Needs A Little TLC (Spinning Hills Romance 2) (16 page)

“Sound familiar?” Cassie raised an eyebrow.

“Not listening? Probably the story of every kid’s life.” Sam shook his head.

“Including the mean kid. I know you don’t care for him right now, but he’s just a kid who won’t listen, too.”

“Dan was gifted, you know, but he never rubbed it in our faces.” He looked up at her, then. “I always thought you were, too. You just couldn’t sit still long enough to prove it.”

A wry look replaced her gentle one. “I was too interested in the world outside to even care.”

“You were,” he agreed, unable to keep himself from getting closer. “We’ve probably all got a little bit of genius and all sorts of idiot in us.” He was in front of her now, and to him, it seemed like the air between them crackled with energy. He studied her freckles, her button nose, and her baby blue eyes, remembering how easy school had come for Cassie, and how shocked everyone had been when they’d found out she’d dropped out of college.

He cleared his throat. “I, uh, think about all that sometimes, and I can’t help wondering if you left school because of me or if something else was going on.” He took a breath and waited.

Cassie leaned her shoulder against the wall and smiled a sad, soulful smile. “I wish I could blame it on you. It would be easier. But no. I was struggling way before you and I broke up. I always had a hard time concentrating, but I managed to do well by picking things up here and there. But college wasn’t high school. There were in-depth classes. I had to study for longer periods to pass, but I just couldn’t. No matter how hard I tried to concentrate, words would start to swim in front of me and I’d end up reading the same paragraph, over and over again, without really reading. I felt like there was something very wrong with me, that I was lazy or something, so I’d push harder, but get the same results. It was so frustrating. And then I had—this friend—who was going through a tough time, and I let myself get completely wrapped up in them. I didn’t know how to focus on myself. I didn’t know I should. I didn’t want to be selfish on top of everything else. I got lost.”

Sam had been listening with his heart sore, hating that he hadn’t fully known everything she’d been going through, but her last words gave him pause. During their second year of college, Cassie had pulled away from him and lied to him on several occasions. She’d become distant and unreachable, especially to someone like him, who didn’t even know how to reach out.

His friends had suggested she was cheating, and the thought had made him crazy . . . was that what she was talking about now?
Had
there been someone else? It didn’t make sense that she’d throw the kiss she’d witnessed into his face if she’d been cheating, but maybe she hadn’t and she’d just fallen for someone else.

Or maybe she’d just buckled under the pressure her parents put on her. They were always telling her that everyone was watching her, waiting for her to mess up. That she had to be careful about what she said and how she behaved, to protect their image. And Cassie always ended up letting them down. He remembered trying to reach Cassie through her parents. Both had been mortified she’d quit school and had blamed him.

As hard as it had been on him to lose his scholarship, he’d always done well in school and he had no trouble juggling a lot of different things. The semester he’d been suspended from the team, he’d gone to work for a construction company to pay his tuition. It had been tough, but he’d needed all the distraction he could get in the months after Cassie walked out of his life.

There were things he’d never know, but the one thing they both knew for sure was that he’d messed up. He cleared his throat again. “Did you find yourself again? I mean, are you happy now?”

One corner of her mouth lifted. “It took me a while to separate what I wanted from what my parents wanted, but once I did, the world made sense again. I figured out that no matter how hard I tried, I could either hyper-focus or not focus at all. I could’ve sought help, but I knew what I wanted to do with my life and I knew I could be good at it just the way I was, because it required both hyper-focusing on things I was passionate about and keeping busy.”

Sam smiled. “You made it all work for you.” She looked around the house as if the world once again didn’t make sense. “Don’t worry about the house, Cass,” he said. “I won’t change its heart.”

She looked surprised at that, but she nodded, slowly. “And you try not to worry too much about Jake, okay? I told you about his friends because I thought you should know, but his mom picked him up while I was at the park and he looked happy again the moment he saw her. Maybe he’ll tell her and she’ll take care of it.”

Sam stiffened. “Did you—did you meet her?”

Cassie shook her head. “She didn’t get out of the car. I’ll probably meet her soon enough, though.” She smiled, and he was surprised to see it was her trying-to-be-brave smile. He hadn’t seen it in forever, but he knew.

He blew out a breath. “Look, Cass—about Heather—”

Cassie put her hand up to stop him. “She’s Jake’s mom, Sam. That’s all I need to know.” She dropped her hand and looked into his eyes. “I didn’t know who you’d be to me this time around: my first love, who hurt me badly, or the lifelong best friend I fell out of touch with. And then the moment I saw you, you were both, and I didn’t know how to move forward with that. But now I’ve gotten to know you again, and you’re more than that past. You’re a hardworking businessman, you’re a skilled craftsman, and you’re a concerned father. And it’s because you’re where you’re supposed to be. We both are.”

Sam looked down, feeling sad for no reason he could put his finger on. That strange feeling that tethered him to her was growing stronger, but things between them were not okay. He figured below the surface, their souls would always meet in ways they’d never understand. But on the outside, in that plane where they lived out their everyday life, things were still messed up. Only a desire to hold her, kiss her softly, trace his fingers against her skin, pointed to everything that was going on at a deeper level. “I know,” he said quietly. They were silent for a while, until Sam got the courage to ask, “Are we friends now, Cassie?”

Cassie had been looking down at the key chain. “If you can tell me, honestly, why you chose this key, I think we can be.”

Their eyes met. “You’re a wood sprite, Cass. Pure of spirit, a bit on edge, cute, and fond of trees.”

Her pretty lips parted into a smile so bright, it made his heart swell to know his words had inspired it. “Well, I like it better than ‘princess.’” Her phone dinged. “And that’s my cue. I’m supposed to be heading to Cincinnati.” She pivoted and walked briskly out the door, calling over her shoulder, “I’ll see you at the special Town Hall meeting tomorrow.”

Sam blinked. One moment she was there with him, the next she was gone.

Were they friends again or not? She didn’t say . . .

And what special Town Hall meeting?

S
am and Heather looked at each other from across the long, oval table and shared a secret smile. The couple who was buying their house had opposing tastes, too. Only, in the newly married couple’s case, the fire between them was strong enough to make the room feel stuffy.

In no time, the deal was done. They all shook hands and out they went.

Outside, Heather leaned against her car. “I feel so old. In my head I was thinking, ‘Those crazy kids are going to make it work.’”

Sam laughed at her croaky old-woman imitation.

“Are you settled in at Johnny’s?” she asked.

“I moved the stuff I needed there this morning. The rest has been in storage for a while.” He looked down and kicked at a rock on the pavement.

“You looking forward to it?”

“A little, I guess. It’ll probably grow old quickly for both of us, though. We’re not kids anymore.”

“You said business is moving along. Have you thought about keeping one of the smaller houses for yourself?”

Sam nodded. “I’ve thought about it, for later. But Johnny’s been talking about getting his own place for a while. Living with me should push him to it. Then I’ll be all set.”

Heather kicked his foot. “You’re not hard to live with.”

“Says the woman who left me.” He quirked an eyebrow.

Heather rolled her eyes. “It was as mutual a decision as ever was made, Samuel Amador. Now, how are things going with Cassie? You two friendly yet? Or is it still just business?”

“You lost the right to grill me about other women when you divorced me,” he said.

“You’re a master of avoidance.” Heather gave him a searching look. “I just want to know if you’ve told her who I am.”

Sam sighed. “I’ve tried, but she doesn’t want to hear anything about the past. And it turns out there’s no quick way to say, ‘Oh, and by the way, I ended up marrying the girl you thought you saw me kissing but who really kissed me, even though I guess I might have responded, but I was drunk because I had just gotten thrown off the team because you were late with my stuff and I don’t remember much but I’m sorry I hurt you.’”

“No. I guess there isn’t.” Heather blinked and looked away. “I saw her yesterday, at the park. I was about to get down and play with Jake for a while, but when I saw her, I couldn’t get out of the car. It’s stupid, I know. You and I were married eight years. You’re my best friend. We have a child. But I don’t know what to do. Everyone’s so happy she’s back. They missed her so much, and nobody knows anything about what really happened. They all assume you and I met after her. It’s awkward.” She ran a hand through her long blond hair and sighed. “I thought I was over all that.”

Sam put his hands on Heather’s shoulders. “Cassie’s happy and she’s where she’s supposed to be. Those were her words. Everyone goes through hard times and everyone gets hurt. How they deal with it is their choice. And everyone you’re talking about loves you, too. Don’t stay away because of something that happened years ago. We’re different people now.”

Heather looked up then and managed a smile. “We’ve evolved. You even managed more than three sentences about something other than one of your projects.”

“Yeah, well, it’s worth it when you know someone wants to hear what you’re saying.”

Sam and Heather parted ways. He’d been dying to sell the house and now that he had, he felt sad. It felt like the day of the divorce. An official end to an important chapter of his life.

On his way home, he saw the cemetery looming in the distance and he continued toward it, making his way to his father’s grave. There was something grounding about sitting on the bench he’d built in front of his dad’s final resting place.

Sam looked out over the town beyond and in his mind, spoke to his dad. He told him he was sorry and promised he’d do his best, and a sense of peace came over him.

Footsteps took him away from his thoughts, and he looked back to see Johnny coming toward him.

Johnny sat on the bench next to him. No greeting was needed. Silence was a bond, too.

After a while, Sam got up and said, “I’ve got my stuff in the truck. I’ll be moving in later today.”

“You and Heather closed this morning?”

Sam nodded.

“I moved out of the master bedroom, figured you’d need the bigger room when Jake comes over. And I’m looking for a place of my own. I should be out of your hair soon.”

Sam looked at him, surprised. “There’s no rush. Jake’s looking forward to having you around. Do you even know what you’re looking for?”

Johnny shook his head. “Not ready to commit to a yearlong lease, but not ready to buy anything, either. Whatever I’m supposed to do next will come to me, though.”

“It always does,” Sam said, squeezing his brother’s shoulder before leaving.

 

Cassie took a quick shower and changed into a pressed burgundy suit. It was an awful color on her and Rosa would surely let her know that, but wearing the same colors over and over again was boring. When she looked down, she felt fashionable. If she avoided mirrors, she would continue to feel that way. Avoiding mirrors in her apartment was easy. She only had one, on top of the bathroom vanity.

She only needed one. Simplicity was a must for her. Complications always led to a descent into chaos. Her apartment was functional and staid. And that was a good thing, because it made her always want to leave. The only place where she liked to relax and linger was in her various offices with her associates and Jessica.

But lately she found herself wanting to linger at the café, the perfume shop, the yoga studio, the Mexican eatery, and the tavern. Maybe she needed an actual home. A place to nest and a place to invite people to linger.

Her phone dinged, announcing her next appointment, and Cassie shut the light off and closed the door behind her.

She made it through her commitments just in time to make it back to Spinning Hills for the special meeting, but she was feeling uncharacteristically tired. She usually liked to get to know new clients better over coffee after a showing, but lately, she didn’t have the time.

One thing was clear: Lingering made her happy, but she couldn’t schedule it in while juggling two markets on her own. She’d have to hire someone new, and she’d have to live in the market she chose to keep for herself.

It wouldn’t be too hard to hire someone for either market. There were a few among her network of part-time agents who wanted to work full-time and who she’d love to have on her team. They were mostly moms and dads who had scaled back their workloads to raise their kids and were now ready to get back into things. Running down the list of potential candidates in her head energized her.

The meeting had already started when Cassie arrived. With great effort, she was able to make it to an available seat near Holly and Emily without calling too much attention to herself.

“We’re worried about the small business owners in our community who don’t have the means to offer anything for an event they never had any say in. No one filed for a permit, no special meeting was called. We’ve spoken to a few business owners in private, and frankly they feel bullied and pressured into offering something when they can’t,” a man Cassie didn’t know was saying to the crowd.

Jenna Woods spoke next. “We also have an excellent school district to maintain. We should have a say in how the town is marketed.”

Bullied? Pressured
?
How the town is marketed?
Cassie sat there, nonplussed.

People began talking at once, asking about permits and where the money was coming from, while others who supported the event tried to answer.

The place was packed, too many people were speaking over each other, and Cassie wasn’t sure which way the wind was blowing. She glanced over to where Dan, Sam, and Johnny were leaning against a wall way in the back. Sam met her eyes and quirked an eyebrow, as if to say,
See what they’re like?

Mr. Linden, who had once been the elementary school principal and was now the town’s mayor, hit his gavel three times and the room quieted. “We heard your questions and concerns, now it’s time to allow the event’s organizers to address them. When they’re through, anyone with additional questions can raise their hands and we’ll call on them in an orderly manner. Now, who’s the main organizer of the event?” he asked, as if he didn’t already know.

Cassie hadn’t been expecting this much of a crowd, and the old familiar feelings of causing trouble because she never thought things through rose up again. They made her feel as if she was glued to her seat, waiting to be reprimanded. But Holly patted her back and Emily squeezed her arm in encouragement. Cassie stood up, saying, “I am,” with more confidence than she felt.

She cleared her throat a few times and turned to face the room. “I’ll start by saying that Sundays from two to four have been designated as open house days for the entire region as far back as most of us can remember. Open Town is basically a concentrated effort by every Realtor with a listing here to promote all of Spinning Hills’ open houses next Sunday. We’re simply inviting people to explore the downtown area next week, before or after they view houses. The Historical Society tour is offered four times a year, and their board voted and agreed to move it up. We didn’t apply for permits because we don’t need them. We’re not holding an event in a public area, though we would like to go bigger next time and we may need to do that.

“Realtors are putting up the advertising dollars they’ve always put up for Sundays, with the difference being that we’ve pooled our resources and partnered with local businesses to take out larger ads and call it an Open Town. I’m truly sorry some of you feel bullied or pressured into offering something, but please note that I myself have a small business here and I’m also unable to offer anything. Two of my competitors, whom I happen to be working with, are offering a discount on their commission as a buyer’s agent, while I can’t do that right now because I can’t take anything else on. But it doesn’t mean I won’t benefit. We will
all
benefit.”

There were many murmurs, but everyone remained civil. “Anyone else on behalf of the organizers?” Mr. Linden called.

Emily raised her hand, Mr. Linden called on her, and she stood up. “I’d like to point out that most businesses will only be handing out fliers advertising what they offer or informative articles imparting their knowledge. A huge part of what makes our town special is that we have such unique businesses here. An uptick in foot traffic is a free opportunity to get those businesses in front of people. I’m also sorry anyone felt pressured, but Cassie, Holly, and I felt we had made it clear that this was a free promotional opportunity.”

Another louder round of murmurs swept through the crowd.

“Does anyone else have anything to add on behalf of the event before we move on to concerns?” Mr. Linden called again.

Mrs. Grafton, the school superintendent, raised her hand. Mr. Linden pointed to her and she stood up. “I know this is off topic, but since Mrs. Jenna Woods mentioned the schools, I’d like to take this opportunity to clear something up. We earned an excellent rating for the first time last year, not because we changed our mission statement, programs, or curriculum, but because the state itself changed its grading system. All they did was reinforce what people here already knew: We were always excellent!”

A round of cheers and applause went up, and Mr. Linden had to hit the gavel on the podium a few times, though it was obvious he was holding back a smile.

“All right, all right, settle down, let’s move over to our concerned citizens again. Have your concerns been addressed?” He spoke toward the general area where Jenna and her crowd were sitting.

Megan Cornerstone stood up, her lips pursed. “I propose next time we hold this type of meeting before announcing an event that potentially involves the entire town, and not after.”

“I second that.” A woman beside her raised her hand. “I reserved the gazebo at Star Springs Park that day for my daughter’s birthday party months ago and now we’ll have strangers walking all over town and in the park that day.”

Johnny raised his hand and Mr. Linden nodded toward him. “I understand how that could be frustrating, Mrs. Carpenter,” he said to the woman who’d just spoken. “But there are several parks in town, and Star Springs Park happens to be the only one in the business district. We’re not expecting droves of people. This isn’t like the Christmas Eve Festival. The same thing happens when Huffy’s advertises a popular band: They get a huge surge of people in and it’s an inconvenience to some, but that’s part of living in a community with a thriving business district.”

“So you’re saying it’s my fault I chose the wrong park?” Mrs. Carpenter sat down in a huff. Cassie had seen cluelessness up front and personal more than enough times, but it never failed to surprise her.

Emily shot up and faced Mrs. Carpenter. Her voice was calm, but strained. “People who are coming to your son’s birthday party will be taking up the few parking spaces there. You’ll probably fill the park up with your friends and family that day, but that doesn’t mean you had the responsibility to inform the entire town that the park would be more crowded than usual.”

“I put down a deposit, a deposit I won’t get back if anything happens to public property at the park. If something is damaged, how will I know if it was someone from your event or someone from the birthday party?” Mrs. Carpenter asked, again confusing different issues.

The first man stood up again and Cassie now noticed he had a protective hand on Megan’s shoulder. He was the town’s new pediatrician, and Cassie wondered why he wasn’t on board. He could’ve offered an article about vaccines or something as he would surely benefit from increased foot traffic. “What bothers us is that this Open Town idea flew under the radar while every attempt we’ve made to draw a national chain or two here has been blocked. There are a few vacancies downtown, and the whole area would benefit from a stable, long-term presence, and it wouldn’t violate the town charter. The high percentage of local businesses it calls for would still be intact.”