by Cindy Kirk
Just like home.
The thought made Krew half sick.
Cassie hadn’t grown up like this. She’d had a nice home and family.
Hooking up with him that night on the beach had been the start of a downward spiral for her. Though she was doing better now and working hard to give her children a better life, she needed help.
She needed his help.
Casting one last glance at the ramshackle house, Krew put the car in gear and decided it was time to shop for some basic tools. He returned five hours later, pulling up as Cassie arrived home from work.
She’d just gotten Axl out of the car when Krew handed over a sack bulging with hoagie buns and assorted meats and cheeses. Though chips weren’t exactly healthy, he’d grabbed a couple of bags of those as well.
Cassie peered into the bag. “What am I supposed to do with this?”
“I’m surprised you don’t know food when you see it.” His teasing tone had her chuckling as he followed her inside, Axl now on his shoulders. “I thought the older boys and I could clear the walk and the driveway while you make sandwiches. They’ll probably be ready to eat once they’re done.”
K.T. and Braxton exchanged a look.
Braxton lifted both hands, palms up. “The handle on our snow shovel broke last week.”
Krew smiled. “Good thing I brought a couple of extras.”
Cassie touched his arm, and concern blanketed her face. “Should you be doing such strenuous activity? I mean, so soon after your ruptured spleen? It hasn’t even been two months since your surgery.”
“As long as your sons don’t tackle me,” he offered the boys a grin, “or whack me with a shovel, I’ll be fine.”
Braxton gestured vaguely with one hand in the direction of the bedroom he shared with his brother. “Ah, I have homework.”
Not to be outmaneuvered by his older brother’s quick response, K.T. was ready with his own excuse. “I’m working on an art project that’s due next week.”
Krew clapped both boys on the back. “Good thing shoveling doesn’t take long. Especially with three men on the job.”
Axl was already chowing down on his sandwich by the time the three stomped back in. Their cheeks were flushed, but they were all smiling.
Cassie took that as a positive sign. “Done so soon?”
“The hardest part was getting your car to start so we could move it to clear the driveway,” Braxton declared, shooting her a look like it was her fault the vehicle was struggling.
“We got it started,” Krew said in answer to her questioning look.
“Krew let me back out his car,” Braxton announced. “Man, that is one sweet ride.”
Cassie didn’t know what to say. Before this moment, she’d had no idea cars were even on the radar of her computer-focused son. “Next time, I get to back it out.” K.T. glanced at Krew as if seeking confirmation.
“Absolutely.” Krew placed a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “These two guys can really shovel snow. For the most part, I supervised.”
“Our sidewalk is the cleanest on the entire block.” K.T.’s voice held more than a little pride.
“You won’t get your feet wet getting out of the car anymore.” Braxton glanced at her shoes, sitting on a rug by the door.
“Good job, guys.” Krew’s voice was matter-of-fact. “I’ll leave two of the shovels for you. I’m taking the third one to my place.”
Cassie met Krew’s gaze. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me. Your sons did all the work.”
Cassie nodded, but knew differently. She’d tried to get the boys to shovel before, but like they did with Krew this evening, they’d had all sorts of excuses. The difference was, he hadn’t let them get away with it. Somehow, he’d even made it fun.
“Krew has tools. Lots of them,” K.T. informed her. “He told us the house he grew up in was worse than this one. He’s going to show us how to make repairs since Old Man Winkle won’t do anything.”
“Yeah,” Braxton echoed. “Just because Winkle won’t do anything doesn’t mean we can’t.”
“Working with tools is a skill you can always use,” K.T. told her.
“Yes, it is.” Cassie’s heart swelled. She resisted the urge to ruffle K.T.’s hair, knowing he wouldn’t appreciate the gesture. Not in front of Krew. “Sandwiches are on the counter, along with mayo and mustard. You can eat in here or in your room. Your choice.”
“See ya later, man.” Braxton lifted a hand.
“Thanks for the food,” K.T. called over his shoulder, already on his way to the counter. “Even if we did have to work for it.”
The two boys grabbed the sandwiches and a bag of chips and disappeared into their bedroom.
“Thank you. Sincerely.” Cassie gestured toward the kitchen. “Let me make you a sandwich. A kind gentleman brought enough food to feed an army.”
Krew grinned, but shook his head. “I should get home. I’m guessing you have some studying to do.”
She pointed at Axl. “Once I get him to bed.”
“When is your test?”
“I can take it anytime I feel ready.” Cassie couldn’t stop the shiver of anticipation. “I’m aiming for the week after Thanksgiving.”
“You’ll pass.”
“If I don’t, I’ll try again.”
“You’ve done a good job with the boys.” Krew met her gaze. “They’re amazing kids.”
The compliment had tears welling in Cassie’s eyes. She hurriedly brushed them away. In the past few years, compliments about her parenting skills had been few and far between. “Are you really going to teach them how to do home repairs?”
“Absolutely.” Krew flashed her that heart-stopping smile, then hesitated. “Cass…”
“What is it?” Cassie furrowed her brow at his suddenly serious expression. “Did one of the boys say something? Or do something you didn’t want to mention in front of them?”
“No. Nothing like that.” Krew swallowed. “I just want to say thank you.”
“It’s me who should be thanking you.” She smiled. “For the shovels and the clean driveway. Not to mention all the food. You brought enough to feed us for a week.”
“I wasn’t referring to any of that.” He cleared his throat. “Thanks for letting me be here, for allowing me to spend time with you and your children. It’s been a long time since I felt I was part of a family.”
Cassie saw he meant every word. If he could be honest and take a risk, so could she. “I like having you around.”
Krew studied her for a long moment before stepping to her and resting his hands on her shoulders.
An ache of longing filled her. Not since she was fifteen had anyone touched her heart like Krew. She wanted him to kiss her.
Her body quivered with anticipation. Just when she thought she couldn’t wait a second longer, he tugged her to him.
Finally, blessedly, his mouth closed over hers. Krew’s lips were warm and sweet. He kissed her with a slow thoroughness that left her yearning for more.
Cassie stroked the back of his neck, twining her fingers in his thick, soft hair.
When he stepped back, they stood there gazing at each other until he moved her arm so her hand slid down to his and he gently locked their fingers together.
He smiled at her.
She smiled back.
Then, as if he couldn’t help himself, he brushed another kiss across her lips before strolling out the door.
Chapter Fourteen
Cassie was still basking in the warm glow of the previous evening when her mother and Len walked through the door of the Daily Grind. It wasn’t unusual for the two to stop by, but they usually waited until happy hour, which was still several hours away.
Ryder was busy in the back room.
“Cassie.” Her mother rushed to the bake case. “We were hoping you were working today.”
There was no denying that Anita Fishback was an attractive woman. Layered auburn hair waved gently around her angular
face. For a woman in her late fifties, her skin was remarkably free from wrinkles. Partly because of good genes, mostly thanks to regular Botox treatments.
Anita was as slender as her willow-thin daughters, but with bigger breasts. Though Cassie considered her mother’s hazel eyes her best feature, she had no doubt her mother would declare her favorite asset to be her sexy figure.
“Good to see you again, Cass.” Len offered her a gap-toothed smile, then dropped his gaze to the case. “I have a hankering for something sweet. What do you recommend?”
“The coffeecake this week is caramel apple.” Cassie didn’t mention that the variation was a huge hit. It still didn’t sit well with her mother that Blooms Bake Shop had the exclusive contract to provide pastries to the Daily Grind. “It’s really good. While the cake is moist and buttery, the caramel-streusel topping adds that extra bit of delicious.”
“I have a caramel apple coffeecake that I make in my bakery.” Anita sniffed. “People tell me it’s the best in town.”
“I’m sure it’s delicious,” Cassie said. While her mother wasn’t much of a cook, she was an excellent baker. “I can’t wait to taste it.”
Len glanced at Anita. “You should make some for the kids. Maybe have some on hand so they can take it home after Thanksgiving dinner.”
“Wow. Thanksgiving. It seemed so far away, and now it’s almost here.” Cassie shifted from one foot to the other. She had a sinking feeling her mother was going to offer to make Thanksgiving dinner.
Please, no.
“That’s why we’re here.” Len put a hand on Anita’s shoulder. “Lindsay wants to host Thanksgiving this year, but to take some of the burden off her, your mother is handling the coordination.”
“Oh.” Cassie wondered if that meant her mother would be cooking, too. If that was the case, she knew the boys would rather eat hot dogs at home.
“She’s already invited me,” Len added, “and I said yes. I can’t imagine not spending the holidays with my Muffy.”
The pet name he had for her mother had always struck Cassie as silly. Today, it seemed, well, sweet.
“Your sister has offered to make the bird, the stuffing and the mashed potatoes,” Anita informed her. “I thought you could bring that green bean casserole the boys love and cranberry relish.”
“Sure.” Relief washed through Cassie. “I can do that.”
“Dakota and I will handle the rolls and the pies.”
“It sounds like a good plan.” Cassie thought of Krew. “Has Dakota said anything about wanting to invite someone else to dinner this year?”
Anita’s gaze sharpened.
Len inclined his head. “Does Dakota have a boyfriend?”
“I hope not,” Anita huffed. “The girl doesn’t need the distraction.”
Len laughed. “Most girls that age seem to like that kind of distraction.”
Anita’s lips pursed. “Dakota needs to stay focused on her education. One mistake can start a snowball of changes, all downhill.”
Len’s brow furrowed. “I’m not sure I follow.”
“She means Dakota could have sex, get pregnant and end up unmarried with four kids and working in a job for little more than minimum wage.” Cassie gestured to herself. “Like me.”
“Oh, honey, I’m sure that wasn’t what she was thinking,” Len said in an obvious attempt to soothe her.
Cassie met her mother’s eyes.
To her surprise, Anita looked away and her voice softened. “I want the best for Dakota. Just like I want the best for you.”
“I let you down.”
“You let yourself down.” Anita cleared her throat. “And I let you down.”
Her mother’s admission had Cassie blinking back tears.
“Mistakes are a part of life.” Cassie finally managed to find her voice. “I’ve learned from mine.”
“You’ve made great strides.” Anita glanced at Len. “I don’t know if I told you, but Cassie has taken a sabbatical from men. She’s going to concentrate on herself and her boys. I couldn’t be prouder.”
Cassie found it interesting that this was what made her mother proud, rather than her efforts to get her real estate license. She thought of Krew and the kisses they’d shared.
It meant nothing, she told herself. Just some friendly kisses between two people who shared a daughter.
But why, then, did she find herself thinking about last night’s kiss and wondering when she could kiss him again?
Krew paused at the door leading into the day care center at the Good Hope Living Center. When Cassie had called and asked if he’d mind picking Axl up at day care and walking him over to the Daily Grind, he hadn’t hesitated.
He liked Cassie. They were friends. While he was in Good Hope, he would do what he could to make her life easier.
The bells over the door jingled as Krew stepped inside and strode to the reception desk. The brightly colored clock on the wall read five fifty-eight. Krew smiled. He’d made it with two minutes to spare.
An older woman, her salt-and-pepper hair pulled back in a stylish twist, was on the phone. “Roy was lucky the fire department arrived when they did. If he’d been in there much longer…”
She met Krew’s gaze and held up a finger. “Angie, I’ll need to call you back.”
The women set the receiver back on its base and smiled up at Krew. “How can I help?”
“I didn’t mean to overhear, but were you by any chance talking about Roy Davis?”
“Yes.” Surprise skittered across her face. “Do you know him?”
“I think everyone in Good Hope knows him.” Krew smiled. “A field trip to Cherry Acres has been a grade-school tradition for as far back as I can remember.”
“Yes, well.” The older woman sighed. “I’m afraid there was a fire at his place last night. His house burned to the ground.”
“But he’s okay?” Krew recalled Roy as being a kind, if rather intimidating, man.
“My friend said they took him to Sturgeon Bay with smoke inhalation. It sounds like he’ll be fine.”
“That’s good news.”
The clock on the wall began to chime. Krew looked up in alarm.
“Don’t worry. You’re not late.” The woman glanced at her computer screen. “Who are you here for?”
“I’m Krew Slattery. I’m here to pick up Axl Lohmeier. I believe his mother called and gave her okay.”
The woman’s smile faded. “Our normal protocol is to have something written on file before releasing a child to someone other than a parent.”
“I believe Cassie spoke with the director and got her okay.”
“Let me call her quick.” Holding up one finger the woman made a quick call then smiled and pointed to an arched doorway. “Axl will be in there with the other two children waiting for their parents.”
The money clock was ticking for those parents. According to Cassie, if Axl wasn’t picked up by six, she’d be charged twenty dollars for each fifteen minutes after six, whether she was late by a minute or fifteen.
A young woman with curly brown hair, who couldn’t be much older than Dakota, sat on the rug with the three children. They were tossing a ball back and forth between them.
Krew cleared his throat. “I’m here for Axl.”
She looked up, smiled, then turned her attention to Axl, who’d already scrambled to his feet.
“Don’t forget your picture.” The teacher pointed to a table, then turned to Krew. “Each child drew pictures of their family today. Axl’s is quite detailed. You may have a budding little artist there.”
“One of his older brothers is very artistic.”
Axl scooped up his picture, then lowered his head and ran full speed toward Krew. Just before he got tackled, Krew grabbed the boy and swung him up in the air, making him giggle.
The sound was so infectious, Krew smiled.
“Is that your dad, Axl?” a small red-headed boy, who appeared to be a year older than Axl, called out.
Axl
studied Krew for several seconds, then nodded.
“Cool.” The boy snatched the ball from the smaller child while the teacher’s attention was on Krew.
“Axl’s coat is over there, on the hook beneath his name.” The teacher gestured to a row of mostly empty hooks and three remaining coats.
“Get your coat,” Krew told Axl. “We’re going to walk to where Mommy works.”
Axl grabbed the coat with one hand and shoved the picture at Krew with the other. “For you.”
Krew shook his head. “It’s a picture of your family, Axl. Your mom will want it.”
“It’s for you.” Axl’s chin jutted out. He spread open the paper and pointed to a man standing beside a tall woman with yellow hair. “That’s you.”
The teacher had been right. It was a detailed picture and depicted him and Cassie as well as the three boys and Dakota, each of them easily identifiable.
For a second, Krew found it difficult to breathe. He put the paper in the inside pocket of his coat. When he spoke, his voice was raspy, as if he’d just consumed several shots of whiskey in rapid succession. “That’s really good, bud. Thanks. Now put on your coat, please.”
Axl struggled with the zipper, frowning.
“Can I help?”
“I do it.” Axl’s blond brows remained pulled together in concentration. He grinned broadly when the zipper caught and he pulled it up. “See?”
“Good job.” Unlike Cassie’s coat, which was totally unsuitable for winter weather, Axl’s coat appeared well insulated. Krew narrowed his gaze, spotting a hat and gloves peeking out of his pockets. “Put on your gloves and hat. It’s cold outside.”
To his surprise, the boy obliged.
Before they left, Krew pulled out two twenties and held them out to the teacher. “I’d like to leave this to cover the extra cost for those two.”
He gestured with his head toward the two boys playing with the ball on the rug.
The woman hesitated. “Well, I don’t—”
