Tempting Fate (The Blake Boys Book 9) (6 page)

“No. I’ll never forget the day we met.” He kissed her gently on the lips. “I promise we’ll have fun, but I need to know what steps to take to ensure that you stay healthy.”

“OK. I’ll be honest with you about my health as long as you don’t baby me.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.” Channing gave her a big bear hug.

She pulled back and pouted. “That felt like a babying hug.”

“No. I was totally trying to feel you up.” He kissed her on the nose. “Thank you for trusting me.”

* * *

Cassidy’s heart was thudding in her chest when she kissed Channing good-bye and locked her door. It took all the courage she could muster, but she did it. She’d told him about the cancer. The admission had relief and fear battling for control of her body. She wanted him to know, yet she hated that he knew. It wasn’t fair not to tell him. When she looked in his eyes for a moment she could see…the future. For the first time in a long while, she wanted to go out on romantic dates with a handsome man that made her pulse quicken when he entered the room. She wanted to be what she saw when she looked into his eyes.

CHAPTER FIVE

Channing went straight to the bookstore when his plane landed and bought as many books as he could find. His mind was reeling. The idea of Cassidy shouldering her illness alone made him angry. For hours he read and absorbed it all, determined to be there for her as she continued her recovery. When he got home, he went straight to the guesthouse without stopping at his parents’ to let them know he’d returned. He planted himself on the couch and didn’t come up for air until he heard a knock on the door.

“Come in,” he said.

“C.J., I saw your light on—I hope I’m not intruding. You missed dinner so I thought I’d bring you a plate.” Teri-Lyn put the serving tray on the table. “How was the trip to DC?”

“I had a great time.” He ran a hand over his face.

Teri-Lyn picked up the book on the top of the stack at the edge of the table. Her eyes widened. “Surviving Cancer? What’s this?”

“I just found out my friend was treated for it. She went through the diagnosis and treatment alone.” He put the book down and closed his eyes.

When his mother wrapped her comforting arms around him, he felt safe, like a little kid again. He needed that hug. He needed her strength and wisdom to help him figure out a way to help Cassidy. Every instinct in him said to go back to DC, but he’d foolishly agreed not to baby her. But damn it, he wasn’t coddling, he was concerned about her.

“Is it your friend Cassidy?” she asked.

He nodded.

“I saw her picture on your cell phone. She’s very pretty.”

“And smart. She may be smarter than me.” He grinned.

“My sons do have healthy egos.” She laughed. “She’s the reason you went back to DC?”

There was no harm in telling his mother how he felt. “I care for her. No, that’s not true. It’s more than that.”

“But?”

“Emma showed up at that engagement party I attended last month and Cassidy got the wrong impression.”

“Did she?” Teri-Lyn frowned.

“That night at the hospital was the first time I’d seen Emma in months. She wanted to start up again, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to do that. She came to DC on her own volition to surprise me.”

“Well, you can see why Cassidy would be skeptical if you have women hopping states to hunt you down. There’s mixed signals everywhere.”

“Now Emma’s convinced we should be together, but it’s only because I stopped chasing her.”

“I don’t know what it is about you boys that allows you to get sucked in by that Winterbourne charm. If only you’d start thinking with the right head.”

“Mama!” Heat rose to his cheeks, and he knew he was blushing.

“Now, you need to eat something if you’re going to be up all night reading.” Teri-Lyn removed the cover from the plate. “I made chicken pot pie. I’m going to pop it in the oven for a few minutes.”

“Thanks, Mama.” He kissed her on top of her head.

“Anything for my baby.” She picked up one of the books. “Do you mind if I borrow this one?”

“Sure.”

“I’ll get some silverware. I’m not leaving until I watch you eat every bite.”

* * *

Channing happily volunteered to take Morgan’s visiting niece Avery on a campus tour of a prospective college. The whole family hoped that if she didn’t attend school in Pennsylvania, she would find one that suited her in Texas. The ranch was certainly livelier with a teenager around. He’d always wanted a little sister, and he found Avery’s teenage chatter refreshing. After a big breakfast with Teri-Lyn and John Jacob, the pair hopped in his car and headed for Texas University.

“Uncle Channing, what made you want to become a lawyer?”

“Well, I always had a curiosity about the rules that govern us all. When I was younger I liked to break a lot of them.”

“Come on, you can tell me. Aunt Morgan showed me the articles you wrote on constitutional law. You take quite a passionate stance on the public’s right to have a fair trial.” She beamed.

“Are you seventeen or thirty seven?” he quipped.

“Aunt Morgan says there’s nothing wrong with being aware of the world around you.”

“Well, she’s right. That’s one of the reasons I love talking to her; she has an extensive knowledge of many things. I guess that’s what happens when you live in a world made of books.”

“I hope to be that well-rounded someday.”

“I think you already are. So what other fields are you interested in?”

“I’m also thinking of being an engineer, a publicist, or a doctor.”

“Wow. You have lofty ambitions. I thought about being a doctor for about five minutes. I have to say it would be nice to have a doctor in the family.”

She winced. “It takes a lot of schooling and dedication.”

“Everything worthwhile requires effort and patience. If you want to talk to a woman attorney, I have a friend whose brain you can pick.” He smiled.

“Is she your girlfriend?”

That was an excellent question. “We’re very good friends.”

She gave him one of those teenage looks he couldn’t decipher. One thing was for sure: she was a bright girl with a hell of a future in front of her.

“Do you mind if I channel hop?”

“Go right ahead.” Channing listened for the next fifteen minutes as Avery scanned for a channel she liked and finally settled on a pop station. A young pop singer was crooning about a breakup with a boyfriend via text. The music was catchy, but the lyrics were kind of laughable, as if breaking up with someone via text would be as easy as the song alluded. But that didn’t stop Avery from rockin’ out. She became animated and started singing along as if she felt the lyrics from the heart. He couldn’t imagine some idiot boy breaking her heart, but he could see a line of Blakes forming to do him bodily harm if he did. When the song finally ended she looked over at him, embarrassed, and turned down the volume.

“Sorry, I get carried away.” She gave him a shy smile.

“No, by all means, I bought the car for the karaoke feel it had.”

“The stations down here play a lot of country music, eh?”

“My channels are pre-programmed. But country is my favorite type of music, and they’ll play one of Uncle Tate’s songs every now and again.”

“Uncle Tate is a great singer. He gives an awesome concert. I downloaded all of his songs. I especially like the one he wrote for cousin Isabelle.”

He grinned. “That was a really nice song.”

“Uncle Channing, have you ever been in love?” She looked at him.

Channing’s eyes darted from the road to her. “Why do you ask?”

“You’re very handsome, but you don’t have a steady girlfriend. Aunt Morgan says you have to beat the girls off with a stick.”

He laughed at that one. “Despite how easy it sounds in those songs, the road to love is a bit more complicated for us older folks.”

“Huh,” she said.

“Have you ever been in love?” Now was a good time to do some snooping for her father.

“Nah. There was this boy I liked, but Daddy drove by his house a few times in his undercover car. I think it scared him off.”

Channing drove through the gates of the school and stopped at the security shack for directions to visitor parking. “Good morning. My name is Channing Blake. We’re here for a campus tour.”

“You can just park right over there sir.” The guard point to the right. “Someone from the Dean’s office will be here to get you in a few moments.”

“Thanks.” Channing waved and parked his car.

He and Avery were barely out of the car when a tall, muscular young man approached them wearing a pair of khakis and a polo shirt that said VIP Tour Guide. He seemed harmless enough until he got closer, and his smile got wider as he gave Avery a long once over.

“Mr. Blake.” The young man attempted to give Channing a firm handshake—too firm. “My name is Xander. Dean Drake sent me over to personally escort you to his office.”

“Thanks, Xander.” Channing’s jaw ticked. He shook the boy’s hand like he was cracking a walnut. The kid flinched but obviously didn’t want to yelp in front of Avery.

“And you must be Avery. It’s so nice of you to consider Texas University as one of your potential schools. I heard you have a 4.0 average and big interest in English literature. You’d be a perfect fit with the brainy crowd on campus.” Xander’s eyes sparkled as he caressed Avery’s hand.

“Thanks. It’s nice to meet you.” Avery blushed.

“Xander.” Channing reached out and pulled their hands apart. “Isn’t the dean waiting for us?”

Avery shot him a look. Channing ignored it. He knew that horny smile Xander was sporting. He was young once, after all.

Xander got into the golf cart and patted the seat next to him for Avery, but Channing gave the young man look that would have sent chills down the devil’s spine and herded her to the backseat with him. They hadn’t been on campus ten minutes, and someone was already giving her leering looks. Having a young lady in the family was new for him, but he’d make the time to fend off some college gigolo who thought flexing a few muscles was going to score him some points.

Xander pointed out some of the buildings as they rode and gave them some information on the history of the school. Avery was all too happy to engage and fired a ton of questions at him. Like Channing had figured, Xander was a running back on the football team, and his major was physical education. Avery was impressed, but Channing felt like he was going to throw up from the kid’s blatant attempts to sound cool. Finally they parked in front of the dean’s office building and went inside.

“Mr. Blake, what a pleasure to meet with you and your niece Avery today,” Dean Drake said.

“Thank you for taking the time. I had no idea you’d be giving us special treatment,” Channing drawled and shot a look at Xander, who was staring at Avery.

“When I heard a Blake was visiting the campus, I had to make sure we rolled out the red carpet. We almost recruited your brother Seth way back when.”

“You’re Seth Blake’s brother?” Xander blurted out.

“Yes, I am.” You horny idiot. “Avery is our niece and the apple of our eye.”

Dean Drake cleared his throat. “Let’s get started, shall we?”

The four of them walked the campus. Xander walked ahead a bit with Avery. Channing tried to keep his ear on their conversation while he listened to the dean drone on about his wonderful school. He’d done some research, and they had an excellent graduation ratio and a great variety of classes, but what he wanted to know was how Avery would benefit from all of it.

They stopped to have lunch in the dining hall. Xander was the perfect gentleman until he suggested he and Avery eat at a separate table.

“I’d like to hear your thoughts on campus life, Xander,” Channing murmured. He knew the boy had to be on his best behavior for the dean.

Xander gave him a tight smile. “Sure.”

Avery nibbled on her burger and listened attentively to Xander. He remembered being Xander’s age and trying to ditch the adults to be with a girl. He hoped karma wouldn’t bite him on the ass for all the things he’d done as a kid when it was his turn to be the adult.

Dean Drake droned on about the school. Xander and Avery cleared the trays, so he couldn’t hear what they were saying as they emptied them into the trash cans.

“So, Mr. Blake, Avery will have a plenty of time to chart her course and declare a major. We have attentive counselors who can help her navigate. I peeked at her transcripts, and they are excellent. Let’s go back to my office so I can finish the hard sell.” Dean Drake herded them back to the golf cart.

They got back to the dean’s office to wrap up the visit. Even though his job was over, Xander lingered in the hallway.

“If there’s anything you need, just call my secretary,” the dean said. “I can fast track things if Avery decides she wants to attend the school.”

Channing shook his hand. “Thank you. Avery is a bright young lady with many choices, but I appreciate the personal touch with the tour.”

Xander drove them back to the car.

“It was nice to meet you, sir.” Xander extended his hand. “You have a very nice car.”

“Nice to meet you too.” Channing noticed he didn’t try that macho handshake again.

“Avery, I really hope you’ll want to attend. Maybe you can check out one of my games if you come back to Texas soon.” Xander caressed her hand before he handed her the tour gift bag.

She blushed. “Thanks. I’d like to see you play sometime.”

Channing hustled her off before Xander could think of a reason she’d need his number. They got on the road, and Avery chatted about the tour while texting her parents about the school. When she was done, she put her phone in her purse.

“That was a cool campus. It looked like a mini city.” She reached into the bag and flipped through the brochure.

He made a note to look through it when they got home in case Mr. Football had jotted down his number on one of the pamphlets.

“You’ll see a lot of nice schools; just concentrate on choosing an institution that fits all your needs.” He smiled.

“There’s another school I’d like to visit tomorrow. Think you could take me?”

“It would be my pleasure.”

“Really? Thank you!” She grabbed his neck and gave him a tight squeeze.

* * *

They stopped for lunch and talked about her other school prospects. She was also interested in schools in California and Michigan and was looking forward to visiting them. Channing found her optimism about the future infectious it got him to thinking about the next phase of his life. He’d accomplished his scholastic goals and was working for Blake Enterprises—what was on the horizon?

His brothers made a good case for domestic life as they were busy loving great women and starting families, but he thanked his nephews for keeping him from prematurely pressing some fatherhood button before it’s time.

Right now he wanted to focus on what was good in his life. He loved being with Cassidy. After those years of liking her from afar, he was delighted to find they had a real connection. They had similar tastes and liked to laugh. She preferred staying at home, instead of going out into the DC nightlife. She’d opened up more about the cancer and the side effects. She didn’t want him to take her low libido as a sign she wasn’t attracted to him; there were still a lot of things she was working through. There was no rush; he wasn’t going anywhere. When they eventually made love, he was sure it would only deepen their bond.