Leap of Faith (The Blake Boys Book 17)

by Laurel,Rhonda

  “Hi,” she said as she scooted past her secretary Cynthia. “The department store was pretty crowded today.”

  “Did you get them?”

  Cassidy pulled the black, open toe Manolo Blahniks out of the bag and opened the box. “I sure did.”

  “Ooh!” Cynthia squealed.

  “These are going to be great with my new dress. I can’t wait to wear them to Autumn and Summer’s launch party of Corporate Hijack III.”

  “The art gallery called and said that the painting you bought for the conference room would be delivered on Thursday. And Ms. Whitaker is here with her son Isaiah.”

  “Really?” She looked at her watch again. “She’s early.”

  “I put them in the conference room. I had her complete a contact information form and I put it in the folder I started for her case on your desk. I also got a snack for Isaiah and gave him a few of the toys from your office.”

  Being the friend of the owner of a software company had its advantages. Autumn always gave her tons of cool stuff that she kept a ready supply of toys and video games on hand in case one of the kids dropped by or a client brought along their child.

  “Great. Thanks.” She turned and started down the hallway but stopped. “How does he look? Is he OK?”

  “He’s fine. He’s adorable.” Cynthia flashed her a reassuring smile.

  “Good.” She nodded and continued her trek to the conference room. Isaiah was eating a sandwich while Joy surfed her phone.

  “Joy. Thanks for coming in.”

  “I had no choice.” She stood. “This is my son. Scooter, say hello to Mrs. Blake.”

  “Hi.” He flashed a toothy smile and waved.

  “Scooter, huh? And I thought this handsome young man’s name was Isaiah.” Cassidy laughed. “It’s such a pleasure to meet you.” She turned to Joy and said in a lower tone. “How are things at his school?”

  “Fine. I don’t know what you said to Cruella de Vil but thanks.”

  “I just informed Mrs. Hodgins that the day you were late you were out trying to find more suitable employment and it would never happen again. Should an incident arise, I told her to call me if you’re running late and I’ll make sure he gets picked up. But you have to put that in writing so the school can have a record.”

  “OK. Sure.” Joy nodded.

  “Let’s go into my office. I have some fun stuff that Isaiah might like to play with while we talk.” She opened the door and ushered them down the hallway to her office.

  “Nice shoes.” Joy motioned to the bag. “I was coming back from the restroom when I saw you showing them off to your secretary. Must be nice to be able to buy fancy things like that.”

  “Thanks. I work hard. I like to treat myself every now and again,” Cassidy replied and immediately regretted it. She didn’t have to justify her lifestyle to anyone.

  Isaiah’s eyes widened when Cassidy opened her office door and he saw the toys littered in the corner of the spacious room. “Cool stuff!”

  “You’re welcome to play with whatever you like.” She put her bag down by her desk, took a seat, and motioned for Joy to sit too. She opened the folder and reviewed the contact form. “No worries, they’re all age-appropriate games. I have nieces and nephews around his age.”

  “That’s fine. He’s used to games for older kids. Before I had to pawn my console, he was playing Ultimate Combat multi-player with the headset.”

  “You’re kidding, right?” She’d seen that game. Channing and Tyler occasionally played it, and she thought it was too brutal for them.

  “Why not? It keeps him occupied.”

  “How about unnecessary violence and talking to random strangers for starters.” She sighed and tried to refocus on the most pressing issues. “How’s work?”

  “It sucks.”

  “It’s a living until you get something else.”

  “I also put in some hours at the tattoo parlor. It helps me work on my craft, and I get a few dollars in my pocket.”

  “Interesting.” Cassidy scribbled onto her notepad. “I see you didn’t list any relatives.”

  “My parents are dead.” Joy gazed darted toward the wall.

  Cassidy’s eyes grew wide. “I’m so sorry to hear that.”

  “Well, they’re not technically dead. But I’m dead to them. That’s what they said when they put me out.”

  “Oh.” Cassidy breathed a sigh of relief. “Can I ask what led to the departure?”

  “They thought I was living a wild lifestyle that went against their uptight moral codes. Like I was some kind of embarrassment to their middle class society standing. I thought they should mind their own damn business.”

  “You have no other relatives you could have gone to live with?”

  “As hard as it may be to believe, no one wanted to let the reckless, wild child into their home.”

  “So you were in trouble a lot before you got pregnant?”

  “There were some typical teenage hijinks amplified about ten times the normal. It’s totally textbook. Does any of this really matter? Because I feel like I’m talking to my shrink.”

  “Sure it does. If I’m going to represent you I need to know more about you.”

  “I would think my track record with drugs and child protective services all over my ass about my son would be enough.”

  “It’s just part of the story.” Cassidy opened the folder in front of her. “I was able to get your hearing with child protective services scheduled for two months from now. In that time I think the best thing you can do is stay out of trouble and make sure Isaiah attends school regularly. Any news on the job hunting?”

  “It’s hard out there.” Joy threw her head back.

  “I know but keep at it. I’m sure you’ll make some progress.”

  “You are so out of touch. The job market sucks for people with degrees.” Joy huffed and folded her arms across her chest. “I could pay my rent with the shoes you bought on your lunch break.”

  Cassidy closed the folder. “I’m very much aware of how the job market has been constricted for the last ten years. You’re competing with people young, old, and in-between. But the point is to keep trying.”

  “Whatever.”

  “Look.” She glanced over at Isaiah. “You don’t have the luxury to bitch and moan. You need to find the means to take care of your son. So suck it up and be a grown-up. If you’re that pissed about low-paying jobs, go back to school. Even if the job market doesn’t seem to value most degrees right now, it will still come in handy one day.”

  “Whatever.”

  Isaiah came over with the portable gaming console he’d been playing with and showed it to his mom. “I got a high score.”

  “That’s great, Scooter.” Joy smiled and it lit up her face before she looked back at Cassidy. “Are we finished? If you don’t mind I have to get Scooter to his sitter so I can go to work.”

  “Sitter?”

  “My neighbor across the courtyard. She has two kids too and she’s nice. I don’t get a creepy vibe from her.”

  “OK.” Cassidy stood. “Please keep in touch. I’d like to see you again in a few weeks. You can call my secretary with a day and time.”

  “Cool.” Joy stood. “Scooter, we have to go. Put the console back where you got it.”

  “Aww, man,” he said with a pout.

  Cassidy smiled at the boy. “You know what? How about you take it with you?”

  “Really?” His eyes lit up.

  “Yes. Take the games too. They’re not Ultimate Combat, but they are educational, inspire creativity, and you can do some cool stuff with the characters.”

  “We can’t accept that,” Joy blurted out.

  “Sure you can. It will keep Isaiah occupied and stimulate his brain in a productive way. Now let’s see what we can use to transport these things.”

  Cassidy found a backpack that Connor had left in her office one day. She put the gaming console and all of the games into it and handed it to Joy.
She threw in a few toy cars and a few books too. She escorted them to the front desk only to see her next appointment had just come into the office. She reminded Joy about the appointment and shook Isaiah’s hand.

  “Scoot,” Joy said. “What do you say?”

  “Thank you for the game, Mrs. Blake.” Isaiah squeezed her leg in a tight hug.

  “Enjoy, but if you have schoolwork you have to promise you’ll turn it off and do your assignments.”

  “OK.”

  She watched as they walked out of the office suite. The boy was clean and looked healthy. He was a little on the lean side, but that could have just been his genetic makeup. His sneakers had seen better days, and he could have used a haircut, but otherwise he looked like a typical little boy. She’d done her best not to feel anything while talking to Joy, but it was too late. He was too adorable and polite not to love. Her instincts were telling her that had Joy lied about the circumstances around her family throwing her out, but that was easy enough to check out. Cassidy refused to believe she’d been on her own for most of her life. Channing always said that big heart of hers was going to get her into trouble.

  As she ushered the next client into her office, she made a mental note to get some help in seeing what Joy was trying so desperately to hide. After all, Isaiah’s future might just depend on it.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Cassidy watched as Channing packed his bag for their trip. True, they’d just arrived back from visiting Cassidy’s family, but she could tell he was excited about going back to D.C. with the kids in tow for a history lesson. And she was looking forward to it as well. Tyler and Michelle had volunteered to come along and help wrangle the kids. They had a jam-packed itinerary, but they were still going to catch up with friends. Work was in a place where it was safe to leave for a short while. It had been three days since her appointment with Joy. Cassidy had been making some headway, but she was hoping Joy did her part too. And that meant no more excuses. Isaiah was suffering from her indecisive nature. She just hoped Joy was putting him first before she did anything impulsive.

  “Babe, can you hand me my white tennis shoes?” she said as she tried to close the overstuffed suitcase.

  “You do know we’re only going to be in D.C. for three days, right?”

  “I need more stuff than you do. You can run a comb through your hair and slap on some cologne and boom, you’re done. I have to exfoliate, cleanse, moisturize, and spritz to keep this look going.”

  “Nonsense. You’re beautiful when you wake in the morning, before the forty-five minute beauty regimen.” He winked at her. “Do you think we will hit all of the museums this time? I was hoping to hit at least five on Friday.”

  “Five? Owen, Gabe, and Mackenzie might like to keep up with the bigger kids, but they run out of gas by late afternoon. I was hoping to hit three of the sights and lunch, then we take them back to the brownstone for a nap. When they’re up and refreshed, we can make them dinner.”

  “Yeah, you’re right.”

  “What’s with the high-powered itinerary anyway?”

  “I want them to have a good time. So maybe they’ll stop talking about how great Nashville was when Tate took them.”

  She smiled. “Well, Tate was able to get them into a real recording studio and they made that cute demo song. It’s going to be kind of hard to top that.”

  “Maybe I can get them up on old Abe’s lap at the Lincoln Memorial. That would top a demo made in a Nashville recording studio.”

  “What you’re offering is a free trip to jail if you try to cross that chain-link around that statue. And before you even think about it, nobody’s going near that reflecting pool. Attractions like that are nothing more than a double dare for Connor.”

  “Connor gets a bad rap.” Channing chuckled.

  “He’s such the predictable bad boy. Colby is still my innocent baby.” She sighed.

  He scratched at his beard. “I don’t know about that. Who do you think gives Connor all those bright ideas?”

  “I know. They’re two peas of the same pod.” Cassidy laughed as she sat on the bed and slipped on her sneaker. “Were you able to get touch with Geoff? It would be great if we could see him and Hannah while we’re in town.”

  “He said her dad roped them into making an appearance on his campaign tour, since he’s up for re-election. But if there were some way they could wiggle out of it, they would give us a call.”

  “If we don’t see them this time around, they’re overdue for a visit to the ranch. So is Mark.”

  “If he still dating Erik, that fashion designer?”

  “No. He’s moved on to Juan, the conservationist. Heaven knows how that’s going to work out. He’s not what you’d call a nature lover. He gets nervous walking through the botanical gardens.”

  “The things we do for love.” Channing bent down and tied her other sneaker and smiled.

  “Let’s get on the road. I want the kids to get settled and refreshed before we start our tour. Regency reserved one of those fancy mini-buses for us.” Cassidy’s cell phone rang. It was Michelle. “Hey Michelle, we’re almost ready.”

  “Cassie, I’m so sorry, but we’ll have to push back the leave time. The morning sickness is in hyper-drive today.” Michelle sighed. “Hold on.”

  “So sorry to hear that. It sounds like you should stay put.”

  “No. I’m not helpless because I’m pregnant. I’m downing saltines and ginger ale as we speak. I should be good in about an hour. Excuse me.”

  Cassidy could hear her throwing up. Tyler came on the line.

  “Hey, Cassie.”

  “Tyler, she sounds pretty bad. I know she was looking forward to the trip, but it sounds like she has to ride the morning sickness wave until it subsides.”

  “I told her it wasn’t a good idea, but she doesn’t want to feel like she’s slowing down because of the baby.”

  Michelle was usually a fireball of energy, but lately the baby had been asking—no, demanding—that mom put on the brakes.

  “I think the baby has other plans. You two should enjoy a nice, relaxing weekend at home. Channing and I can handle the kids.”

  “Sorry to bail on you like this.”

  “No worries. You just take care of mama-to-be.” She ended the call and turned to Channing. “Our fellow chaperones are out. Michelle’s having wicked morning sickness.”

  “That’s too bad. But we can handle the kids. The Regency detail will be there; we can get them to pitch in.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes.” He caressed her arms. “It’ll be fine, and I don’t want to disappoint the kids.”

  “OK.”

  Cassidy watered a few plants, while Channing programmed the thermostat to vacation mode and they were ready to be on their way. They loaded up the car and made their way to the central meeting spot: Seth and Morgan’s house. When they walked through the door, the kids were packed and ready to go. She was excited to have toddlers Gabe and Owen join the trip. It was bound to be a crazy weekend, but she was ready to have some fun with the gang.

  She inspected the bag of goodies Morgan and Isabelle had prepared for the kids. They served awesome food on the plane, but some of the little ones were fussy about what they ate. Mackenzie’s favorite brand of applesauce, Matt’s favorite juice drink, and Connor’s favorite chips were all tucked in there with sandwiches and fruit. She moved to the emergency essentials bag, which had a few books, toys, puzzles, but she noticed something very important was missing. Colby’s favorite stuffed animal, Gerri the Giraffe, was nowhere in sight.

  “Wait a second. I don’t see Gerri.” Cassidy sifted through the bag again. “Colby, did you leave him in your room?”

  “Gerri’s sitting this trip out,” Morgan answered.

  “That’s a big step for Gerri.” Cassidy gave Colby a high-five.

  “What are you guys going to do with your kid-free weekend?” Channing asked as he perused the travel checklist.

  “Sam and I h
ave a big date night planned,” J.J. said. “We’re having a double date with Bo and Summer. We’re thinking a movie and dinner at that new restaurant that just opened up in Dallas.”

  “Tate and I are going to Tennessee to look at houses. We thought it would be nice to have a permanent place for the boys when he has to go there for work. After we meet with the realtor, we’re going to meet up with the band for dinner.” Izzy fastened a button Matt had missed on his shirt.

  “Seth and I are going to spend the day with Patton, Nina, and the kids.”

  The kids all frowned at their parents, who had the audacity to have plans while they were away.

  “That is of course, after we all have a good cry from missing you all sooo much,” Morgan added.

  The kids took a collective sigh of relief.

  “If Gabby’s coming here, my room is off limits,” Jake said sternly.

  “Actually, we’re going to visit them at their new house,” Seth replied.

  Jake looked pensive for a moment. “Oh. OK.”

  Cassidy turned to the kids. “Are you guys and little lady ready to go? We’re going to have so much fun this weekend tootling around our nation’s capital, taking in the sights, and seeing some really cool stuff in the museums.”

  “Are you sure you two can handle all of them alone? I know Michelle’s morning sickness knocked them out of the running as chaperones.”

  “We’ll be fine. I’m sure everyone will be on their best behavior.”

  * * *

  Channing took a seat on the bench, happy for the break. The Air and Space Museum was the third stop of the day, and the gang was running out of steam. Still, it would have been a shame to leave, so he volunteered to stay with Mackenzie, Owen, and Gabe while Cassidy continued to explore the museum with everyone else. They’d gotten a pretty good start in the morning getting everyone dressed and fed. Isabelle was right. Trying to comb her boys’ hair should have been an Olympic sport. Matt and Owen ran around the brownstone to avoid the hairbrush, while Mackenzie fidgeted on Cassidy’s lap when getting her hair braided.

  He and Cassidy had babysat the kids plenty of times on the ranch, but he knew being so far away from their parents was a big part of the nervous energy flowing through the house. Mackenzie was definitely missing Seth a few hours after they landed, but a quick call to her dad staved off any anxiety. Jack called J.J. and Sam to remind them to feed the class rabbit that he’d been tasked to look after this weekend. Colby seemed to be doing well without Gerri. He’d talked to Morgan on the phone, but he didn’t inquire about his favorite stuffed toy. Seth had said all of the boys had been showing signs of maturation these days.