by Becky Harmon
Chapter Thirty-Two
Cassie woke tired and cranky to a very full, but quiet house. She showered and then made her way downstairs. Pandy met her in the hallway coming from Kathleen’s room and Cassie tried not to be jealous. Chase was waiting on her to read their book, so they settled into the recliner together. Greg wandered out a little while later.
“I think I’ll feed the horses before breakfast, then we won’t be rushed.”
“I thought I’d make French toast for breakfast. It’s easy to heat up since we don’t know when everyone will get up.”
“And bacon?” Chase asked.
“I don’t see why not.” She hugged him and then pushed him to his feet so she could stand.
Dani was the first to make an appearance, and she joined Chase on the barstools to watch Cassie make breakfast.
“Kaitlyn is still asleep and we probably won’t see Shaun and Morgan before noon, but I think I heard Ms. K moving around.”
“That’s fine. Weekends are for sleeping in.”
“I never sleep in,” Chase announced. “I’m always the first one up.”
“Can I help?” Kathleen asked as she walked into the kitchen.
“Can you handle bacon?” Cassie asked.
Kathleen’s lips moved into a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.
As they passed each other moving around the kitchen, Cassie ran her hand gently down her back. Dani and Chase were talking about horses and swimming. “Did you sleep okay?” she asked Kathleen quietly.
“Not really. You?”
Cassie gave her a half smile. “Not really. I think I might have lost a dog last night.”
“I think I might have found one.”
“Hmmm…a dog thief.” Cassie placed the bacon on the counter in front of Kathleen, raising one eyebrow. “You think you’re up for this, eh? I have to warn you. Chase is the supervisor of all things bacon and he’ll be watching.”
Kathleen laughed and pulled a knife from the drawer to open the package.
Cassie put a microwave plate and a roll of paper towels beside her and then stood back to watch.
“Don’t you have something you should be making too?” Kathleen glanced at her before turning her attention back to the bacon.
“I’m just making sure you have the bacon under control.” Cassie looked at Chase who was now paying attention to the conversation. “Do you think she can handle it, Chase?”
Chase bounced on his chair. “I’m not sure.”
Cassie put her arms around Kathleen, pressing her chest tight against Kathleen’s back. Kathleen laughed again as Cassie took the knife from her and opened the bacon. She tossed the knife into the sink and handed the bacon package back to Kathleen.
“I’m not going to watch,” she said as she buried her face in Kathleen’s hair. “You watch her, Chase. Let me know if I need to help.”
“Cassie…” Kathleen’s voice quivered.
Cassie stepped away, knowing she had pushed their fragile emotions too far. She was only playing and hadn’t meant to lose control. With her back to Chase and Dani, she cleared her head and regained her composure. Retrieving eggs, milk and spices she began making the mix for French toast. She pulled the electric griddle from under the counter and placed it in front of Dani and Chase, handing each of them a spatula.
She coated the griddle with spray oil and placed the first couple of pieces on it. “Let them sit for a few minutes. They need to brown before you turn them over.”
She pulled a plate from the cabinet to put the finished pieces on. Kathleen turned from the microwave, leaning on the counter with her back to Dani and Chase. “That was a little dangerous there, tiger,” she admonished softly.
Cassie blushed. “Yeah, I was trying to mess with you, but I really messed with me.”
“You can’t do that in front of Shaun or Morgan. They’re already giving me a hard time about how sexy you are.”
Cassie’s blush deepened. “Oh, yeah?”
“Oh, yeah.”
“I’ll try to keep my distance or at least maintain control from now on.”
“Okay, but so you know…” Kathleen looked into her eyes. “I look forward to the day when you won’t have to.”
Cassie could read the desire in her eyes, and chills went up her arms. “You have to stay away from me, dog thief.”
“I’m a dog thief too,” Chase said, interrupting their conversation.
“Yes, you are. You and Kathleen are exactly alike.”
Chase smiled.
“Turn the bread,” Kathleen reminded them.
Greg returned from the barn with Pete and Rory. Cassie tried to get them to stay for breakfast, but they wanted to get on the road. She left to check them out while Kathleen finished putting breakfast on the table. They had barely sat down at the table when Kaitlyn stumbled into the kitchen.
“What’s that smell?” Her hair was plastered to one side of her head and her pajama pants hung so low her feet were covered.
“Grab a plate and join us?” Cassie smiled at her, trying not to laugh.
“Next time brush your hair before you come down. You’re a little scary,” Dani said between bites.
Kaitlyn only grunted and everyone laughed.
“I thought we’d all go swimming today,” Kathleen suggested.
The kids agreed, but Cassie’s thoughts immediately turned to their last swim, and she quickly left the table.
“Will you go too, Ms. Cassie?” Dani asked.
From the kitchen, Cassie responded. “Not today. I have to turn two of the cabins, and I’ll probably go ahead and do all of them so it’ll be finished.”
“That’s a bummer,” Chase added.
“How about tomorrow?” Dani asked.
“Tomorrow we can all swim,” Cassie agreed. “But only if everyone remembers to wear sunscreen so you aren’t fried before tomorrow.”
“Do you need help today?” Kathleen asked. “I could watch the kids and help you at the same time.”
“Enjoy the weekend. I’ll put you all to work next week.” Cassie couldn’t look at her as her mind replayed visions of Kathleen in a sports bra and shorts. She really did need to work this weekend if she was going to try to keep her distance from Kathleen.
“How many guests are coming in?” Kathleen asked.
“Just two couples and no kids. First one in gets Cabin Three at no extra cost.”
“Oh, that’s nice of you.”
“I thought you might want Cabin One so you don’t have to share a bathroom with teenagers.”
“Tempting.”
“You could share mine.” They both looked at each other and shook their heads. Laughing, Cassie said, “No, I guess not.”
Greg looked back and forth between them. “You’re not sharing a room? But Dillon said—”
Cassie cut him off before he could say anything else. “Didn’t I tell you not to believe everything Dillon tells you?”
“Okay,” Greg said, sounding confused.
Cassie shook her head, looking pointedly at the backs of Dani’s and Kaitlyn’s heads. Greg nodded his understanding. “Well, that sucks.”
“Greg said ‘sucks,’” Chase called to anyone who would listen.
“What do you think his punishment should be, Chase?” Cassie asked, grinning at Greg.
“He should have to swim with us.”
Greg wrinkled his nose. “I have horses to tend to.”
When Chase whined, Greg hugged him. “Maybe tomorrow, okay?”
“Tomorrow everyone will swim,” Chase announced.
After breakfast, Cassie joined Greg to check and release the horses. Then, since Pete and Rory had already checked out, she began preparing Cabin Two for the next guests. As the rest of the guests checked out throughout the morning, Cassie began working on the other cabins. At noon, she brought sandwiches and chips out to the picnic table, and everyone joined her. After lunch she took a few minutes to talk with Greg and make sure he was doing okay. He said
he was enjoying his alone time so she left him to it.
While moving between cabins, Cassie watched the kids playing in the water and tried hard not to watch Kathleen’s every move. Cassie was surprised to see all of the girls swimming. Though their bathing suits varied from sports bras and shorts worn by Kathleen to a T-shirt and shorts worn by Kaitlyn, everyone seemed to be having a good time. Both new couples were checked in by five p.m., and Cassie had dinner ready shortly thereafter. The water and the sun had worn everyone down, and Cassie sent everyone to bed soon after dinner.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Sunday morning, Cassie again joined Chase in the recliner to read his book. Kathleen was the first one down and she and Dani made scrambled eggs with sautéed spinach. After breakfast, Cassie sent Chase and Dani to gather housekeeping tags while she helped Greg with the horses and goats. She hated to leave Kathleen with the breakfast dishes but Kaitlyn offered to help.
When chores were finished, Cassie and Greg pulled the sliding board from the boat shed and carried it out to the floating dock. Greg bolted it down and insisted on being the first one down. Shaun won the battle with Morgan to follow him by pushing Morgan into the water. Cassie retreated to the beach to avoid the dunking. She collapsed onto her beach towel beside Kathleen.
“Too violent for you?” Kathleen asked.
“Absolutely.”
Together they watched the kids play until Cassie lay back and closed her eyes.
“Still regretting your decision to join us for the next two months?” Cassie asked.
“No regrets.”
Cassie opened one eye to glance at her.
Kathleen patted her leg and stood. “No, definitely no regrets. It’s beautiful here and I get to be close to you. I’m taking a swim.”
Cassie watched Kathleen dive into the water and swim out to the floating dock before dropping her head back on the towel. Kathleen was putting up a strong front, Cassie thought, but she was pretty sure she regretted sleeping across the hall. She certainly had hated it. Her bed had felt huge and very empty since the weekend Kathleen had left. She took the moment of silence to reminisce about their weekend together and dream about the future. She had barely started to relax when she felt Chase dancing around her head.
“Come out in the water and play with us, Ms. Cassie.”
“I’m resting, Chase.” Cassie opened her eyes an inch to look at him.
Chase reluctantly moved away, but Cassie felt the silence get heavy. She opened her eyes and then quickly closed them as Chase threw a bucketful of water at her head. Cassie jumped to her feet and chased him into the water. Chase swam toward the floating dock, screaming for Dani and Kaitlyn to save him.
“You better run, Chase,” Cassie called to him as she climbed onto the floating dock. She gave a loud growl, making Chase scream again. Dani stepped in front of her to protect Chase and Cassie threw her in the water. Kaitlyn gave up and jumped into the water before Cassie got close to her.
“This dock is mine,” Cassie yelled as she tossed Chase off the side.
Cassie turned and realized all the kids were gone and only Kathleen remained on the dock with her. She growled again.
“Cassie.”
“Is that your adult voice?” Cassie teased, moving closer to her.
“Cassie. Don’t do this.” Kathleen sat up and shaded her eyes for a closer look. “I’m serious, Cassie. You don’t want to do this.”
“You already got your hair wet so why not.”
“Because paybacks are hell.”
Cassie laughed and then roared loudly, making the kids cheer and encourage her to throw Kathleen off. Cassie turned back to Kathleen. “How about this? We go in together.”
“No.”
“Come on. It’d be bad for my image to let you win.”
“No.” Kathleen stood up.
Cassie took another step closer to Kathleen and the kids screamed louder. “Just say yes because you’re about to go in.”
Before Kathleen could move away from her, Cassie picked her up and jumped into the water. Cassie felt Kathleen’s foot connect with her chin as they surfaced.
“I am going to kill you.” Kathleen turned to look at Cassie. “Oh my.” She pulled Cassie to her.
“What’s wrong?” Cassie asked, looking at the panic in Kathleen’s eyes.
Kathleen began pressing along her jawline. “You’re bleeding, but I can’t tell where it’s coming from.”
Cassie stuck her lip out and tried to view it herself. “That’s where it hurts.”
Kathleen started to laugh. “Let’s go get you some ice before your lip gets any fatter.”
They swam to shore where the kids waited, subdued and quiet.
“She’s okay, guys. It’s only a busted lip,” Kathleen quickly explained.
“Yeah, it’s all fun and games until someone gets punched in the face,” Cassie mumbled with her lip still stuck out.
Greg brought her a bag of ice, and she flopped down on her wet beach towel. Greg sat on one side of her and Kathleen on the other. Kathleen sent the kids back into the water to play, but Chase was slow to join them.
“I’m okay, Chase. Go play for a while longer and then we’ll get dinner.” When Chase turned and joined the other kids swimming for the slide, Cassie looked at Greg and Kathleen. “Let’s get pizza for dinner. I don’t feel like cooking or eating.”
“Pizza sounds great,” Greg agreed. “I can go get it.”
Cassie retreated to the house and showered before coming back out so Kathleen could go. After much convincing she finally agreed to use Cassie’s bathroom.
“So you guys aren’t seeing each other now?” Greg asked as Cassie sat down beside him.
“Kathleen doesn’t want us to be a bad influence on the kids.”
“How can love be a bad influence?” Greg laughed at her lip pushed out from her face. “Seriously.”
“It’s not the love. It’s the other stuff that she doesn’t want to be sneaking around doing.”
“I guess I understand that, but you should know the kids are smart. They’ve got you guys figured out already.” Greg shrugged. “Even Chase asked me last night if Kathleen was going to continue to live with us after the girls left.”
“Well, crap. I wasn’t trying to hide anything, but I also was trying to respect the fact that Kathleen wanted to chill things for a while.”
“Don’t think it’s working, chief.”
Cassie frowned at him.
“Sorry. I picked that up from Dillon and Shelley.”
“It’s okay. I still think we have to come up with something other than Ms. Cassie once the girls leave.” She smiled. “Let’s let Kathleen believe she is fooling everyone for a little bit longer before we break the news to her.”
“You got it.” Greg jumped up as Kathleen returned. “I’m off to shower so I can make the pizza run.”
By the time Greg returned with the pizza, everyone had been herded into the shower and they were watching a movie Chase had selected. As the hero dog did his supersonic bark to bring down the villain, Cassie paused the movie to distribute plates and drinks. Cassie called a family meeting for nine the next morning instead of after the movie. She and Kathleen decided to take the girls shopping after the meeting. They watched the movie, and then everyone headed off to bed.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Monday morning after breakfast, everyone met in the dining room for their first group meeting. Surprisingly the girls were dressed and ready for their shopping trip. Cassie went over some basic rules, and then they picked chores for the week.
As the meeting broke up and the girls headed out to the cars, Cassie stopped Chase in the kitchen. “Would you like to go with us?”
Chase looked up as Greg entered the kitchen. “I’m not sure.”
Greg had suggested to Cassie the night before that Chase might like to join them and Cassie had an idea. She looked back and forth between them. “I was thinking about getting a single bed to add to you
r room.” She looked at Chase. “Then you could have your own bed.”
Chase looked hesitant.
“You could always sleep in my bed if you wanted. I’ll still be right there beside you,” Greg added.
“Okay. I guess.”
“Great,” Cassie said, “then you should go with us so you can pick out your comforter.”
“Are you sure you have room?” Chase asked, still torn between staying with Greg and going with the girls.
“We have to take two cars anyway, so there is plenty of space for you.” Cassie hugged him. “We’ll eat lunch out.”
Chase smiled. “Okay, I’m in then.”
Chase, Dani and Kaitlyn piled into Cassie’s SUV, and Morgan and Shaun chose to ride with Kathleen. Cassie had considered driving to the next town over since Riverview only had one store, but Kathleen had vetoed the option. She thought fewer choices might be better.
“You can stay with us or roam on your own,” Kathleen advised the girls as they crossed the parking lot. “You have one hour and then we’ll meet up front by the registers. Do not leave the store for any reason.”
Morgan gave a rare smile. “We can pick anything we want?”
“We’re here for sheets and comforters, but each of you have a budget of an additional fifty dollars for anything else you might want to get,” Kathleen answered her.
“Shampoos, deodorants and stuff like that doesn’t count though,” Cassie added. “Those are items are covered by us.”
The girls disappeared together, but Chase stayed with Kathleen and Cassie. As they went up and down every aisle, Cassie helped Chase select hygiene items from a list Greg had provided. Chase selected a Lego bedspread and sheets and a new Lego toy. Kathleen and Cassie moved through the grocery store section making selections for the upcoming week.
Cassie had enjoyed the hour but wasn’t so happy when the girls returned. Morgan and Shaun had decided on black bedspreads for their room. Cassie let Kathleen handle that discussion while she checked out Dani and Kaitlyn’s selections. Kathleen vetoed complete black and sent them to get sheet and pillowcase sets of a different color. Cassie vetoed the skimpy bathing suit-clad supermodel poster that Kaitlyn had selected for her wall.