How Cassie Got Her Grind Back (7 page)

“Now who’s sweet-talking?” he asked, his cheeks, the color of lightly creamed coffee, taking on a ruddy hue.

“Are you in town visiting? You never came to any of the other reunions. I thought I heard you’d gotten married to Dorene Lester a few years ago.”

Andrew pursed his lips and nodded. “And I’m also recently divorced.”

She patted his arm. “Me, too.”

Andrew chuckled. “Ain’t we a pair? Her whole family was nuts. Between that interfering bunch and the problems we were having, it finally came to an end.”

“No kids?”

Andrew shook his head, and the regret showed in his gorgeous eyes. “She insisted she didn’t want any, and I went along with it. And you?”

Cassie nodded. “A boy and a girl. They’re in college now. They’re great kids.”

“Ah, then they must take after you.”

Cassie laughed and nodded when he invited her to come with him to get a drink from the bar. The next several minutes were spent getting caught up on jobs and moves. During a pause in the conversation, Andrew said, “You know, I always wondered if you went on to performing arts college like you dreamed of doing.”

Thinking of Samson and his pointed questions, Cassie shook her head. “I had to put college on the back burner when…everything happened. After graduation, with my mom…away…my dad needed me at home and in the family business. I still dreamed of going for it but I got married to Bill. And then Joseph and Tamara came along. Family life took priority.”

Andrew nodded in commiseration. “I always pictured you ending up with Samson Cutter.”

“Lots of things didn’t work out the way I envisioned them.” She looked past Andrew’s shoulder when there was a flurry of activity at the entrance. Andrew’s ex-wife, who also had a fair amount of history with several of the men already in the room, had just entered on the arm of a much younger man.

Cassie glimpsed the pain in Andrew’s eyes before he shuttered the look with a blink. Andrew had adored Dorene all through high school. It was obvious their recent divorce still hurt, and Cassie acted without hesitation. She scooted under his arm and tugged his hand around her shoulder.

Andrew looked down at her in surprise. “Girl, what are you doing?”

“What does it look like I’m doing, doofus? I’m your wingman…wingwoman. I’m your friend, damn it.”

Andrew laughed with her and gave her a squeeze and a kiss on the top of her head. “You’ve always been a good friend, Cassie. I’m glad that hasn’t changed. Tell you what. If Bill shows up I’ll run interference for you, too. How’s that, wingperson?”

“That’d be great. If I’m lucky, he won’t show up at all.”

They joined Hank, Travis, Chance, and Clayton, and their wives, with several other friends at a table, and the chitchat proceeded along normal lines, like at every reunion. In the split buffet line, they were unfortunate enough to be across the serving dishes from Dorene and her date. Dorene glared at Andrew and then gave Cassie a brittle smile across the serving dishes, evidently buying that they were a couple. Cassie began a mental countdown, knowing Dorene wouldn’t let this opportunity slide.

In three…two…one—

“Okay, so…Cassie, did your mom ever get over her drug addiction after your dad divorced her? I heard she owed some very scary people a lot of money.”

“Huh?” Dorene’s date asked as he piled his plate with brisket. The serving line grew quiet. Cassie knew what was coming next, and her heart rate soared.

Dorene tittered and said, “Oh, it was a huge scandal, baby.” She went on to rehash, within Cassie’s hearing, the erroneous and out-of-date tale that had circulated about her mother having a drug addiction of some kind and she’d embezzled money, which had led to the scandal that had rocked Divine.

One of the other women in the line tried to shush Dorene, but she ignored her and continued.

“The local volunteer fire department had lost all their buildings, several vehicles, and equipment in a tornado. This was years ago, and the insurance didn’t cover anything but the original wooden structure. The whole town banded together for a fundraiser and raised all the money needed to replace everything plus some extra. Then
her
mother, who was the VFD treasurer, embezzled it, and they discovered the chief of the fire department, who was also daddy to Cassie’s boyfriend, Samson, and his twin brother Ivan, was
covering
for her. They were both
incarcerated,
and the town was
devastated
. We had to raise the money all over again, and people’s homes and possessions were at risk until they were able to rebuild.”

“Like you had anything to do with helping, Dorene?” Clayton Carlisle said. “You were too busy spreading rumors and sleeping around to be involved in anything so altruistic.”

“I most certainly did! I volunteered to work the dunking booth at the fire department carnival that year.”

Andrew cleared his throat and said, “Whoa, Dorene. You sweet-talked
me
into going into the dunking booth for you that night because you’d teased your hair into those big poofy bangs and didn’t want to mess up your Aqua-net. I don’t think that counts as helping your community in their time of need. And who are you to talk about people’s families when everyone knows the Lester family has more than its share of nut jobs and fruit cakes.”

“
Wait
,” Veronica said in a shocked tone. “Lester? You’re a
Lester
? Are you related to Tabitha Lester? She worked at Clay Cooks Jewelers and as a church secretary here.”

Lydia’s eyes popped wide, and she giggled and said, “
Ooooh
! There are more of them? Hank, is it true?”

Blinking innocently, Hank nodded as he shot an amused look Dorene’s way. Cassie giggled, despite the hurt Dorene’s words had caused. Maybe Dorene should’ve kept her fool trap shut.

“Yep. As it turns out, Nika, they’re first cousins.”

“I wonder whatever became of that hose beast,” Lydia said before snorting with laughter.

Travis said, “Last I heard from Val, she was still hooked up with…what were their names?” he asked, squinting as if he was thinking hard.

Trying to quell her enthusiasm, Veronica said, “Stubby Joe, Black Mike, and…and…”

“Big Dick!” Lydia provided, and laughter erupted in their vicinity around the buffet line.

Andrew arched an eyebrow and schooled his expression. “What would they name a baby? Stubby Black Dick Junior? That’s
so
wrong.” Andrew had a twisted, wicked sense of humor, and Cassie laughed so hard with everyone else she nearly peed herself.

“At least my mom wasn’t a drug addict!” Dorene sniped.

“Nope, but she was the biggest gossip in town,” Cassie replied. “She never could get her facts straight, a trait you seemed to have inherited. My mom has a gambling addiction, Dorene, which she overcame decades ago, not a drug addiction. And people who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones, Miss ‘I Got Busted for Smoking Weed on Divine Creek When I Was a Minor.’”

Dorene scowled at their group and at Andrew and muttered, “Whatever,” and tugged her date from the serving line while he was still helping himself.

“Wait, baby, I wanted some more ’tater salad!”

“Come on!”

Clayton smiled at Cassie and patted her shoulder. “Ignore her. Your friends stand behind you.”

“Damn straight,” Hank added. “She certainly has no room to talk.”

They were being nice, but Cassie could already see Dorene’s cadre of old mean-girl friends congregating and murmuring around her in the corner. All her earlier levity drained away as if the plug had been pulled on it.

Cassie shrugged and welcomed the feeling of numbness, her only defense against such ugliness, learned from having a father who had always spoken his mind, regardless of those he hurt. Bill hadn’t been much better.

There had been times where she wished she’d ignored her dad’s expectation that she marry Bill Resendez, an up-and-coming businessman and former high school football star. But if she’d kept her promise to Samson and Ivan, that would mean she would’ve never had Joseph and Tamara, and she could never regret their existence. They were her shining lights.

Andrew nudged her gently with his elbow. “Come on, Cassie. We’ll just steer clear of her and enjoy our meal.”

The others distracted her with lively banter, and she tried to enjoy the evening. She wasn’t going to let that mean-spirited wench run her off. It was her town and her class reunion, too.

She did her best to ignore the music when Lady Antebellum’s “Dancin’ Away with My Heart” began to play. Veronica enticed Hank with a beckoning finger as the lights dimmed on the dance floor, and everybody chuckled when Hank spun Veronica into his arms.

Andrew tapped Cassie’s shoulder. “It sure is nice to see Mr. Responsibility found a good woman. Want to dance? Hardly anyone dances at these things, and I think this is the year we break the trend.”

“We talked to the DJ,” Travis said. “And made sure he knew we wanted to hear plenty of slow-dancing and two-stepping music mixed in with all the other pop music from the eighties they always play.”

“Thank you, Travis,” Cassie said as she rose, and Andrew took her hand and led her to the dance floor. She would have fun. She wouldn’t think about the last time she’d danced with Samson to that song, a few weeks before at Bunny and Joseph’s wedding.

Samson had called and left a couple of messages, confused as to why she’d walked away and trying to make amends, but she hadn’t called him back. First her father and grandfather, and then her husband, had always talked her around to their way of thinking because it was convenient for them. She was done with manipulative men telling her anything.

She tugged on her dress and bit her lip, wondering if Samson would approve of the more reserved attire she’d chosen for tonight—and then wanted to kick herself. Old habits died hard.

Hank cut in with the next dance. “You having a good time?” She nodded, and he said, “You should tell your pretty face then. Don’t let Dorene’s pettiness bother you. She’s jealous.”

“
Jealous
? What could I possibly have that she’d be jealous of?” The thirty extra pounds that had crept on a bit at a time over the decades sure wasn’t it.

Hank looked at her and exhaled slowly, and she had the distinct impression she was testing his patience for some reason. And he didn’t answer her question but asked another. “Why haven’t you talked to Samson?”

Because I’ve been depressed, and it wouldn’t matter what he said. I’m blaming my hormones. And he hurt my feelings, and I have a right to be pissed.
In the end, she kept it simple. “I don’t wanna.”

“You should. He cares about you. They both do—”

“Not helping, Stinson,” a growly voice said from behind her. “May I cut in?”

Hank looked pleased with himself as he grinned and nodded, just in time for the song to change. Couples left the floor, and she felt more exposed as she looked up at Samson as Luke Bryan’s “Strip It Down” began playing. He looked so sexy in his jeans, cowboy boots, and white button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and she imagined herself doing as the lyrics dictated, under his direction.

“Don’t talk. Just listen, okay?” Samson said as he took her right hand in his left and gently but firmly pulled her toward him. He was so solid, and he smelled so good. And then she realized he’d given her an edict. She opened her mouth to speak, and he stopped her.

With his lips.

She squeaked. Actually freaking squeaked. He kept the kiss chaste and short. She heard a giggle-snort and glanced to the right in time to see Grace and Jack sail past them on the dance floor. Cassie licked her lips and tasted a hint of mint with a tinge of whiskey. Had he fortified himself out in the parking lot before coming in? If she’d thought to bring a bottle, she sure would’ve.

“I’m sorry, Cassandra. Very sorry. I’ve had time to think about the wedding reception, what I said to you, and what I remember about the way you were raised. I apologize for speaking critically of your dress. I wasn’t criticizing you, honey. And I didn’t dislike the dress or how you looked in it. I disliked the way I felt as I noticed how many men were staring at you that night. Not noticing or observing you.
Staring
at you. One was even ogling. I know I didn’t have the right to be territorial. I still don’t. I understood when you didn’t return my calls that you had your reasons. But I’m here right now, telling you I’m sorry.”

His eyes were shadowed pools of blue, and she saw his sincerity in the slight furrowing of his brow as if he wasn’t sure she would forgive him the slight.

“You’re forgiven. And I apologize for the silent treatment. But just so you know, I had to talk myself into that dress for the wedding reception. I was already sensitive about it. And once I found out you were there, I was even more self-conscious. It wasn’t an easy thing to wear something so…”

“Seductive? Jessica Rabbit didn’t have nothin’ on you in that dress.”

Cassie laughed at his reference and said, “Jessica Rabbit? You’re exposing your age.”

He maneuvered her in a perfectly executed circle, and she recalled what a good dancer he’d always been. “I can’t help it. I’m getting old, and I’ll use whatever tools are available.”