could put on a pot of coffee.”
Cass’s stomach roiled. “That’s okay. Thanks, though.”
Stephanie frowned as she moved closer. “Have you eaten anything?”
“Actually, no. I was swamped all day and didn’t get a chance.”
“That’s probably what’s wrong.” Stephanie dug through her bag and pulled out a protein bar, then grinned. “It tastes awful, but I keep them for times when I just can’t get a chance to eat anything. They help.”
“Thanks. I don’t care what it tastes like if it helps get rid of this headache.” Cass took the protein bar and unwrapped it. Maybe hunger had had something to do with the time she’d lost this afternoon after Artie’s visit. She hoped so. The other option was too scary to contemplate at the moment. She ate the protein bar, then pulled out her to-do list and started checking things off and seeing to the last-minute arrangements.
Guests started arriving, some familiar, others not, and she moved forward to greet them. Thankfully, her headache had finally started to recede. Now maybe she could at least enjoy the evening.
Grace and Rudy walked in with Sadie and a man Cass didn’t recognize. Sadie introduced him as her husband, and Cass bid them a warm welcome and moved on. Sara stood holding hands with Emmett. Cass hadn’t seen her come in, but she smiled and waved. They made the cutest couple.
As Bee and Stephanie ushered people to their seats, Cass moved through the room smiling and saying hello, but mostly trying to get a feel for people. Excitement sizzled in the air. She caught snippets of conversations and tried to hone in on the people she’d try to read tonight.
A woman stood in the corner with her hand against her flat stomach, giggling softly with a group of friends. Her complexion glowed, radiating warmth and happiness. Cass approached her. “Congratulations.”
The woman’s mouth fell open. “Am I showing already?”
“Nope, you look fantastic.”
“Go ahead.” One of her friends nudged her and laughed. “Ask.”
The woman’s cheeks reddened. “Can you tell what it is?”
Cass studied the woman. The certainty she was having a girl had already come to Cass, but she could never be sure. Though even she had to admit, her guesses were surprisingly accurate. “If I had to guess, I’d say a girl.”
The woman’s friend squealed. “I knew it.”
Cass kept small baskets of lotions and crystals made up for expectant mothers. She’d have to remember to give the woman one on her way out.
Stephanie motioned for her.
Cass bid the woman good luck and moved on. “Everything ready?”
“Pretty much.” Stephanie glanced at her cell phone screen. “You have about ten minutes before you have to start, but we’re trying to get everyone seated. The rest of the people will sit once we dim the lights and turn off the music.”
Cass swallowed hard. The room was completely full. Chairs from Dreamweaver had even been added to some of the tables and along one wall to accommodate unexpected guests.
Tank walked in and put an arm around Stephanie. “How’s everything?”
She smiled at him. “Great. We’re almost ready to start. But I do have a few last-minute things to do, so I’ll catch up with you in a little bit.”
He kissed her, and she strode across the room, her smile still lingering.
Good. Cass hated seeing the two of them having problems.
Tank kissed Cass’s cheek. He’d never said he believed in any of what Cass did, but he was always supportive and always showed up when something special was going on. “The room looks great.”
“Thanks.”
“I hope it’s okay I brought a few friends.” He gestured toward a table in the farthest corner where Chief Rawlins sat talking with another woman Cass didn’t recognize.
“Wow. That’s weird.” She didn’t know what to think.
Tank shrugged. “She said she wanted to see what you could do. She seemed sincere, so I figured it’d be okay.”
“Of cours
e, it is. Thanks, Tank.”
“Anytime. Do you have a minute?”
Bee and Stephanie seemed to have everything under control, and Cass had a few questions for Tank, anyway, so she nodded and followed him down the stairs.
When he reached the bottom, he stepped aside and gestured ahead of him. “I brought you a surprise.”
“Wha—”
Luke Morgan leaned against the counter, his arms folded across his chest. His shaggy, dark hair, which had grown even longer since she’d seen him last, was now hanging just past his collar, and she longed to rake her fingers through it.
She smiled at the thought. “Luke. You made it.”
He strolled toward her and opened his arms. “Did you think I’d miss your big moment?”
Cass slid into his arms and smiled. Maybe she wasn’t quite ready to break things off with him after all. “Thank you.”
He hugged her close and dropped a kiss on her head. “I’m sorry I couldn’t get here this morning.”
“It’s all right, I understand.”
“I know you do, and that makes me feel worse.” He set her back and caught her gaze. “Getting to know each other long-distance is harder than I expected.”
Cass just shrugged. What could she say?
“But I do want to get to know you, Cass.” Heat sizzled in the depths of his dark blue eyes.
A shiver tore through her.
He tucked her hair behind her ear in a gesture that had become familiar and let his fingers linger along the side of her neck. “I want to make this work between us.”
She nodded, unable to speak past the lump in her throat, terrified he was going to break up with her, even though she’d been thinking the same thing. Now she found she wasn’t quite ready to let Luke go.
“If you tell me it’s what you want, I’ll try to find a way for us to spend more time together. But you have to be sure, Cass.”
“I’m sure.” Her voice came out a raspy whisper.
He brushed his lips against hers, then stepped back and grinned. “Good.”
She struggled to regain her composure. How did he always manage to do that to her? He left her with her limbs weak and her heart racing. If they were going to make this work, she’d have to develop some kind of resistance to his good-ole-boy charm.
He looked around and frowned. Apparently their intimate moment was over. For now, anyway. “Where’s Beast?”
“I can’t trust him not to eat the food, so he’s gated in the back room.” Herb had suggested crating him, but putting him in a cage still didn’t sit right with Cass. So she’d stacked two baby gates, one on top of the other, in the doorway. “Hopefully he’s not chewing the gates apart.”
23
At the last minute, Stevie Rhymes walked in with Wade and her photographer in tow and slid into a seat at the back of the room.
Bee gestured toward them and raised a brow.
Cass shook her head. Why have Bee throw them out, when she could do it perfectly well herself?
Stevie smirked as Cass approached. “Well, hello, Ms. Donovan.”
“Ms. Rhymes.” Cass offered a professional smile. “Can I help you with something?”
“I came to see what all the fuss was about.” She tilted her head. “Is that a problem?”
Cass bit back the urge to toss them all on their cans. Stevie Rhymes didn’t matter to her one way or the other, but she did want to know what her friend Wade’s deal was. “No problem, but you’ll have to give your camera to my friend. I’m sorry, but I don’t allow videotape of my group readings.”
“Oh, why’s that? Afraid your tricks won’t appear so spectacular on camera?”
“No. I just don’t believe in invading other people’s privacy. My customers deserve respect, and I ensure they receive it.”
Bee had come up behind them and held out a hand. “You can have it back afterward.”
The cameraman looked back and forth between Stevie and her companion.
Stevie shrugged, and the cameraman handed it to Bee.
“Thank you.” Cass turned her back and walked away. She already knew Bee would keep an eye on them throughout the reading, and since Stephanie was leaning over Tank’s table speaking to him, Luke, and the chief, she assumed they’d be watching as well.
Bee dimmed the lights, and Stephanie straightened, moved to the center of the room, and called for everyone’s attention.
Excited whispers buzzed through the room as everyone settled in.
Cass smoothed her long skirt and took a deep breath, reminding herself this was no different from the readings she hosted every month.
Stephanie looked over to be sure she was ready. When Cass nodded her assent, Stephanie introduced her.
Cass entered to an enthusiastic round of applause. Bee let out a shrill whistle, and Cass couldn’t help but laugh. Some of her tension seeped away. A good portion of these people were not only her customers, they were also her friends. Hopefully, by the end of the night, the rest would be as well.
She looked over the room while she opened with her traditional remarks, trying to make everyone feel welcome and letting them know how the group readings worked. “As I move through the room, I get impressions, which I will share with you. I can’t answer any specific questions during a group reading, but if you’d like to discuss an individual reading, you can see me afterward.”
A man, his face lined with grief, stood out to her. She passed him over. Just for now. She’d have to come back to him later; she couldn’t bear the thought of leaving him suffering, but she needed something a little lighter to start.
A guy seated toward the front caught her attention. He sat with an older woman, his posture stiff, her hand lying atop his. A gesture of support? There seemed to be something between them. They weren’t a couple, but maybe mother and son. The woman looked at him and patted his hand.
Cass approached. “Hi. I’m Cass.”
The woman patted the guy’s hand again and released it, then sat back. “Hello. I’m Mary, and this is my son, Trevor.”
Trevor nodded. He couldn’t be more than eighteen or nineteen. He slid back in his seat and looked away from his mother. Was he hiding something? Ashamed to face his mother? There was definitely tension between them.
“I sense there’s something the two of you need to talk about.”
Mary nodded.
Trevor’s cheeks reddened. This wasn’t the time or place for their discussion, but Cass could at least open the door for them to step through later when they were alone.
Since there wasn’t an empty seat available, Cass leaned against the table, focusing her full attention on the young man. “You’re afraid your mother won’t approve of something.”
He gasped and glanced at his mother.
“And her approval is important to you.”
He nodded.
A tear rolled down the woman’s cheek and she twisted what looked like a wedding band around her finger, a nervous habit Cass had seen often enough.
The kid seemed genuinely concerned about his mother’s feelings, and she looked at him with the most loving expression. The way he held himself, the way he’d positioned himself to face the doorway, the way he studied the room, all reminded her of a cop or a soldier. If she kept her observations vague enough, she might be able to hit on the problem. “I see something to do with law enforcement or the military.”
The guy’s guilt-riddled gaze shot to his mother. “Mom . . .”
“It’s okay, honey. I already know.”
“You do? How? No one else knows I enlisted.”
She waved it off. “It doesn’t matter. All that matters is that I’m so proud of you, and Dad would be, too.”
“Why didn’t you say anything?” he asked.
She shrugged. “I figured you’d tell me in your own way, i
n your own time.” She grinned at Cass. “But I got tired of waiting, so I figured I’d bring you here and try to give you a little nudge, figured maybe your dad would help out.”
Trevor stood and took his mother’s hand, then pulled her into his arms. Tears tracked down her cheeks, but she didn’t wipe them, just clung tightly to her son. When he stepped back, she reached up and cupped his cheek. “I love you, Trevor.”
“I love you, too, Mom.”
She nodded. “I know, son. You’re a good boy. And you’ll make a great soldier, just like your dad did.”
Satisfied they would find their way to a happy ending, Cass moved away to a smattering of applause. So much for starting with something light.
She couldn’t help discreetly glancing at Stevie and Wade. Wade appeared curious, but Stevie had her gaze riveted on him. Hmm . . . should she call her out on her feelings for him in front of everyone? Embarrass her as she’d embarrassed Cass by running that video?
Cass sighed and moved on. It would just be petty, and her paying customers deserved better than that.
She passed the grieving man again and didn’t have the heart to keep going if she could offer him comfort. He seemed to be alone, and there was an empty seat beside him, so Cass turned the chair to face him and sat. “What’s your name?”
He cleared his throat. “Alfred.”
“I feel like there’s someone here for you.” His grief was easy to read, but she wasn’t getting much else.
“Is it my Marilyn?”
“Is there something you need to talk to Marilyn about?”
He shook his head. “I’d just like to tell her I miss her.”
Cass took both of his hands in hers and searched for the right words to comfort him. “How long has she been gone?”
“Two long years.” He sighed.
“She’ll always be with you.”
A small smile played at the corner of his mouth. “She used to tell me that when she was sick. She’d say ‘I’ll be with you always.’” He squeezed Cass’s hands. “Thank you for giving me the chance to say hello.”
She smiled. “You’re welcome. If you’d like to come in for an individual reading, I’ll see what I can do.”