Playing the Game

by Liliana Rhodes

  Chapter Fifteen

  Cassie

  Ryan was in my office, finishing the last of his shoulder stretches, when I noticed it was almost three o’clock.

  “How’s that feel?” I asked. “I think you’ve been showing a lot of improvement. You should be able to take that fight next month.”

  “I sure hope. I have friends in Phoenix. It would be awesome to have them there supporting me. You’re going to be there too, right?”

  “Yes, I will.”

  “Good, I know I was a dick when you first started a few months ago, but you’re really my good luck charm. I don’t think Mack would’ve kept me if it wasn’t for you.”

  “You’re a good fighter, Ryan,” I said as I looked at my watch. “I don’t mean to kick you out, but--“

  “Nah, it’s fine. I’ve been here too long already. I need to hit the shower.”

  As Ryan left my office, Gabriel appeared in the doorway. Gabriel kept an eye on him until he was out of view, then smiled as he walked in.

  “I know you say he’s a good kid, but I still don’t trust him being alone with you,” he said.

  “I think you’re jealous,” I teased.

  “Well, I haven’t had a lot of time alone with you lately,” he said as he pulled me close. “Seems like all I get are these few minutes again.”

  “I’m sorry, but Wendy’s really excited about her trip and has a list of things she wants to get.”

  “I know she is. And she already told me it’s not cool to go shopping with me. I think she likes you better than me anyway.”

  I laughed. “You know that’s not true. Wendy is a huge daddy’s girl.”

  “I know. I guess I’m just worried about losing her. I don’t trust Dakota. And Wendy is putting so much into this trip. I’m worried she’s going to be really disappointed.”

  “It’s only a long weekend. I’m sure everything will be okay.”

  “I have to go pick her up at school now,” he said. “You sure you don’t want to come? I promise I won’t tell your boss you left early.”

  “No, go. Spend some time with Wendy. I need to clean up here and take care of a few things anyway.”

  “I love you,” he said as he bent down to kiss my lips.

  “I love you too.”

  “Gah, it’s enough to make me sick,” Mack said as he entered my office.

  “I love you too, Mack,” Gabriel said, patting Mack on the back as he left.

  Mack grumbled at Gabriel as he made himself comfortable in one of the chairs. Once Gabriel was gone, Mack raised an eyebrow at me and cocked his head towards the door.

  “Shut the door,” he said.

  I closed the door and sat down across from Mack.

  “Something wrong?” I asked.

  “Did you hear what the suit did?”

  My mind spun as I tried to figure out what he was talking about but came up blank.

  “What are you talking about? The February fight?”

  “Nah, not that. I mean I’m glad you’ll be there, but that’s not what I’m talking about. Have you spoken to Becca?”

  “Last week sometime. Why? Did Gabriel do something to her?”

  “Not just to her. I’ll let her tell you what loverboy did. It’s bullshit if you ask me. He’s playing with people’s feelings and messing with their minds.”

  Mack grunted as he stood and grumbled all the way out of my office. I had no idea what he was talking about, and I wondered why Becca hadn’t called me if something as bad as Mack made it seem had happened.

  I called Becca’s work number, knowing she usually answered the phones. The phone rang more than she usually let it and when it was answered, it was an unfamiliar voice on the other end.

  “Housing.”

  “Hi, I’m calling for Rebecca Draven,” I said.

  “No, sorry, she doesn’t work here anymore.”

  My stomach sank as I hung up the phone. If Gabriel did something to make her lose her job, she could be mad at me. It was the only reason I could think of for why Becca wouldn’t have told me.

  For a moment I thought about calling Gabriel and yelling at him, but I couldn’t believe he would do something that would make Becca lose her job. What did he have to do with her job anyway? I pulled my cell phone out of my purse and tapped on Becca’s name.

  “Hello?” Becca said.

  The background was noisy like if she was at a party. I wondered if she took another restaurant job to make ends meet. I was still paying my old rent to help Becca out these past few months that I had been living at Gabriel’s penthouse, but maybe it wasn’t enough anymore.

  I felt bad that I left her in that crummy apartment and somehow cost her her job. I tried to think of what to say, but anything I thought of made me feel worse. Move in with me. Maybe I can get you a job here. I can lend you some money. She’d never let me help her like that anyway. She hated that I was still sending her rent.

  “Hello? Cassie?”

  “I’m so sorry, Becca,” I finally blurted out.

  “Wait a second, it’s too noisy here,” she said. I heard a door close and then Becca’s voice returned. “Okay, that’s better. I feel like such a bad friend, but things happened so fast I haven’t had much time to myself.”

  “I’m sorry,” I said, unable to say anything else.

  “Hey, I’m getting out of here in a few minutes. Meet me at Mirabella’s.”

  “Mirabella’s? What time? Are you taking the bus?”

  “No, I’ll walk. It’s just a couple blocks from here.”

  “A couple of blocks? Where are you?”

  “City Hall. Can you skip out early? Meet me in fifteen.”

  “Okay, I’ll be there,” I said.

  * * *

  It was late afternoon, too early for the dinner crowd, and Mirabella’s Café was dead. I was glad I opted for pants this morning instead of a skirt. I would have frozen my butt off with the cold wind that whipped past me on my walk.

  Becca was already there, sitting at a four top table in a corner. She was dressed in a dark tan pantsuit I had never seen before and her light brown hair was down instead of in the ponytail she usually wore at the restaurant. She smiled widely as I sat down and looked giddy. I was totally confused.

  “I’m so happy to see you,” she said. “You know when you first started telling me about Gabriel, I really thought he was just some spoiled ass with a lot of money. But I was wrong.”

  “You never told me you thought that.”

  “I know I didn’t. I’ll be honest, I kept waiting for him to make a mistake, especially after that Monica neighbor of yours showed up right after you moved in. But he didn’t and now because of you, things are going to be amazing. I owe you so much, Cassie.”

  “What are you talking about? I thought you lost your job.”

  “Lost my job? No, why would you think that?”

  “I was talking to Mack and he seemed pretty upset. I called you at work and the woman who answered said you weren’t there anymore.”

  “I’m not, they moved me to the main office in City Hall. And about my uncle, never listen to him. You know how dramatic he is.”

  “So wait, stop. I’m confused. What’s going on?” I asked.

  “Gabriel didn’t tell you?”

  “Tell me what?”

  “Wow, I thought he’d tell you something like this,” she said. “Anyway, he gave the city a multimillion dollar grant to begin improvements on the South End of Canyon Cove. One of the stipulations of the grant was that the person leading it has to be a lifelong resident and have the required education in planning. People at work are saying I must be banging him because I was the only person who fit the bill perfectly.”

  She laughed as she dug into her messenger bag and pulled out a stapled booklet. Flipping through some pages, she finally stopped and turned it around to show me. It was an architectural sketch of the shops I used to pass on the bus ride, but in the sketch, they had been restored. On the corner of th
e sketch were the words ‘Drawing by Gideon Kohl’.

  “This outlines the entire plan. The idea is to restore the stores and the gym and to provide grants to the homeowners to make improvements on their homes. We want to get new businesses in the South End and breathe new life into the area. You have no idea how excited I am.”

  Time flew as Becca and I talked and caught up on the past week. I couldn’t believe Gabriel hadn’t told me anything about the grant to fix up the South End, but I was proud of him for doing it. As we left Mirabella’s, Becca pointed to a new boutique a few doors down.

  “Have you been in there yet? I think they just opened,” she said.

  “No, let’s go in.”

  The store had an old-fashioned look to it with pale pink fabric wallpaper and bronze accents. A woman with grey hair pulled into a large bun smiled as we entered.

  “Let me know if there’s anything I can help you with,” she said.

  The store had a little bit of everything: clothes, books, home accessories, and a small jewelry area. We walked around looking at everything until I stopped at the jewelry case, where a silver necklace with a tiny seashell caught my eye.

  “Oh, I have to get this for Wendy. She loves the beach. It’s her and Gabriel’s special daddy-daughter thing. I know she’d love this,” I said.

  “Things still good between you and the kid?” Becca asked.

  “Yeah, she’s great. We talk all the time and I’ve been going out with her to get ready for her visit to her mom. The three of us have dinner together every night and then after he puts Wendy to bed, he still comes over to spend some time with me at the apartment. He always leaves by midnight. I think it’s so sweet he wants to make sure he’s there in case she has a bad dream. Everything is just perfect. It really is.”

  “I’m glad, you deserve it and you seem happy.”

  “What about you? Are you dating anyone?”

  “Me?” she said with a laugh. “You know me, I don’t want anything serious. I don’t have the time anyway.”

  As I paid for the necklace, I got a text from Gabriel.

  Gabriel: Wendy and I went to the bookstore. Ready to leave work? We can get an early dinner.

  Me: I’m with Becca. We had dessert at Mirabella’s.

  Gabriel: Guess my secret is out. I’ll be by in a few to pick you up. We can take Becca back to City Hall for her truck.

  After dropping Becca off, I turned to Gabriel and tilted my head to the side. He gave me a big shit-eating grin but didn’t say anything.

  “Did I miss something?” Wendy asked.

  “We both did,” I said. “Your father gave a grant to restore the South End and put Miss Becca in charge of it.”

  “Oh, that? I knew about that. Uncle Gideon told me.”

  “So I’m the only one who didn’t know?”

  Wendy shrugged. “I guess so.”

  “I’m always the last to know.”

  “I wanted it to be a surprise,” Gabriel said. “Xander and I are planning a benefit at the Boone Art Gallery for it. I was going to tell you about it then.”

  “So Ashley knows too?”

  Gabriel laughed. “Probably,” he said, taking my hand.

  “I am really out of the loop,” I said, laughing. “I think it’s really great. That area needs all the help it can get.”

  “It’s been left to rot for too long. Going back there after all the time I had been away, I realized I couldn’t just let it continue. I had to figure out how to make the South End better.”

  “It’ll be great, it really will be. I’m sure of it,” I said.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Gabriel

  Stan drove the car through the main terminal and out towards the private jets. I didn't own my own jet. I considered it a waste since I didn’t travel often. My plan had been to rent a jet to fly to Phoenix, but I was persuaded into doing something else.

  The car stopped and I helped Cassie and Wendy out while Stan grabbed our bags. Just outside the hangar was a sleek white jet with ‘Boone’ painted in navy blue across the tail. Cassie’s brow wrinkled as I took her and Wendy’s hands and began walking towards the plane.

  “Boone?” she asked. “I know you’ve been doing some work with him, but I thought you were renting a plane.”

  “I was going to, but he had a better idea,” I said.

  “Better idea? What do you mean?”

  “You’ll see.”

  I let Cassie climb the steps onto the plane ahead of Wendy and me. As she entered the plane, she stopped in the doorway and turned to me, smiling.

  “Ashley!” she said as she ran further into the plane. “What are you doing here? I thought you left for Hawaii a few days ago.”

  As she hugged Ashley, Wendy and I entered the cabin. Wendy put her backpack down on a tan leather seat then went over to say hello to Jacob, who was sitting on the floor with a toy train. Xander was sitting in a seat in the middle of the cabin. He was wearing a grey suit similar to what he wore the other times we met, a big difference from my jeans and polo shirt.

  “You really didn’t have to delay your vacation,” I said.

  “It was only a few days and it’s a long flight. I thought it would be nice to break it up with some company.”

  “Did you tell Ashley we were doing this?”

  “No, I figured it would be a nice surprise for her, too. Besides, I didn’t think she’d be able to keep it from Cassie since they talk pretty often.”

  After the plane took off, I moved over to where Wendy was seated, reading a book. Her backpack was open on the seat beside her with her bear’s head sticking out of it. I was still having a hard time with her being away, but I tried to convince myself that three days was nothing. Between the fight tomorrow night, having a couple of days with Cassie all to myself, and Wendy being with Dakota, I was torn over how slowly or quickly I wanted the days to go by.

  “How are you doing, sweetie? Are you sure you’re ready for this?” I asked.

  She put her book on her lap and turned to look at me. “I’m good,” she said. “I brought some books in case I get bored, but the last time we spoke, Mom said she had a lot of things planned for us to do.”

  Despite how many times I had told her to call Dakota Mom, it stung hearing her finally use the word without correcting herself.

  “I’m glad you’re looking forward to it. Just remember if you need me, I’m only an hour away. Call me and I’ll drop everything to come get you.”

  “I know, Daddy, but it’s going to be different this time. And it’s only three days.”

  * * *

  I had arranged for a car to take us from the airport to Casa Grande, about an hour south of Phoenix. Once we hit the highway, Cassie opened her bag and pulled out a small gift-wrapped box and handed it to Wendy.

  “I got this for you a few weeks ago,” Cassie said. “I wanted to wait to give it to you now.”

  “Really? You got me something?” Wendy said, her eyes lighting up.

  I didn’t know what the gift was. She hadn’t told me anything about it, but I was touched that she thought of giving Wendy something. And by the look on Wendy’s face, I knew that no matter what it was, she would love it.

  Wendy quickly unwrapped the box and crumpled the paper into a ball. She lifted the lid off the box and squealed like she did whenever she got really excited. I tried to see what the gift was, but Wendy dropped the box on her lap and hugged Cassie tightly before I could get a look at it.

  “Put it on me,” Wendy said, handing the box back to Cassie.

  Wendy turned so her back faced Cassie and pulled up her ponytail. Cassie took the delicate silver necklace out of the box and put it around Wendy’s neck. Wendy picked up the small seashell dangling from the necklace and showed it to me.

  “Look, Daddy! Just like what we collect when we go to the beach. Thank you, Cassie. I love it! I’m never taking it off.”

  The beach was something Wendy and I always did together since she was a baby. Dak
ota hated the beach so even when she was still around, our beach days were something I cherished.

  As the car steered through the old town, I tried to brace myself for seeing Dakota. I hoped she really was better. I wanted her to be better, but deep down I didn’t think I could trust her.

  We pulled up in front of a small, one-story, tan plastered house. The yard was covered with rocks and a couple of tired, dried shrubs tilted towards the cement driveway. A beat up old Mustang sat in front of the garage.

  “Stay here,” I said to Cassie. “I’ll only be a few minutes.”

  She nodded then turned to Wendy and kissed her cheek.

  “The necklace looks beautiful on you,” Cassie said. “I’ll miss you, but have a great time, okay?”

  “I’ll miss you too,” Wendy said before hugging Cassie.

  I grabbed Wendy’s bags out of the trunk and as we started walking towards the door, a large dog barked aggressively from inside. Wendy stopped for a minute, her eyes wide.

  “Are you okay?” I asked.

  “Yes, I just...it startled me.”

  She rubbed the strap of her backpack on her shoulder and I knew she was wishing she had her bear in her arms. Despite how mature she always acted, it was times like these that I saw my little girl again.

  “If anything happens, or even if you’re just not happy or comfortable here, you let me know and I’ll pick you up.”

  She nodded as she stared at the front door.

  “You charged your phone, right?”

  “Yes, it’s charged. I’m ready,” she said.

  She reached for me, and I picked her up and hugged her tight before kissing her cheek. As I set her back on the ground, she started nervously playing with the silver seashell around her neck.

  Yelling came from inside the house and then the dog went quiet. The front door opened and Dakota, dressed in a flowing print dress, opened the door.

  “There you are,” she said. “I was wondering when you were going to get here.”