by Becky Harmon
Kathleen slid her hand onto Cassie’s thigh, feeling the muscles there tensing under her hand. “Italian it is then.”
Smiling, Cassie placed a hand on top of Kathleen’s to stop the caress. “Since only food is in the future some touching is not okay.”
“Just for now.”
“Yes, just for now.”
Kathleen squeezed her hand, and neither spoke again until they reached the restaurant. There was nothing uncomfortable about the silence and the physical connection affirmed their emotional bond as well.
They pulled into a large parking lot packed with cars. Kathleen saw Cassie glance at the line of people extending from the tent overhang at the front door. As soon as Cassie had said she was visiting, Kathleen knew where she wanted to take her for lunch or dinner, depending on how their reunion turned out. She had called Antoine without a specific time, and he assured her it would be fine. She knew he would also have understood, as well, if Cassie had chosen Mexican instead.
Kathleen led her toward the rear of the restaurant, dialing a number from memory as she walked. “We’re here.”
They stepped up to a door marked Deliveries, which opened into a large kitchen buzzing with activity. A tall woman dressed in a black business suit smiled at them.
“Follow me.”
As she led them through the kitchen, a short man in a chef’s hat looked up from the creation on the plate in front of him and grinned at Kathleen.
“So good of you to join us.”
Kathleen leaned toward him as he kissed her cheek. “Thank you, Antoine, for making space for us.”
“There is always space. I’ll be up to visit later.”
Kathleen was not offended by his dismissal. She hated interrupting him in the kitchen, so she pulled Cassie toward the woman who had paused at a staircase. They followed her up two flights before she turned and led them into a small room with floor-to-ceiling windows covering one side. Cassie was pulled toward the view overlooking the city; as she moved along the window she could see the blue of the Gulf of Mexico between the buildings.
The woman held out a chair for Kathleen.
“Thank you, Maureen.”
And then she held out Cassie’s chair.
“Yes, thank you.” Cassie pulled her eyes from the view and took the offered seat.
“Roberto will be up shortly with your menu and drinks. What would you like?”
“Sweet tea,” Kathleen said, looking at Cassie.
“Yes, sweet tea would be fine.”
Maureen turned and walked swiftly from the room.
Cassie looked around the room again and smiled at Kathleen. “Impressive.”
“I’m glad you think so. I’ve never requested one of these rooms before.”
“There are more than one?”
“Yes, there are six single dining rooms on this floor. The middle floor is for groups and then general dining is on the first floor.”
“Wow. So, how did we end up with a private dining area?”
“I called yesterday when you told me you were coming.”
Cassie raised an eyebrow. “Okay, but that’s not really what I meant. Clearly you’re well liked here, but yet you’ve never requested one of these rooms.”
Roberto arrived with their drinks and menus. Once he placed them on the table, he stepped discreetly to one side of the room and placed his arms behind his back. Clearly he was content to stand silently until they were ready to order. The menu was small and listed all the usual Italian dishes. Kathleen didn’t open her menu, but she watched as Cassie’s eyes browsed the selections.
Cassie glanced at Roberto and then at Kathleen. “I’m feeling rushed. I guess you know what you want?”
“I do know what I want, but I am going to settle for the house special.”
“Hmmm. What is that?” Cassie asked.
“You.”
This time Cassie couldn’t ignore her and smiled, glancing at Roberto. “And the house special is?”
“A small plate of spaghetti and a wonderful house salad.”
“That sounds great.”
“You can get any pasta in place of the spaghetti if you would like,” Roberto said, approaching the table at Kathleen’s nod.
“Okay.” Cassie smiled at him. “How about lasagna?”
“Excellent choice.” He collected their menus and strode out of the room.
“Back to my question.”
Kathleen took a sip of her iced tea before answering. “Antoine’s father and grandfather owned this restaurant before they passed it to him. When I first moved to Pensacola, a friend brought me here for dinner, and I started picking up orders to take home several times a week. The food was awesome, but their business was very slow. One night I stopped without calling ahead and was waiting for my order to go. I started talking to Maureen and she expressed her concerns about the business. So I looked them up online and couldn’t find a website.” Kathleen paused to take another sip of tea. “I created a one and showed it to them. They loved it.”
“So, you helped them get their business back.”
“They helped me too. They were my first website design client. Selling this place was easy. Once I found out about the private rooms, I was able to highlight that feature. You’d be surprised how many people want to dine in privacy and are willing to pay for it.”
“That’s a very cool story, and this place is awesome.”
“I think so too. That’s why I wanted to bring you here.”
Cassie frowned. “But you gave me the choice of Mexican food too.”
“You always have a choice, Cassie. I’m not going to make decisions for you.” Kathleen smiled, watching Cassie’s reaction to her words.
“And what if I choose you.”
“I’d be very happy with that choice.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Lunch was enjoyable though later Cassie barely remembered what she had eaten. Kathleen was relaxed, and they had put aside the serious issues, joking and laughing through three courses. Cassie was shocked when they returned to the car and she saw the clock on the dash. Three hours had passed and she felt like they had just arrived. Though they hadn’t talked about where their relationship was going, Kathleen had made it clear she was experiencing all the same feelings. Cassie was also pleased to know everything was still a go for the brat pack’s arrival on Friday. Though the assistant position still seemed unresolved, Cassie was confident Kathleen would work something out.
Greg’s former foster home was just outside the city and with traffic it took them almost thirty minutes to get there. The modest white stucco house was in a cul-de-sac with a small front yard. Brenda Shaw met them at the door and showed them to Greg’s room. She was pleasant and seemed happy that Greg had found a home.
“That was easy,” Cassie said as they followed the sidewalk back to the car.
Kathleen remained silent until they closed their doors. “What did you expect?”
Cassie could hear the edge in Kathleen’s voice. “I didn’t mean to be critical. It’s only that Greg has lived here for at least six months and she didn’t even express an interest in saying goodbye to him.”
“Believe it or not, but this is one of our best placement homes. Brenda and Dale take in about twenty kids a year.”
“Like I said, I wasn’t trying to be critical. I was surprised, that’s all.”
“If they weren’t able to emotionally detach so easily, we wouldn’t be able to move so many kids through their home. Brenda told me once that she keeps a folder on each kid. Where they came from and where they went, but she doesn’t hold on to them emotionally. It would wear her down and she wouldn’t be able to provide support for the next kid coming in.”
“They sound like good people.”
“Yes, they are, and unfortunately we have to use them a lot,” Kathleen said softly as she pulled behind Cassie’s car, which was parked on the street across from the coffee shop outside Fosters.
“I think I�
��ll grab a cup of coffee for the drive home.” Cassie nodded toward Java Heads.
“I’ll walk with you.”
The early evening rush was in full swing, and it was impossible to talk over the noise in the small shop. Each time Cassie glanced at Kathleen their eyes met and Cassie felt herself fall a little more. The smile on Kathleen’s lips covered her entire face and Cassie couldn’t help but return it.
* * *
Kathleen tried to soak up the view of Cassie in her dark jeans and a button-down shirt opened enough to reveal her deep tan. She had known when they left her townhouse earlier that she would take the chaperone position at Cassie’s for the summer. How could she not? She longed to spend more time with Cassie, and this would give her the perfect opportunity. She wanted to tell Cassie, but part of her wanted to see the look of surprise on her face when she arrived. When they had discussed the brat pack during lunch, Kathleen had been evasive concerning who had been selected for the assistant position. Luckily, Cassie trusted her to take care of the situation.
When they finally received their orders, they carried their cups back outside and slowly walked toward the car. Cassie was quiet, and Kathleen felt the distance growing between them again.
“I’ll see you on Friday.” Kathleen had readily accepted Cassie’s offer to spend the weekend and help the brat pack settle in.
Cassie opened her car door and slid in. Before she could close the door, Kathleen leaned in and kissed her. She had planned to keep it quick, but Cassie’s lips responded and she found herself quickly wanting more. She forced herself to pull back and stand.
“Really? Right here on the street?” Cassie laughed. Her face flushed.
“What can I say? I’m feeling bold today.”
Cassie shook her head. “I’m sorry I’m leaving then.”
Kathleen closed the car door and moved back to the sidewalk. She pressed her fingers to her lips and blew Cassie a kiss before heading down the street to Fosters.
* * *
Kathleen returned to her office, having slipped through the lobby while Tiffany was on the phone. She sipped her tea and contemplated her decision. She was unable to come up with a down side to returning to Cassie’s farm for the next two months. Her bond with the brat pack made her eager to spend some quality time with them. She was truly looking forward to it.
Joyce stood in her doorway and Kathleen looked up, meeting her smile.
“You made a decision?”
“Yes, I want to go with the girls.”
Joyce smiled. “I think that’s a great idea. Let’s talk every week, and we can decide if you need to come into the office or not.”
“At least for the weekly staff meetings, right?”
“Let’s say every other week. No need for you to have to run back and forth too much.” Joyce turned to exit and then turned back. “But you’ll need to keep working. I’ll need those month-end reports and the end of quarter by July fifteenth.”
“No problem. I’m sure I’ll need something to occupy my day,” she said sarcastically to Joyce’s disappearing back.
Kathleen was thrilled with her decision. She had just agreed to spend the summer with a very intriguing woman. One that she found very attractive and had a strong desire to know better. It was a dream come true. Standing, she considered following Joyce. Should she tell her she had already slept with Cassie? Would it affect Joyce’s agreement to allow her to stay with Cassie and the brat pack?
No. She could handle this. Even though all of those things were true about her interest in Cassie, she wasn’t going to be hanging all over her all summer. She would be professional, keeping an appropriate distance from Cassie especially when the girls were around. Joyce had never questioned her choices or decisions and there wasn’t any reason for Kathleen to think now would be any different. She would do the job she had been assigned and no one had to know how much pleasure it gave her to have Cassie nearby.
* * *
Cassie called Shelley to let her know it would be almost seven when she arrived home. Dillon and the boys were at Mac’s picking up hot dogs, and Shelley was making potato salad. Shelley wanted details and Cassie was happy to replay her afternoon.
Shelley sighed. “I cannot believe you turned her down.”
“I didn’t turn her down. I just didn’t want to fall into bed again. Well, okay I did want to, but I really like her and I don’t want us to be only about that.”
“Wow. I can’t believe you said that on your own with no prompting. Dillon said it would be weeks if not months before you admitted how much you really liked her.”
Cassie laughed. “Well, Dillon was wrong. I do like her. I love the way she laughs and the way her face screws up when she’s thinking.”
“So, where did you leave things with her?”
“She’s coming up on Friday and hopefully will spend the weekend to help the girls get settled.”
“I hear the boys coming back so we’ll talk more when you get here. Oh, wait a minute. Someone wants to talk with you.”
“We rode bikes today!” Chase gulped a breath. “We went into the forest and Mr. Dillon went with us. It was awesome!”
“That sounds like fun.”
“It was. Maybe next time you can go with us. We went through a creek and there were some deer in the field. Greg saw a squirrel, but he moved too fast for me to see him too.”
Cassie laughed. “Okay, Chase. I look forward to hearing all about it when I get home.”
Cassie could hear him still talking as Shelley took the phone from him.
“Bye, Cass,” Shelley said. “We’ll see you when you get here.”
Cassie touched the disconnect button on her steering wheel and was surprised to see she only had about thirty minutes left on her drive. She laughed as she thought about Chase and how excited he got about everything. He was such a pleasure to be around. It was hard to understand why some kids ended up in foster care. She remembered what Greg had said about Chase’s mother returning often enough to screw up anything permanent for Chase. It sounded cruel even to her own ears, but she hoped she wouldn’t return again.
Cassie glanced across her property as she approached the gate. She glanced right taking in the pasture and doing a quick count on the horses and goats. To the left the view of the lake and the cabins behind it were glowing in the dusky light. She circled the office and pulled under the carport.
Chase met her at the car with Zoey and Pandy. “The dogs went with us today. They had fun too. They even swam in the creek!”
Cassie pulled him into a quick hug, and his little arms squeezed her waist. “I missed you today. Did you have lots of fun?”
“I had lots of fun!”
Chase led the way back into the house with both dogs at his heels. Dillon, Shelley and Greg sat at the table, and Cassie grabbed a plate before sitting down with them. After a few minutes of Chase dominating all talk with stories of his day, Dillon suggested a game of catch outside. Greg grabbed a couple of balls, mitts and a bat before joining Dillon and Chase in the backyard.
Cassie was focused on watching them throw the ball around and realized Shelley was watching them as well.
“Nice view, right?” Cassie asked.
Shelley put a hand to her heart. “Touching.”
They both laughed.
“Dillon is going to be a great dad.” Cassie watched the emotions flutter across Shelley’s face.
“I’m not ready to have kids yet.”
“That’s okay, Shelley. Dillon has plenty of kids to play with here now and when you are ready he will be too.”
Shelley sighed. “Dillon understands I want a career but I don’t want it to be at the cost of a family.”
“You and Dillon are young. You have plenty of time to do both. And in the meantime Dillon will be a surrogate father to all of my children.” Cassie opened her arms dramatically, making them both laugh again.
They watched Dillon give instructions to Chase on holding the bat. When Chase fin
ally made contact with the ball on his own, she and Shelley cheered so loudly the boys could hear them outside.
Clearing the table, Shelley looked thoughtfully at Cassie. “You know. When the girls get here we would have enough to make our own team.”
“Sounds great. Maybe we should get some practice in.”
They put the leftovers in the refrigerator before grabbing mitts from the supply closet and joining the game. They played until Chase became distracted with lightning bugs and he convinced Greg to help him catch them. Dillon, Shelley and Cassie sat on the porch and watched them run all over the yard. The dogs chased too for a while and then gave up, finding a spot at Cassie’s feet.
“So hot babe comes back on Friday?” Dillon said with a wink at Cassie.
Cassie groaned. “Please don’t call her that.”
Shelley laughed, swatting him on the shoulder. “We should go home before you find yourself in the doghouse.”
“Thanks, guys, for taking care of the boys today. I had a wonderful day and it was nice to not have to rush home.”
“It was our pleasure,” Shelley said, pushing Dillon through the back door and into the house.
Cassie turned to Chase and Greg. “Chase. Time to shower.”
Both boys came running and followed her into the house. Chase yelled his goodbyes to Dillon and Shelley before disappearing down the hall.
With the house quiet, Cassie and Greg sat in the living room and Greg recapped their day. Wasn’t much to tell that Chase hadn’t already mentioned, but Cassie enjoyed hearing that Greg had enjoyed the outing too. She told him about the restaurant Kathleen had taken her to for lunch.
“I look forward to meeting her on Friday.”
“She’s looking forward to meeting you and Chase too.”
Greg smiled. “Dillon says she is important to you so Chase and I should be on our best behavior.”
Cassie rolled her eyes. “That was nice of Dillon.”
“He also says she did all the work to keep Chase here too. I really appreciate that.”