*
Twenty minutes later, she entered Kayla’s room to look at her things.
“Sean and I are going out for dinner Saturday night.”
“Okay, Mom,” Kayla answered with a smile. “Sherry invited me over Saturday, so we can start planning on how we’ll set everything up in our dorm room. The rooms are so small; I don’t know how we’ll even come close to fitting everything in there.”
Cassandra laughed and patted her daughter on top of her head. “I’m sure you’ll have it all figured out.” After looking at Kayla’s new clothes, she headed for Kyle’s room.
“Hey there, let’s see what you bought.” She entered his room and sat on the edge of his bed.
“I heard Kayla tell you about going to the Millers’ on Saturday.” He smiled up at her from the floor, where he sat and clipped off the tags from each of the shirts. “Adam wants me to come over, too. We have to plan a way to arrange our room, also. We’re going to be so cramped.”
“Well, you’ll manage somehow, kiddo. You really purchased some nice clothes, honey. You both have good taste.”
“Thanks, Mom. I heard you mention that you’re going out with Sean. We’ll probably stay overnight at the Millers’, so there’s no need for you to rush home,” he said, with an amused glint in his eyes.
She flushed, and was barely able to keep the laughter from her voice when she thanked him and left his room.
“Hey Mom,” he called, and she stuck her head back in the doorway. He smiled at her and said, “You deserve a whole night out with Sean, Mom.”
“Thank you, sweetie,” she said softly. Her smile turned to a chuckle when she headed back down the hallway.
*
Sitting at Ben’s Pizza Palace brought back many memories. They sipped on their sodas, while waiting for their pizza to arrive; this had been their place, where they’d always hung out together. Looking around, they both commented on how the place had changed. It had acquired more of a rustic look. There were tables added along the sides of the bar. Further to the rear and up two steps they added booths adjacent the back wall, bordered with log rails.
“I was hoping we’d at least see one person we knew when we’d still been together,” she said. “But I don’t recognize anyone in here.”
“It’s been a long time, Cassie. I’m sure all of our friends have moved on. Who knows where anyone might be.”
“Well, we’re still around,” she said and smiled.
“Yes, we are, but we’ve both lived different lives of our own for a long, long time.”
“I’m smiling again, Sean. I can now actually say that I’m happy again.”
“So am I, honey, and I’m sorry that we’d said goodbye, although it may not have worked out between us back then. We’ve both changed now. We’ve changed in a good way,” he added. The waitress arrived with their pizza. Cassandra waited until she left their table before she continued.
“I’m not sorry, Sean. We weren’t ready for each other back then. I had the children I’d always wanted. I love my twins so much. They’ve made me happy and proud to be a mother. Even though Jeff had been such a jerk, I still had them. It’s going to be so hard when they leave for college in September.”
“Well, I’ll be here,” he said with that sparkle in his eyes that had attracted her that very first night they’d met.
He wiped his mouth with a napkin. “Did you enjoy the movie?”
“Yes I did, it reminded me of our trip, the one we’d taken to Florida.”
“I thought the same thing, and figured you’d enjoy it. Well, are you about ready to go?” he asked and placed a tip on the table.
She nodded and he stood and took her hand. When they approached the exit, and he held the door open for her, a man wearing a cowboy hat grabbed his arm.
“Sean? Sean Gavin? Holy smokes!” The man gave a hearty laugh. “You’re still alive and kickin’!”
Sean gently tugged Cassandra’s hand and brought her back in the doorway to look closer. The room was dim, but soon a surprised grin lit up his face.
“Well I’ll be! Johnny Gleason, how’ve you been?” he asked and slapped the man on the back.
“Don’t tell me… is this Cassandra? After all these years, you two are still together?”
Cassandra saw the laughter in Sean’s eyes and assumed that he wanted to keep it a secret.
Johnny was one of Sean and Cassandra’s friends before they’d split up. Johnny had been married to one of Cassandra’s best friends. Linda had breast cancer and passed away eight years ago.
“Well, it’s really good to see you, Johnny,” Sean said.
“Yeah, Bro. Give me a call and we can get together some time,” Johnny said. They shook hands and then Sean guided Cassandra out to the parking lot.
“Well, there you go,” Sean said, while he held the car door for her. “You wanted to run into some old friends, and that we did. I haven’t seen Johnny in almost twenty-some years either.” He laughed. “He thought we’d never even split up.”
And I wish we hadn’t... but she lightened the bitter memory with a smile. “That was fun, wasn’t it?”
“Do you want to head over to my place?” he asked when he started the car. He placed a light kiss on the tip of her nose, and then on her lips. “We have a lot of catching up to do,” he said softly.
She remembered that sweet loving look in his eyes and nodded. “Yes, we do.” I hope the love will still be there, right where we’d left off. She drew his face toward hers and returned the kiss, filled with warmth and tenderness.
*
Sean still had the same house he’d purchased soon after they’d broken up. He walked her through each room and watched the warm look in her eyes. He could tell by her smile that she loved it. He told her that he’d remodeled the house himself, and she could see that he’d put in long hours of hard work. He told her that he’d rebuilt the rooms just as he thought she would have liked them, hoping they’d be back together some day. When he quietly confessed this to her, she leaned her face against his chest and cried softly. They sat down on the loveseat in the family room. Sean gently pulled her into his lap, then took her face into his hands and lightly wiped her tears with his thumbs. He’d unlocked her heart and soul. They stood, and he led her to the master bedroom. He gently pulled her onto the bed and she looked into his eyes. His mouth held a mysterious smile.
He pressed his lips to hers, and she drank in the sweetness of his kiss. He brought out the burning desire, and the aching need she felt rising in her, a wave of passion and love that she’d never known with any man other than Sean. She was a glowing image of fire and love, the hysteria of delight rising inside her as they both soared to a sensational, shuddering ecstasy.
They both sighed in pleasant exhaustion, and remained with their arms wrapped around each other and spoke for hours.
Just as the sun had begun to rise, she dozed off, filled with the feeling of love and satisfaction.
Chapter Thirty-one
“Okay, Cassandra, the plans are all set. Dan was able to get the two weeks off. He’ll take the boys in his SUV, pulling the trailer, and we’ll take the girls in yours. We’ll follow them, so we don’t get lost. We’ll all have our cell phones, in case we need to make a stop. With both SUVs and the trailer, we should be able to haul everything in one trip.”
“This is really going to be fun, Mom,” Kayla said, as the four women sat together at the kitchen table, making their final plans. The boys were doing the same with Dan, at the Millers’ house.
“Adam and Kyle can help Dan unload the furniture and set up the computers in the dorms,” Cassandra said.
“And we can tell Dan where to put everything.” Shannon grinned then added, “I’m sure he’s looking forward to that part.”
Sherry looked at Kayla. “I can’t wait. Our moms will help us make everything fit. My mom is really good at that, aren’t you, Mom?”
Shannon leaned forward, her head resting between her hands, and s
hook her head. “You actually do think I can perform miracles, don’t you?” She lifted her head and said, “This really will be a miracle.”
“Okay, now that we have everything pretty well planned out, who wants some cake?” Cassandra asked, then stood and moved to the counter.
“Need you ask?” Shannon answered.
*
When they’d finished eating, Shannon pushed herself away from the table and stood up. “You shouldn’t have fed me that fattening food, but it was delicious,” she added with a groan, and held her hands to her stomach.
“Just a payback for all of those calories you force me to eat at your place,” she said, and laughed as she wiped the crumbs from the table.
“Come on Sherry, we have to finish packing. I don’t want to leave it all for the last day.” She gave Sherry’s ponytail a light tug. “Two more days and we’re out of here. I’ll talk to you later, Cassandra.”
“Okay, would you mind sending Kyle home? The twins have to finish packing too.”
*
They headed out early Monday morning, to avoid the rush hour. The women were glad they’d been able to ride together and could talk, laugh and listen to music on the radio. The men had wanted to listen to the baseball games, to find out who’d end up in the World Series.
Everyone was happy after stopping for an early dinner. When they’d finished eating, they decided to spend the night at the Sunset Inn across the street.
“There’s really no point in rushing it,” Dan said. “We have two weeks, so let’s just relax.”
The kids decided to take a dip in the indoor pool, while the adults sat at a table along the wall, and enjoyed this moment of relaxation.
Dan stretched his legs, leaned back, and clasped his hands behind his head. “So, Cassandra, did you ever decide to quit your job, now that you no longer need the hassle of it all?”
“Not entirely. I’m only working when they need me. If they have a heavy workload, I’ll give them a hand. I’m going to start working on Auntie Em’s book. Maybe I’ll even have it completed in the next five years or so,” she said with a grin.
Her life had transformed financially. Jeff had left her as the beneficiary on his insurance policy. His employer had provided life insurance; it hadn’t been much, but she put it toward the twins’ college fund. Cassandra found that Auntie Em’s Will left everything to her. The house, the cabin, her savings and stock; more than Cassandra had ever imagined Auntie Em possessed. She’d received huge sums for the mystery novels she’d written over the years, and put that money in her savings for emergency. She also left each of the twins seventy-five thousand dollars, which they’d receive at the age of twenty-one. Cassandra was able to live comfortably for the rest of her life.
“What have you decided to do with the cabin?” Shannon asked.
“I’m going to keep it for the time being. If I ever decide to sell, I promised Nick he could be the first to make an offer. We’ll see; now that the twins won’t be around, I might go up there to write when Sean’s on his business trips.”
“Or maybe you could go along with Sean,” Shannon whispered, and winked.
Her eyes held a gleam when she stood. “I have to get back to our room and give Sean a call. I promised I’d call him when we stopped for dinner.”
“Okay, we’re just going to relax right here for a bit longer. We’ll see you in the morning.”
Cassandra nodded then hurried down the hallway to her room.
*
When they returned home, Cassandra was anxious to see Mandy. The minute she pulled into the driveway, she hurried over to the Bensons’ to pick her up. C.J. and Jackie had volunteered to watch her for the two weeks. They were both dog lovers, but hadn’t gotten round to getting one of their own. They’d taken a liking to Mandy the minute they saw her. She missed her so much while she’d been gone, and now coming home to an empty house, she needed her more than ever.
As soon as they walked in the door, Mandy ran through each room, looking for the twins. When she was unable to locate them, she ran to Cassandra and stayed by her side all day.
“It’s just the two of us now, girl. But the twins will be home for Thanksgiving.”
At the mention of the twins, Mandy lifted her head, thumped her tail on the floor twice, and then placed her head back down on her paws.
“I know, girl. That’s how I feel too.” She lowered herself to the floor and sat with Mandy for a moment, then jumped back up when the phone rang.
“Hi Sean,” she answered excitedly.
“Hi, Babe, did you just get home?”
“Yes, and I just picked Mandy up. We’re two lonesome girls, sitting here moping. It’s so quiet. I just don’t know what I’m going to do with myself around here.”
“Want me to come and pick you up? We could go out somewhere for supper.”
“That sounds like the best thing I’ve heard all day.”
“I’ll be there in about an hour. I missed you, Cassie.”
They went out for a quick bite to eat, and then returned to Cassandra’s house, where they agreed would be the best place to spend the night. She didn’t want to leave Mandy alone after she’d already spent two weeks without her.
Lying on the bed, Sean said, “I have to catch a flight to Chicago early in the morning.”
“Oh, not again, I just returned and now you have to leave?”
“I promise I’ll be back in two days,” he told her. “It’s only two days and they’ll whizz by.”
However, the two days turned into four. It had been happening more often than not. He’d be home for a few days, then gone again. She felt so alone without the twins here. It had been very hard to drive away from them at UCCS. Lately, she’d been contemplating on whether or not to head up to the cabin when Sean was out of town. She could begin working on Auntie Em’s novel. At least that would keep her busy. Deciding to wait a bit longer, she hoped that his company would keep him in town. Less travel out of town would allow them more time to spend with each other.
Sean returned from another two-week business trip and Cassandra prepared a romantic dinner for him when he arrived. They both wanted to enjoy every moment they were able to have together. They made hot passionate love. Cassandra lay on her back, and savored every moment of satisfaction. Relaxed with pleasure, her head on the pillow, she stared up at the fan that slowly revolved above the bed.
Sean leaned over and lightly brushed the hair from her cheek. “You’re deep in thought. Is there something on your mind you’d like to talk about?”
“I don’t know,” she murmured.
“I know there’s something bothering you,” he said. “Come on, Cassie, out with it.”
“We’ve been back together for almost a year. I don’t know. It’s just that I feel so alone. With the twins gone, and you being out of town all the time, I feel so lost. I love you, but you’re not around enough.”
“What are you trying to say?”
“That I love you, Sean. I’ve always loved you since the first day we met, but you don’t seem to want to be any closer than we are right now. I don’t want to grow old by myself. I think that maybe we should start seeing other people,” she said softly, and a stream of tears ran down her cheeks.
He slid out of bed and let out a long sigh, then dressed slowly, while he glanced at her. Cassandra stayed on the bed, with the sheet pulled up to cover her breasts. Why? She stared wordlessly, as the tears kept falling and a warning voice whispered in her head. When their eyes met, she felt a shock run through her, and she flinched at the tone of his voice. He repeated her words tentatively, as if testing the idea, and then said, “Maybe you’re right. Maybe we should,” and with that, he left the room.
She sobbed uncontrollably when she heard the click of the back door, as Sean softly closed it behind him.
Suddenly, she jumped from the bed and grabbed her robe from the chair. Sliding her arms into the sleeves, she ran for the door. By the time she’d pulled it open, he was
in the car and backing out of the driveway. He hadn’t noticed when she stood trying to wave him back. She stepped in, closed the door, then slid to the floor and cried helplessly. She shook with sobs and wept loudly, rocking back and forth.
Mandy appeared alongside her, nosed her neck, and licked at her tears. She felt drained. She wrapped her arms around Mandy’s neck, and buried her face into her fur.
Her heart was breaking for a second time.
Chapter Thirty-two
“Oh, honey, now what are you going to do?”
“I don’t know, Shannon. He still refuses to settle down. It gets lonely now that the twins are gone. I thought I might take the dog and head up to the cabin to start working on Auntie Em’s book, and maybe see Nick.”
“Now that might be a good idea. The part about Nick, I mean.”
“You don’t think I should try to complete the book?”
“Of course you should, honey. I’m just saying that maybe it would be good for you to start seeing Nick again.”
She held the coffee pot up for Shannon.
“No thanks. I’ve had enough for one morning.”
They both missed the kids terribly; they’d gotten into the habit of sharing their mornings drinking too much coffee while keeping each other company
“I think I’ll head to the cabin on Friday. That’s only two days away. I’ll pack enough food to stay for a week or two.”
“You think you’ll be okay by yourself?”
“Well, Nick is always around. And I’m sure he’d like the fact that he’ll be seeing me again.”
“You don’t sound too upset. I thought you loved Sean.”
“Oh, Shannon, I do. I love him so much, but apparently, he cares more about his job than he does me. It’s now been a week since we’ve seen each other, and I haven’t heard one word from him.”
The Sunny Side of the Mountain Page 16