by Tara Randel
Erin nodded.
“Then you can return it. Maybe Luke won’t come down so hard on you.”
“He should.” Erin sniffed. “But I didn’t have anything to do with the other money.”
“We can prove you weren’t at the Klub last night.”
“My parents are going to kill me.” Erin placed her palms on her forehead and bent over. Long blond hair hung over her face and her shoulders began to shake.
Cassie rubbed her back. “It’ll be fine.”
Erin’s head shot up. A wild look flared in her eyes. “Are you crazy? My parents think I’m a mess. I chose those kids over Denny and everyone will know I’m a thief. I’m a loser, just like Gary said.”
“Gary doesn’t know a thing. Look, Erin, just because you’ve made some mistakes, that doesn’t define who you are.”
“Why are you even bothering with me?”
“Because I see the hard time you’re going through. But I promise, it gets better. You want to change, right? Be the girl you used to be?”
Tears rolled down Erin’s face. “I want my parents to love me again,” she whispered.
Emotion clogged Cassie’s throat. She took a few breaths. “Then don’t let anyone else decide who you are. Choose your own path. Make your parents proud. It’s not too late to tell the truth.”
Erin brushed away the tears. “You make it sound so easy.”
“It won’t be. But you do have friends who will stand by you. I will. And I’m sure after you straighten things out with Denny, he will, too.”
Fresh tears formed again. “Do you really think so?”
“Yes. But first, we have to let the chief know where you’ve been and get to the park. We only have an hour.”
Pulling the phone from her pocket, Cassie called the police station. She explained Erin’s alibi to the chief, who said he’d be right over. Erin would come clean to Luke about the rest after the concert. Once the chief arrived, spoke to Erin and corroborated her story with Kelsey, he announced she was free to go.
With thirty minutes to spare, they made it back to the park.
As they began to cross the neatly cut grass, Erin looked down at her outfit in horror. “I can’t go onstage like this. Not in the same clothes from yesterday.”
“Not a problem.” Cassie nodded to a woman approaching them. Erin gasped when she glimpsed her mother.
“I called her while you were busy with the chief,” Cassie said.
“But why?”
“Those steps I was talking about? Better now than later.”
Erin’s mother, a small woman with honey-blond hair, whom Erin greatly resembled, tentatively moved forward, folded clothes in her outstretched hands.
“Mom?”
The woman placed the clothes in Erin’s hands. Tucked a strand of hair behind her daughter’s ear. “Kelsey’s mother called last night. I knew where you were.” The woman swallowed. “She also told me how upset you were over your sister leaving. Your father’s and my reaction. Then she called to tell me about the accident. That you were okay.” Tears shone in the woman’s eyes. “I realized how close we came to losing you. I...we...haven’t been fair to you, Erin. You aren’t your sister and we never should have compared you both.”
“I don’t know what to say,” the teen said, wonder and hope in her eyes.
Cassie tapped her shoulder. “Say you’ll talk to your folks later. You need to change, pronto.”
Erin’s mother nodded. “We’ll talk later.”
“Come on.” Erin grabbed Cassie’s hand and pulled her to the restroom. “What am I going to say to them?”
“First, you tell the truth. Then how about everything you’ve been holding in?”
“That will take a while.”
Cassie laughed. “You have all the time in the world.”
While Erin disappeared inside, Cassie lingered outside. In the distance she saw Luke directing the kids. She’d texted him with a heads-up on Erin’s arrival. He’d demanded to know what was going on. Yes, even in a text she could hear the authority in his tone. She’d miss that about him when she left. Truthfully, she’d miss everything about Luke, but he hadn’t asked her to stay.
Bottom line, she’d fallen in love with him. Probably since she’d first heard “Won’t You Love Me Always.” From the beginning, the lyrics moved something deep inside her. A love for music. For words. A poet’s soul. And when she finally met him in person, her heart came alive, like she was stirring from a long sleep. So yes, she would always love Luke. He held her heart and didn’t even know it.
“I’m ready,” Erin said as she exited the building, dressed like the rest of the team.
“Then we’d better get going.”
Cassie followed Erin to the staging area, holding back. She couldn’t face Luke yet, not with all these unsettled emotions bombarding her. Luke’s strong voice, his command of the situation, only made her heart ache. He loved Kids’ Klub. If she told him how she felt, could he love her as much in return?
* * *
FILLED WITH EXCITED kids and parents, the Klub gym echoed more loudly than usual. Luke scanned the scene, trying to catch a glimpse of Cassie. She’d promised to explain later, but just said that Erin was off the hook for the office robbery when they’d arrived just in time for the musical to take place.
The news story went off without a hitch. Well, he’d waited long enough. He wanted answers.
Along one wall, long tables were set up for drinks and donated food for the celebration. Once again, the generosity of the families in this community blew him away. All everybody wanted was the best for Cypress Pointe, himself included. And while he wanted Kids’ Klub to be a permanent part of the town, he admitted he’d been thinking a lot about his future. A future that included Cassie? He had to find out before she headed back to the studio.
He felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned to find Cassie and Erin.
“We need to talk. Your office?”
The serious expression on Cassie’s face made him nervous. “Sure.”
They wove through the noisy crowd. Once in the office, he closed the door to face the women.
Cassie nodded to Erin. “Go ahead.”
Erin’s face turned ashen. She dug into her jeans pocket and extracted a roll of bills. “This is the missing money from the concert. I took it.”
Erin was the thief? She’d been on the list, but he’d never seriously considered her. Big mistake.
“I don’t have an excuse, other than it was stupid. I wanted my parents to notice me. I thought taking the money would somehow make them see me, but then you blamed Denny and it got out of control.” She held out her hand. “I went home after the news taping to get the cash. I told my parents what I did.”
Luke took the bills from her outstretched hand.
“I’m ready to tell the police what I did, but I had nothing to do with the other money. I swear.”
He stared down at the cash. Then at Erin. Saw the misery and despair in her eyes.
“You realize if I go to the police,” Luke said, “you’ll have a juvenile record.”
“I understand,” she croaked.
Luke saw the repentance in her expression. The acknowledgment that she’d accept her punishment.
“But under the circumstances, I’ll keep this between us.”
Erin sank against Cassie, who wrapped a supporting arm around her.
He met Cassie’s eyes and she mouthed a silent thank-you.
“You’ll have to make it up to the Klub by volunteering here, agreed?”
Erin straightened. “Anything. And just so you know, my parents are punishing me.”
He almost laughed at the joy on her face when she admitted to being punished, but he got where she was coming from.
&n
bsp; “Can I go now? I need to tell Denny the truth.”
“Yes. Make an appointment with me next week. With your parents.”
“I will,” Erin said then slipped out the door.
“Cassie, you knew?” he asked as he tucked the money in his pocket.
“I only found out a few hours ago.”
He blew out a breath. “I know I put Erin on the suspect list, but I gotta admit, I never really suspected her.”
“She’s a confused, lonely girl.”
“Who has a great advocate.”
Cassie shrugged, but his words put a smile on her face.
“Once we figure this all out, maybe things can go back to normal.”
“Normal is overrated.”
He grinned. “Listen, Cassie, I wanted to talk to you about—”
A knock at the door cut him off. The chief entered.”
“Got a lead on the suspects from last night.”
“Great. How?” he asked.
“My guys were able to enhance the camera footage and make out the logo on the ball cap. Same logo Dan Snyder uses for his fencing company.”
“Kyle.”
“Yes. With the picture enlarged, I was able to recognize his features and ID him. Also got a better angle on the second figure. Gary. They must have left Erin’s backpack behind to make her look guilty.”
Luke tried to fight the frustration of this setback. He’d hoped Kyle would make positive strides, but this was strike four. “So now what?”
“Already sent one of my officers to pick up Gary. Now I insist Kyle and his father follow me to the police station.” Scowl lines creased the chief’s forehead. “Sorry to ruin the party.”
They left the office. Luke watched the chief approach Mr. Snyder, whose face went slack in disbelief, then red with fury. He marched over, the chief on his tails, to drag Kyle away from his friends. Before long the teen was coming up with loud excuses as he left the building.
Cassie hooked her arm through his. “Luke, I’m sorry.”
“He’ll have no option now but to own up to the consequences of his choices.”
They stood together for a moment before Cassie said, “All this excitement is a bit...much.”
Something about her subdued expression made him nervous. “How about we escape outside for a few minutes, grab a little fresh air by the picnic benches? I wanted to talk to you anyway.”
She nodded. With his hand on the small of her back, they left the crowd. As he did, several people congratulated him. Yeah, the news spot was a success, but he didn’t deserve this much praise. It was all the mayor’s idea.
They’d just reached the door when Mandy Rose sauntered in. Her delighted smile sent a warning through him. “Just the couple I wanted to see.”
“We were leaving,” Luke said.
“Hang on a minute. I need to thank you.”
“For what?”
“My newest scoop. The story has only been out a few hours and it’s already trending.”
He didn’t remember seeing her at the mayor’s event. “Thanks for covering the kids. It’ll be a good news story for the town.”
Mandy tapped her foot, a frown marring her forehead. “You haven’t seen my exclusive?”
Cassie glanced up at him, confusion in her lovely green eyes.
Mandy produced a tablet from her tote bag, ran her fingers over the screen and handed it over for Luke and Cassie to see. The headline read Cassie Branford and Luke Hastings, Collaborators in Music and Love? Below the headline, a picture of Luke whispering in Cassie’s ear, a secretive smile on her lips, caught his attention.
“What is this?” he demanded.
“Breaking news.”
He skimmed the article, filled with innuendo about his relationship with Cassie, her time at the Klub and an insider scoop that they were writing music together.
Shocked at the accuracy of the article, he asked, “Where did you get this information?”
Mandy cast a sideways glance at Cassie before returning Luke’s gaze. “I have impeccable sources.”
Mandy took the tablet from his hands and tapped the screen. Held it up. “My story is going national. Look.”
He focused on the screen again. Another headline, Is Luke Hastings Back?, ran in dark bold letters under the news section of a popular music magazine.
Suddenly a buzzing filled his ears. Cassie was saying something to him, but he couldn’t make it out. He signaled for her to follow him outside, away from the noise and confusion.
They reached the picnic area, well away from the building and prying eyes. The low-hanging limbs with full foliage would give them a degree of much-needed privacy.
“You knew about this?”
She cringed at his sharp tone. “No. It’s just as much of a surprise to me.”
He began to pace as his anger mounted. “I thought we agreed. No publicity.”
“Luke, I didn’t tell her a thing.”
“What about her sources?”
“How would I know?”
“Because she looked right at you when she said it.”
“And if she looked at me when she accused someone of robbing your office, would you automatically suspect me?”
He ran a hand over the back of his neck.
“Right. Because I’m still in the business so I leaked our relationship.”
“You’re heading back to LA. soon. Managers always want their clients in the spotlight.”
“I asked Travis to keep quiet.”
“Looks like he failed.” He stared pacing again. “And where did she find that picture of us?”
“You don’t remember?” she asked in a trembling voice.
He stopped. Stared at her.
“At the wedding. When I filled in for Ryan. During a break you were telling me about how much you wanted to kiss me.”
The memory flashed in his mind. He’d spoken into her ear so no one could overhear. And Mandy had captured the image of their special moment together and used it against them.
Their gazes met. He read the hurt, the indecision in the green depths.
“Cassie, I—”
She held up her hand. “You’ve made it very clear that you don’t want to be part of the music scene. I respect that, Luke, I do. So I would never go behind your back and suggest otherwise.”
“I’ve been clear.”
“Yes, you have.” She paused, her throat moving. “Kids’ Klub will always be number one with you. I get it. I guess I’d hoped you might want more with me.”
He didn’t respond. Couldn’t. The moment of truth was upon him and he froze.
Cassie walked to him, laying her hand on his chest. Her eyes glittered with tears. “I love you, Luke.”
His hand covered hers, yet the words wouldn’t come. He’d thought he was ready to tell her how he felt, but the shock of his name aligned with hers made him second-guess all the progress he’d gained. His worst nightmare, happening again.
When he didn’t move, she slipped her hand from his and stepped back.
“Someday you’ll have to face up to the past, Luke. You won’t be able to hide behind Kids’ Klub, using the kids as an excuse not to move on with your life. I thought you would have learned that by now.”
His chest ached and he could barely breathe, and still the words wouldn’t come.
“But at least now I know where I stand.” She took a shaky breath. “I can see how much this article is affecting you, so you don’t have to worry, I won’t record the song we wrote together. I’ll make sure the tabloids know this was just a short-term volunteer gig for me and that we have only a friendly relationship. Once they see me back in LA, recording and going on with my business without you, your name will fade away a
gain, just like you want.”
When she walked off he called out her name. “Cassie, wait.”
She turned. “For what? I may have hoped, but I see now this would never have worked between us. So I’m leaving Cypress Pointe.” She bit her lower lip. “Goodbye, Luke.”
She turned on her heel and hurried to the parking lot. Her convertible roared to life and soon a cloud of dust was all that was left.
He stood there, staring into the distance, wondering how he’d let this situation get so out of hand. Why hadn’t he stopped her? Were her words true? Was he using the Klub as an excuse not to live his life? Was he so afraid of repeating his old life that he’d let the possibility of a new and better life get away?
“Hey, Mr. H, we need you inside.”
Denny’s words shook him from his thoughts. He moved up the sidewalk, numb. Had he really been that dense to let Cassie leave without telling her he loved her?
He met the teen at the door.
“You okay Mr. H.?”
“I think I just let the best thing to ever happen to me get away.”
Denny blinked behind his glasses. “Cassie? She’s gone?”
Luke tried to shake off the stupor hanging over him and failed.
“Because she’s famous? I gotta say, Mr. H., I don’t see the problem.”
Luke’s head jerked up. “What did you say?”
“Who cares? None of us here. We like Cassie and she sure makes you smile, that’s what’s important. You don’t have to be part of her world to love her.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“Because you’re always here for us, Mr. H. Now it’s our turn to help you.” He looked over his shoulder and waved. Erin came running over. Denny slipped his arm around her shoulders and she snuggled close. “Erin and I almost blew it because we have different friends, but you know what? Nothing in those two worlds is more important than we are together.”
Nothing in those two worlds is more important than we are together.
Nothing was more important to him than Cassie. Not the past. Not the spotlight. Not her career. They could make this work.
Luke slapped Denny on his shoulder. “Thanks, Denny. You’re pretty smart for a kid.”