“I do mind,” he teased, trying to stop his mother from removing the cover.
“Grady Joshua,” his mother said, pushing his hands away. She turned apologetically to Cassie, a little softening in her manner toward her. “I’ll cut it for you, but I don’t think Grady has enough small plates.”
“I’ve got a stash of paper plates for poker night.” Grady went to the cupboard to pull them down and placed them on the table near the cake.
“I’ll get you a knife.” Cassie went to the utensil drawer as Grady delivered the plate of fruit and vegetables.
When he returned, Diane had taken the cover off to reveal a thickly frosted single-layer cake. Suddenly both children appeared in the doorway. “I smell cake frosting,” Soren said. He looked up at Diane, his manner frank and friendly. “Who are you?”
Diane laughed and crossed the kitchen to take the knife from Cassie. “I’m Grady’s mother,” she replied, slicing expertly into the cake. “Who are you?”
The boy pointed to himself. “I’m Soren.” Then to his new sister. “This is Rosie. She’s my sister now. We just came here to live.”
“Oh?”
“Corie and Ben are adopting us,” Rosie said. “We don’t have to call them Mom and Dad until it feels right.”
“Well, that’s very nice.” Diane put two slices of cake on plates as they sat eagerly at the table. “Welcome to Beggar’s Bay.”
Ben appeared in search of the children. “Ben!” Soren said then amended with “Dad! Look what we’ve got. This is Grady’s mom. She brought cake!”
Ben smiled and went to Diane, his hand extended. “Yes, I know Grady’s mom. She’s made dinner for Grady and Uncle Jack and me a couple of times. And she makes the best peanut-butter fudge.”
“Maybe she should make it for the wedding,” Rosie suggested, chocolate already on her upper lip.
Ben frowned at the children. “Did you have some lunch?”
Soren made a face. “There’s a lot of vegetables out there, so we came in here and found the cake.” He held his fork poised over the cake, waiting for approval.
Groaning, Ben said, “Okay, on the principle that life is short so we should eat dessert first, it’s okay.”
Soren and Rosie cheered.
“Thank you,” Ben said, accepting a slice of cake from Diane. “Can you come to the wedding? We don’t have time for invitations, so we’re just making phone calls and emailing. I know it’s rude, but time is short. New Year’s Day. Five o’clock. Right here. And you don’t have to make fudge.”
“Well...yes, if I’m not intruding.”
“Of course not.” Ben backed as far as the doorway and shouted into the main room, “Guys, Grady’s mom brought cake. Corie, come and meet her.”
In a moment the kitchen was packed with ten people who clearly subscribed to the “life is short” philosophy, all talking at once.
Grady was surprised how warm, if a little uncomfortable as the center of attention, his mom seemed.
He closed his eyes for a minute at the cacophony in the kitchen then opened them again and allowed himself a very small smile.
Cassie went to him with a piece of cake and a fork. “Here you go. I think this is a matter of, ‘if you can’t lick ’em, join ’em.’”
“Thank you.” He took it from her. “She does make amazing cakes.”
Cassie shrugged. “I wouldn’t know. My family has eaten it all. This was the last piece.”
“Ah.” He forked a piece and held it out to her. “You have to experience this for yourself.”
* * *
CASSIE WAS SUDDENLY very aware of his closeness. Her gregarious family in the tight space and Jack gesturing with his fork as he explained to Corie his plan for restoring something. The sounds around her faded as Grady’s eyes focused on her mouth while he guided the fork to her lips. She caught the scent of his aftershave, felt the warmth of his energy and the touch of his little finger as he poked her chin with it.
“Hey,” he said, puncturing her distraction. “Open before I get chocolate all over you.”
Still ensnared by his nearness, it took her a moment to part her lips. He put the fork gently inside then withdrew it and she closed her mouth around the bite of cake. On one level, she was aware of the taste of the thick chocolate icing, then the succulent cake, but on another, nothing existed but his eyes looking into hers with a sweetness that had been missing in him since he’d discovered she was all about glamour and fuss.
She drank it in, unafraid of what he would think because she was staring at him. He darted a quick glance beyond her, probably because of the sudden silence she, too, noticed. Looking behind her, she saw everyone watching them. His mother was the only one who seemed a little concerned about what she saw.
Cassie was saved embarrassment by the arrival of the delivery truck.
Grady heard the air brakes and knew it had to be a vehicle from out of town. The driver started toward the side door with a clipboard and stopped in his tracks when eight people and two children swarmed out.
Cassie approached him. “I’m Cassidy Chapman,” she said. “You’re delivering from Castle Props?”
He looked relieved. “Yes. Are you staging a revolution or do all these people live here?”
“They’re my family,” she said, feeling a small thrill at the sound of those words. “We’re having a wedding, and they’re all anxious to see what the standing chandeliers look like.
“Thank you for being so prompt,” she said, walking with him to the rear of the truck.
He opened the back, lowered a ramp and disappeared inside to reappear with a tall, wide box on a dolly. He guided it carefully down.
“Can we help you?” Jack asked.
He shook his head. “Insurance covers you while I’m delivering, so it’s best to let me do it. If anything happens, it’s my fault.”
Jack stepped back. “Makes sense to me.”
After the seven chandeliers had been delivered and the driver sent on his way with a plate from the buffet, the women stood aside. The men gathered around the one box Cassie had asked the driver to place in the middle of the room.
Jack produced an impressive knife and opened the smaller end of the box.
“Please be careful,” Cassie said. “Under all that padding is crystal.”
“Did you buy these?” Soren asked, standing beside her.
“No, I’m renting them,” she explained. “We’ll use them for the wedding and send them back.”
“Wow,” Rosie said again. “You’re the coolest aunt to have.”
“That’s for sure!” Soren agreed.
She laughed and put an arm around both children. “Thank you, both of you. You’re the coolest niece and nephew. Let’s just hope nothing’s broken.”
“What happens if it is?” Soren asked worriedly.
She shrugged. “We fix it. We have all these smart men and women. We can figure it out.”
“All right!”
Jack and Ben bore the weight of the chandelier’s wide head still wrapped in cotton batting while Grady held the stand, now horizontal, so that Gary could slide the box away.
“Looks good,” Cassie said, feeling a little breathless. “Let’s stand it up.”
The brass base was entwisted with copper and had a wide foot plate for stability. Jack held it while Ben carefully pulled off the protective batting.
Cassie approached it after the last wad of cotton hit the floor. It stood just above her eye level, somehow lighting the darkening room even though it wasn’t turned on. She ran her fingers gently through the strands of crystal droplets that had been bunched together in their packaging. She straightened them so that each hung perfectly on its finding, catching what light there was.
The women closed in, gasping at
the beauty of the chandelier brought down to eye level. “Imagine six of them,” Cassie said, a little breathless over how right she’d been about this, how gorgeous they would be lined up in two rows of three to make a path for the bride.
“I can’t believe something that delicate came across the ocean unscathed,” Helen said. “I ordered a small chandelier once and you had to attach the crystals when it arrived.”
“Oh, Cassie!” Corie whispered. “They’re... I don’t have a word.”
“How are you going to light them?” Ben asked. “With our guests walking around, we can’t let cords stretch across the room to trip people.”
Cassie pointed to the base. “You’ll notice there are no cords.” She reached up and turned the battery-powered switch in the neck. “We used them on the beach in a shoot for champagne, the principle being that the level of elegance of the beverage required the same level of elegance to light the evening.”
She saw Grady’s eyebrow go up, but she ignored him. “Obviously there was no place to plug in, so one of the guys modified them to take batteries. Only problem is, they really eat up the power, so I’ll have to be sure to have extras on hand.” She smiled at her family. “So, everyone approves?”
Helen, Sarah, Corie and even Diane helped her clean up. They talked about Sarah’s new job as administrator at Rose River Assisted Living, about Corie’s plan to design and market a new line of clothes, and Helen and Gary’s upcoming trip to visit friends in San Diego. Diane stayed out of the conversation, listening politely and contributing only when asked.
“And you get to go back to your glamorous job in Paris, or New York, or wherever your next assignment is.” Sarah huffed a wistful sigh. “I’d love to see Paris.”
Cassie covered sausage and cheese plates for the refrigerator while her sister-in-law wiped off trays. Corie and Helen washed and dried utensils. “Now that you have family there,” Cassie said, “you’ll always have a place to stay when you come.”
“Are the pastries really as wonderful as all that?”
“Better than you can even imagine. Although Diane’s cake was pretty amazing.” She smiled at Grady’s mother, who was watching her with an expression she couldn’t quite interpret.
“How do you stay—” she swept a hand up and down Cassie’s very slender body “—like that?”
“I walk everywhere, for one thing, and I’ve inherited my father’s height and body type. He’s as lean in his sixties as he was as a young man. And I do eat really lightly when I’m working.”
Sarah sighed. “I’d never have the self-control to do that.”
“I’d never have the smarts to run a senior care facility. We all have our skills. Mine just happen to be...physical.”
“That’s not true.” Corie spoke firmly. “I remember how much fun it was to be your penpal when you were twelve. For a couple of months you were the only happy spot in my life.” Her firm expression turned into a soft smile of affection. “I’m so glad we found you. And I’m so happy that life’s been good to you.”
It had. She couldn’t deny that.
“It’s going to be so good for all of you to be reconnected,” Helen said. “Jack used to do his best to take care of you when your mom was...” She groped for a word then stopped trying to find one with a wave of her hand. “He talked about you all the time after he came to live with us. I’m so happy that he has his family back.”
Sarah nodded. “Maybe now his nightmares will stop forever.” At Cassie’s look of confusion, she went on. “He used to dream about your mother being in Iraq and Afghanistan when he was stationed there. I think his subconscious confused all the bad things in his life and put them together in nightmares about her dressed in a hijab and climbing onto the vehicle he drove.”
“How awful.” Cassie closed the refrigerator door and sat at the table. “I feel so badly that those times were so awful for Jack and Corie, and I barely remember them.”
Corie sat across from her. “It wouldn’t make it any less bad for me, if you remembered having a bad childhood, too. So don’t think about it that way. After I ran away from my stepmother, I liked the thought that you were on your way to Paris with your dad and that things would be good for you there. And they finally all worked out for me, so let’s just let all that go.”
Cassie nodded. “I can do that.”
Helen said, as though determined to put that out of their minds, “I confirmed with Father Eisley for five in the evening.”
“Who’s giving you away?” Cassie asked. “Didn’t you say Teresa isn’t able to come to the wedding?” Teresa McGinnis ran the foster home that Corie had grown up in and then stayed to help run.
“No, she isn’t.” Corie was clearly unhappy about that. “But she has a whole new batch of kids and their needs come first. Ben and I will make a special trip to see her in the spring.” She cheered visibly. “Gary offered to give me away. I’m very honored.”
Jack, Ben and Soren walked into the room. Ben said, “We’re here to report that all the chandeliers work beautifully. We lined up the chandeliers in their boxes on their sides along the back wall. And we’re thinking we’d better get home because the wind’s picking up and the kids left their bikes out behind the condo.”
Jack scrutinized the women. “You look very sad for women planning such a happy occasion.”
Sarah stood and went to put her arms around his waist. “It’s not sadness, it’s happiness that the three of you are together again. That’s seriously heavy stuff.”
“That’s true. But we make a promise here and now to put aside what separated us, and forge ahead to whatever awaits. And even though we have to let Cassie go back to Paris or wherever, Christmas will always be all of us together. Agreed?”
Corie and Cassie chorused, “Agreed.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
BIG DROPS OF rain came with more wind as Grady and Cassie saw the family off. Grady went onto the deck to take down a set of wind chimes and carry in a pair of wicker chairs.
Cassie had followed him and looked over the railing at the potted plants below. “Are those going to be okay?”
“I think so.” He pointed to the window behind her. “Want to get that shutter, please?” he asked as he closed the one nearest him.
“At home in Paris or New York, outside shutters are just decorative,” she said as she closed the other one.
He narrowed his eyes against the rain that began to thicken and fall in earnest. “In the woods in Oregon, they’re functional to save your windows from flying debris.”
He guided her ahead of him into the great room and closed and locked the doors. With the shutters closed, the room was dark.
Darkness was sometimes a trigger for her claustrophobia because it was impossible to be sure nothing hemmed her in or closed her off.
She flipped the light switch she knew was right beside her and the great room came to life, the boxes on the floor lined up against the wall a testimony to the success of her wedding planning so far.
She was suddenly exhausted. “I was thinking about going to bed early,” she told Grady as he headed for the kitchen. “Unless there’s something you need me to do.”
He turned at the doorway. “No, nothing. I’m still stuffed from your buffet and Mom’s cake. Do you need anything before you go up?”
She shook her head. “I’m good. The girls and I are going shopping in the morning.”
She was trying hard not to look into his eyes, or at his mouth, but staring at his hair made her feel ridiculous. He even rolled his eyes up, obviously wondering what was on his head. She quickly added, “I’ll get groceries. Thanks for today. I loved it. I know you must have hated it, but I appreciate that you didn’t complain about my family being all over the place. Good night, Grady.”
She was halfway up the stairs before he replied. �
�Good night, Cassie,” he said.
* * *
CASSIE WOKE OUT of a deep sleep and sat straight up in bed. She remained still, the blanket clutched in both hands, and wondered what had awakened her. She hadn’t been dreaming, and except for rain thumping against the windows, there didn’t seem to be anything wrong. Then she realized how dark it was, that there were no illuminated numbers on the bedside clock. The power must be out.
The night pressed against her, nudging her, running a finger of sensation along her spine, whispering in her ear, “Got you now! You’re all mine. And there’s no one around to see or hear you.” A shudder ran through her.
Well, that was just stupid, she told herself, throwing her blankets back. She was not going to fall victim to her own terrors.
Then thunder clapped as loudly as though it were hanging from the ceiling above her bed. She was transplanted for an instant to that nebulous darkness of loud voices and noises.
She heard a cry and realized it was her own as she hurried toward the stairs, hands held out in front of her to guide her. She’d taken just a few steps when she made herself slow down.
She heard her breath rasping as she felt the end of the railing with her left hand and took a firm hold. There was no light in the great room, no night-light in the kitchen. Rain and wind slammed against the windows. For an instant, bright light illuminated the path to the kitchen, but the shutters she and Grady had closed against the wind kept the lightning from the great room. Then the light was gone, thunder crashed again, and she held the railing in one hand and forced back a cry with the other.
You’re fine, she told herself. Terrified beyond description, but fine.
“Cassidy?” Grady called. He suddenly materialized at the bottom of the stairs, the glow of a bright lantern in his hands casting a ring of light from his knees to his shoes and the fir floor under his feet. He raised the light so that she could see his face—or so that he could see hers.
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