WindSwept Narrows: #2 Cassidy, Abby & Mia

by Diroll-Nichols, Karen

  “He is very perceptive,” Mia commented, gazing at Cassidy. “I think we are being photographed, Cassidy. When we are in the garden and in the play yard. At first, I thought, no…it was Saturday and perhaps there was a tourist…but at eight in the morning today?”

  “Huh…there’s nothing back there,” Cassidy thought aloud. “That’s all green belt designated for future expansion.” She slid her iPad over and tapped out some notes. “I’ll have a couple patrol guards do a thorough check back there, Mia.”

  “Ordinarily…there is a bad custody suit between Scarlet’s father and…and a very mean woman, her grandmother…” Mia shook her head. “I am sorry to trouble you with this, and I realize it is more or less personal, but…”

  “It’s not a trouble,” Cade answered firmly, his hand wrapped tightly around Abby’s palm. “I think if you’re building what we want to have, we’re all kind of a growing family. If you can’t feel safe here…”

  “It’ll be looked into, Mia, I promise,” Cassidy assured her.

  “Thank you…all…seriously,” Mia watched Scarlet come streaking across the parking lot, running to hide behind her legs as a much deliberately slower Mac came in from behind.

  “I win!!” Scarlet jumped up and down excitedly.

  “You’re too fast for me,” Mac offered her his bottle of water before striding to the counter and pulling out another.

  “My next problem,” Mia put Scarlet into a chair and handed her the lunch she had packed, watching the little girl open the zip bag and pulling her sandwich out, little legs swinging as she ate. Mia laid out the paper she pulled from her pocket, opening it on the table. “How do I find out…” She murmured to herself in French. “The owner…no…”

  Cade lifted the paper and read quickly. “A work order for a hundred and fifty grand….”

  “Budget?” Mac guessed.

  “Yes…yes, thank you…who belongs to the play yard…blast…the playground…who has the playground in their budget? Which of us?” Mia exhaled finally. “Some of these words…”

  Mac frowned and looked at Cade. “Pretty sure it’s not in mine. I’ve read over the whole thing a hundred times making adjustments.”

  “Same here,” Cade looked at Mia. “Have you looked through your budget?” When she nodded he closed one eye. “That means…”

  “It belongs to Logan,” Mac completed. “What’re you wanting done?”

  “Whoever plotted the play yard, did not take the heat from the sun into account. It is difficult to play when the equipment is too hot to sit on safely,” Mia told them.

  “It burns your butt,” Scarlet told them while chewing.

  “And she would know,” Mia said with a laugh. “I want a lid…a…a cover and something on the west side to block most of the sun and heat. It will also make the play yard useable during rains and prolong the life of the equipment. It is a safety issue that should have been addressed.”

  “If it’s Logan…you’ll want Sam on your side if you have to argue budget with him,” Cassidy said thoughtfully.

  “You women…devious little creatures…” Mac looked at her with increasing respect.

  “Sam?” Mia looked from one to the other.

  “Logan’s wife,” Abby said, cleaning up the lunch table. “Cassidy is right…Sam will be the easiest way to get him to sign off on it. He can be a pain about the budget.”

  “This is an oversight that should have been there to begin with,” Mia said emphatically. “It is not an aesthetic addition.”

  “Hey, we’re on your side,” Mac took out his phone with a sigh. “We’ll try the direct approach, first…” he pressed speaker and Logan’s number. “Logan…we have an issue we need to discuss in your budget.”

  “Keep your gaming little fingers out of my budget,” came the growl.

  “It has to do with the playground. It’s in your budget, right?” Mac continued after the chuckles died down.

  “Pretty sure…let me check real quick,” Logan said. “Is this a conference call?”

  “We’re in the cantina with Mia, Cade, Cass and Abby.”

  “Yeah, it’s mine…why?” Suspicion edged his words.

  “Well…there’s an easy way…transfer it to mine or Mia’s budget,” Mac suggested.

  “And the hard way?”

  “Mia talks to Sam and they descend on you to get you to sign off on a hundred and a half grand for a roof and siding over the playground,” Mac outlined simply. They listened to heavy fingers on a keyboard.

  “I’ll expect to see the justification in your report, Mac.” Logan said with a sigh.

  “Will do, boss, no worries,” Mac chuckled and signed off. He pulled a pen from his pocket and reached for the form. Marking the funding approved and scrawling his signature across the line.

  “That…is your signature?” Cassidy choked on her water.

  “Hey…” Two hands went out. “I got a doctorate…I’m a doctor…that…is the signature of a doctor.”

  “Illegible…” Cassidy tried closing one eye but it still looked the same.

  “You are wonderful, all of you,” Mia folded the paper and slid it into her pocket. “The last problem,” she turned and went to the bike, returning with a twelve inch square box.

  “Holy…” Mac reverently lifted the box.

  “You have him drooling,” Cassidy said flatly. “Must be tech.”

  “That’s not totally true,” Mac said with a frown. “I drool over you all the time.”

  “Oh, geeze…” Cassidy felt the heat strike her cheeks when he winked at her.

  Mac looked shocked. “Not just tech…this baby just came out…it’s the best GPS to come out since they first surfaced…”

  “Good. Can you put it in?” Mia asked hopefully.

  “I…sure…this baby will…” He stopped with her palm whipped up faster than he'd seen a gunslinger draw a weapon. “Whoa…you’re fast with those hands.”

  “I do not want to know anything except a note with instructions. A. Push this button. B. Enter this address. C. Tell me when to turn. Nothing else.”

  “Mia…this piece of equipment…I have one that does that simple stuff, this thing…”

  “Then you listen to me,” she leaned real close to his ear, aware of the wide eyes and unmoving form. “Remove the simple one from your vehicle and put it in mine and provide an instruction sheet. And you put this one in your vehicle and enjoy your new toy. I am sick and tired of getting lost. Now…do we have an understanding?”

  “Absolutely…where’s your car?” Mac stood up, moving to Cassidy’s side and tipped her chin up. He kissed her soundly.

  “Behind the kitchen. Red Volvo,” Mia offered him the keys. “We are going riding around and will be there soon. Thank you. Very much. All done, Scarlet?”

  “Ready,” she announced, grabbing up her helmet after cleaning up her lunch. “Bye!”

  “Come by my desk, Mia,” Abby leaned over Cade and kissed him. “Closing time…bye”

  Mia followed Abby, dropping the next stack of applications into the basket before riding off, enjoying the bike ride and the sunshine.

  An hour later, Mia was attempting to buckle Scarlet into the car seat, adjusting the belts and finally getting things connected correctly. She had a neatly hand printed list of steps for operating the simple GPS now resting on her dash and she breathed a sigh of relief.

  Chapter Thirty

  Lucas parked in the delivery spot, hands working to get rid of as much of the dirt from his pants and shirt as he walked toward the garden. Nothing could have stopped the smile on his face. Scarlet stood before the open laptop, arms raised and twirling until she saw him.

  “Daddy!” She ran to him instantly, something he knew would never get old for him. He scooped her up carefully, holding her against him.

  “Hmmm…I know that voice…but I’m not sure who this little girl is,” Lucas looked at her with one eye closed.

  “Daddy…” Scarlet put her hands on his face. �
��I got a dress! Isn’t it pretty?”

  “Very pretty…very summer,” he agreed. Tiny tied straps, a gathered top and little red skirt falling to her knees, an under skirt of eyelet lace in the same color.

  “We went for a bike ride.”

  Lucas looked at the bicycle next to the garden. “You’ve been busy. Where’s Mia?”

  “Here,” Mia came out of the kitchen, carrying a large tray.

  Lucas quickly moved to the side, setting Scarlet on the ground and reaching for the tray. “Let me…”

  “Over here, Daddy,” Scarlet ran back into the garden, pressing a button on the laptop and closing it carefully. “We made a picnic for tonight.” She plopped down, patiently waiting for the adults.

  “You girls have had a busy day,” Lucas watched Mia for guidance.

  “In the center of the quilt,” Mia directed, returning to the kitchen for the pitcher and glasses for the lemonade. “It was a very warm day today. So we made dinner. Scarlet told me what you liked to eat.”

  “Oh…this’ll be good…” Lucas laughed, carefully setting the tray on the blanket.

  Mia sat cross legged and looked over the tray. “To be honest, we did make a list,” she told Lucas, meeting his smile. “It was most difficult to choose,” she said in total seriousness.

  “We made ham and cheese rolls…veggies and dip and…” Scarlet lowered her voice, eyes wide. “Corn bread muffins.”

  “Wow…she knows me so well,” Lucas grinned and lowered himself to their picnic blanket. “I notice some fence posts being put in…”

  “I am having the area fenced off,” Mia replied, lifting a ham and cheese roll and biting down thoughtfully. “It will have a gate for safety. I also spoke with Cassidy about the flashing lights…she is having the area carefully checked with her guards.”

  “I can’t think of enough thank you’s, Mia,” Lucas crunched on some cauliflower and dip. “I’m sure this isn’t what you had in mind when you were plotting menus at the resort.”

  “I like free choice,” Mia answered simply, slender shoulders up and down. “It is most enjoyable to play. Sometimes I believe we spend so much time lost in work, time with a child is just what we need most. I should thank you for sharing her with me.”

  “Corn bread muffins,” Lucas peeled the paper off one, popping the mini muffin into his mouth.

  “It has some secret stuff in it,” Scarlet whispered loudly in his ear.

  “Wow…really good secret stuff,” he commented and reached for another one. Lucas suddenly choked on a bite he was taking, straightening up and accepting the glass Mia held out to him. He swallowed hard and lifted Mia’s hand from her lap, dark blue eyes traveling from the sparkling ring on her finger to her dark eyes.

  “Isn’t it beautiful? Scarlet and I found it in the store,” Mia lifted her palm, twisting her hand back and forth admiring the new addition. “We decided a pink diamond set in white gold was perfect…although I believe it is a cubic zirconia in stainless steel, but no one will ever know.”

  Lucas struggled to clear his throat. “Not a very big rock,” he remarked casually.

  “It is the perfect size,” Mia argued with a slight frown.

  “It means you’re ‘gaged,” Scarlet announced with a nod. “What’s ‘gaged mean?” She asked the next minute, looking expectantly from one adult to the other.

  “It means I get to spend lots and lots of time with you,” Mia told her with a poke in her tummy, making her giggle.

  “Mia told the guy she was ‘gaged, but he wouldn’t leave us alone when we were riding our bike,” Scarlet shared the information before looking toward the laptop. “I finished, can I watch the movie now?”

  “Yes, of course, I promised,” Mia opened the laptop and started the cartoon, Beauty and the Beast.

  “Someone is bothering you?” Lucas asked quietly, watching the evasive look and her expression. “Can’t hide things when Scarlet it watching.”

  “I have nothing to hide,” Mia returned instantly.

  “Where’s he work?” Lucas pressed, lifting another ham roll and biting down thoughtfully.

  “He’s on the construction crew, I think. I am sure he finally got the message,” Mia shrugged it aside. “I do not believe he should be here in the evenings, though, when I run on the beach.”

  “You run at night?” Lucas frowned.

  “Of course…it is cool and pleasant then,” Mia began stacking plates and cleaning up.

  “Anyone else staying at the resort at night?”

  “The guards…no one else should be on-sight then,” she got to her feet, lifting the tray and heading into the kitchen. “I am fine, Lucas. Do not worry.”

  “Let’s take this inside, Scarlet,” Lucas lifted the lap top and led her into the kitchen and into Mia’s office. She made herself comfortable on the sofa, laying down and watching the renewed movie, little feet raised and bent behind her.

  Mia busied herself cleaning her kitchen. She had several interviews scheduled for tomorrow and several deliveries due in. Scarlet wouldn’t be a problem. Her office had its own private bathroom and she had bought books and other things for Scarlet while she shopped. If she didn’t know what she needed to know within fifteen minutes, her interviewing skills needed work.

  “Did you speak to the man’s boss, Mia?” Lucas moved to the end of the counter, his hips against the edge and arms crossed over his chest. Why did he suddenly glimpse a trace of Scarlet in her facial expression?

  “I did not,” she answered, dusting her hands together and about to move past him when his arm came out, blocking her path.

  “How many times has he approached you?”

  “I…it is not…three,” she finally sputtered, lips firmly pulled into a frown. “I have taken care of myself for many years, Lucas.”

  “Yeah, well now you’re involved with me.”

  “I…involved? I am not…” Mia stared at him. “Of all the nerve!”

  “You’re wearing an engagement ring,” Lucas decided it might be time to bring some humor in. He’d deal with the other issue in the morning.

  “I…you did not put it there!” Mia wasn’t sure why her brain was suddenly refusing to think clearly, her feet taking a quick step back when he moved forward. Her hand went behind her, the solid feel of the huge fridge beneath her palm.

  “Give it to me,” Lucas took her hand and slipped the ring off. And then slid it right back on. “Now…I put it there. I can worry about you, Mia, especially when you have Scarlet with you.”

  “I may have…may have acted rashly…” Mia brought her tongue out to moisten her lips. “I would never do a thing to put Scarlet in harm’s way, you should know that!”

  “Oh, I know that…not sure why, but I know that,” Lucas stared into the wide, dark eyes, his palm up and brushing the backs of his fingers over her face. “I have a feeling you’re about to become as big of a complication in my life as Scarlet has become…”

  “Complications…” Mia shook her head, her breathing slowing when he captured her face between his palms, his thumbs raking over her lower lip before moving to tip her chin back. Dark lashes dusted over her cheeks when his mouth was covering hers, a storm of emotion sweeping through her. Soft and alive, her lips parted willingly when his tongue teasingly stroked around her mouth, tasting and urging her closer. Her palms rested on his chest, fingers curled tightly around the opening of his shirt. There was a heat building inside her and a shiver racing from her toes.

  Lucas savored the gentle fencing of their tongues, his palms gliding over her face. His fingers speared the dark, short hair, his thumbs continuing to stroke over her face as he released control of the need within him. He’d spent the weekend arguing with himself, listening to himself repeat that Mia was nothing like Jessica. He had been flat out blinded by too many things when he got involved with her.

  His mouth caressed hers, drank in the sweet sounds and roamed to nip along her throat when the chiming began. He felt her palms against his
chest, pressing for space and lifted his head, blue eyes flaring with hunger gazing into the slowly rising dark lashes.

  “Phone?”

  “Alarm…it means the movie is over,” Mia swallowed, her gaze lowering to the strong pulse beating at his throat. “I should go check…I…umm…I have a lot to do this evening.”

  “Then I should gather Scarlet and get her home and into the tub,” he suggested, though his body wasn’t really wanting to move away from the curves he was pressed against. He wasn’t ashamed of the arousal he felt and she didn’t seem shocked, but he backed up with a long breath, tugging his pants and glad he wore loose khakis.

  Mia closed the door to the kitchen, her shoulders back against it and eyes closed. Complications, her mind whimpered.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Lucas didn’t like the frown on the face of the woman sporting a sling and silver ponytail that ran toward him as he maneuvered toward the back of the resort at six twenty in the morning.

  He lowered the window, watching her mumbling to herself, adjusting the folder and the sling slightly, her palm thrust toward him.

  “Cassidy Parker…you’re Lucas Tanner?” She peeked into the back with a tiny wave. “Hi, mouse…yes, I guess you are…”

  “What’s wrong?”

  Scarlet pushed the window button, straining in her seat and peering around. “Where’s Mac?” Then burst into giggles at the sudden appearance.

  “Boo!”

  “Hi ya, Mac!” Little tennis shoe clad feet wiggled excitedly.

  “Look, will one of you…”

  “Hey, mouse…” Mac opened the back door, quickly working the buckles. “How about you come with me and we play some games. I’ll deliver her to Mia in an hour or so…you don’t want her there for the fireworks.”

  “Fireworks? What the hell…”

  “There was a problem last night,” Cassidy began, her palm clamping down hard on the window. “Don’t you dare make me chase you down,” she growled softly, relaxing when his hands came off the steering wheel. “Thank you. Mia is okay. She went for a run and was returning when she saw lights off toward the green belt. I’d sent people over there, and we found evidence that someone had been in the area, but didn’t get the person, yet.”