Home is Where the Heart is

by Mack, Christie

  Once Cassie heard water running, she knew he was doing as he was told.

  “Thank you again for agreeing to take him to school. I’ve got to be at the bakery early this morning so I can get a head start on a cake for one of the special functions we’re catering,” she said, giving herself a once-over in the hallway mirror hanging on the wall near the door. She took a moment to fix the lustrous pink lip-gloss on her lips.

  Nick got back on his feet, ran a hand through his sandy blonde hair, and studied his friend vaguely.

  “It’s no trouble. There’s one good thing about having my own business—I’m the boss. I can pick what time I start depending on how busy I am. Besides, I love Jake as if he’s my own child; I would do anything for that kid.”

  As Nick uttered the words, Cassie smiled precipitously and said, “And he loves you too.” She tapped him on the shoulder as she passed him, and he followed her into the kitchen where she finished gathering a number of items to put into Jake’s school bag, including his Lightning McQueen lunchbox and matching hat. “We both love you and are so very appreciative to have you and Gabby present in our lives. I honestly don’t know what I would do or where I would be without you.”

  “Speaking of Gabby, do you expect to hear from her today?” Nick asked out of the blue. Cassie’s eyes lit up in surprise. Nick didn’t usually bring up anything involving Gabby. She wondered why he would want to know whether she was talking to her today. She shrugged one shoulder, feigning nonchalance as she took the elastic band from around her left wrist and used it to tie her long blonde hair together into a high, twisted bun.

  “Well, I haven’t yet, but the mornings are usually frenzied enough without the added bonus of a conversation with my best friend. But I’m sure I will be seeing her later. She usually stops by before work for a quick chat and to grab a coffee to go. Why?”

  “No reason,” Nick said meekly, but his face told a different story. Cassie could see something was up.

  Now she was really intrigued. What had happened last night after she left? “What’s up? Am I missing something that happened between you two after I went home last night?” she asked him in a straight-to-the-point tone, watching his body language as she rested her hands on the kitchen counter in front of her. His body was still as a statue, and all she could see was his eyebrow tremble slightly. Damn Nick and his poker face. She knew she wouldn’t get anything from him now, so there was no point in trying to pull it out of him.

  “Oh, you mean besides running into your former boyfriend? Nope, nothing out of the ordinary. By the way, are you okay?” Nick asked, changing the subject. She hated when he did that. He wouldn’t be able to avoid whatever it was he was trying to forever though. One way or another, she would find out the truth.

  “About Jordan, you mean? Of course I’m okay. It’s not the end of the world just because my ex-boyfriend has come to town. I got over him a long time ago.” Who was she kidding? With any luck, she hoped it would be Nick. She prayed he couldn’t see right through her words. Now wasn’t the time to let her friend know how she was really feeling. No one could know she got that ticklish feeling when she saw Jordan last night. It had to remain her little secret—at least for a little while anyway.

  “Besides, with his busy career and all, I’m sure he won’t be back for very long.” Who was she trying to convince now—Nick, or herself?

  He let out a little chuckle. “You obviously don’t know very much about the NFL. He’s not playing right now, because it’s not in season. He could be here for a while—at least until training camp starts. Are you sure you’re really okay? You know I can read you like an open book, right? You don’t have to hide your true feelings from me. I can handle however you feel, even if you were to admit you still like him a little bit. It would be fathomable anyway, considering your long history together, and the way your relationship ended.”

  By now, Cassie and Nick both knew what ‘okay’ really meant, and also what Nick was actually talking about—Jake.

  Both were standing quietly in the kitchen when Jake came running in, showcasing a big, beautiful smile with sparkling teeth and fresh breath to prove he had done a good job.

  His hands were on his hips as he looked up at Nick. He was his role model, a father figure of sorts—despite the obvious difference in physical appearance and the fact Nick wasn’t related to Jake except for being his godfather and Cassie’s friend.

  “I’m ready,” he proclaimed proudly with his arms stretched out wide.

  “Well, then it’s off to school we go,” Nick burst out with enthusiasm as Cassie handed him Jake’s backpack and followed them out the door.

  That was the end of the conversation, and Nick knew he would just have to take his friend’s word for it that she was okay with Jordan being home, even though deep down, they both knew Cassie was scared as hell.

  Gabby rushed in through the doors of Patty-Cake Bakery where Cassie worked, sending the tiny chimes above the doors tinkling throughout the shop.

  Cassie sent a smile in Gabby’s direction, wiping her flour-covered hands against her floral-print apron from her position at the coffee machine behind the front counter. She loved it when her friend popped in for a visit before work.

  “Hello, best friend. I’m guessing you’re after your usual pick-me-up?” Cassie asked with a huge smile, referring to Gabby’s favorite morning latte she always ordered.

  In a very unlike-Gabby mannerism, she returned a guileless, “Yes, please. I’m in dire need of my caffeine injection.”

  “What happened to you?” Cassie gave her friend the once-over, noticing her usually straightened hair was looking a little wild.

  Today, her big and bouncy natural curls were on full display—not that her curls weren’t lovely and lustrous, but Gabby had never been a fan of her out-of-control mass of curls, which is why she always straightened her hair before she left the house. Today, it seemed, was an unusual exception—meaning something was definitely up. “You know, for a hairdresser, you’re really letting yourself down.”

  Gabby shook her friend’s playful comment off. “Yeah, yeah…I’m not in a good mood this morning.”

  Cassie passed her a hot cup of her favorite coffee with a lid to go, hoping it would lure her best friend to disclose what was going on and why she was in such a lousy mood. Surely it had nothing to do with Jordan being back in town. She didn’t care enough about him to worry whether he was back or not.

  Gabby perched herself on a stool at the front counter and brought the cup to her lips to sip her drink.

  “I didn’t really get a lot of time to fix my hair this morning. I overslept more than I normally do, and besides, I figured I could get one of our trainee hairdressers to straighten my hair as practice. They need the experience. By the way, this coffee is really good.” Gabby loved the aroma of freshly ground coffee in the morning, particularly when she was having one of these off-mornings.

  Cassie smiled. “Thanks. They don’t call me ‘Coffee Extraordinaire’ for no reason,” Cassie said, using air quotes to back up her testimony, and then folded her arms together on the counter. “So what’s up? Whatever it is, you can tell me. I won’t judge you because I’m your best friend and I would never do that. God knows, I’ve given you plenty of reasons to judge me, and you never do. This is like payback. Does this have anything to do with Nick?” Cassie got straight to the point, eager to find out more.

  At the first mention of the guy-in-question’s name, Gabby almost choked on her coffee. “Nick? Why would you think that? What would make you question whether Nick has something to do with my waking up in a bad mood? Maybe I’m feeling sympathetic for you because you know who is back in town, and I really don’t want those feelings you once had for the ass to return and make you fall back in love with him. I know the kind of effect he has on you, but I also know how much your heart broke the day he walked away.”

  “Take my word for it—that is never going to happen—and don’t change the subject,” Cassie
spoke softly. She knew where her friend was coming from, but she also knew Jordan’s presence in town had nothing to do with Gabby’s change in mood; she was simply using the topic of Jordan as a convenient decoy out of what was really going on. Whether Gabby liked it not, she would discover the truth, because she always did. Gabby could never keep a secret from her. It was why they had been best friends for so long.

  “I’m not changing the subject.”

  “Yes, you are,” Cassie pointed out to Gabby. “You’re forgetting how well I know you. Jordan would never make this much of an impact in your life, because you were never the girl in love with him. You can’t lie to me, so tell me what is going on. Does this have anything to do with Nick?” she asked again.

  “Huh? Well, that is probably true, but I honestly don’t know what you’re even talking about.” Gabby faked interest, glancing down at the gold watch around her left wrist. “Well, look at the time. If I don’t leave now, I’m going to be really late for work.”

  Cassie chuckled to herself. Gabby’s comment was very laughable, since her salon was only five minutes away from here.

  “This isn’t over,” Cassie said.

  Gabby jumped off her stool, swiped her hot mug of coffee from the counter, and showed a mischievous smile as she flipped her hair over her shoulder in an ‘oh, yes it is’ kind of way, even though she knew they’d be revisiting this conversation again.

  “See you tonight,” Gabby said. Wednesday was girl’s night for the two of them, when Gabby would come over to Cassie’s place for dinner with her and Jake, and then after Jake was asleep in bed, they would chitchat over a glass or two of red wine.

  There would definitely be a lot discussed tonight, and one way or another, Cassie was going to make Gabby confess her problems, and she had a strong inkling it had something to do with their very good guy-friend.

  Later that day, after Cassie finished work, picked Jake up from school, and went to the grocery store for food, she was unloading shopping bags out of her trunk when she heard a familiar voice behind her, startling her out of a half-daze. She was almost afraid to turn around and face who she already knew was standing on her front lawn.

  “Jordan...hi,” she said, just barely forming the words when she finally turned around, coming face-to-face with the one guy she’d hoped she’d never see again.

  “Yeah, hi,” Jordan said again with a crooked smiled.

  Damn, why did he have to be so damn good looking? She thought. Life could be so cruel sometimes.

  “I...um...hope you don’t mind, but I ran into Lara Hawkins today and…well, she kind of filled me in about where you live now. Boy, she hasn’t changed much. She can still talk your ear off. I think I actually have an earache from all her chatter,” he rambled.

  Jordan laughed, and Cassie had to admit—it was kind of funny. She flicked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear, and then took a tighter hold of the bags she was carrying in her hands.

  “Would you like a hand with those?” Jordan asked her.

  “No, thank you. I can manage on my own," Cassie said, turning him down politely.

  Jordan didn’t press the matter further, changing the subject instead. “So, um, I’m catching up with Nick for a beer tonight, and it would be—"

  He was suddenly interrupted by the sound of Cassie’s boisterous five-year-old son bursting out of the house, ice cream in-hand, and a ring of the frozen treat smeared around his mouth.

  “Mummy! I want to watch TV.”

  Jordan stood silently, his face falling downward in complete surprise. He obviously wasn’t expecting Cassie to be a mum, or to witness the little chocolate-covered boy coming out onto the porch. He hadn’t yet figured out how much this little guy resembled Jordan at his age. For him, there was more of an explosion going off inside him over the fact somebody actually called Cassie ‘Mummy’.

  Cassie glanced back at her son standing on the front porch, vigorously licking his ice cream, and she hoped he didn’t spoil his appetite with that very messy snack. She was usually opposed to giving anything sweet to Jake before dinner, but today was an exception, since it was the only thing she could do to keep him occupied while they were shopping. If not, she would have been pestered endlessly the entire time, with him begging for items he didn't need.

  “I’m coming, baby,” she replied.

  “OKAY!” he responded, and then happily bounced back inside, his dark curls bopping up and down. He hadn’t taken much notice of the stranger standing with his mother. At this point, all Jake cared about was finishing his ice cream and watching cartoons. Cassie was extremely appreciative to know he was content in his own little world. If only he could stay that way forever.

  “So, you’re a mum. I didn’t know that,” Jordan spoke, his gaze coming back toward the stunning beauty before him.

  “Yeah, well, of course you wouldn’t. You miss a lot when you leave town and don’t ever come back for a visit,” Cassie blurted out. It wasn’t on purpose, but it wasn’t a lie either.

  Jordan knew he’d had it coming.

  “So, um, what were you saying before? You and Nick are having a beer together tonight? That’s great news.” Cassie changed the subject, hoping to end this conversation as quickly as possible. Man, there’s a lot of that going on today, she thought to herself.

  Jordan ran a hand over his head. Cassie wished he would just spit out whatever it was he wanted to say. Get it over with, she thought. She didn’t want to sound rude or like she didn’t want to talk to him, but she had things to do, and a child to care for.

  “I was hoping you and I could get together at some point to catch up too,” he said, and then added, “If you want to, of course.”

  How nice of him to not force it on her, but did she want to? She wasn’t sure of the answer to that question. What was she supposed to say? No, I don’t want to play catch-up with you. It was the last thing she wanted to do, but she also couldn’t be rude to her ex-boyfriend; it wasn’t in her nature to come straight out and say something like that.

  So instead, Cassie heard herself tell him, “That would be nice. I’d like that.” Hadn’t she said something like this last night, when she ran into him at the tavern? He was certainly eager to see her again. What was on his agenda? Was he so desperate to reminisce about the good times they had once shared together? Or maybe he had taken the hint before that deep down she’d hoped she wouldn’t see him again—because she simply didn’t want to—and came by today to soften her up to the idea. It wasn’t that she was holding a grudge for him or anything, although Gabby probably was, but Jordan was in her past, and Cassie was trying her best to look to the future and move forward with her life for the sake of her son.

  Jordan tucked one hand into the front pocket of his dark blue, straight-cut jeans. “I guess I’ll let you go so you can unload your shopping.” And just like that, he was gone, but not before he gave her a long lingering gaze, leaving Cassie with the strongest feeling of longing she’d ever felt in her whole entire existence up to this point. Those dark, dreamy eyes strolled over every curve of her womanly body, just as she remembered they had when they’d been a couple, sending a shiver up her spine. Even after all this time and after everything he had put her through, he still affected her in a way that had her feeling tiny butterflies flutter in the pit of her stomach every time those eyes of his gazed at her. She wasn't on show for him anymore. How could he still hold so much power over her without even trying?

  Damn! She should have listened to Gabby when she had the chance. A new hook-up was exactly what she needed right now so she wouldn’t still be thinking about her ex-boyfriend. Maybe Jordan would stop insisting they hang out if he thought she was in a committed relationship with someone else.

  It was a good thing Gabby was coming over for a much-needed girl’s night tonight. After what had just happened, Cassie needed some quality girl-time with her best friend.

  Later that evening at Mickey’s Tavern, Jordan and Nick were enjoying mugs of beer toget
her as they filled each other in about what’s been happening in their lives these past few years. Then the topic turned to Cassie.

  “I get the feeling Cassie doesn’t want to hang out with me,” Jordan said, taking a swig of his beer, his right hand firmly wrapped around the handle of the frosted mug.

  Nick wasn’t surprised by his friend’s sudden remark. He knew it couldn’t be easy for Cassie to see Jordan after she had made a life here without him. Running into Jordan would send her mind right back to the past she’d shared with Jordan. Back then, Cassie was a vulnerable and fragile young woman, whose future looked bleak because of an unplanned pregnancy. Because of that moment in her past, she had been forced to grow up way too quickly as she prepared to take on the role of a lifetime—a single mother on her own. She had made it clear she was over feeling hurt and betrayed by Jordan and the way he broke her heart, because it was unhealthy to hold a grudge for someone who wasn’t even present in her life anymore, but Nick figured a small piece of her—at least her heart—was still torn into a million little pieces because of Jordan.

  He wanted to make one of his oldest friends feel better, but he felt like he owed it to Cassie to stand up for her. “Nah, man,” Nick said, shaking Jordan’s comment off, raising his glass to his lips but not taking a drink yet, “I think she’s just had to move on in life. She hasn’t had much of an opportunity to sit and plan out when she can catch up with her ex-boyfriend. Let’s face it—you are her ex-boyfriend. What person looks forward to running into someone they used to date?”

  “I know; you’re right. It can’t be easy to see me again, especially the way our relationship ended like it did. Anyway, she’s obviously doing well for her and her son at least.”

  Nick was so stunned to hear those words come out of Jordan’s mouth he choked on the mouthful of beer he was trying to swallow. Jordan chuckled, slapping his friend on the back.

  “You know?” Nick asked when he found himself able to speak.