by Tara Randel
He sent Cassie a covert look. “Maybe it’s time for a change.”
The band mates exchanged confused glances. Brian shrugged it off. “Whatever you want, man.”
Sonny settled behind the drums, a happy grin on his face. “You do know that song is a real chick magnet. Thanks, buddy.”
Luke chuckled. Leave it to his friends to make light of this major decision.
Before long they launched into the music. The dance floor filled. When Cassie played her song, the guests hooped and hollered. This is good, he thought. Maybe the reaction of the guests would help her to loosen up. Inspire new songs.
When they started “Won’t You Love Me Always,” surprised gasps flitted across the patio. But soon, the outdoor lights faded and couples took to the floor, embracing as the romantic lyrics promising a lasting love drew them together.
He met Cassie’s gaze. Her eyes shone with tears, but she smiled reassuringly. And his stomach took a nose dive. He couldn’t fight it any longer. Their connection was strong and after tonight, he owed it to both of them to truly see what might come of their future.
To counter the mood after his hit, they played a rowdy song before taking a break. The noise level continued as the guests mingled and the bride and groom made a spectacle of cutting the cake.
“I need more water,” Cassie said as she held up an empty bottle.
“Let’s go to the bar.”
He took her elbow and escorted her from the stage. The natural way they moved together, like a long established couple, didn’t skip his attention. Weaving through the crowd, they spoke to guests before reaching their destination.
While Cassie asked for water, someone from behind slapped him on his shoulder. He turned to find his cousin Dane beside him, his girlfriend, Nealy, on his arm.
“Great set. You guys sound good up there.”
“Cassie joined, so that explains it all.”
“I don’t believe so,” Dane said, his expression serious. He knew the history behind Luke’s song.
“Excuse me,” Nealy said as she placed a kiss on Dane’s cheek and went to chat with Cassie.
Luke recognized the pensiveness on his cousin’s face. “Okay. Let me have it.”
“You look happier than I’ve seen you in a long time.” Dane stated the fact Luke had finally come to terms with.
“It’s Cassie.”
“Is she behind you finally acknowledging one of your hits?”
“Yes.”
“And how do you feel about that?”
“Like you’re a shrink making me examine my inner emotions.”
Dane chuckled. “And if I were, what would you tell me?”
Luke unscrewed the top of the water bottle Cassie had passed to him. “Do you remember a few weeks ago when I told you I’d try dating again? Thought maybe Cassie might be a good distraction from the past? Somehow it’s turned into more.”
“I’m not surprised. You just hadn’t found the right woman to make you see there is more to life than wallowing in what you can’t change.”
“I initially thought Cassie might be the catalyst to get me out of the rut I’d dug myself into, but...” He paused, lifted his shoulders in a shrug. “This sorta crept up on me.”
“Embrace it.”
“Am I rushing this? What if things get turned around and I end up hurting her?”
“And what if Cassie turns out to be the love of your life? She’s not anything like Tracy and it’s pretty clear she’s interested in you.”
He glanced over at Cassie engaged in animated conversation with Nealy. “It appears that way.”
“Then stop worrying. What will be will be.”
“When did you become so enlightened?”
“When my soul mate came back into my life.”
“I’m happy for you, Dane. I know you’d never gotten over Nealy.”
“The years apart were probably good. We needed time to mature and now we’re solid.” Dane elbowed Luke. When he looked down, Dane partially pulled a blue velvet box from his jacket pocket. Luke’s gaze flew back to his cousin.
“You’re going to pop the question?”
“Tonight.”
Luke slapped him on the back. “It’s about time.”
“I expect those will be Nealy’s exact words.”
Dane dropped the box into his pocket just as the women joined them.
“I was telling Cassie how excited Jewel was when she found out Cassie was singing with the band,” Nealy said.
A happy glow surrounded Cassie. “It’s only temporary, but it’s been fun.”
Another couple approached the group.
“Way to go, Hastings.” Max Sanders, and his fiancée, Lilli, grinned at him. “Convincing Cassie to play with you tonight sealed the deal. We pick you for our wedding band.”
“You know you were always gonna choose Sandy Palms.”
“Yeah, but making you sweat was fun to watch.”
Lilli playfully slapped Max’s arm. “You guys, always getting the better of each other.”
The males in the group exchanged satisfied glances.
“I’m happy this is our final decision,” Lilli sighed. “I feel like we’ve been planning this wedding forever.”
“Couldn’t convince her to run off to the courthouse?” Dane asked his friend.
“Tried.” Max beamed at Lilli. “But she wants the whole shebang.” His loving expression said she was worth the wait.
“So, you’ll all be there to witness our special day,” Lilli said. “And Cassie, you’re more than welcome to come.”
Cassie’s brows rose over surprised green eyes. “Thank you. I’ll have to check my schedule, but I’d love to.”
“Then it’s settled,” Lilli announced.
“We need to get back onstage,” Luke interjected. Standing here, talking to his friends and the women they loved made him hopeful that he and Cassie might join the happy group as a couple one day.
Once again he led Cassie across the room, this time reveling in his decision to move things forward with her, instead of coming up with every problem he could think of to discourage their budding relationship.
“It was nice of Lilli to invite me to the wedding, especially since we just met.”
“That’s what I love about Cypress Pointe. The people here treat you like long, lost friends.”
They passed the bottleneck crowd hovering near the stage. Cassie spoke over the loud cacophony surrounding them.
“I may be in the studio,” she said, moving closer to speak into his ear.
“And if you aren’t, would you agree to be my date?”
Cassie stopped. Her smile beamed. “Yes.”
Soon the band was back in place. As Luke pulled the guitar strap over his head to settle the instrument on his chest, he scanned the crowd. His friends, people who had accepted the broken man who first came to town, smiled at him. The same folks who rallied around Kids’ Klub when he took steps to turn his dream into reality. His joy dropped momentarily when he glimpsed Mandy Rose off to the side, an enigmatic smile on her face, but he turned away and stamped out the four-beat intro to the next song. For now, he was going to stay in the moment.
Two hours later, the band packed up. The bride and groom left on a sea of well-wishes as they hurried off to their honeymoon destination. After that, guests slowly headed home for the night. Luke and Cassie stepped from the hotel into the fragrant spring night, strolling toward the parking lot. The sense of contentment that had escaped Luke for far too long wrapped them in a soft blanket. When they stopped by his car, he snapped a fuchsia hibiscus blossom from a nearby bush and slipped it into Cassie’s hair.
“Quite the romantic, aren’t you?”
“I’ll admit, I’m a b
it rusty.”
“I’d never have noticed.”
“And we both know you’re sweet to say so.”
Cassie laid her hand on his chest. “Thank you for singing ‘Won’t You Love Me Always.’ You have no idea how much it means to me.”
“If it makes you happy.” Luke tilted her chin with his knuckle. Feasted on her lovely face for long seconds before leaning in for a much-needed kiss.
Cassie wrapped her arms around his waist as his lips brushed hers. The decision to tell Cassie how he felt, to trust her, almost overwhelmed him. When he pulled back and saw what he hoped was love shining in her eyes, words escaped him.
Unable to keep from kissing her again, he bent his head. In the quiet night, his cell phone blared from his pocket. He groaned and rested his forehead against hers.
“Welcome to my life. Always one emergency or another.”
Cassie gently pushed him away. “You should answer. What if it’s one of the kids?”
Yanking the offending device from his pocket, he quickly sobered when he read the incoming number. “It’s the police station.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
WHEN THEY RUSHED into the brightly lit, overcrowded station, the first face Cassie recognized was Kyle’s. He and the police chief were battling in a heated conversation, until the teen noticed Luke.
“Mr. H., you came.”
“What’s going on?”
“Seems Mr. Snyder here forgot our last conversation,” the chief growled.
Chaos reigned as parents and youngsters she didn’t recognize spoke over each other to get to the root of the problem. Cassie gathered there had been a shoplifting incident. Did Luke deal with this sort of thing often?
As she listened closely in order to collect more information, a few of the people directly in front of her shifted and she caught sight of Erin sitting alone on a bench on the other side of the lobby. The teenager stared at her boot-shod feet, arms tightly crossed over a green-and-white-striped dress, while the other kids explained their sides of the story. Where were her folks?
Easing away from the confusion, Cassie crossed the room and sank down next to Erin. The girl glanced up momentarily. Her eyes conveyed humiliation and she pulled her hair over the side of her face.
“Quite a mess,” Cassie said softly.
Erin shrugged.
“With all the accusations being tossed about, do you want to tell me what’s going on?”
“Mr. Thomas caught us lifting some soda and chips from his convenience store.”
“Us? You included?”
Erin pressed her lips together.
“I know Kyle, but don’t recognize anyone else. Who are the others?”
Shrugging, Erin said, “Just some kids from school.”
Cassie searched the crowd. “Denny’s not here.”
“Why would he be?”
“I thought you two...”
“He doesn’t hang with this crowd.”
“I see.” She brushed her shoulder with Erin’s, her mouth close to the teen’s ear. “So why do you?”
Erin went still.
“It seemed like you and Denny were rather...close the other night. I thought you might want to spend time with him.”
“He’d never hang around with these kids.”
“So let me guess. You can’t decide which group of friends to be with?”
“What makes you an expert on kids?”
“I was one once.”
Erin rolled her eyes. Oh, the attitude. Cassie hid a grin.
“You aren’t the first girl to hang out with people she shouldn’t,” Cassie told her.
“Like you ever did?”
“For a while.” Erin tried to pretend disinterest, but Cassie sensed otherwise. “My parents were fighting and had just gotten a divorce. I was mad at my dad, so I started sneaking out at night. Until I came home late and found my mother scared to death. I’ll never forget the look on her face. We talked and I decided on a different path.”
“Lucky you. My parents don’t care.”
Luke’s warning resonated in her head, but instead of taking heed, she decided to be a friend to a girl who desperately needed one. “And why is that?”
“I’m a disappointment.” She chewed on her thumb nail. “Their words.”
“Because you’ve gotten in trouble?”
“Um, I haven’t before tonight.”
Interesting. “Then why would they be disappointed?”
Erin went stonily silent again. Okay, new tactic.
“So are you going to call them?”
“Are you crazy?”
“You’d rather sit here all night?”
A phone shrilled in the background, barely audible over the noise level. Cassie almost missed Erin’s next words.
“They wouldn’t come even if I called, so why bother?”
“Because they might surprise you.”
Cassie read the doubt on Erin’s face, which barely covered the equally strong longing beneath the surface. “What if I called them for you?”
The opening Cassie had hoped for slammed shut. “Why don’t you leave me alone? I didn’t ask for your help.”
“No. You didn’t. But I’m betting you want it.”
Suddenly, Erin’s eyes misted. Her body seemed to sink into itself and her breathing became ragged. Concerned, Cassie placed a hand on Erin’s shaking shoulder.
“I can’t... I don’t deserve any help.”
Cassie scanned the group. Was Erin talking about her friends? Didn’t want them to see her weakness? The tough girl who deep down wasn’t so very tough? She stood, taking Erin’s arm to pull her up and lead her toward the ladies’ room.
“Hold on,” the police chief called out. “I need to talk to that young lady.”
“A minute?” Cassie asked.
The chief must have noticed Erin’s shaking shoulders and relented. “Ten minutes.”
Cassie nodded and shuffled Erin away from the others. Once inside the empty bathroom, Cassie wet some paper towels and held them out. “Wipe your face,” she commanded.
Erin obeyed, taking the towels with trembling fingers. When she finally composed herself, she said, “You must think I’m an idiot.”
“No. A little off the path, perhaps.”
“I don’t want to spend the night in jail,” she whispered.
“Then let’s straighten this out.”
“Without calling my parents?”
Cassie sighed. “We’ll try. On one condition.”
Erin’s brow rose.
“You meet with a counselor at Kids’ Klub.”
The moody expression returned. “Those lame adults?”
“It’s either yes, or you can spend the night in lockup.”
Erin tried for an expression of suppressed disgust, but the shiver still shaking her shoulders belied the sting. “Fine.”
“I’m going to ask you a question and I want the truth.”
Erin’s eyes narrowed.
“Did you steal anything from that store?”
She opened her mouth, seemed to think better of it and sagged against the wall. “No. Not the store.”
“I didn’t think so.”
Something close to relief flared in Erin’s eyes. “Why would you believe me? Especially considering who I was with?”
“First, because you’re not a bad kid, Erin, no matter how much you believe otherwise. It’s obvious you have some issues at home, but deep down you’re a good person.”
“You don’t know me.”
True, but she had to finesse this for Erin’s sake. “I saw you running back and forth at the concert when you were giving Denny a hand. You showed up the next
morning and chipped right in serving breakfast. I know you enough to be right, Erin. Secondly, I don’t know those other kids, but considering the phone call Luke received, and the fact that the chief didn’t call you by name, shows you aren’t a regular here.”
“I’m not.”
“Then I’ll make sure the chief knows, okay?”
The room went silent. Cassie held her breath, waiting for Erin’s answer.
“I... Okay.”
Cassie took her hand and they walked outside. The crowd had thinned with only a few adults and their children. She scoped out the chief and headed in his direction.
“Chief. A word?”
The bear of a man lumbered to them.
“Erin is ready to talk to you when you’re free.”
Fear shadowed the girl’s face. The chief pulled himself to his full height and waited. It was a great intimidation tactic because even Cassie was spooked.
Erin visibly swallowed before speaking. “I...um...didn’t steal anything from the store.”
“And you expect me to believe you with just your say-so?”
All the color rushed from Erin’s face. “I swear.”
The chief rocked back on his heels. “The store owner didn’t ID you and no one gave you up so...” He turned to Cassie. “You’ll vouch for her?”
“Yes.”
“Then you’re free to go.” He pointed a thick finger at Erin. “I don’t want to see you again because next time you won’t be so lucky.”
Cassie sensed her hand holding Erin’s kept the girl from buckling in relief. When the chief winked at Cassie, she realized their good fortune. Until Luke joined them, a handsome scowl on his face.
“You need a ride home, Erin?”
“Yes,” came the quiet reply.
“Let’s go.”
They piled into Luke’s car for a silent journey to Erin’s house. Once again the house was dark when they pulled up, shrouded in shadows. Uninviting. Cassie exited the car to let Erin out of the backseat. She brushed the hair away from Erin’s eyes.
“Are you going to be okay?”
Erin shrugged.
“I’ll be checking to make sure you make an appointment with the counselor.”