Reunited in Good Hope (A Good Hope Novel Book 8)

by Cindy Kirk

  A petite pixie with a mass of curly brown hair and wearing a black shirt with a red Flying Crane logo appeared tableside. She looked familiar. Krew recalled Owen introducing her shortly after Krew had arrived in Good Hope.

  “You’re Izzie, the artist.” Krew had been admiring her artwork on one of the downtown alley walls when the one responsible for such beauty had strolled by. “I don’t know if you remember me? Krew Slattery. Owen introduced us.”

  “It’s nice to see you again.” Her wide lips curved into a broad smile. “I could say something inane like, ‘You’re still in Good Hope,’ but that’d be ridiculous because you’re sitting right in front of me.”

  He laughed. Though he wasn’t interested in dating her, she was beautiful in a boho, artsy kind of way. “I’ve seen several more examples of your alley art. You’re crazy talented.”

  Her smile widened. “I’d like to take credit for all the wonderful art, but not all of it is mine.”

  The image of the last mural he’d seen flashed before him. “The screaming faces?”

  “Those are amazing.” Pride filled Izzie’s voice. “That art is actually the work of K.T. Lohmeier. The boy has mad skills.”

  “Lohmeier? Cassie’s son?”

  “The very same.” Izzie appeared to catch the manager’s stink eye at the same time that Krew did. “What can I get you gentlemen?”

  “Whatever you have on tap.” Krew didn’t want to spend any more time with Mitch than necessary, so he chose not to order any food.

  “I’ll have another pale ale.” Mitch shot Krew a pointed glance. “Trust me. You don’t want what they have on tap.”

  Izzie cast Krew a questioning look. He winked.

  “Coming right up.”

  Mitch watched Izzie hurry off, his expression turning sulky. “She doesn’t give me the time of day. You walk in, and suddenly she’s in no rush.”

  “I’m new in town.” Krew leaned back in the wooden chair. “How’ve you been?”

  One question was all it took to open the floodgates. For the next fifteen minutes, he heard about Mitch’s fabulous job as a supervisor with the parks department and his divorce from “Betsy-the-frigid-bitch” two years earlier.

  “Any kids?” Krew took a sip of beer before grabbing a chip from the huge mound of complimentary nachos Izzie had set on the table when she dropped off their drinks.

  “Thank God, no.” Mitch jammed a chip into a mass of beans smothered in cheese. “You?”

  One daughter.

  “I’m not married, remember?”

  Mitch let out a guffaw. “As if that fact stops any of you NFL guys.”

  Krew clenched his jaw tight. He had yet to bring up Cassie, and he was already ready to leave.

  Back in high school, Mitch’s parents had given him a generous allowance, and he hadn’t been afraid to spend it on friends. That it was the only positive thing about Mitch that Krew could think of said a lot about his priorities back then.

  “I ran into Cassie.” Krew reached for another chip, more for something to do than out of hunger. “She looks good.”

  “White trash,” Mitch sneered.

  “What did you say?” Krew pinned Mitch with the same steely-eyed gaze designed to decimate the opposing team’s defensive linemen.

  “She’s had some hard years.” Mitch dropped his gaze and pretended to be immensely interested in loading a chip with guac. “But, yeah, she’s looking good.”

  “I remember her in high school. She was smart and pretty, but serious.” Krew had been attracted to the freshman from the moment he’d seen her. Corny as it sounded, their eyes would meet in the hall and sometimes he’d feel this “connection.” There was no other way to describe it. “I heard you dated her the beginning of your senior year.”

  Krew kept his tone casual and his smile one buddy to another.

  “Dated is a stretch. We—” Mitch put one index finger and thumb together, then pumped his other index finger through the hole.

  It took everything in Krew not to smash his fist into Mitch’s face.

  “I hadn’t had anything to do with her for a couple of months when she tried to pin a baby on me.” Mitch rolled his eyes and stuffed another chip into his mouth.

  Krew’s fingers tightened around the glass of beer. “Really?”

  “She came to me, bawling.” Mitch leaned back, a smirk on his face. “No sympathy here. I asked her how she knew the kid was mine. God knows how many guys she was screwing. I mean, she’d been with you.”

  Krew raised a brow.

  “Hey, everyone knew, okay, assumed you nailed her behind that old house on the beach.” Apparently oblivious to the darkness rising like a dark tide inside Krew, the guy continued. “You don’t want to admit it. I get it. She was only fifteen. If anyone found out, you could have gone to jail for statutory rape. Bye-bye, scholarship. Hello, jail. But then, I guess your family is used to men being locked up.”

  At that moment, the tight hold Krew had on his temper began to give way. “You didn’t have any problem ignoring the law when it comes to age of consent.”

  Mitch shrugged. “My dad is an attorney. I warned her, ‘You come after me, you’ll be sorry.’” Mitch took a long drink of his ale. “No, siree. I wasn’t going to let someone like her screw with my life.”

  Krew remembered how sweet Cassie had been back then, how innocent. He swore she’d been a virgin when they’d been together. That only made him feel guiltier about what had happened that night on the beach.

  As Krew’s anger surged, he realized he was more pissed off at himself than anyone else. A mirror had been held to his teenage self, and Krew didn’t like what he saw. Didn’t like it one bit. Despite all his achievements on the football field and the accolades, he’d been the kind of stereotypical teenage boy people assumed a kid from a family like his would be.

  Shame swamped him. He’d thought only of himself and his plans.

  “I bet you’ve got women throwing themselves at you day and night.” Mitch’s eyes sparked with interest, but the buzz of his phone had him frowning. After glancing at the readout, he cursed and pushed back his chair.

  “Problem?”

  “It wouldn’t be if my crew didn’t have their heads up their asses.” Mitch cast him a look of apology. “I’ve got to handle this myself.”

  Krew barely stopped a grin. Saved by a park emergency. “The perils of management.”

  Mitch fairly preened under what he perceived as a compliment. “Exactly. We’ll have to get together another time.”

  Not happening, Krew thought.

  Mitch’s phone buzzed again. He swore. “Gotta go. Call me.”

  Krew merely lifted his glass of beer in a gesture of farewell. If Mitch thought they’d be getting together shortly—or ever—he was mistaken.

  The picture of what had gone on in Cassie’s life in the weeks and months after the beach bonfire came into sharp focus.

  One thing was clear.

  Krew had a lot to make up for.

  Cassie liked having her children home in the evening. Tonight, though, she was grateful that Braxton and K.T. had taken Axl to Fun Night at the YMCA.

  She hoped Dakota would call. Cassie had tried to reach her several times but her daughter hadn’t returned her calls or texts. So, Cassie would study and keep her ears peeled for the phone. One day, the money she’d earn from selling homes and commercial properties would be her ticket off the paycheck-to-paycheck hamster wheel.

  There was so much more she wanted for herself and her children than mere survival. While she appreciated Ryder giving her more responsibilities at the Daily Grind, her pay at the coffee shop barely kept her family above the poverty level.

  Her sessions with Dr. Gallagher and with Pastor Dan had helped her accept she was a strong, smart and capable woman. More important, she now believed the past didn’t have to determine her future.

  Feeling hopeful, she booted up the laptop Braxton had “built” for her using parts from a computer one of
his friends had scrapped.

  As she opened the next module in the course, and prepared to dig in, the doorbell sounded.

  Cassie frowned. Her sister was the only one who ever stopped by. With Lindsay still in newlywed mode, it wasn’t likely to be her.

  She slanted a glance at the baseball bat she kept by the front door. While the neighborhood wasn’t horrible, it was on the seedier side of town. Which was why Cassie insisted the boys look through the peephole before opening the door and told them to never open it to strangers.

  The doorbell rang again.

  “I’m coming.” With the lights on and her car in the driveway, anyone with half a brain would know someone was at home. It wasn’t as if she was giving out any secrets by responding.

  Cassie flipped on the porch light and gazed through the peephole.

  Her heart stopped when she saw Krew on the stoop, hands jammed into his pockets.

  With trembling fingers, Cassie released the chain, flipped the deadbolt and eased the door open.

  A watchful waiting filled his gaze. “Mind if I come in?”

  After a momentary hesitation, Cassie stepped aside.

  Krew’s arm brushed against hers as he passed. His gaze swept the room, lingering on the fraying rug and the sparse furnishings. Cassie flushed, seeing it through his eyes. Though Krew had grown up in a home very similar to this one, that had been a long, long time ago.

  For years, the NFL superstar had been living the high life. She bet Krew barely remembered what it was like to share one bathroom with the whole family or to eat meals in the living room because not everyone could fit around a card table.

  His focus shifted to the laptop she’d set up in the living room on that ancient table. Reference books and a notepad took up the rest of the space on the peeling checkerboard-patterned top.

  “Studying?”

  “I hope to take the real estate licensing exam by the end of the year.” Cassie couldn’t keep the pride from her voice. Not only had she saved enough to purchase the online course, she’d made time to learn and study.

  Back on track was what she’d told Dr. Gallagher at their last session.

  “My mother’s old boyfriend, Tim Vandercoy, has the top real estate firm on the peninsula,” Cassie added when Krew sauntered over and picked up the study guide. “I’m hoping there will be a spot for me on his team once I get my license. But first, I have to pass the exam.”

  He set the guide down. “Sounds like a solid plan.”

  She shrugged, embarrassed but not sure why. “I don’t talk about it much.”

  “I understand that.”

  “You do?”

  “Getting drafted into the NFL was always my dream.” His lips curved in a wry smile. “When I was a kid, nobody asked what I wanted to be when I grew up. They assumed I’d turn out just like my dad.”

  Cassie pulled her brows together. “But you were such a great ball player.”

  He glanced away. “Even when I showed promise on the field, most thought I’d flunk out of college and be one of those guys who talked incessantly about my high school glory days.”

  “You showed ’em.”

  “Yes. I did.” His gaze returned to hers. “So will you.”

  Though she told herself his opinion didn’t matter, Cassie couldn’t stop the surge of pleasure. She dropped down on the sofa and motioned to a nearby chair.

  “Where is everyone tonight?” He glanced around as he gingerly sat in the recliner with a broken spring.

  “It’s Fun Night at the Y. The older boys are good at letting me study, but Axl, not so much.” She tried for casual, but her laugh reflected her rising nerves. Did he have the results of the DNA test? Was that why he was here? “By the time Axl finally goes to bed, I’m tired and it’s hard to concentrate. But I’m making it work.”

  She was babbling, Cassie realized with sudden horror. “Anyway, what brings you by this evening?”

  He cleared his throat. “I have the results.”

  Cassie’s heart slammed against her rib cage. “And?”

  “I’m Dakota’s father.”

  She heard the pride in his voice, but there was something else, an emotion Cassie couldn’t quite identify.

  Cassie fought to find her voice. “No doubt?”

  He laced his fingers together, then unlaced them. “None.”

  “Does she know?”

  He shook his head, his gaze searching hers. “I wanted to tell you first.”

  “I appreciate that.” Cassie realized that Krew just might be a nice guy.

  “How do you think she’ll react?” His voice came out raspy as he studied a strip of peeling wallpaper with keen interest.

  Though his tone remained casual, she realized he was as unsure as she was about Dakota’s reaction to the news.

  “She’ll be happy,” Cassie said after a long moment. “She’s always wanted a father. When she was little, she was always asking about her dad.”

  Krew flinched, then leaned forward, resting his forearms on his muscular thighs. His gaze never left her face. “What did you tell her?”

  “I told her she was a wonderful, kind and smart girl and that I was sure she got some of those characteristics from her father.” Cassie licked her lips. “But, unfortunately, I didn’t know who he was.”

  Krew’s expression turned skeptical. “She accepted that?”

  “For a while.” Cassie’s heart ached as she recalled the many difficult conversations. “When she was twelve, she dug her birth certificate out of the box where I kept it at the top of my closet. On it, her father is listed as unknown. I found her crying in my room.”

  Cassie shifted her focus to a fraying thread on the sofa arm. “She never asked again.”

  “That had to be horrible.” Krew scrubbed a hand across his face. “I’m going to make it up to her. And to you.”

  “Just you being here is enough.” Cassie expelled a breath. “Now she’ll have an answer.”

  “It isn’t enough. Not by a long shot.” His jaw set in a stubborn line. “I’m going to pay for her college.”

  “Absolutely not.” Cassie’s voice rose, then broke. Though panic clawed at her throat, she forced herself to steady. “It’s not necessary. Once I get my license, I’ll be able to help her more.”

  “Listen, I have more money than I know what to do with.” His tone turned persuasive. “There’s no reason she needs to wait to save up the money to go back to school. Or for you to take it out of what you need to support yourself and the boys.”

  “You can’t just come here like Santa Claus and make everything right.”

  “I would think you’d be happy that her college costs are going to be covered.” Instead of anger, confusion clouded his amber eyes.

  “I don’t know how to explain it.” Cassie surged to her feet. She thrust her hands out in frustration. How could she explain a feeling she didn’t understand herself? “Please, just don’t say anything to Dakota about the college money. Not yet.”

  He moved to her, standing so close she could feel the warmth of his body. “If that’s how you want it, I’ll go along. For now.”

  “Thank you.”

  He placed his hands on her shoulders, looked her straight in the eyes. “I want to make it up to you, Cass. Not just to Dakota.”

  “You don’t owe me anything.” Cassie tried to smile, but her lips refused to cooperate.

  “I do.”

  Cassie didn’t have the energy to argue with him. “Telling Dakota is the first step. I’ll let you know how she reacts, and we’ll go from there.”

  A determined gleam filled his golden eyes. “We should tell her together.”

  “I think it’s better—”

  “It’s best if I’m there, too.” Apparently sensing her distress, he softened his tone. “I want to be in the room when you tell her, as much for your support as for hers.”

  Bone-weary, Cassie dropped back down on the sofa.

  She didn’t know what to think when
he sat beside her.

  “You don’t have to go through this alone.” His gaze met hers. “There’s no need. I’m here now.”

  “For how long?” She glanced around the room, the bare-bones ugliness oddly reflective of her life for so many years. “When you leave, it’ll be me who’ll be left to pick up the pieces.”

  A muscle in his jaw jumped. “I promise I’ll be here for Dakota. And for you.”

  He hadn’t answered her question, but then, she hadn’t expected he would.

  “Dakota will be angry with me.” Despite her resolve not to break down, tears filled her eyes. “She’s going to think I somehow knew and that I kept you from her.”

  “We’ll make sure—”

  “How?” Her voice pitched high. Too high. “I don’t want her knowing about Mitch. About all that drama.”

  “Don’t worry.” His arms slid around her, and he pressed a kiss against her temple. “It will be okay. I’ll make it okay.”

  Cassie wanted to believe him. Dear God, she wanted to believe him.

  But she couldn’t let herself. There had been too many disappointments over the years for her to believe any man’s promises.

  Chapter Seven

  “I’m so happy you called.” Lindsay looked up from her salad and smiled at Cassie. “It’s been too long since we had lunch together.”

  Cassie absently stabbed a piece of endive with her fork. As soon as Krew left last night, she’d reached out to her sister and made plans to meet her at Muddy Boots.

  “There’s something I want to discuss with you.” Cassie set down her fork, no longer able to pretend interest in food. “I hope you can help me.”

  Concern furrowed Lindsay’s brow. “Absolutely. Tell me what you need.”

  “First, I want to thank you.”

  A startled look crossed Lindsay’s face. “For what?”

  “For not writing me off despite all the stupid stuff I’ve done.” Cassie felt her cheeks warm. “Despite my many mistakes, you’ve always been there for me and my kids.”

  “I love you, Cass.” Lindsay reached across the table and squeezed her hand. “And I love my niece and nephews. Tell me what’s troubling you. I want to help.”