“Anything is fine with me. I’m determined to go with the flow today.”
“Just today?”
“Are you saying I’m a tight ass?”
He threw her a grin. “Not touching that one, sweetheart.”
She chuckled. “So how far is Riley’s dad’s place?”
“Not too. About ten minutes from Cypress.”
“So close?” She clicked her tongue. “And you still only get to see her a little bit?”
“Yeah.”
He didn’t notice how tightly he was gripping the steering wheel until he felt Cassie’s fingers on his knuckles.
“Easy there.” She leaned back in her seat. “Will I get to meet this Hank person?”
“Probably, so I’ll apologize in advance.”
“For what?”
“He’s kind of a pig.”
“Yikes.”
“Considers himself a lady’s man. He’s much older than my sister was. Probably late forties, I’d guess.”
“He sounds lovely.”
“I try not to interact with him much. His wife is a quiet thing. I doubt she’ll come out to meet you.”
“He’s married?”
“Yep. Has been for decades.”
“He just gets better and better.”
Ty smiled a little. She was good for him, especially today. Seeing the situation with fresh eyes and giving her opinion openly could only be a good thing. As long as she didn’t give her opinion to Hank.
“We’ll make it quick. Hank is never one to stick around once I pick Riley up.”
“Where does he go?”
“Damned if I know. Today I think he’s going to another gun show up in Orlando. The guy loves his firearms.”
Cassie clicked her tongue again. “We’ll have to make sure Riley has a great time with her Uncle Ty.”
“Yep. We will.”
When he pulled the car up the long drive to Hank’s place, Riley was already waiting on the porch. There was no sign of Hank.
Stopping the car, he stepped out. “Hey, sweetie. Where’s your dad?”
“Had to go up to Orlando. Mommy Linda is inside, though.”
He walked toward the porch as he heard Cassie open her door. Riley’s face lit up when she saw Cassie.
“Cassie!” She flew down the porch steps and wrapped herself around Cassie’s waist. “I didn’t know you were coming!”
Cassie stroked her hand over Riley’s hair. “Your Uncle Ty made Old Town Village sound so great, how could I refuse his invitation?”
The screen door creaked as Linda came out onto the porch.
“Good morning, Linda,” Ty said.
The woman looked tired but she nodded. “Hello.”
“Linda, this is Cassie Chapman. A friend of mine. Cassie, this is Linda Busey.”
“Nice to meet you,” Cassie said.
Linda nodded. “You guys have fun today. Be good, Riley. Okay?”
“Yes, Mommy Linda.”
Riley released Cassie. She scrambled up onto the porch and hugged Linda. After a beat, Linda patted her little shoulders.
“Go on. We’ll see you at five, right Ty?”
He could see by the determination in her gaze that she wasn’t going to fudge on the return time. No, Hank had laid down the law and she was going to uphold it.
“Five it is, Linda.”
She looked relieved when Riley came back down to him and Cassie. Ty took the little girl’s hand and led her over to the car. Buckling her into her car seat, he took a second to give her a couple of loud kisses that made her giggle.
“All set?” he asked her.
Riley nodded and he got back behind the wheel. He could see the questions in Cassie’s mind as they drove away from Hank’s house. He also knew with certainty that she wouldn’t bring them up within Riley’s hearing. He didn’t really know how he knew so much about Cassie’s character but he just did. She was an open book, to him at least.
“All set, Cassie?”
She smiled at him. “Yep. Let’s go have some fun.”
Sending her a look of gratitude, he focused on the ride into Kissimmee. There would be enough time to talk about the mess that was just on display on Hank’s porch. For now, he would enjoy a day with his two favorite girls in the world. He didn’t know when Hank would give them a chance to actually go somewhere again. And as for Cassie? After her comment about not being here for the holidays, he didn’t even know how long he had with her.
He would just enjoy the present and leave the worries for later.
Chapter 16
Cassie listened while Riley chattered about something from the backseat, her mind working around the situation she’d just witnessed. It was clear that Riley was safe and clean and taken care of but she didn’t see a whole lot of love coming from Hank’s wife. No, Mommy Linda thought of Riley as an obligation and nothing more.
“Hey, sweetie,” Cassie said, leaning over to smile at the little girl. “I hear you’re up for some rides.”
“The merry-go-round for sure,” she said. “Can we ride it three times, Uncle Ty?”
“You might get a little dizzy, honey. We’ll see how it goes.”
“Sure,” Riley said.
Cassie turned forward again, sliding a glance at Ty. “You’re a good uncle.”
“It’s easy.” He glanced into the backseat, and then faced forward. “As long as she doesn’t eat too much cotton candy.”
He’d said it loud enough for Riley to hear and she giggled. “Oh, Uncle Ty! You know I only eat it because it’s pink. I love pink.”
“What about the blue kind?” Cassie asked her. “That’s pretty tasty, too.”
“We’ll have to have the blue kind too!” Riley said.
“Great,” Ty grumbled with a sideways smile.
The ride to Old Town Village wasn’t too long, and about fifteen minutes after picking up Riley they came upon the huge Ferris wheel set nearly on the street.
“We’re here, we’re here!” Riley piped up from the backseat.
“Apparently,” Cassie said.
Ty pulled into the lot, which already had a lot of cars parked in its spaces. He shut off the engine and turned to smile at Riley.
“Ready for some fun?”
Cassie watched as the little girl practically vibrated with excitement. While Ty got Riley out of her seat Cassie shouldered the pink Minnie bag.
“Wait,” Ty said. “Sunblock.”
Cassie withdrew the bottle she found at the bottom of the bag and slathered it on Riley’s arms, legs and face. The pink bucket hat in the bag looked adorable perched on top of her blond waves.
“Ready, pretty girl?” Cassie asked.
Riley beamed at her, reaching out a hand to grab onto hers. Cassie looked at Ty, who nodded. Ty took Riley’s other hand in his, and the three of them started for the entrance of the place.
Riley skipped along between them and Cassie was seized with a completely foreign kind of yearning. She had to be going crazy if she thought she was looking for this kind of life. It was nothing like she’d ever wanted. The right guy, a sweet kid who looked like him. Feeling like she was as much the center of their universe as the man and child were to her.
“Over there, Cassie!” Riley said, tugging on her arm.
“Hmm?” She looked up to find the little girl and Ty both looking at her with matching looks of confusion. “Where are we going?”
“The merry-go-round, Cassie,” Riley said in her best put-upon voice. “We have to go before I have something to eat.”
Cassie arched a brow. “Oh, yeah? Trouble a-brewing?”
“Not if we’re careful,” Ty put in with a crooked smile.
The carousel was an old-fashioned beauty with painted horses and done up with sculpted flowers and ribbons.
“This is so pretty, Riley! No wonder you wanted to ride this first.”
Riley nodded, wiggling and hopping from foot to foot while Ty bought them all tickets. Ty put the little girl u
p on the horse she chose, pink of course, and stood beside her.
“Mount up, Cassie,” he said.
She laughed and swung her leg over the horse on the other side of Riley’s mount. With a slight jerk, the carousel started and the sounds of calliope music filled the air. Around and around they went, and Cassie couldn’t help but add her laughter to Riley’s as the ride came to its inevitable stop.
“You rode so good, Cassie,” Riley said, her eyes big.
“And you’re a top-notch horsewoman yourself.”
Cassie scooped the little girl into her arms and swung her down to solid ground. “Where to next?”
Ty stepped down and took Cassie’s hand this time as she held Riley’s. It was nice, holding hands with a guy.
“I’m thinking the Ferris wheel,” Ty said.
“No way, man,” Cassie said. “Nuh-uh.”
“Please, please, please!” Riley said.
Cassie gave a shudder. “I’m not good with heights, sweetie. Just ask your Uncle Ty.”
Ty smirked at her, and then looked down at Riley. “Cassie was stuck up on one of the climbing walls yesterday. I think she thought she was a mountain goat.”
Riley giggled and Cassie put a hand on her hip. “I just don’t think I want to go up there.”
Riley looked up at her with a serious expression. “It’ll be okay, Cassie. Uncle Ty would never let anything happen to you or me.”
“That’s true,” Ty said.
Cassie could only nod. She’d never seen such trust in her life. And to be included under Ty’s protection? That made her feel all kinds of things she shouldn’t.
“If you promise,” she told the little girl, “Then, okay.”
All three of them survived the ride, to Cassie’s relief. By the time their bucket finished its second rotation, they were stepping down from the rocking thing.
“You did it!” Riley hugged Cassie’s legs and she nearly fell over. “I knew Uncle Ty would keep you safe.”
The little girl’s words made her feel like she was still up on the wheel. Oh, she wanted to grab on to Ty and let him fix everything for her. He was the perfect son and uncle. The perfect friend. The perfect lover. He was almost too good to be true. And speaking of true, she had to face one huge fact.
He was way too good for her.
***
After lunch at the burger place set just off the midway of the kiddy rides, Riley looked like she was beginning to wear out. Cassie was a little quiet too, but she’d been subdued since they got off the Ferris wheel. Maybe she was afraid of heights after all. He’d have to make sure she held on tight to him tonight, then. He planned on sending her to the ceiling.
After a round on the hopping ladybug ride, Ty figured it was time to go back to Cypress.
“Let’s head on over to Grandma’s, sweetie,” he said to Riley, steering her toward the parking lot.
Riley started to argue but when she yawned Ty knew he had her. She climbed into the backseat and settled into her car seat without a peep. Cassie cracked open one of the bottles of water she’d had the forethought to buy and handed it to Riley.
“Drink, honey,” she said. “I know I get tired when I’m dehydrated.”
Riley drank, and handed her back the bottle. “I’m wet now.”
Cassie chuckled. Ty guessed they both knew Riley didn’t mean she wet her pants. In fact, Cassie had taken her to the ladies’ room just before the bug ride.
“Grandma probably made cookies today,” Ty said.
“Chocolate chip?” Riley asked around another yawn.
“Yeah. And you can take some back home with you.”
“I want to sleep at your house, Uncle Ty.”
Ty bit back the words he wanted to say about her selfish father but instead he took a calming breath. He was really glad the little girl couldn’t see his expression at that angle.
“Another time, sweetie,” he said. “I promise.”
Cassie touched his hand like she had earlier and he felt better. That was weird, that she could affect him like that. With just a look or a touch she made him feel better. Maybe it was because he could share his frustrations with her about Riley and the visitation situation. Lord knew he couldn’t share them with his mother.
His mother worried enough about the little girl to also worry about Ty’s feelings. He agreed with her when she voiced her disappointment, and when she glossed over her own sadness when he brought Riley back home he did likewise. It was nice to have someone who didn’t judge him and even got a little pissed off on his behalf.
The car ride back to St. Cloud was nothing like the one out to Kissimmee this morning. Riley was nodding off in the back and Cassie was quiet, too.
“Do you want to get dinner after I take Riley home?” he asked.
Cassie looked over and shrugged. “Sure. Where?”
“How about the End Zone? It’s a sports bar in St. Cloud. We can shoot a couple games of pool.”
“You shoot pool?”
“A little. You?”
She smiled. “Actually, it’s called billiards in the UK. Peasant.”
He laughed. “Okay, well we’ll play American pool and I’ll give you some pointers.”
“I can handle my balls, Ty. Can you?”
He shook his head. “Not touching that one, either.”
They shared a smile and he glanced in the rearview mirror again. Riley was staring out the window but it was clear from her gaze that she was starting to zone out. This had been a really great day, for his niece and for him. He loved to spend time with Riley but when he added Cassie to the mix? Today was just about as perfect as it could get. He thought about Cassie’s teasing and looked forward to tonight and making the day even more perfect.
After his mother fussed over Riley and Cassie both, they took the little girl back to Hank’s. On the short ride to the End Zone, Ty bit back the usual pain and frustration he felt whenever he dropped Riley off at her father’s.
“Talk to me, Ty,” Cassie said.
“It tears me up, Cassie. Every time I drop her off at Hank’s I want to either cry or punch something.”
“You know, you can do either one of those with me. I won’t judge.”
He slid her a look. Her face was open and her expression clear. It was the picture of support. Support he’d never had because he’d always had to be the strong one for his mother.
“Thanks, but I think I’m okay now.”
Cassie nodded. “Your mother adores that little girl. You do, too.”
“Yeah, and we have to beg Hank for every scrap of time with her.”
“Maybe you should sit down and talk with him.”
“With Hank?” Ty scoffed. “If you think that could work, you don’t know Hank.”
“I don’t. I do know he’s her father and you have no legalities to stand on. You have no choice.”
He shook his head. “Maybe, but I can’t talk to Hank. We can’t stand each other.”
“How long was he with your sister?”
“I have no idea. It wasn’t until Tracy died that Hank had anything to do with Riley. He took her, legally, and that’s where we are now. Can we drop this?”
“Sure.”
Her agreement was laced with something else but he wasn’t going to rehash the crap that was the situation with Riley and Hank.
They pulled into the parking lot and Ty saw the usual collection of vehicles filling the spaces. Trucks and motorcycles and SUVs, typical for the laidback city. He shut the car off and left the keys dangling in the ignition.
“I’m sorry, Cassie.”
“You don’t have to apologize, Ty.”
“It’s just a sensitive subject for me.”
“And I’m an outsider. I get it.”
He stared at her. “You’re not an outsider.”
She blinked rapidly, and then nodded. “I am, but that’s okay. I’m used to it.”
“If you say so. I see something different, though.”
“Wha
t, Ty? What do you see?”
“You’re connecting with your family.” He shot her a grin. “And we’re growing close too, or so I thought.”
She touched his face, sliding her fingers into his hair the way he liked. “We are. But this conversation is a little deep for a Saturday night, don’t you think?”
He took his cue from her and pulled back. He grabbed the keys and gave her a quick kiss. “Then how about I whoop your pretty little ass in pool?”
She laughed. “Don’t count your chickens, or whatever. I have skills you haven’t seen.”
“Then you may just kill me yet.”
Back on steady footing, the two of them went into the sports bar. The End Zone was as dim as usual inside but the large dining room to the right was lined all around with TVs set high on the walls. The screens showed fishing programs and Ultimate Fighting matches along with just about every other sport ever televised. The scent of French fries and buffalo wings hung in the air, along with the ever-present malty beer smell. There weren’t many families seated at a few of the wooden tables and booths, but it was a Saturday night. Mostly couples and groups of friends, it looked like.
The long bar stretched along the back wall and the wait staff buzzed around with round trays of food and drink. A couple of the servers nodded a greeting to him and he returned the gesture. Country pop songs were playing on the digital juke box and the crack of ball against ball could be heard through the wide opening to the pool room to the left.
“The End Zone.” He put his hand on the small of Cassie’s back as he steered her toward an empty table. “Let’s grab a table.”
“Look who’s here!” Claire Chapman called.
Ty looked over to see Jake and his wife sitting at a booth to the right. Cassie’s face lit up and she hurried over to them. She might think she was an outsider but nobody seeing how she greeted Jake and Claire, and how they happily greeted her back, would believe it.
“Hi!” Cassie hugged Claire and punched her brother in the arm. “I didn’t know you guys were coming here tonight.”
“Jake needed a challenge,” Claire quipped. “Maybe tonight he can win a game.”
Jake rolled his eyes. “Damn, woman. You’ll have Ty thinking I can’t handle a stick.” He got up and sat next to Claire, waving a hand to the now-empty seat across from them. “Let me tell you, Claire is a shark.”
Cypress Corners Boxed Set (Books 1-3) Page 48