by Noelle Adams
The man had groveled and begged to have his family back; claiming that he’d been a shell of a man without them and that he’d made a terrible mistake. When both Adam and Bev had hesitated in opening their hearts to him, he’d turned bitter and flat-out asked for money. Adam had kicked him out, making it abundantly clear that he was never to contact them again. Bev had been devastated and it was then that Adam had learned that love didn’t exist. People didn’t really want nor need love; it was all about the money. Well, he had money; lots of it. He didn’t need love.
Sure, his mother loved him and that relationship was never in doubt, but other than Bev, there was no one - Adam doubted that real love even existed. Knowing that even now Bev was claiming to be in love with Stephen Jacobs, he had his doubts. Maybe they were both lonely and looking for companionship. At least have the guts to call it what it was! Just as long as Stephen didn’t come to him for any loans or investments, Adam would be fine.
Wiping the Jacobs family from his mind, Adam strode into the ball room which was now set up to serve breakfast. Most of last night’s decorations were still set up around the room but the tables where now clear of flowers and candles and housed information packets for today’s seminars.
Spotting Grace, Adam called her over to their table next to the stage and went over any last minute details. Within minutes, employees began to file in. The smell of coffee and pastries was filling the air and although breakfast was going to be done buffet style, there were still a handful of servers walking around assisting Adam’s staff. A quick glance at his watch showed that it was eight-forty-five and he was just about to stand and get a plate of food for himself when he saw her.
Cassie.
She was smiling and talking to two of his sales staff and both men seemed to be enthralled with whatever it was that she was saying. Adam had to stop himself from going over to them and demanding that they find their seats and tell Cassie that he wasn’t paying her to talk to his people. Even in his head that sounded unreasonable and over the top.
Adam frowned. He never minded thinking himself to be forceful with his people; it was how he had achieved the level of success that he had. Somehow, acting like that in front of Cassie just seemed mean. His mother’s words from their ride home came back to him. “I can’t imagine you being so hard on anyone, especially a woman.” Apparently even his mother didn’t know the real him.
Waiting until Cassie finished her giggly, schoolgirl conversation with her two admirer’s and walked into the kitchen, Adam quickly made it across the room to grab himself something to eat before he had to begin this morning’s session. Back at the table, Grace was already eating.
“I know that Cassie doesn’t do all of the baked goods herself but she chose a fabulous assortment, don’t you think?”
Adam merely grumbled a reply and didn’t notice the smug look on his assistant’s face. “Everyone is still talking about how wonderful everything was last night.”
Adam still wasn’t taking the bait as he finished his last bite of cinnamon Danish. “I think it’s time to get started.” He drank the last of his coffee and headed up to the stage. Straightening his folder of paperwork, Adam looked out into the crowd and saw her again. Dammit. Why just the sight of her flustered him, he wasn’t sure. All he knew was that right now he wanted to skip his introduction to his staff and go and ask how Cassie she was feeling.
Not exactly the actions of a man trying to get rid of a woman.
Shaking his head as if to clear it, Adam began; “Good morning. I want to tell you all about my plans for L.S.S.’s expansion in 2014…”
Cassie listened to the man speak and smiled to herself. Here, in this environment, Adam Lawrence was a man in charge. Last night, however, while dealing with a woman in pain, he’d looked anything but confident. She still couldn’t believe that Adam had stayed the night and that he’d actually left his conference early to take care of her. That was a side of him that she wasn’t sure what to do with.
In the two years that she’d known him, this was what she was used to. These last few weeks, however, she’d seen a different side of Adam. The more she learned about him, the more attracted she became.
It would have been easy this morning to turn over in his arms and see if he was interested but the bed-head look was never her strong point. No, it would be better to pick a time when she actually didn’t have morning breath or looked as if she’d let a cat do her hair. True, Adam had never really given off any kind of vibe that he was interested but that didn’t mean anything. He was definitely a man whose focus was on one thing: business. Should she tempt that balance that they’d found by seeing if he could be interested?
Walking back into the kitchen to check on the progress of the lunch preparations, Cassie inwardly scolded herself. Why on Earth would she look for more complications where Adam was concerned? Clearly she’d seen the real him these last two years; one man did not suddenly change in a matter of weeks. Besides, it would be awkward with their parents getting married. What if she and Adam did get involved and then things didn’t work out? She’d be stuck seeing him at every holiday and family get-together and she would cringe at the thought that he’d seen her naked.
By four o’clock, Cassie and her crew were loading the last of their supplies into her van. She did a final walk through of the kitchen then headed out to the ball room where she ran into Grace.
“Another great job, Cassie,” Grace said with a smile as she walked across the room. “Everyone just loved the food and I think that between you and Adam you pulled off the perfect event!”
Smiling with pleasure, Cassie didn’t want to think of Adam having as much to do with people’s pleasure from the weekend. “I’m just glad that there were no problems. I had my doubts there a couple of weeks back.”
“Oh, don’t get me started on that. I wanted to choke Adam for the way he behaved.” Grace looked around the room to make sure that they were alone. “To be honest with you, I was really surprised when he told me that you were staying on and doing the event. I mean, he had me calling people that afternoon to try and find a replacement. How did you manage to change his mind?”
Her first reaction was to be annoyed that he had fired her all over again but then remembered that it had all worked out in her favor and that it didn’t do her any good to hold a grudge. Cassie told Grace of their soon-to-be merging families and the other woman just about doubled over with laughter.
“Oh, what I would have given to be a fly on the wall when the great Adam Lawrence found himself face-to-face with your family! Did they all gang up on him?”
“Pretty much.” The memory had her smiling. “It was a silent attack for most of the evening but then…we actually sat and talked and cleared the air. I’m actually kind of glad that we did.”
Grace frowned. “Wait, so you spoke to him and told him that you didn’t like the way he treated you and…”
“Lauren even told him that he was the one in breach of contract…”
“And he still asked you to come back and do the event? That doesn’t make sense; that’s not like Adam at all.”
“Why?”
“I have yet to see, in the six years that I’ve worked here, anyone speak their minds or disagree with Adam and continue on here; it just doesn’t happen.” She pulled an envelope from her purse and handed it to Cassie. “I’d be on guard, if I were you. This doesn’t seem right.”
“Maybe he’s just mellowing because we’re going to be family.”
Grace shook her head. “Please…he hardly ever spends time with Bev and she’s the only family he has. No, I’m telling you, Cass, something’s not right with this whole situation. Just…be careful, okay?”
Agreeing but not convinced, Cassie hugged her friend, finished her final inspection of the facility before walking out to her van and driving back to the shop. Grace’s words bothered her mainly because they kind of made sense. It did seem like Adam was being way more agreeable than she’d ever seen him but the
n again, she’d thought that had something to do with the family angle. Now, knowing what she did, she couldn’t help but see what Grace was saying.
“So how are you feeling today?” Katie asked as Cassie walked back in to the kitchen. “Any lingering effects?”
“Thankfully, no, but I have to face the facts. I’m going to call Dr. Jackson first thing Monday morning and make the appointment.”
“You’re going to have the surgery?”
“I don’t see having a choice. This has been twice in two weeks and while I don’t mind when it hits at home, having nearly passed out in the kitchen of an event was not an experience that I ever want to repeat.”
“Adam just about freaked out.”
“Well, he hates when things don’t go his way.”
“No, it was more than that,” Katie said, her voice soft with contemplation. “It was more like he was really concerned about you. It was really nice of him to bring you home and how he stayed the night to take care of you.”
“He told you about that?”
“I saw him when he was leaving this morning.”
“Oh.”
Katie started to giggle. “I have to admit, for a minute, I thought he was sneaking out after maybe the two of you…you know…did the deed!”
“What?? Me and Adam? Are you crazy?”
“Well, that’s what it looked like! If I hadn’t known that you were in such bad shape last night I would have totally believed it and that he was doing the walk of shame out of here!”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence.” She hated the sarcastic tone in her own voice but somehow thinking of anyone slinking away in the wee morning hours because they were ashamed to have had sex with her just rubbed her the wrong way.
“That’s not what I meant and you know it. Gosh, don’t be such a drama queen.” Katie turned and finished unloading the van. When everything was put away, she wiped down all of the surfaces and grabbed her coat. “I guess I should get home and relieve dad and Bev from babysitting. Besides, I miss my girl.”
Cassie envied her little sister and knew that someday she wanted a baby of her own. That was just another reason to call Dr. Jackson and schedule the surgery. Infertility was a big factor when you had Endometriosis and now that she was 26, thoughts of getting married and having children were becoming more and more important to her. Her business was thriving and by the time she did meet Mr. Right, Cassie didn’t want any obstacles to keep her from having everything that she wanted.
The thought of surgery scared her to no end. Her own mother had died of Ovarian cancer and deep down, Cassie was afraid that this surgery, even though it was an outpatient procedure, would have the doctor’s finding more than she was willing to deal with. So far, ignorance had been bliss but Cassie was no fool. The pain from the Endometriosis was getting worse and couldn’t be ignored any longer and if they did find something, then Cassie would rather catch it early.
She knew it was the responsible thing to do. She knew that she would feel better both mentally and physically when it was all over. It didn’t mean that she still wasn’t scared to death.
And there was nobody here to hold her.
Six
Lauren was busy fluffing pillows and making promises of Chinese food as Cassie slowly crossed the room Wednesday afternoon. The laparoscopic procedure had been done that morning because Dr. Jackson had had a cancelation and was anxious to get Cassie in as soon as possible before she could change her mind. As she climbed into the bed, Cassie appreciated her doctor’s efficiency; it hadn’t given her too much time to dwell on the whole thing and now that she was home and in her bed, she was relieved that it was over.
“I have to admit, that was a lot faster than I thought it would be. Dr. Jackson seems pleased that she got everything.” Pulling the window blinds closed as she spoke over her shoulder, Lauren continued, “You have to take it easy for a week. Kate’s got your weekend event covered so you can relax.”
“By Sunday I should be fine,” Cassie mumbled. Her stomach was sore from the tiny incisions and the last thing she wanted to think about right now was work.
“Doctor’s orders. Don’t make me stick around here and lock you in your room.”
“Okay, okay, geez…”
“Get some sleep; I’m just going to be in the living room studying for a test. If you need me, just call out, okay?” Cassie nodded and her eyes were closed before Lauren had even shut the door.
Getting settled on the sofa, Lauren set up several textbooks in front of her on the coffee table when she heard Cassie’s cell phone ring. Not hesitating, she walked over and answered. “Hello?”
“Hey, Cassie, it’s Grace.”
“Hey, Grace, this is Lauren, Cassie’s sister.”
“Oh, hi! Is Cassie available?”
“Actually, she is sound asleep. Can I take a message?”
“Is she okay?”
Lauren told her about the surgery, remembering that Grace was Adam’s assistant.
“Oh, my! Is there anything I can do? Does she need anything?”
“She seems okay right now. We just got home a little while ago. The doctor said that she should be back to normal within a week. She’s got some serious pain killers for the time being but by this time next week, she’ll be as good as new. Do you want me to leave her a message?”
“No, no…I was just calling to tell her how much everyone enjoyed the event this weekend. She was a hit as usual.” Lauren could actually hear Grace’s smile. “Please tell her that I’m thinking of her and that I’ll give her a call in a few days.”
“No problem.”
“Thanks, Lauren. Bye!”
As soon as she hung up the phone, Grace immediately placed a call to her florist and arranged for a large bouquet to be sent from the company. “That’s right, I want the card to say ‘Get well soon’ or ‘Wishing you a speedy recovery’, either one of those and sign it from ‘Your friends at L.S.S.” She paused and listened. “Yes, that’s perfect. I’d like them delivered today.” Another pause. “Yes, please put it on our account. Thank you!”
She hung up and nearly fell off her chair when she turned and saw Adam leaning on her desk looking thoroughly annoyed. “Who’s ill?”
“What? Oh, Cassie is. She had surgery today and I wanted to send her some flowers.”
“On the company’s account?”
Uh-oh.
“Well, um…she does work for us quite a bit and while I realize that I should have checked with you first, I didn’t think you would mind. I mean, with Cassie soon to be family and all, I thought it would be okay. Plus, you were on a call and I wanted to place the order in time for it to be delivered today. So…”
“Your babbling, Grace.”
Darn it, he was right but she knew that look on his face and knew that if she didn’t distract him and plead her case quickly that he could get nasty. Fast. “I could call back and cancel the order, if you’d prefer. Or I could just change it to put it on my own credit card…” Turning her back on him, she picked up the phone and began to dial. Adam reached across the desk and snatched the phone out of her hand and hung it up.
“That won’t be necessary,” he snapped. He took a deep breath and had to force himself to speak calmly. “It’s a very nice gesture and I thank you for doing it. Now, if I could get you to find me the Cairo contract, I need to make some adjustments.” He turned and walked back into his office.
Once at his desk he had the urge to pick up the phone and call Cassie to see if she was okay. She hadn’t mentioned the surgery but then again, when would she have had the time? He didn’t speak to her at all on Saturday and that was the last that he’d seen of her. Adam looked at his calendar and saw that his schedule was pretty full, but maybe he could find time to stop by her place tomorrow after work. He’d have to call his mother and try to find out if anyone was staying with her; he hated to have to play twenty questions with another family member like he had with Katie on Saturday morning.
&nbs
p; To say that his mother was surprised when she heard his voice on the phone was an understatement. “Adam! How are you, sweetheart? This is a wonderful surprise!” Adam rolled his eyes.
“I’m fine, mother, just fine. I was just calling to…um, see how you were? I realize we left things…well, things were a little awkward when I dropped you off that night after dinner and I wanted to make sure that you were doing okay. How’s Stephen?”
“Oh, he’s fine, thank you for asking. We’ve been having a wonderful time. We babysat for Ella last weekend while Katie was working that event that Cassie did for you. We had such a time! I had forgotten how exhausting babies can be but I loved every second of it!”
Great, pretty soon she’d be hounding him about getting married and having kids. Just what he needed. “Sounds like fun.” His words lacked any form of enthusiasm and he knew he’d hurt her feelings by the way her tone changed.
“Yes, well, anyway, how’s business?”
Adam pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes and counted to ten. Dammit, it shouldn’t be this hard to have a conversation with his own mother! “Business is fine, mom. The retreat went well and I think we’re going to have another great year ahead of us. Listen, I was wondering…Grace just mentioned that Cassie had surgery today. Is everything all right?”
Pleasant mom was back. “Lauren’s with her right now and the doctor is very pleased with how it went. They found a couple of small cysts and took care of several lesions but they believe that they got everything and Cassie will be up and around in no time. We were all relieved to hear that there was nothing cancerous.”
“Was that even a possibility/” Adam asked, concern lacing his voice.