by Sam Crescent
“Blaze, you remember Cassie.”
Cassie stared into the eyes of the man she loved and almost flinched at the anger she saw in his.
“What is the meaning of this, Chris?” Blaze asked. His voice was hard and firm, clearly showing his anger at the situation.
“Cassie’s a dear friend of mine, and I wanted her to be with me for the summer.” Even to her it sounded dubious.
“How dear a friend?” Was that jealousy she heard?
“We’re just friends,” Cassie said, taking control. “If you or your wife has a problem with me being here then I could leave.” She went to move away, almost praying for her car to come and gather her up and take her away from this embarrassing situation.
“No—”
“No—” The brothers spoke in unison.
Cassie didn’t know whether to be disappointed. It would be easier and less painful to be sent home. Would she be able to deal with watching Blaze and his wife together? A stupid question because there would be no way for her to deal with that. The pain would be like walking over broken glass with no shoes on, painful and dangerous.
“I’m not married anymore, Cassie. Francesca and I have agreed on a divorce, and it’ll be finalised in a few weeks.” Cassie looked at Blaze. His words penetrated the wall around her heart, but it was not enough. Instead of relief she felt afraid. She couldn’t allow herself to let go. They may have only had sex the one time and over his desk, but to her it had meant more. She wouldn’t survive another trampling on her heart.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” she whispered.
“Come on, sunshine. Let’s show you to your room. I’ve a feeling Whiskers may have already found and claimed your bed though.” He laughed. Chris rested his arms around her shoulders. “I’ll show you to your room, let you freshen up, and then take you to meet the rest of the family.” Chris steered her down the hall and up some stairs. She couldn’t take in the surroundings. Her mind was racing.
“And here is one of the most amazing rooms in this house. Apart from the parents’ room of course. You’ve a little balcony, so you can watch the sunrise and the sunset.” The room was lovely. A huge king-sized bed dominated the room, and there was an en suite bathroom and a room to store her clothes. The colouring was nice and light. She tested the edge of the bed. She sank into the covers. The bed had to be good, as Whiskers was snuggled in the centre, purring happily.
“Why?” Cassie asked, staring around her before looking at him.
“Cassie—”
“No. No, don’t ‘Cassie’ me. Just tell me why,” she said, her voice sounding a little hysterical even to her.
“Look, just trust me all right.” Chris went and stood in front of her.
“I trust you, Chris, but this is not something you should be meddling in.” She stood up from the bed, not liking him towering over her.
“I have never done you wrong in the past,” Chris said.
Frustrated, Cassie hit him square in the chest. “This is not about picking out clothes, or a basket for Whiskers, Chris. This is about messing with someone’s heart and feelings. Not just mine, but also your brother’s.” She stood toe to toe with him, arguing.
“If I don’t, who will?”
That was Chris, always thinking he was right no matter what.
“Feelings are not something to be messed with. It’s not a game, and it’s not fair.” She took in a breath.
“So, I’m supposed to sit and watch two people I care about be miserable because they can’t have what they want.”
“Listen to yourself. It has been three years. People change. Feelings change. You can’t just put two people together after that long of separation and expect for them to work it out. It doesn’t work that way.” Cassie felt her insides turning to mush.
“It may have been three years, Cassie, but I’ve seen the two of you. Your feelings for each other haven’t changed. You’ve both changed in your own way, but the fact is the feelings are still there. You still love him, and he still loves you.”
Cassie scoffed. “He used me. He never loved me.”
“No. He loved you, Cassie. I watched him watch you. When you started working for him, he used to sneak into his office through the back way. He always made sure that he could see you. When you weren’t at work, he’d ask about you and go back to his usual route. When you came back there he’d be, through the front door smiling at you. You changed him. It shocked him. He wanted you, Cassie, and he respected you. Blaze wanted more than an office fling, and he thought you deserved better. So you’re wrong, Cassie. Blaze does love you, but the question is, do you still love him?” Chris asked.
She had no control of her tears. They eased out between her lashes. She hadn’t cried in some considerable time. Keeping busy so she had no spare time helped.
“Do you love him, Cassie?” he asked again.
“I don’t know.” Cassie answered as honestly as she could. She still had feelings for him. She didn’t know if she still absolutely, with all her heart, loved him. He’d hurt her deeply. Did she still, without question, love him?
She was truly afraid of that answer.
Chris sighed, turning away.
“I still have feelings for him, Chris. I just don’t know if I love him.”
“Well, you have to find out. There has to be a point where you put this all behind you. Either embrace Blaze and love, or get over it. And do yourself a favour. Do it while you stay here. You both need the time to understand your feelings and where you stand,” Chris said.
“Yes,” she whispered.
“I’ll leave you for now. But come down, meet almost all the family.”
She nodded turning away from him to gather her few things.
“Oh, by the way, Blaze, brought his son.” Chris left her with yet another bombshell.
****
Blaze was pacing up and down the hall waiting for his dead brother. Dead, because that was what Blaze was going to make Chris. Dead. The man couldn’t leave people alone. Cassie Walker was here in his parents’ beach house. For how long, he had no idea. She looked amazing. She’d lost some weight, but he found that he missed that weight. His woman had changed. She looked confident and happy.
Did his presence hurt her?
The moment he had seen her, his heart had raced with anticipation, wonder, and finally confusion. In his desperation to see her, he wondered if he’d managed to hallucinate. The familiarity between Cassie and his brother unnerved him a bit though. How close were they? The desire to remove his brother’s arms from her shoulders had tormented him. To control his impulse to take her from Chris he had locked his fists inside his trousers.
“Are you waiting for me or the delectable Miss Walker?” Chris asked.
Blaze reacted, grabbing his brother and pushing him against the wall. “What do you think you’re doing?” Blaze lost control.
“I invited Cassie. She looks amazing, doesn’t she?” Chris didn’t seem alarmed at the fact that he was pushed against the wall and his brother was all but spitting violence.
“You don’t look at her. You hear me?” Blaze sounded calm, but inside he was seething.
“So what? I’m just supposed to look at the floor?” Chris asked, his voice filled with humour.
“Why do you do it, Chris? Why?” Blaze let him go, knowing that there was no chance in hell of changing his brother. Chris had his reasons for everything, and in most aspects his reasons made sense.
Chris shrugged his shoulders, straightening his shirt as he did.
“For God’s sake, Chris. If you hurt her—”
“You mean like you did. Tell me, and be honest. When you saw her step out of that car, did your whole world become brighter, filled with hope?” Blaze ignored the question, turning from his brother. His whole world had turned when he saw her, beautiful and dazzling him like she used to. “See, that’s what you’re supposed to feel. I’m sick of people running from what they want. Well, if I meddle, it is for a damn good r
eason.” Chris stormed off, leaving Blaze alone in the empty hall.
This was supposed to be a simple vacation. Time away from work and city life, to appreciate the finer things in life. He had his son, but his family and his world seemed to be crashing around him. Chris was becoming more demanding in his brotherly matchmaking ways. Trent was silent and fuming. Molly and his Dad were crumbling, and the only woman to touch his heart was freshening up. It looked like a simple vacation was about to become a whole lot worse.
“Hi.” Blaze turned towards the stairs watching Cassie descend. She wore a plain, simple, pastel green summer dress. He watched her ‘til she stood right in front of him.
“Hi,” he said.
Cassie smiled. “This seems a little awkward,” she said.
“No, not awkward. Just ... just ... new.” Blaze finally managed to find a word to describe their situation.
“If you want me to—” She pointed towards the door.
“No, you don’t have to leave.” He stopped, staring into her eyes, trying to learn everything about her. “Could we start over, like we’ve never met and have no history?” he asked.
“Blaze.” She took a step back.
“No, hear me out. I know we’ve a few problems, but that doesn’t mean we can’t work them out.” Blaze didn’t want to sound like he was begging, but he wanted to be in this woman’s company.
“All right, we’ll see what happens,” she said.
“Right, I’ll show you to the rest of my family.” Blaze took her elbow, the energy sizzling through him. She felt soft, her scent beautiful and teasing him.
Chapter Seven
Cassie smiled. She hugged Molly and then David. Trent kissed her cheek and Blaze Jr. hid behind his father’s legs.
“Hiya, you must be Blaze Jr. I’m Cassie Walker.” She smiled to the little boy, not wanting to frighten him.
“Come on, son. Say hello,” Blaze said.
Blaze Jr. stayed behind his father’s legs but gave a muffled hello.
Introductions had been simple enough. It seemed that even though all the family would be staying in the beach house, there were no actual family activities going on. They were all free to come and go as they pleased. Molly would be cooking, so there was no need to go and get extra food. Considering the size of the family everyone seemed tense. Blaze stood in the corner, watching his dad and Molly. Trent seemed to be fuming in silence, and Chris, well, Chris seemed to be watching everyone.
“So, Cassie. How do you know Chris?” Molly asked breaking the tense silence.
“Well, I used to work for him. I was a receptionist for Sinclair Industry.”
“But you’re not now?” Molly seemed desperate to fill the silence.
“No, I was only there a short time.”
“How did you and Chris stay in touch?”
“Well, he got me another job as a receptionist in another company, and then he helped me set up my own agency.” Talking about work was easy.
“What do you do?” Molly continued to ask.
“Let the poor girl relax, Mol.” David’s interruption was the first time he’d spoken. He seemed angry, and Molly stopped and looked at him. The pain she saw in this woman’s eyes hurt Cassie to even see.
“Companies ask us to find suitable candidates to work for them, so we search and do the research. We then interview and do the necessary checks and then hire that person for that company. Sinclair Industry has been very generous.” The pain still reflected in Molly’s eyes. Cassie wanted to help soothe the other woman. Something called out to her to help her.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to pry.” Molly stood up, about to leave.
“No, I love talking about my work. Most people can’t stand me. They say all I do is work.” Cassie tried to reassure her.
Molly nodded but left the room.
Cassie watched her go, wondering how many times Molly had walked away.
“You didn’t have to do that, Dad,” Blaze whispered.
“What did I do?” David seemed completely oblivious.
“Men.” Chris shook his head.
“You do it all the time.” Trent fumed from his little corner, his compassionate eyes watching Molly leave suddenly filled with hatred. “No wonder Molly wants nothing to do with you. You’re just an overbearing bull. She can do so much better.” Trent yelled at his father, not bothering to listen to any reply as he left his chair and followed Molly.
Shocked faces watched the youngest leave.
“If you don’t mind, I’m going to go for a walk.” Cassie stood to leave, turning to the oldest man in the room. “A woman doesn’t like to feel used or to be treated like a child. Just in case you didn’t know, Mr. Sinclair.”
“I didn’t do anything wrong.”
Cassie shrugged, leaving the men to themselves.
She wanted out of this house. It was blatantly obvious the parents were having problems. A vacation filled with the love of her past, a troubled family, and regret. The classic vacation. She ran out the house, hoping to find the trail down to the beach. The evening was warm and fresh.
She breathed deeply, loving the smell of unpolluted air. Living in the city did have its down sides. Unclean air, feeling like you were going to suffocate on all the fumes, made you appreciate life like this. Just packing up your bags and going to the countryside or the beach and just basking in the joy of life. This was living, soaking up the sea air, the great outdoors.
Cassie followed a well-used trail, moving bushes and twigs out of her way, making sure she did not trip on a rock. The sun warmed her. She followed the trail for a few minutes loving the slight shade, and then the sight took her breath away. A fantasy island opened up, beautiful and decadent. The brightest blue sky, no clouds in sight, a slight breeze whispered along her skin and a fantasy beach, yellow and crisp looking, the sea a beautiful clear blue. Cassie stood staring around her, the scents intoxicating. She could live here. The view and expanse of the ocean calmed her like nothing else, the hustle and bustle of city life unwelcome in this perfect stillness.
How could anyone imagine living in a city when living in a paradise such as this?
She could see small bunches of people, their shadows meaning nothing to her. The view said it all. Peace and tranquillity.
She stood for a while just loving the glow of the sun, the coolness of the breeze and the silence that descended around her.
Total bliss.
Not wanting to hold back and feeling the need to feel the glorious sand beneath her feet, Cassie ran towards the beach, her hair combing the breeze.
Out of breath, Cassie removed her sandals and almost groaned aloud.
The sand was still slightly warm and curled around her feet, like a snug, fluffy carpet.
Bliss.
Sandals in hand she made her way down to the shore-line, smiling at the other people basking in the heat of the sun.
The friendliness of the place appealed to her, no bitching or fighting. No one had to prove themselves as being the leader or better than anyone else.
The stress completely evaporated around her. The stress of running her agency, the stress of Blaze and Chris and everything else, faded.
She wanted this, she decided.
She wanted to live a life without stress or fear or worry.
She would begin making plans to move out of the city and away from all the horrible stresses. She had built up a firm business. Cassie could afford to be away.
She groaned when the cool ocean lapped around her feet.
“Cassie Walker, is that you?” Cassie looked around for the feminine voice. “You probably don’t remember me. I’m Erica, Erica Black.”
Cassie saw the small, petite woman approach. Long blonde waves of hair cascaded around her. Her face delicate and fine, the woman was beautiful. She remembered her now. “You work for Sinclair Industry. A secretary, right?”
Erica nodded smiling. “That’s right. What’re you doing here? I haven’t seen you for years. What have
you been up to?”
Cassie smiled. She had always liked Erica, a nice woman.
“Running my own business. I’m staying with the Sinclairs.” Cassie pointed behind her “What about you?”
“I left Sinclair not long after you. I’ve been doing a few things now and then. I’m staying with a bunch of friends across the beach.”
They walked along the beach, talking and catching up. They arranged a shopping trip at the local mall for the following day, so they could catch up some more.
They were both just moving up along the beach when Cassie noticed Chris stood waiting for her.
“Hi, Chris. Look who I bumped into.”
“Erica Black,” Chris said.
“Hi,” Erica said.
“Hi, Erica.”
Cassie looked from one to the other, wondering what had caused the sudden tension. Is this what her vacation was going to be like, full of tense, uncomfortable moments?
“I’ll pick you up tomorrow, Cassie,” Erica said as she walked away.
Cassie watched her go.
“Wow, she was all right until you showed up,” Cassie said. She watched as he stared after Erica.
“She always is,” he mumbled.
Not bothering to get too far into his mental state, Cassie followed him up to the house. The sun was setting, and she was desperate to see it from her room.
“Why did you call me anyway?” she asked, moving branches out of the way as she followed the path back home.
“Molly sent me. She was worried and thought you had gotten lost.” Chris seemed completely lost in thought. “What is Erica doing here?” he asked.
“She’s staying with a few friends across the beach. I guess she needed some time away from the city.”
“Did she say anything else?”
“No, not really. We talked about this place and how we both hate living in the city. We’re meeting up tomorrow, going shopping and having some lunch.”
Cassie left him at the stairs and made her way to her room. Whiskers was awake and growling.
“It’s not my fault you slept all afternoon and missed food,” she told him stroking his furry head.