“Of course.”
“There’s some fresh sun tea,” Blake announced, coming back into the living room. “Cassie makes some every day.”
Daphne accepted the tea, curling her manicured nails around the glass. “Then I’m sure it must be wonderful.”
Blake draped a casual arm around his sister-in-law’s shoulders. “Daphne, you don’t mind being on your own, do you? We’d better leave, if we’re going to be on time.”
“Maybe Daphne would like to go with you,” Cassie said challengingly.
Blake laughed. “I don’t think so. Daphne would rather go without a manicure than be dragged to a high school gymnasium. Come on, Cassie.”
Blake steered her toward the door. Glancing backward, Cassie saw a mixture of sympathy and frustration etched across Daphne’s face. And she wondered suddenly whether the other woman was right.
HIGH SCHOOL GYMNASIUMS hadn’t changed that much, Blake noted. Like his sons, Blake had attended public school, at his father’s insistence. While his mother had preferred a well-known prep school, his father had said that would turn him into a wuss. And his father had prevailed—as usual.
Blake reached for Cassie’s elbow as they strolled farther inside, and was surprised when she first jumped, then sent him a nervous smile. Glancing around, he saw that none of the kids were really paying any attention to them. Despite Kevin’s apprehension, Blake suspected most of the kids were more concerned with their dates and friends than with the chaperons.
“You don’t have to act like I’m going to bite,” Blake tried to joke, wondering at the strained look in Cassie’s eyes.
“Of course not. But some of your influential friends or associates might see you here.”
“In the high school gym?” Incredulous, he stared at her. When had she started to care about seeing and being seen?
“I thought in L.A. you could be seen anywhere.”
“I hardly think that includes the public high school gym. But even if it did, why should I care?”
“You have an image to maintain...one that doesn’t include being seen with your nanny.”
“You’re the children’s nanny, not mine,” he pointed out, hoping to erase the frown between her eyes. “Although I’m not averse to a little nurturing.”
“You’re not taking this seriously.”
“Of course not. Sounds like you swallowed a book on snobbery. And trust me, all that will get you is indigestion.”
Her lips twitched. “Then you don’t mind being seen with an employee?”
His eyes traveled over her appreciatively. “I don’t know. Maybe it would be better for my image if everyone thought you just couldn’t resist me.”
That twitching was turning into a full smile. “Don’t think much of my powers of resistance?”
“Actually, I think they’re way too high. But we can work on that.”
Cassie avoided his gaze and spotted someone headed in their direction. Tugging on Blake’s hand, she leaned toward him. “There’s Mr. Eldon.”
“Who?”
“The principal,” she explained, a touch of exasperation on her face. How could he not know who his son’s principal was? “We’d better go speak to him.”
As Cassie greeted him, Blake saw the principal’s obvious surprise and admiration as he took in Cassie’s transformation. When the man continued staring, Blake felt his jaw twitch.
“Mrs. Hawkins, delighted to see you.” The principal’s eyes signaled approval. “Just delighted.”
“Nice to see you too, Mr. Eldon. I’d like you to meet Mr. Matthews—Kevin’s father.”
Mr. Eldon dragged his gaze from Cassie, slipping back into his official principal role. “Pleased to meet you, Mr. Matthews. We always appreciate parents who care enough to donate their time.”
Blake tried to put on his best fatherly persona, remembering how much he’d disliked the principal when he was a student, also trying to remember that he was here voluntarily, that Mr. Eldon hadn’t summoned him into his office to discuss one of his many high school pranks. “Our kids are worth it.”
Cassie smiled—one of those sunshine bursts. And Blake realized his words had impressed her more than Rodeo Drive and Hollywood put together.
“Very good.” The principal harrumphed. “I’d better go patrol the parking lot. Some of our kids tend to forget the dance is inside.” After raising his eyebrows to make sure his meaning was understood, Mr. Eldon left.
Blake stared at the principal’s retreating back. “Let’s liberate the kids...maybe lock the door so Eldon can’t get back in.”
Cassie shot him a stern glance, but then her lips quivered as they pushed upward in a grin. “He is a pompous old thing, isn’t he? But I guess he got that way from dealing with thousands of teenagers.”
“Thousands... On second thought, he probably needs a vacation and lots of sympathy. I doubt I’ll be able to manage my own, much less thousands.”
Cassie’s smile softened. “You’ll do fine. You just had to get back into practice.”
Blake studied her face again, her entire appearance. He wondered if he’d been in some sort of blind, comatose state when he first met her. Or had Cassie changed so much? Besides oozing sex appeal, she’d obviously acquired a sense of style. Just by altering an old dress, she’d made it distinctive, fashionable. He guessed it was a combination of both. She possessed a natural beauty, yet she’d changed, too. It was as though removing her from Twin Corners had allowed her to blossom, to remember that she was a desirable woman.
The music slowed, and it was a recognizable tune. Suddenly, Blake wanted nothing more than to hold her in his arms. He stretched out one hand. “Dance?”
“Ah, well, I guess that would be okay. I mean, we are the chaperons and all, but—”
He placed two fingers lightly against her mouth. “Let’s don’t make this a brain buster. I think we’re allowed to dance.”
Nodding, she accepted his hand. The music softened even more as the lights dimmed. Blake swept her into his arms, startled at Cassie’s unexpected trembling.
Drawing his brows together, it hit him that she was nervous about being either in any man’s arms...or specifically in his. He had a growing need to know which it was.
She seemed delicate within his embrace, something else he hadn’t expected. The softness had been a shock. Now the delicacy was, as well. Although most of the teenagers were fitted against one another as though they’d been poured from twin molds, Blake held Cassie a respectable distance away from him. Then the lights dimmed a bit more.
“To hell with respectability,” he muttered beneath his breath, pulling Cassie closer.
Although she didn’t resist, he could feel a new quiver of awareness—along with the press of her full breasts against his chest, the wisp of her waist that his hands easily spanned. It was hard to believe she had three half-grown children. Having seen her attired in both a towel and a bathing suit, he knew her spectacular figure wasn’t the result of carefully chosen clothing. Amazingly, she didn’t seem to be aware of her impact. Instead, she seemed as nervous as though this was her own high school dance.
Cassie glanced up at Blake, trying to still some of those nerves. How long had it been since she was in a man’s arms? Longer than she wanted to think. Far too long.
And she was enjoying it far too much.
Reality needed to make a quick appearance, but for the moment, she savored the sensation, enjoyed the feel of the hard lines of his body, the strength in muscles she’d seen firsthand. In another time, another place... She wondered if they could have bridged the wealth of differences between them, the separate worlds they came from. But there wasn’t another time for her. She’d wasted all her chances long before she met Blake.
And she couldn’t waste this opportunity for her children’s chances. Giving in to the thoughts she was having about Blake could only spell disaster. If he reciprocated in any way, and things turned out badly, she and her children would be turned out. No man wo
uld keep a woman from a soured relationship around to raise his children. She had to remember that—and not give in to the tug of emotions that pulled at her.
Then the rush of his breath tickled her neck, making her want to throw her head back and allow him access to the sensitive areas of her throat, to allow him to explore further....
Kevin danced by with his date, Jenny. Glancing at them, Cassie stepped back a bit, just as Blake did, obviously having spotted the young couple at the same time. Still, Cassie was vibrantly aware of Blake and his hold on her.
Blake was no less aware of Cassie. Realizing that this wasn’t the place to push any further, he tried to instill a degree of normality into his voice. “Do you remember your high school days? All those nervous, sweaty dances?”
He felt her stiffen within his embrace, yet her voice was steady. “Sure.”
Blake wondered why she was holding herself so rigidly. “Who’d have thought we’d ever look back on them as our best times?”
“Not me,” she replied, sounding a bit strangled.
“We had it good then, didn’t we? No responsibilities, no kids to worry about, no deadlines breathing down our necks.” He relaxed, remembering those carefree days. “But I guess everybody slides through high school, not realizing how lucky they are.”
“I guess so,” she replied shortly.
He wondered why she’d suddenly gone nearly mute. It wasn’t like her. Usually, he couldn’t get her to stop talking. “It probably doesn’t matter if you live in Twin Corners or the big city, it was an easy time.”
Cassie didn’t reply, but now she was even more noticeably tense—far more than her initial stiffness. It was as though something about her high school years upset her. He wondered what could be bothering her. Suddenly he remembered how she’d clammed up in the music store when he asked about John Lennon’s assassination, something that had taken place during her high school years. What was it about that time that upset her so?
Come to think of it, he knew very little about her past. She’d been evasive about her swimming and diving skills, as well. It was as though that part of her life were strictly hands-off. Again, he wondered why. And wondered more at his need to know all about her. If she weren’t so open and talkative about everything else, it wouldn’t seem so out of character.
She finally glanced up at him. “I prefer to live in the present.”
“You’re right. The past always looks better because we’ve left it behind.” He knew it was time to put the conversation behind them, too. “Besides, I’m having a pretty good time right now. I don’t think I ever enjoyed being in a school gym this much before.”
It took her a moment to reply, and she didn’t meet his eyes as she spoke. “You like being a chaperon?”
“The chaperon part doesn’t have anything to do with it. It’s strictly the company.”
Amazingly, he saw a blush build, warming her cheeks with delicate shading. Women didn’t blush anymore, did they? The song ended, and Cassie stepped out of his arms.
“I think we should get back to our chaperon duties,” she suggested, her voice a little more high-pitched than usual. “I wonder if Katherine Ann’s having a good time. I haven’t seen her dancing.”
Blake gently turned her around toward the refreshment table, where Katherine Ann stood next to a boy—no doubt the infamous Chad—engrossed in conversation.
Cassie kept her gaze on the young couple, then released a sigh. “She’s so serious, I was afraid she might not fit in. But this looks like it could be a ‘Dear Diary’ moment.”
“Katherine Ann’s doing fine, just like D.J. and Jim. They’re doing more than just fitting in. They’ve taken L.A. in stride.” As Blake spoke, he realized that Cassie had deliberately turned the conversation away from herself. He would let it go for now, but he planned to pursue it again, without a gymful of teenagers for an audience.
“Kevin looks like he’s having a great time.” She smiled in his direction.
“Guess he likes this girl,” Blake replied, following her glance.
“More like an impossible crush, but she’s a ”brain,” and he was afraid she wouldn’t like him. But she’s a really sweet girl. Doesn’t seem to matter to her if he’s popular, a jock, or on the honor roll.”
Blake raised his brows. “You know all that about her?”
“She came to visit Kevin several times while he was grounded—sort of like visiting hours at the penitentiary. But I usually served something better than bread and waster. She was easy to talk to. She brought Kevin some books—which he’s actually reading to impress her.”
Everything Cassie said amazed him. It took a moment to sort through all the questions forming and decide which he should ask first. “He’s reading?”
“Not with great joy yet, but I think it might be growing on him. Katherine Ann talks with him about the books he’s reading, helps him understand them. Then he can talk about them with Jenny.”
“How did you get Katherine Ann to agree to that?”
“I didn’t. I only found out by accident, when I heard them talking. Katherine Ann told me later that it was important to Kevin.”
“So she just volunteered to help him?”
“Why not?”
Why not, indeed? It was the sort of thing families did for one another—but there was one distinction. Katherine Ann and Kevin weren’t really family, even though the blending was blurring a lot of lines. “But you know what’s important to Kevin?”
“It would be hard to help guide him if I didn’t.”
Blake was finding all this difficult to process. Kevin hadn’t opened up to him in...well, since Elizabeth’s death. “How did you get Kevin to tell you all this?”
Cassie shrugged. “He opened up a little since I didn’t embarrass him when Jenny came to visit. I guess he was expecting me to attach a ball and chain and frisk his visitors. But I could tell how important this girl was to him. Don’t worry—nothing serious, just a major case of puppy love.”
How could she know so much about his son, when Blake didn’t have an inkling of these adolescent feelings, certainly not of what was important to Kevin? He admired how well she had grown to know his children. In fact, it impressed the hell out of him. Yet suddenly he wondered if he’d given too much control to Cassie. Was she becoming more their parent than he was? “I wish I’d known how he felt.”
Her smile was soft. “You will. You’re taking the right steps, spending more time with him.” She waved her hands, gesturing around the gym. “Volunteering tonight, for example. He says he’s embarrassed, but deep down he’s pleased that you’re getting involved. Besides, it’s easier for me. I’m with them more while you’re at the office. Sort of an age-old problem. The wife’s at home white—” Her hands flew up suddenly to block her mouth. Flustered, she could only stammer. “Not that I meant you and I... I mean, I know we’re not...”
His voice was flat. “I know what you meant. You’re doing what I hired you to do—raise my children.”
His tone sent a trace of panic through her. Was he regretting that decision? And her growing attachment to his sons? “I’m helping you to raise them,” she corrected hastily. “Unless you give up your business, you can’t be with them as much as you want. I’m a temporary figure in their lives, you’ll be there forever.” Realization and sadness swept through her as the truth of her words sunk in. It was a painful truth. She was growing to care too much for his boys, and one day her job would be done. She’d be expected to walk away, like any contractor whose project was completed. She wondered whether engineers and architects left a little bit of their hearts behind when a building was constructed. Could she drive by the Mitchell home to see how time and the elements had affected it? To see whether it was filled with sunshine or storminess?
Blake recaptured her attention. “Right now you know my children better than I do.”
“I know what interests them, what they’re involved in, but you know their hearts.” She was beginning to, a
s well, but she couldn’t tell him that. Any more than she could tell him that he was encroaching on her heart, as well.
His eyes cleared with her last words. “You want to step outside, get some fresh air?”
She reached for humor, needing to chase away the feelings he was causing. “Ready to join Mr. Eldon in the parking lot?”
Blake gestured toward the big double doors at the front of the gym. The principal stood in front of the entrance, talking to a wallflowerish group of teenagers who weren’t dancing. “Actually, he just came back inside. He can probably handle the crowd for a few minutes.”
“You don’t think he’ll notice us slipping out?”
Blake grinned devilishly. “There’s a back door. Besides, I doubt he can give chaperons detention.”
“Now, that’s a good example,” she muttered, pretending to be annoyed, while she allowed him to tug her toward the rear of the gym. They bypassed the punch bowl and a line of giggling girls obviously hoping to attract male attention.
Outside, despite L.A.’s notorious hazy skies, the air was fresh. Blake felt a sudden urge to escape the confines of their roles, to forget that they were chaperons... parents. Purposely he walked toward the perimeter of the parking lot, where it sloped downward to a grassy, tree-covered bank.
“It would be pretty embarrassing if Mr. Eldon had to bust us for hanging out in the parking lot,” Cassie joked, a nervous laugh punctuating her words.
“I’m good for the bail,” he replied as he tugged her down the slope, not willing to let her escape the mood with humor.
“Blake, um...perhaps we shouldn’t get so far away from the dance—”
“Perhaps you can shut up and dance with me.”
“Dance?” she echoed.
Blake cocked his head. “You can hear the music.... It’s even something recognizable.” He held out his hand.
Gingerly she put her hand in his and lifted her eyes to his. This time there were no prying eyes, no children, to be concerned about. And Blake let the more liberated beat move their bodies. Instead of stiff, they were loose-limbed. Closeness replaced propriety, and as it did, banked desire jumped to life.
His-And-Hers Family Page 16