by JoAnn Durgin
Mitch nodded and the grin she loved emerged. “Yes, I believe you did. I’m so glad you came back, and you can’t even begin to know how proud I am of you right now, Cassie. I’m going to miss you so much.” Hauling her into his arms, he gave her a soul-dragging, heart-palpitating kiss the likes of which would keep a silly grin on her face all the way back to Houston. And then some.
Finally, Mitch pulled away. “When I first saw you standing in the doorway, I was afraid you were going to misinterpret what was happening and every bad cliché of the other woman scenario I could think of ran through my mind in the span of twenty seconds.”
“I guess with me, you can expect the unexpected.” Her eyes widened when Mitch slid to the floor on one knee.
“Cassie, I’ll be unemployed in a few weeks and have no idea what my future holds, but I’m completely in love with you. I want you with me on my life’s journey whether it’s to darkest Africa or wherever the Lord leads.” He ran his finger over the diamond. “The Lord’s guiding hand has been in this relationship all along, and I want to marry you.”
Rising to his feet, he kissed her fingers, first on her left hand below the ring and then on her right hand. “Cassandra Liane Thorenson, will you agree to wear this ring as my pledge to you of my love and the promise of all my tomorrows?”
She smiled through her tears. “Fine by me, Mitchell Ainsworth Jacobsen.”
Chapter 40
Monday, July 12, 2004
Mitch’s Townhouse
Mitch hesitated, darting a glance at his laptop still open on the kitchen table. A new email had come in, but he was almost out of time or he’d be late getting over to Tam’s Place. Thinking the email might be from Cassie, he crossed the kitchen with Sammie at his heels. Better check just in case.
He quickly scanned the list of emails. Josh Grant. Dropping into the chair, Mitch clicked on the message.
Hey Mitch,
Confirming your arrival at Bush Intercontinental
Friday, July 16, 2004
Delta Flight 1309 arriving at 4:20 p.m.
Will meet you at baggage claim.
Praying for you, brother. Read Sam’s book on the flight.
That’ll either put you to sleep or keep you calm.
Until His Nets Are Full,
Josh
Mitch hoped Lexa and Winnie would be able to keep his visit a secret. That might be tough since they worked so closely with Cassie. Knowing of Cassie’s close relationship with Rebekah, he’d thought it best not to mention it to Kevin although they’d been in touch a few times. Maybe he didn’t have a prayer of pulling this off, but he had to try. Every time he envisioned Cassie’s face flushed with pleased surprise, it got his heart pumping hard and fast.
Almost three months without seeing her in person had been pure torture. If not for the wonders of modern technology, he’d have gone out of his mind. Thoughts of her preoccupied most of his waking thoughts. No woman had ever captured him like this. He’d never truly loved a woman until now—loved her heart, her mind, her spirit and deep faith. The promise of loving her in every way was sweet, but he prayed the Lord would take away those thoughts until she became his wife. Then he’d embrace the reality of loving her fully.
Focus. He rubbed a hand over his jaw. Dashing off a quick reply email to Josh, he confirmed the details of his flight, not bothering to check the itinerary since he’d memorized it. He needed to pray he didn’t hyperventilate on that flight. If Cassie knew he was coming by plane, she’d worry. Another reason not to tell her. Why worry her when he was anxious enough for both of them? He’d long ago given up the idea the Lord would somehow be displeased with him for breaking the vow never to fly again. That was a rash decision made in the heat of the moment after the crash landing, compounded by losing Brad because of another aircraft. The plane that slammed into the South Tower wasn’t evil, but a conduit of the twisted minds of those intent on threatening the security of a free nation.
This was something he needed to do for himself. Conquer his fears. God wouldn’t want him to be fearful. Be anxious for nothing. He’d cling to that verse, as he always had in all respects of his life.
Lord, I’m still going to need Your help. Always.
~~**~~
That Same Morning
Houston, Texas
“Cassie, could you come into the office, please?”
That was odd. Lexa rarely used the intercom. Usually she called to her from the open door. She’d also caught a glimpse of Winnie scooting out of her office and into Lexa’s a couple of minutes ago. Then she’d closed the door, something they never did.
No reason to be nervous. No way could the business be in any kind of serious financial trouble. Lexa was brilliant with bookkeeping and no one was better than Winnie at coordinating the catering jobs. Business was steady and they were in-demand to the point where they’d had to turn down a number of events. They were talking about hiring more part-time servers. As far as Cassie knew, she hadn’t botched scheduling any events. Hadn’t burned or otherwise ruined any batches of food, mainly because Winnie still kept her away from the food as a general rule. Standing beside her desk, Cassie smoothed her skirt with one hand and inhaled a quick breath.
Knocking on Lexa’s door, she heard her call to come in.
“You wanted to speak with me?” Cassie stepped inside, glancing between her two bosses. They didn’t look upset, so that was a relief. “Is everything okay? I haven’t done anything egregiously wrong, have I?”
Lexa beckoned for her to come closer and have a seat. “Of course not. The opposite, as a matter of fact. We’ve both noticed how hard you’ve been working for us.”
Winnie’s lips upturned. “Did Chloe teach you that word? Egregious?”
“No, why?”
“Well, she taught it to me the other day. One of her ten words. That child is a walking dictionary. Now, back to the matter at hand,” Winnie said, clearing her throat. “You’ve really thrown yourself into your work, especially during the last few months. Above and beyond with all the things you do for us outside of working hours—the babysitting, errands, and everything else. You’re always running around on our behalf.”
Lexa’s smile was kind. “We’ve been selfish and hope we haven’t taken advantage of your good nature and willingness to drop everything to help us whenever we need it.”
“It’s not like you have to twist my arm. I love helping all of you, and those children of yours are irresistible. Besides, you make it easy. I have no complaints.”
Picking up a small, business-sized envelope sitting on the desk, Lexa offered it to her. “This is to say thank you for all you do, but it’s also part of the job.”
Her eyes wide, pulse beating hard, Cassie took the envelope.
“Go ahead and open it.” The enthusiasm in Winnie’s voice was infectious.
The flap on the back wasn’t sealed and Cassie pulled out a colorful brochure. “What have you two done?”
“We’re sending you to The Institute of Culinary Arts in New York for a week!” Winnie announced as Cassie stared at the front of the brochure. “They have all kinds of fabulous classes. We want you to take a week off—paid, of course—and enjoy it. Take a look at the list.” Winnie ran her finger down the brochure. “Pastries, breads, Italian cooking, steak and meat preparation. It’s not until the middle of August, but you’ll have fun and come back with all kinds of new ideas for the business. Don’t worry if those dates don’t work for you. They’re interchangeable since they’re ongoing, weekly or bi-weekly classes.”
“They’ll work fine,” Cassie murmured, feeling as though she was in shock. Was this real? She scanned the page, noting her name and reservation number at the top. The courses of study covered everything from appetizer preparation to sautéing, and a few involved making a full-scale gourmet dinner after which the students would discuss their experiences as they sampled the various dishes.
“You’re paying me to go to New York?”
“For the
job. We insist,” Lexa said.
“You wouldn’t want to disappoint your bosses now, would you?” Winnie’s grin was so sweet that Cassie wanted to hug her.
She opened the brochure again. “Well, I suppose I could take time out of my hectic schedule and go to New York next month. For the good of Doyle-Clarke Catering, of course.”
“Plane ticket included,” Lexa added. “We might even spring for a private plane if you ask us nicely.”
Jumping up from the chair, Cassie opened her arms. “I’m so blessed to have you in my life. Thank you.” Both ladies embraced her, hugging her in turn.
“We realize by doing this we’ll probably lose you,” Lexa said. “But we want to see you happy.”
“Yes, you’ve been pretty hard to take lately, mopey face.” Winnie’s coy grin belied her words. “Check out that brochure some more. Especially the Cooking for Two classes.”
“I’ll definitely do that.”
Back at her desk again, Cassie stared out the front window, lost in thought. It’d been almost three months since she’d seen Mitch. Three long months. Keeping busy during the day kept her mind mercifully occupied, but it was in the quiet times and random moments when she ached most for Mitch’s friendship as much as anything else. She missed laughing at something silly he’d said or done. Missed slipping her hand in his, resting her head on his shoulder and enjoying the emotional closeness. Never in her wildest imaginings would she have expected to miss a man this much. But Mitch wasn’t just any man.
This is the man I love.
Since leaving his Wall Street brokerage firm in the first part of May, Mitch had traveled with the New York TeamWork group on two short-term missions—one week in Haiti and another most recently in the Dominican Republic. He’d assisted the medics with physical exams, shot clinics and the distribution of medical and food supplies. When she’d talked with him, he’d sounded happier than ever. The underlying edge of sarcasm in his voice—often present when she’d first gotten to know him—was still there but had softened. In its place, a more confident maturity had emerged.
Except for when he was on the missions, they’d burned up the phone wires, sent emails, texts throughout the day and talked via Skype most evenings. Once she finally confessed she loved lavender roses more than any other, she’d received a weekly bouquet. Every Monday like clockwork. Her gaze strayed to the lovely blooms on her desk now, and she breathed in deeply, enjoying the fresh fragrance, as sweet as the love blossoming in her heart.
Mitch often asked her to sing for him in the late evening, and although she felt silly, she’d sing a few verses of a new song she’d written. And before signing off, he always told her he loved her. What Mitch didn’t realize—not that she’d ever say anything—was that he didn’t have to say the actual words. She knew. He told her in everything he said and did.
~~**~~
Monday Evening
Rebekah and Kevin Moore’s Home
Cassie stretched out on a deck chair, a glass of lemonade in her hand. “I don’t know, Beck. Am I crazy to be madly in love with the man when I’ve only spent eight days total with him?”
Rebekah smiled. “Maybe I’m not the one to answer that question, but I think you need to consider how much you did together in those eight days. They were, shall we say, action packed. And you’ve been in constant communication every day. Sounds completely feasible to me.”
“Did I tell you about his latest anniversary gift?”
“The fifteenth of the month gift, you mean? In addition to the How to Use Chopsticks instructional video and the gym membership?”
“This month it’s a certificate for ten hours of private swimming lessons. He sent it early, but I have no idea why.”
“I guess he figured the sooner you got started on the swim lessons, the better. Is he sending Celeste to teach you?”
She laughed. “No. Celeste emails me every now and then. She’s back with Ashton, at least as of a week ago. I hope it works out for them. In the last message, she said she was praying for Mitch and me to work out our plans to be together sooner than later. It meant a lot, especially coming from her. I’m hoping to meet Mitch’s mom when I go to New York next month for the cooking lessons.”
Rebekah smiled. “That move was a stroke of genius. Again, leave it to Lexa—and Winnie, too—to come up with a valid excuse for a little more matchmaking.”
“Beck, I’m feeling a little guilty about something.”
“Oh?” Rebekah lowered her glass of iced tea after taking a drink. “What’s that?”
“I more or less encouraged Mitch to consider leaving his job. I guess I never thought it would happen in the way it did. With me right there in his office, as a matter of fact. That morning was the strangest one of my life. Talk about roller coaster emotions.”
“You have no reason to feel guilty, Cass. From what you’ve told me, Mitch is happier now than he’s been in a long time. He wasn’t asked to leave his job. Look at it this way: maybe you planted the seed in his mind and it gave him the push he needed to make it a reality. Mitch isn’t the kind of man to do something that rash in terms of his professional career. He’s worked hard to build his reputation and he wouldn’t walk away from it unless he’d already been considering that move. It’s also brought him one step closer to a permanent relationship with you.”
Cassie eyed her curiously. “How do you figure that?”
“Do you ladies mind if I join you?” Kevin walked out onto the deck and gave Rebekah a quick kiss.
“Not at all,” Cassie said after sipping her lemonade. “You can lend the male perspective.”
Kevin laughed. “Maybe I should leave now.”
“Oh no, you don’t.” Rebekah grabbed his hand and pulled him down into the chair beside hers. “Cassie’s missing Mitch and she’s wondering—since he’s no longer working on Wall Street—why he’s not down here visiting her.”
“Your wife’s putting words in my mouth.” Cassie shook her head with a smile.
“Are you denying the truth of anything I just said?”
Both Kevin and Rebekah waited. “No. I cannot.” She blew out a breath.
Kevin stretched out his legs and took a sip from Rebekah’s iced tea. “Mitch is a go-getter, but—from my perspective—he’s also the type who could easily become a workaholic. He’s a man with an extremely strong work ethic. A commitment to excellence. Those qualities are admirable as long as it’s not to the exclusion of other things.”
“Such as a personal life?” Cassie traced a pattern in the sweat of her glass, pondering his words. She’d always trusted Kevin’s judgment, almost as much as Sam’s.
“Yes,” Kevin said. “The way I see it, the Lord’s bringing opportunities into his life. He’s leading Mitch to where He wants him to be, in order to reach his full potential, both professionally and personally. Working a mission is one of the best ways to clear your head and get your priorities in order, so I’m glad he’s been able to go on those short-term missions. Before he can fully commit to his future with you, I think he needs to find out for himself where he belongs.”
“Putting his house in order,” Rebekah said.
“That’s one way to put it.” Kevin took another sip of the tea. “By the way, Mitch read Sam’s book. Sam gave it to him and suggested he read a chapter a night during that road trip back to New York in February. Rule Number 5 seems to apply to your current situation.”
Both Rebekah and Cassie leaned forward. “Which is?” Cassie said.
“I don’t know it verbatim, but the book’s upstairs.”
“Paraphrase please,” Rebekah said, winking at her husband.
“Basically, it’s the idea that a Christian man is the leader of his home. It’s our God-given right and responsibility to take care of our wives and families and put them above ourselves. Once Mitch gets his house in order, I have no doubt he’ll come for you, Cassie.”
I hope he’s right. I’m ready.
Rebekah squeezed her hand. �
��Mitch doesn’t do anything half-heartedly. I’m sure he misses you as much, if not more, than you miss him, sweetie. And when he’s ready, that man’s going to come charging into Houston and sweep you off your feet. Then he’ll carry you off into the sunset to live happily ever after.”
“My prince,” Cassie said with a small smile.
Maybe Chloe had the right idea, after all.
Chapter 41
Tuesday, July 13, 2004
Sam and Lexa’s Home
“Would you two please try and focus? We need to get some real work done if we’re going to be ready for Friday night.”
Both Winnie and Lexa stopped and stared at Cassie.
Winnie cleared her throat. “We’re sorry, boss.” She made a big show of opening the oven door and pulling out a tray of quiche appetizers, one of her specialties. Always perfectly baked, never burned.
“My apologies,” Lexa echoed. “We’ll try to be better.”
Their final plans and preparations for the sixtieth birthday party they were catering at a prestigious, historic downtown hotel were going well, but for the past twenty minutes, the other two ladies had been telegraphing silent signals to one another and now they were huddled together, laughing quietly. What was up with them? Still, they were her benefactors for the trip to see Mitch next month, so she couldn’t ride them too hard.
An hour later, Joe came into the kitchen from where he’d been playing quietly in the family room. He sidled up next to Lexa and laid his head against her shoulder. “Mommy. Hannah cry.”
“Oh, I completely forgot the monitor’s in the family room.” Lexa jumped up from her chair at the desk where she’d been working on the Doyle-Clarke accounting ledgers.