by Vicky Dean
“Yes, I’m surprised as well. What do you reckon that’s about?”
“Heaven knows. I saw Philip at the funeral last week and he didn’t mention a thing to me,” Maggie said.
“Douglas was certainly fond of you as a child. And whenever I ran into him, which wasn’t often, he would always ask about you,” her mother said, looking puzzled.
“Well, when are you meeting him?” Maggie asked.
“I didn’t want to make an appointment with him until I knew what plans you had and I was in town.”
“Well, the sooner the better. Aren’t you curious?” Maggie said. It was quite obvious that she was intrigued. “Why don’t you meet with him tomorrow? We will be busy at the café until early evening, anyway.”
At that moment Cassie’s cell phone rang, she looked at it and saw it was Philip.
“It’s Philip,” she said to her mother and aunt.
“Answer it,” Maggie said, waving her hand toward the phone.
“Hi Philip,” Cassie said into the phone.
“Are you in town yet?” he asked.
“Just got here. I was going to call you in the morning, but no need to wait now, is there?”
“I’m glad you’re here. How about lunch tomorrow?”
“Lunch tomorrow?” she queried as she raised her eyebrows to her mother and aunt, who answered her questioning look with raised thumbs. “That would be fine, Philip. Where and at what time?”
“Delfino’s at 1.30.”
“Sounds great. I’ll see you then.”
She glanced at Kathleen and Maggie, who had looks on their faces like they were watching a suspenseful movie. Their eyebrows raised, their eyes wide open.
“I’ll look forward to seeing you tomorrow, Cassie. Richard Gallagher will join us, too. He’s looking forward to catching up with you.”
“He is? Oh,” she said.
“You don’t have a problem with that, hopefully,” Philip said.
“No, no, not at all. I look forward to seeing you both tomorrow.”
They hung up.
“Where are you meeting?” Kathleen asked immediately.
“Delfino’s,” she said.
“The most expensive restaurant in Avalon Bay,” Maggie said, shaking her head softly.
Cassie was entertained by their reactions, but they also made her nervous. She had this sense that she was about to be completely thrown off by something. It was the same sense that she had at the hotel right before big things often happened, like a celebrity booking a night’s stay and all the prep work that went into that.
“And you’re having lunch with Richard Gallagher. What I would want to do to him if I were twenty-five years younger,” she mumbled, a mischievous grin spreading across her face.
“Margaret, really,” Kathleen said, scowling.
“When I last saw Richard, he had a serious acne problem. It used to make him quite moody and shy. He was okay with me, but I think he got grief for it at school,” Cassie said, envisioning the last version of Richard that she’d ever seen.
“Well, he doesn’t have that problem now, trust me. He has all the women from miles around champing at his heels. You will be surprised when you see him again,” her mother said. “But I’m just so curious what this is all about.”
Cassie let out a loud yawn, “Me too, Mom. But we’ll know tomorrow.”
“We better get you some food so you can get to sleep. Big day tomorrow,” Kathleen said.
“What did you make?” Cassie asked, always eager for her mother’s cooking, which was hands down better than her own.
“Clam Chowder and garlic bread,” her mom replied.
“Yum.”
She enjoyed a wonderful feast before falling asleep in the soft Egyptian cotton sheets of her bedroom. It was bliss.
Cassie awoke late the following morning, well rested and refreshed. Her mother and aunt had left for their day’s work at least two hours before she’d batted an eye open. Except for her lunch with Philip and Richard, she had the day to herself. Time for a cup of tea and a little meandering about town, ending up at the café for breakfast. Yes, that would be perfect. She dressed in casual white jeans, a blue long-sleeved t-shirt, and trainers. It felt good to not have to wear a suit, so much more comfortable, especially with the warm breeze that was in the air that morning.
Cassie walked down the hill to the harbor, a light canvas bag hanging over her shoulder, enjoying the salty smell of the Pacific Ocean as it filled her nostrils and the sunlight and gentle wind caressed her pale city face as scattered clouds moved slowly across the blue sky.
She crossed over Main Street and headed down to the old fishing harbor. Avalon Bay had primarily been a fishing village that had remained relatively isolated and remote until after the middle of the last century. As she walked along the line of sea-weathered shops and houses, many with hand-painted wooden signs, facing the cove, she passed old Tom. He was one of the many fishermen in the town who were grateful for the fish and crab the ocean provided and respectful of the dangers it presented.
“Morning Tom,” she called out.
“Morning Miss Cassie, your Mom told me you were back in town.”
“Only for a few days, unfortunately,” she said.
“That’s too bad. Now that your mom and aunt are here, you should move back, too.”
“Maybe one day,” she replied, thinking that perhaps one day she would. But it wasn’t that day, yet. She had her career to think of.
“Well, don’t wait too long,” he said as he headed towards the long wooden fishing wharf.
Opening the door to the Lighthouse Café, she was immediately hit by the smells of freshly baked breads and pastries which made her realize how ravenous she was. Her mom and aunt were both busy with customers so she slipped into a booth next to the window so she could enjoy the view over the harbor. Melanie, a young girl who helped in the café came over and took her order for Crab Benedict and a Cappuccino.
Her aunt Maggie came over, “Good morning. Sleep well?”
“Like a log.”
“I’m so excited for you today,” Maggie said, rubbing her hands together like she was going to start a fire.
“You and Mom are way more intrigued than me,” Cassie said. “I’m sure it’s just some little thing.”
A half hour later, breakfast was done and she left the café with eager well wishes from her mom and aunt, making it seem like she was on her way to the job interview of a lifetime, not a lunch date about a will.
Cassie truly enjoyed window shopping, in general, and there was plenty of it to do in Avalon Bay, just like there was in the city. Her eyes were immediately drawn to one thing in particular on her walk—a hand painted sign that read: The Stormy Sea Gift Shop. She stopped to peer inside the paned and bowed front window and saw all sorts of unusual pieces that were just as gorgeous as anything you’d find in an art gallery in New York City, only the sign for these indicated that they were created by local artisans.
She had to go in. It would be a great place to find her mother’s birthday present. As she opened the door the sound of tingling wind chimes sounded out, creating a whimsical alert signal for the shop’s owner. At the back of the store, an attractive 30-ish woman with long dark hair and emerald green dancing eyes was working. She turned around and smiled.
“Do come in and feel free to browse,” she said in a soft lilting voice. She was surrounded by boxes. “I’m just restocking my display.”
“Thanks,” Cassie said, taking an immediate liking for the woman with the lively eyes and friendly demeanor. She began browsing and there were so many things that she loved, that it was hard to determine what she liked best. Such amazing local talent, she thought. Many of the items were wood-carvings made from the area’s red wood forest whilst many others were made from shells, glass, and a whole host of other assorted materials, plus water color and pastel paintings.
Her eyes were particularly drawn to a pair of candlestick holders made from she
lls encrusted with crystals and pieces of sea glass. They were beautiful, the glass matching the greenish blue color of her mother’s eyes. She picked them up and set them down on the counter near the cash register.
“I’ll take these. Could you gift wrap them for me, please?”
“Certainly, no problem,” she replied. She walked over to the counter and began to check Cassie out, talking casually. “Do you live round here?”
“I was born here, but live in Manhattan now, but my mom and aunt live here. They own the Lighthouse Café.”
“Oh, are you Cassie?”
“That’s me,” she said.
“Your mother talks about you so much. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Jacqueline Young,” she said, holding out her hand, which Cassie gladly shook.
“Nice to meet you, too, Jacqueline.”
“Are these for your mom’s birthday?” she asked, her eyes wide.
“Indeed, but please don’t tell her,” Cassie said.
“Never, but I know she’ll love them.”
“How do you know that?”
“I’ve seen her looking at them in the window before,” Jacqueline confessed. “You must know your mother’s tastes well.”
The two began talking about business and Cassie felt she’d met her rival in someone passionate about what they did. Jacqueline clearly loved her store and everything about the arts, the way Cassie loved everything about boutique hotels and what made them distinct.
“Well, here you go,” Jacqueline said, handing over a small bag with a beautifully wrapped present in it.
“Thanks so much. It was a pleasure to meet you, Jacqueline. Hopefully I’ll see you around.”
“That would be great. Stop in any time, just to chat or whatever,” she said with a smile.
It was noon already when Cassie left the shop. She had to hurry because she wanted to shower and primp a little for this interesting lunch meeting at what was clearly a high end restaurant.
Dressed in a simple but elegant blue, short V-necked dress and a white linen jacket and some low heeled sandals, she appraised herself in the mirror and put a splash of her navy blue mascara on to make her blue eyes pop just a bit more. “There we go,” she said softly.
Then she took off and went to her rental car and programmed Delfino’s address into it and made her way to the outskirts of town. She felt strangely nervous, curious about seeing Richard, whom she hadn’t seen or talked to since she was fourteen. They’d always gotten along well enough and she’d always had a soft spot for him because he seemed so self conscious about his acne, and all those other things that made teenagers feel awkward. It’d be interesting to see if he’d become an architect like he said, or even if he was married. Her aunt Maggie surely didn’t talk like he was married, though.
Now that she’d arrived at the restaurant, she suddenly felt nervous, but also hungry. Her stomach growled as the subtle scent of amazing, made from scratch, Italian food lingered in the air.
THE PROPOSAL
As Cassie walked into the restaurant, she immediately spotted a man dressed in a smart gray business suit up by the bar. He was glancing at his watch. “Excuse me,” she said to the hostess, “I’m supposed to meet Philip Grady.”
She pointed to him at the bar, just as he turned around to look at her. Perhaps he’d heard her.
“Hi, Philip,” she said, walking over. “I’m Cassie, it’s nice to meet you.”
“Cassie, so good of you to come,” he said as he bent to lightly kiss her cheek. “Unfortunately, Richard is not here yet. He had some kind of problem on one of his construction sites, but he’ll be here shortly.”
“Ah, so I have you all to myself for a little while,” she smiled. “Lucky me.”
“No, lucky me,” he said, matching her lightly flirtatious banter.
“Drink?” He asked.
“A glass of Chardonnay, please.”
Philip ordered her wine and pulled out a bar stool for her.
“I’ll admit, I’m bursting with curiosity as to what this is all about,” Cassie said forthrightly. She saw no point in pretending that she wasn’t.
“Well, that discussion had better wait until Richard arrives.”
“I always thought he wanted to be an architect, not a builder,” Cassie said.
“Well, he did study architecture, but he also runs the ranch and builds homes.”
“That must take a tremendous amount of time,” Cassie commented. She was impressed with the work ethic he must have, without even meeting him as an adult yet.
“Yes, and he’s one of the best.”
“He’s not married, I hear.” As she said it she couldn’t help but notice an uncomfortable look spread across Philip’s face.
“No, not yet. But tell me about you and Manhattan.”
Cassie began talking to Philip about her life in Manhattan and added amusing anecdotes about her job in the hotel. They were so busy in their conversation they failed to notice Richard enter the restaurant.
***
Richard Gallagher had not had a good day. He’d been up most of the night with one of his horses suffering from a difficult breech birth. This had been followed by problems with builders on one of his condominium projects. And on top of all that there was the stress about the will and his grandfather’s odd wishes. How on earth could he persuade someone to accept such a mad proposal, especially when he didn’t desire to be married, either?
As he hurried into Delfino’s, already thirty minutes late, he immediately spotted Philip seated at the bar looking relaxed and all too happy with a woman with a mane of golden blonde hair, and long killer legs. Good God, was that Cassie? If it was, she’s changed from the gangly girl he’d remembered. In a way, he wished she’d be ugly because it would make the whole idea of the proposal less ludicrous if she wasn’t a woman with options—lots of options.
As he stood staring at them, Philip spotted him and waved. When Cassie turned her head, she saw a man standing just inside the entrance to the restaurant and watched a transformed God walk toward her, clad in skintight jeans and long feline strides. There were no signs of an acne faced teenager in her sights. She was conscious of her heart quickening and she moistened her suddenly dry lips.
Reaching the bar, he stood next to her and looked at her. She watched a smile spread across his face. “Cassie, how wonderful to see you after all this time.” Then he bent down to kiss her lightly on the cheek.
She stood up, giving him a hug, both out of instinct and a crazy desire to touch him. “Richard, it’s been so long,” she said. She could smell his tangy after shave, and the male scent of him invaded her senses. Being twenty-eight, she’d dated a number of men, but she never remembered having these sensations, not even with her old college boyfriend Marcus. Now I know what Aunt Maggie meant, she thought.
“You must allow me to apologize for being so late.”
“No need, Richard. Philip explained you had some problems and he’s been keeping me quite entertained.”
“I bet he has,” Richard said.
Cassie smiled, but before anything else could be said, the maitre d’ came over and asked them if they were ready to move to their table.
“Yes, I believe we are,” Philip said. “Cassie, Richard, shall we?” He got up and extended his arm out.
Cassie was still standing and Richard offered her his arm, which she was glad to take.
“Allow me,” he said in a rugged, but smooth tone.
She was taken aback by the energy from his touch, yet again. It was so powerful and everything about his tall frame next to her 5’7” was exciting.
Cassie was seated between the two men at a circular table with crisp white cloths, real silverware, crystal glasses in front of a large window that had uninterrupted views of the small deserted cove below and the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean beyond.
“Richard, I am so sorry for your loss. Your grandfather was a special man,” Cassie said turning to Richard. “I really liked him a lot
.”
“Thank you,” he replied, looking uncomfortable with the sentiment. Cassie couldn’t help but notice this and it made her both puzzled and nervous.
“I’m glad that I got a chance to see him last time I was here. It was a really great conversation. Just as spirited as I remembered him being as a kid,” Cassie said. She felt the need to talk and Richard seemed quite tongue tied—something she did recall from his mannerisms as a kid.
She watched Richard, his arms resting on the table in front of him; the sleeves on his shirt were turned back to slightly below his elbows, revealing tanned muscled forearms lightly dusted with dark hair. His tanned face boasted a flawlessly straight aristocratic nose, high cheekbones, lips that were sensual and full and a square sturdy chin, with a small cleft in its center. Feeling her eyes on him, he faced her and smiled. God, he is devastating, she mused.
The waiter brought their menus and a bottle of Cabernet and they all decided what they were going to feast on, agreeing to share an antipasto misto appetizer and a seafood platter for the lunch that came with various pastas, roasted vegetables, and bread.
Cassie couldn’t help but notice the way Richard and Philip kept glancing at each other. She looked at the two, waiting for them to take the lead. After all, they were the ones who’d felt the meeting was necessary, not her. She had no idea what was going on. All she knew was that it was a bonus to be there because Richard was absolutely gorgeous.
“We might as well dive into the business of the will and get that out of the way,” Philip said. “Afterward, we can relax and enjoy the meal.”
“Great,” Cassie said. She looked over to Richard, who was playing with the edge of his napkin and taking deep breaths. She thought he might just start hyperventilating.
“As I mentioned on the phone, Cassie, Mr. Gallagher spoke extremely highly of you.” Philip paused for a moment, glancing momentarily at Richard, before turning his attention back to Cassie and clearing his throat. When he continued to talk, his voice was unsteady. “Yes, so as I was saying, Cassie, Mr. Gallagher liked you and admired you, rather a lot, actually. So much so that he thought it would be a very good idea for you to marry Richard.”
