How Cassie Got Her Grind Back (29 page)

“Mom likes you being around, with me, you know,” she said as she and Ivan swayed slowly together in the ballroom to one of her current favorites, “Tennessee Whiskey” by Chris Stapleton.

Ivan’s eyes twinkled as he gazed down at her. “How could you tell?”

“If she didn’t like you, she would’ve been giving me hints that I should go out on a romantic date
alone
with Samson. And she wouldn’t be feeding you at every turn, either.” Her mother hadn’t been in her house fifteen minutes before she’d had her head in the fridge and the pantry, wanting to cook for them, and insisting he and Samson could call her Delicia.

He patted his ribcage and said, “I need to be careful, or I could get tubby on her tortillas.”

“She seemed to enjoy talking food with you.”

He chuckled. “It’s amazing what you can do with just a few simple ingredients and the necessity of feeding a family. I picked up a few tricks from her that I may try in the future. I want to ask you about something.”

“Anything.”

“I’ve been thinking about returning to Divine permanently. I also wondered if you’ve ever considered expanding your business. I’m not ready to retire yet, and I was just weighing my options.”

“Joseph and Tamara have been talking about returning to Divine, too, after they finish school.” She was gleeful at the thought of them coming back home to settle down, but she wanted them to be sure about the choice. They could do so well in a larger city.

A broad smile spread over his handsome face, and he nodded. “I remember you mentioning that. If they wanted to follow in their mother’s footsteps, would you be open to an expansion, or perhaps a secondary location? Given the way the area is growing, Divine’s economy could handle another food establishment.”

Tingles shivered up her spine as he stroked her temple. “You’d really come back to the area?”

“For you, I would.”

“Wow.” She felt like a ninny when her chin started trembling, and he chuckled as he tightened his arms around her.

“You’re worth it. I’d need some time to prepare for it, and then there’s Hermione to deal with.”

Cassie sniffled and smiled. “Good luck with that.”

His cheeks appeared a little flushed as he looked out across the ballroom and then back at her. “It’d be worth it to have this chance with you.”

She caught a glimpse of Samson, chatting nearby with friends, as Ivan spun her around, and she completed the turn and cuddled as close as she could to Ivan, close enough to feel the hard evidence of his devotion, and shimmied against him teasingly. “I wonder where you’ll live.”

“I don’t care, as long as I can see you on a daily basis.”

“A daily basis? I hope you’re not thinking of shacking up with me.”

“Are you kidding? Your uncles and your father would hire a hit man. Nope. Let’s say I’m a guy who’s got patience, focus, and goals involving a certain brunette.”

“Is she prettier than me?” she asked and then giggled. “Don’t make me get out my ass-kicking boots.”

“She’s my whole world these days, baby. But I’d love to see you in those boots. Want another drink?”

“I’d love one.”

He escorted her to the bar, where Samson and several of their friends were standing, and then she spotted Jessica Bright, down at one end, all on her own. She recognized Jessica’s ill-at-ease, tight posture and knew her friend was moments away from walking out.

“Honey, would you mind if I went over and talked with my friend for a few minutes?” she said, tilting her head in her shy friend’s direction rather than pointing.

“Of course not. Take your time,” he said, parting from her with a sweet kiss.

“Hey, Jess,” she murmured as she slid into the spot beside Jessica and nudged her, smiling at the relief that shone in her friend’s eyes when she turned to her. “How’s baby Bella? Is she here tonight?”

Some of the tension in Jessica’s shoulders seemed to diminish as she said, “She’s at the sitter’s tonight. She’s toddling around the house and jibber-jabbering more and more every day. I swear sometimes I pick her up from daycare and I can tell she grew.”

“Oh, I know the feeling! Both of mine grew so fast it made my head spin.”

The bartender stepped down to their spot and placed a wine spritzer in front of Cassie and murmured, “From the gentlemen over there, ma’am.” He pointed in Samson and Ivan’s direction before moving away to make the next drink. Samson winked at her, and Ivan blew her a kiss.

She glanced at Jessica in time to catch her eyes widen at the sight of Ivan and Samson before she turned to Cassie. “You
too
? I remember that one guy, the one with the beard, from the funeral for Bunny’s grandmother.”

“They’re very old friends. Actually the one you mentioned and I were high school sweethearts.”

“Looks to me as though his brother is in the picture, too, huh?” Jessica asked, her eyebrows arched with surprise. At Cassie’s nod, Jessica’s jaw dropped. “They’re huge, like freaking giants.” She shuddered, and sympathy filled Cassie’s heart at the reaction.

She patted Jessica’s shoulder. “Yes, they are, but I’ve never felt safer than when I’m with them. Not with my father or my uncles or for damn sure my ex-husband. They’re strong and protective, and pretty intimidating to outsiders, I imagine, but with me…” She thought of waking up with them after that first night and let out a long sigh. The feeling defied description.

“You’re in love,” Jessica whispered.

Heat filled her cheeks when she realized she was staring at her men and they were watching her just as closely. “I am. When I’m with them, it’s as if I’ve been lonely all my life and now I’m not.”

Jessica jabbed at the ice in her glass with the straw. “I can’t imagine.” She smiled at Cassie, as if reassuring her she was all right. “So, will I be attending another wedding for a friend soon?”

Cassie shrugged, feeling at peace with where they were, perhaps because she had reason to be confident. “I don’t know. But I’m open to the idea, you know?”

Jessica pursed her lips but nodded. Cassie put an arm around her friend’s shoulders and hugged her. Thinking of protective men brought two specific red-haired men to mind. “How are Tank and Troy?”

For long seconds Jessica didn’t say anything but then slowly shook her head, and Cassie saw tears in her eyes when she looked up. “I haven’t heard from them in a while. I think I finally succeeded in running them off. Could we talk about something else? I hate to ruin your fun with my men problems.”

“Hey, I’m always here for you, Jess. You have a special set of circumstances, it’s true, but you
are
worthy of being loved. You and Bella both.”

It’d taken a while for her friend to trust her with the whole story, but over time, Jessica had shared with Cassie and Violet that she had been the victim of an abduction a couple of years before and had been held captive as a sex slave, barely fed enough to keep her alive. After she’d been found and freed, she’d been stalked by the man who had abducted her after he’d broke out from a prisoner transport, and she’d found herself in Divine, where the men who had saved her now lived.

Cassie had gotten to know Val Teller and Ransome Cross, who were Justin Connors’s cousins, before finding out what heroes they were to Jessica. Talk about larger than life. The woman they loved, Charity, and her sister, Grace, had subsequently been endangered when Jessica’s captor had come to Divine looking to take her and her baby captive again. It was amazing the crazy things that could happen in a small town sometimes.

Jessica’s attempt to smile was a miserable failure before she shook the ice in her nearly empty glass and said, “I look at it this way. I have Bella, and I’m alive, and I’ve made a safe home for us here in Divine. Anything else good that comes my way is almost more than I could hope for. Maybe more than I deserve.”

“Jess—

Jessica looked over at her, and Cassie’s heart went out to her for the desolation she saw in her eyes. “What man, much less men, would ever want to deal with all my phobias and anxieties? It’s a monumental effort for me to stay in this seat with all the noise and movement around me this evening. And when I try to sleep, it’s even worse. Can you imagine being awakened by a woman screaming her head off? I imagine any man would get sick of that. I just content myself with a quiet life, my work, and taking care of my daughter.”

Contented was the last thing her friend appeared to be.

Cassie recalled that her mom had been jumpy, defensive, and anxious when she’d first returned to life in Divine, signs she also had observed in Jessica over the last couple of years. A doctor had diagnosed her mother with PTSD, which had been the first step toward her recovery. Even with the official diagnosis, Cassie’s father had exhibited little in the way of sympathy or support for her.

Recalling the times she’d seen Tank and Troy trying to be helpful and supportive to Jessica, Cassie knew they were more than willing to help Jessica past her trauma if she could just feel safe spending time around them and stop carrying the burden for past events beyond her control.

From personal experience, Cassie also knew eventually Jessica’s daughter would grow up and have a life of her own. Jessica needed something else in her life besides her daughter and her work.

“Have you been sitting here at the bar alone all night? You didn’t invite anyone to come with you?”

Jess shook her head. “I came over here to give Lydia and her men a chance to dance and have a good time with each other. I know your men are waiting for you, and judging by the look in his eyes, the other one wants to dance with you as well.”

“Samson. Yeah, I think so, too. It’s a nice feeling to know that big guy cares so much. Would you believe my mom is coming to live with me?”

Sympathy showed in Jessica’s eyes. “Just when you had an empty nest, too. Are your guys disappointed?”

“Nope. They come from a tightly knit family and approved of the move even before I’d made the decision. And you’ve kind of been in that boat yourself before, haven’t you?”

“Well, not quite as extreme, but yeah, I had to leave Houston with no notice when I found out about my abductor getting free. I knew he’d come after me and the baby. And even though they’d only just met me, Lydia and her men hid me in a remote part of their ranch to keep me safe, and then when it was closer to time to have Bella, they moved me by helicopter to a cabin close to the main ranch house.”

“Mmm,” Cassie said, sipping from her wineglass and hiding a smile. “Tank and Troy were a big part of that, weren’t they?”

Jessica looked down at her hands in her lap. “They were the ones who rushed me to the hospital. I realized later, after I’d had Bella, they’d been keeping an eye on me the whole time I was living near the ranch house. I knew they were handy and wanted to be helpful, but I had so much on my plate with the baby and figuring out my next step…”

Cassie said, “So what’s holding you back now, besides the nightmares and nerves?” As if those weren’t huge obstacles.

“I know I shouldn’t be intimidated. That would never be their intention. They’re nothing like Trevor Dornan. But they scare me when they…loom over me, and it triggers this panic response. I hate it.” Jessica looked over her shoulder, surveying the crowd as if she was looking for someone and then turned back to face the bar. “I hate it.”

Cassie hoped wherever Trevor Dornan was, he was suffering at least as much as his victim still suffered. “I’ll check back with you in a little while, after my dance.”

“Okay,” Jessica said as she lifted her glass in a small toast with Cassie.

But after her dance with Samson, when Cassie looked for Jessica, she was already gone.

“So, Mr. Cutter, you’re executive chef at Hermione?” Joseph Resendez asked as he took his seat beside Tamara and opposite of where Ivan sat next to Samson. Cassie and Delicia were seated at either end of the dining room table.

Lightning flashed outside, followed several seconds later by the rumble of thunder as Ivan cut into the succulent turkey breast, but the storm didn’t necessarily serve as a mood-setter for their Thanksgiving gathering. Cassie’s grown kids took after her in looks and were a credit to her as a mother, and they’d proved welcoming enough when the introductions had been made the day before.

Ivan set down his loaded fork and lifted his glass of iced tea. “That’s right, Joseph. And feel free to call me Ivan.”

Joseph was an amusing mixture of protective son and ardent admirer because Hermione’s far-reaching reputation for quality was partly Ivan’s doing. Hermione Jones might be high maintenance, but she was an ace with the marketing, and he was her ace in the hole behind the kitchen door.

Joseph nodded as he took another bite of dressing and cranberries, and merriment filled his gaze, his eyes the same color as Cassie’s, which were like her mother’s. “Just not sure I can do that, Chef, being a fan-boy and all.”

Ivan heard the amusement in Samson’s soft snort. Tamara and Joseph been more reserved with his brother since arriving the day before on the eve of Thanksgiving. What they didn’t know was that, behind Samson’s steely-eyed seriousness, he worried they might not approve and give Cassie a hard time in private.