“Harmony, you’re scaring me.”
Harmony shook her head. “Just come on, sweetie. Maybe it’s not as bad as it looks.”
Cassie gaped at her, and then got out of bed and hurried to the door. Rick was seated at the tall counter, bent over his tablet. Her brother wore a dark expression.
“Rick.” Cassie came closer, almost afraid to see what had him so angry. “What’s wrong?”
He lifted his head and met her gaze. The look in his eyes was a combination of worry and anger. “Sis, you’re all over the Internet.”
Wrapping her arms around her waist, she took a breath to steel herself. “Show me.”
Rick turned the tablet so it faced her, and then clicked. A video began to play, something from TMZ with bursting graphics and crashing music. Photos of her with Wally popped all over the screen while a taunting voiceover filled her ears.
“Cassandra Chapman,” the voice said. “Only daughter of multi-millionaire William Chapman and darling of jet-setting partiers, is seen here with the ambassador’s son.”
“What did Wally do this time?” she wondered aloud.
“Wild Wally, as he’s known, has been forced into rehab after his arrest,” the voice went on.
“His arrest?” she asked. “For what?”
“Drug dealing and possession.” Harmony slid a full cup of coffee in front of Cassie. “He also stole a yacht and hit another boat.”
Cassie covered her mouth with her hand, her heart racing. “Tell me no one was killed?”
“Not killed, but hurt pretty badly,” Rick said.
The voiceover began again, hitting on some of Wally’s best and biggest mistakes accompanied by more pictures and a catchy theme song.
“There’s more,” Harmony said.
Cassie was angry now. “About me? What the—” She looked around. “Wait. Where’s Nick?”
“Watching a movie in our room,” Rick said.
Cassie groaned. “It’s that bad, then?”
“It’s pretty bad, sis.”
“Show me.”
Rick tapped on another link and a new video began to play.
“Miss Chapman is apparently up to her old tricks again, this time on our side of the pond,” the voiceover gleefully declared.
“What are they talking about?” she asked.
Rick shook his head. “Just watch. It sucks.”
More pictures filled the screen of the tablet, shots of her in her bikini at the water fountains. The photos must have been taken just the other day, and clearly showed Ty as her companion. The shots were taken so it looked like they were all over each other.
“Wild-child Cassandra retreated to the pricey, picture-perfect hamlet of Cypress Corners, no doubt to get away from her European scandal earlier in the spring.”
“I knew I couldn’t outrun those pictures.” She shakily brought the cup of coffee to her lips and took a sip. “And now they’ve ruined everything.”
“What’s ruined?” Harmony asked.
“My life,” Cassie said.
“Who is this new boy toy?” the voiceover asked. “He’s been identified as Tyler Walsh, a wild animal expert from that same area.”
“Oh my God, Ty!” Cassie’s eyes filled with tears. “He’ll be devastated when he finds out he’s plastered all over the place.”
“Ty’s a big boy,” Rick said.
“No, Rick. You don’t understand. Riley’s father is looking for any reason to screw with Ty’s visitation. Just the other night he said he doesn’t want any scandal or gossip touching his little girl.”
Harmony cursed softly, shocking Cassie. “That man is horrid, keeping that sweet child away from her grandma and uncle.”
“He’s her father, Harmony.” Cassie ran a hand over her face. “This is terrible. If this show is running this story it must be all over the place.”
“I Googled it,” Rick said, his voice flat. “You hit the nail on the head.”
“Oh, no.” Cassie sank down on the nearest barstool. “It’s over. Everything.”
Tinny laughter from the tablet filled the room as the background noise swelled from the tablet. “Maybe he can tame Cassandra’s wild ways,” a voice put in. “He looks like he’s having a damn fine time trying.”
“Cassandra isn’t the first wild girl in his life,” the first voice stated. “His sister was a real party girl who killed herself two years ago.”
“No,” Cassie rasped. She buried her face in her hands. “Shut it off.”
Rick must have done as she asked, because the kitchen was suddenly quiet.
“It’ll be okay, Cassie,” Harmony said.
Cassie shook her head, swiping at her tears. “It won’t be. Don’t you see that? Even if Ty doesn’t lose any time with Riley no one will want to associate with me down here. I’ll be a pariah.”
“No. We won’t let that happen,” Rick said.
“What? My big brothers will swoop in and save the day?” She hopped down off the stool. “Don’t you see, Rick? Nothing can save the day. Nothing can save me. I’m a train wreck. I’ve managed to miss a few of the stops while I’ve been down here but I won’t let my mistakes screw up your lives.”
“How will you screw up our lives?” Harmony asked, a determined expression on her face. “You’re our family, Cassie. We love you.”
“Love isn’t enough,” Cassie rasped, her throat tight. “My mess will poison everything that’s good down here. Your lives. Your work. Your reputations.”
“Cassie, come on,” Rick began. “You’re taking this too hard.”
“You haven’t been through this, Rick. Wally fucked up big time but I’m the fool that thought I couldn’t be dragged back into the spotlight.”
She picked up her coffee and started to head for the stairs.
“Where are you going?” Harmony asked.
“I have to figure this out. I know those pictures look way worse than the situation actually was. That’s the way these things go.” She pointed toward Rick’s now-dark tablet. “Just look how filthy those pictures of me and Ty appear. We were laughing, for God’s sake. I remember that moment. Riley grabbed my legs and I felt into him but do you think whoever took that photo cares about the truth? And to mention Ty’s poor sister? It’s just too much.”
“What are you going to do?” Harmony asked.
She started to climb the stairs. “Some thinking, for starters. There’s one thing I know for sure.”
“I’m almost afraid to ask,” Rick said.
“I have to get myself and my mess out of Cypress Corners.”
Rick and Harmony said nothing as she retreated to her guest room. Her big brother wouldn’t understand. He was used to fixing things but she wasn’t his project or his problem. He deserved more. They all deserved more.
Picking up her phone, she opened the browser and with very little searching she found more mentions of Wally’s mess in Europe and her own right here at home. The titillation of Ty’s sister’s tragedy was brought up more frequently with every article she pulled up. This was a shit-storm of monumental proportions and there would be no coming back from it for her.
She had no place to go. No home at all. Not in Boston with Bill. Not here with her family who had opened their hearts to her. She had to put as much distance between herself and all of them for their own good. But worst of all, she had to stay away from Ty.
Flinging her phone onto the floor, she collapsed on the bed and cried.
Chapter 21
“Happy Memorial Day, Ty.”
“You too, Mom.” His mother looked somber this morning and his stomach clenched. “Are you feeling okay?”
“I’m fine, son. I promise you. I just want you to be prepared.”
“Prepared for what?” He dug into the breakfast casserole his mother made and popped his dish in the microwave. “I don’t have any plans today.”
“That’s good. I’m glad Cypress is basically shut down on Memorial Day.”
“Why?” The mic
rowave dinged and he set his dish on the tall counter. “What’s up?”
She fidgeted in her chair. “Have you talked to Cassie since Saturday night?”
“No.” In fact, he’d called her yesterday but she hadn’t returned any of his voicemails. “Why?”
“I don’t want to gossip. Believe me, son. But this isn’t anything like rumors about who fancies whom or who’s having a baby. This is big.”
His pulse began to trip. “Mom, what are you talking about?”
“One of those news shows got a hold of pictures of Cassie.”
“I know about the pictures.”
“You do? Do you know what they’re saying about you?”
“About me? What do I have to do with those pictures from months ago?”
She sniffed. “Tyler, the pictures are of you and Cassie. From the day you took Riley to the fountains.”
He gaped at her. “Are you serious?”
“Check my laptop. I went online to check my email and my homepage was bracketed all over with photos and links to the story.”
Ty crossed to the desk set in one corner of the family room and opened the web browser. Blurry close-ups of him and Cassie from Saturday alternated with those old photos of her. They looked bad. Really bad. His mother wasn’t wrong, either. Yahoo and Google and just about every site he clicked on was featuring the story.
“This is unbelievable. Cassie must be floored.”
“I’m sure. But Ty, there’s more.”
He turned to see his mother’s worried expression again. “What? Tell me.”
“They’re talking about Tracy.”
“Why the hell are they dragging her into this?”
“They figured out your name and found out what happened to Tracy.”
“What do you mean?” he asked, his speech deliberate.
“How she lived, Ty.” She wiped away a tear. “How she died. They’re saying you have experience with party girls.”
Ty slammed his fist on the counter. “That’s bullshit!”
“I know that,” his mother said. She didn’t even chide him for cursing, so he knew she was torn up about this too. “What do you think Hank will do?”
“Who gives a shit?”
“He can decide to keep Riley from ever seeing us.”
“No.” Ty shook his head. “No. He’d never do that. Linda would be worn down to a nub if he didn’t find a way to give her a break now and then. Besides, free child care is hard to find.”
“That’s not what we are, Tyler.”
“Aren’t we?”
He grabbed his keys and started for the garage.
“Where are you going?”
“To see Cassie. She must be wrecked about this.” He stopped at the door and turned back to her. “You’re okay with that, Mom? With me and Cassie, that is?”
She smiled through her tears. “She’s a sweet girl, Ty. Nothing these pictures show make a difference to me. Do you love her?”
He was dumbstruck as the truth hit him square in the gut. “I do. I love her.”
“Then tell her it’ll be okay. Tell her you love her.”
“What if that isn’t enough?”
She laughed softly. “Oh, it’s enough.”
He climbed in his truck and headed over to Rick’s. The lakeshore recreational area was teeming with folks out for the holiday but he found a place to park not far from the house. He went up the porch steps and knocked on the screen door frame.
The door opened but at first Ty didn’t see anybody standing there.
“Hey, Ty!” Nick said, peering up at him.
Ty smiled down at the little boy. “Hey there, Nick. Your Aunt Cassie around?”
“Nope.”
“She’s not?”
Nick shook his head, and then looked back over his shoulder. “Mommy, Ty’s here!”
With that, Nick ran back into the house. Harmony soon stood there in the doorway, her head tilted to one side. “Hi, Ty.”
Her voice sounded strained.
“Where is she?” he asked her.
Harmony ushered him inside. “She’s gone. She said she had to think.”
“Why? Because of those fu—” He stopped himself. “Because of those stories?”
“You didn’t see her. She was devastated.”
“She’s being dragged through the mud,” Ty agreed. “It’s disgusting, what they’re saying. First about her and that Wally guy and now the two of us.”
Harmony shook her head. “No. You misunderstand. She’s not worried about herself or her own reputation. She’s worried about us.” She put a hand on his arm. “About you.”
Ty raked his fingers through his hair. “So she went back to Boston?”
“Boston?” Rick joined them in the entryway. “Hell no. She wouldn’t go back there.”
“Then where is she?” he asked him.
“Come on, man. Can’t you guess?”
Suddenly the image of her at his tent-cabin came to him. Sitting on his porch. Laying in his bed. Curling up in his arms.
“Thanks.”
“Hold it.” Rick grabbed his arm. “Are you going to let this shit-storm end things? I know you have a lot at stake.”
Ty knew he was talking about Riley. “My niece is very important to me, Rick. But I love your sister.”
“You love her?” Harmony clasped her hands, her eyes bright. “I knew it!”
Ty could only nod. “I have go.”
“Good. Fix this, Ty.” Rick released his hold. “We want her here. With us. But we also want her to be happy.”
“Me, too.”
Ty left their house and headed out to the far lakeshore. His phone buzzed just as he pulled in and parked. Grabbing it, he got out of the truck and thumbed through to get the message.
Ty, things happened that can’t be undone. What we had was fun but fun isn’t worth it. Thanks for everything.
He stared at the screen. “Like hell.”
He stalked around to the back porch, where she was just as he expected to find her. She stared out at the lake, with a look of resignation on her face. Her mouth was set and her brows drawn together.
“Are you kidding me with this?” he asked, stepping up on the planks and holding his phone toward her.
She jumped a little, and then faced him fully. “It’s better this way.”
“Yeah?” He shoved his phone in his pocket. “Then why the hell are you out here?”
She glanced away. “I wanted to see it one last time.”
“You’re not leaving.” It was a statement and a question.
She shook her head. “Cypress? No.”
His heart thudded to a stop. “You’re leaving me.”
At her slow nod he squeezed his eyes shut. “Cassie, don’t do this. What we have… This isn’t just fun.”
“I had fun. I thought you did, too.”
He opened his eyes and blew out a breath. “Damn it, that’s not what I mean.”
“Then tell me what you mean? Because as I see it, I screwed up again and more people than just me are going to pay for it.”
“It’s just a few pictures.”
“They talked about your sister, Ty. They made her sound like a mess and that you’re used to cleaning up messes. Like me.”
Ty came close to her, sitting down at her feet. “Cassie, she was a mess. You’re not.”
She looked out toward the lake again, her gaze filled with sadness. “I brought this on myself, Ty. I have to try to fix it but most importantly I have to keep the damage to a minimum. That means staying away from you.”
“I won’t let you.”
She looked at him, her lips parted in surprise. “You won’t let me? Listen, nature boy. I’m not some wild animal you have to tame. I know you couldn’t save your sister. I know that eats you up inside. But you don’t have to save me.”
The truth was inside of him and he’d faced it already. Now he had to let her know without screwing everything up.
“I do
n’t want to save you,” he said.
“What?”
“You don’t need saving and I don’t want to save you. I want to love you.”
***
Cassie stared at Ty’s beautiful face. He looked so serious, his hazel eyes intent. He wanted to love her?
“Ty, what are you saying?”
“I love you, Cassie. The rest of it doesn’t matter.”
“But it does.” She felt the tears starting again, just when she thought she’d cried them all out yesterday. “Those pictures. The stories. It can ruin everything.”
“What, exactly, can it ruin? Hank is a prick. He’s never made seeing Riley easy so I don’t see how things will be any different.”
“He already told you he doesn’t want any scandal around Riley. And this is a shit-ton more than just a little bit of it.”
Ty quirked a half-smile at her. “He might make a fuss but he likes having his free time.” He winked. “And free childcare.”
She studied him closely for a minute. “You’re serious? You don’t care?”
“Oh, I care.” He came closer, coming up on his haunches. “I care about what this will do to you.”
“Nothing. I don’t matter. I’m just worried about my family.”
“Don’t say that.”
“I am worried, Ty. They don’t deserve this after all they’ve done for me.”
“I know that, and it tells me just how big your heart is. I meant don’t say you don’t matter. You matter to them and you sure as hell matter to me.”
Her lips began to quiver and she didn’t know why she wanted to cry now. This man, this wonderful, almost too-good-to-be-true guy was here telling her just what she needed to hear.
“You mean that.”
“I don’t lie, Cassie.” He smiled again. “Boy scout, remember?”
“And you want to love me?” she had to know.
“Hell, sweetheart. I already love you.”
That did it. Tears burst forth and she took in great shuddering breaths as she tried to stop them.
“Holy shit.” Ty wrapped his arms around her. “What did I say? I’m sorry.”
She sucked in a breath, shaking her head. “Don’t you dare apologize. I love you, too.”
He put a finger under her chin and lifted her face to his. “Marry me. I know you’re staying here in Cypress, Cassie. I need to know you’re staying here with me.”
Cypress Corners Boxed Set (Books 1-3) Page 52