Relish (The Cass Chronicles Book 2)

by Susannah Shannon

  Cass

  While Cass had been chopping away with her new handy dandy cleaver, Hazel was humming. Cass laughed when she recognized the tune. "Is that the song about a kookaburra?" Hazel nodded and they sang it together. "What on earth brought that to mind?" Cass asked.

  "Oh well, you know we Alaskans have a lot in common with the Aussies."

  Cass lay down her cleaver. "Really?"

  Hazel bustled around her. "Independent, self reliant." She pulled a dishtowel out of the drawer.

  "Descended from a long line of convicts…"

  Hazel flipped her with the dishtowel and they laughed companionably. "Well, now that I think about it, that's probably true." Hazel was usually unflappable, but she looked suddenly nervous. "I know I was so blessed when you married that impossible son of mine."

  Cass unexpectedly felt herself near tears. "I am the lucky one."

  Hazel waved Cass's declaration away with a jazz hands motion. "I am going to try really hard to love Ava like I love you. But…" she wrapped Cass in a hug, "it won't be easy. Friends have told me that they feel left out after their sons marry, and I have never felt that way with you."

  Cass was a few inches taller than the diminutive Hazel, something that didn't happen often. With a wave of tenderness, she gave Hazel a tiny kiss on the trip of her nose. "Ava is so fucking lucky, and not just to be getting Torsten."

  "Thank you, sweet pea. Once they are married, all I can do is hope and pray. He's a grown man, time to leave and cleave baby!"

  Cass looked down at the large axe like knife on the cutting board. "Cleaver is a weird word isn't it? A cleaver smashes things apart, but doesn't it also mean to stick together?"

  "Well, I doubt whoever wrote the Bible did a lot of butchering. A knife like that though is useful. Nothing fiddly about it—just hack off the parts you don't want." She brought her hand down in a quick karate chop "Ha! done!" She turned to look back at her daughter-in-law. "What you said means the world to me; it's my birthday present."

  "That's right! Your birthday is right after the wedding."

  Chapter 9 - The Deception Confection

  She had her in. Even the high strung Ava could not say no to the notion of a birthday cake for her soon to be mother-in-law. "Yeah, okay, but no red," was all she had to say and she dismissed Cass by turning back to her laptop.

  So, Cass would make the heart shaped monstrosity that Ava requested, but she would also make a delicious cake for Hazel. She imagined herself careening around the reception 'accidentally' knocking the lemon chocolate cake out of their hands and saying, "Oops! Go try the other one." Who was she kidding? She didn't need to pretend to be a klutz, she was one to the core.

  Since Ava's cake would be chocolate, she wanted a color for Hazel's. They didn't need two chocolate cakes, and if she went with white then it would look like she was trying to steal the 'wedding cake spotlight', never mind that was precisely what she was doing. The wedding colors were sage and silver; Cass's dress had arrived and it did her no favors. In fact, even the effusively positive Killian who told her everyday that she was beyond beautiful had been surprised. "Hm. A shade of green that doesn't look good on a redhead, what are the chances of that?" Cass wasn't sure the sickly celery color was the biggest issue. The bridesmaid dresses were strapless and knee length in a flowy chiffon material. Perfect for a beach wedding. In a snowed-in lodge, not so much.

  Hazel's favorite color was coral. So that was easy. A pale coral cake would maybe bring a sprig of pretty to this sophisticated, modge-podge of a wedding. She set to work, baking the cake layers and mixing up fillings.

  Chapter 10 - Dead Hens Would Have More Fun

  They had kicked a variety of ideas around for the days preceding the wedding. Travelling for a bachelorette party for a pregnant woman seemed expensive and foolish. So while the Nelson boys travelled to Juneau, the girls headed to Sam's. Cass tried not to be jealous. She was up to her eyeballs in wedding prep. She was a little concerned that Killian's attempts to talk his brother out of marrying Ava would ruin whatever 'bachelor party' plans they had. Jen had referred to them as the 'testicular festivities' and Cass could not stop imaging ball sacks with party hats dancing the Macarena. The boys were meeting up with their high school friends and then travelling back to Slicktrench together.

  Lloyd had left early in the day; he was meeting a friend in Juneau. Which sounded suspicious to Cass. She had not told Hazel her revelations about the true character of the seemingly kind, but clearly shady accountant. Cass was worried about the audit, but mostly hated the idea of Hazel being heartbroken. She was relieved for the man to be gone, even if only for a day.

  Hazel had insisted that there needed to be a hen's night for Ava. By the time Hazel was done bludgeoning every female resident of Slicktrench with her forceful personality she had a guest list. Hazel had mentioned that Libby had not seemed to want to come, but that she had bowed to the pressure when the elder Mrs. Nelson had refused to take no for an answer. Cass wondered exactly what it would take for the various and sundry Nelsons to realize that their beloved Libby loathed the Chicagoan foodie that Killian had stuck them all with. It would require bloodshed or something like it.

  Hazel, the indomitable but decidedly elderly Bea, Cass and the pizza coven, joined Libby and Ava for snacks and drinks. Cass could think of very little that sounded less festive. Perhaps a colonoscopy performed at the arctic circle would be worse. But only if it was outside. In January.

  As soon as the women arrived at the establishment, Hazel and Bea announced they were playing pool. Great, the only two people in the party Cass could imagine herself having fun with were sequestering themselves. There was a brief glimmer of hope when Ava and Libby discovered a sliver of common interest. Libby was a pharmacist and Ava was a pharmaceutical rep. Libby had always been pleasant and forthright, and Cass disliked her, more on principle than anything else. It appeared, however that Libby didn't share Cass's live and let live viewpoint. She was a raging bitch all night. Cass tried to rise above Libby's feelings about her for the sake of the bride. Cass tried to explore their common interests. "So—you both know a lot about drugs, right?" Oh God, where was her adult beverage?

  "Well, no," said Libby, barely hiding her disgust. "I know about medicines—she gets health care providers to ignore empirical studies in exchange for coffee mugs with a company logo on it."

  Alrighty, then. Cass made sure that the pizza coven member she thought of us as 'Pierced' was picking up enough shots of alcohol for everyone. She cared not a whit what kind of alcohol. She couldn't bear the tension of waiting for the drinks at a table with a woman who clearly loathed her so she feigned a sudden interest in the billiards game and sauntered over. Hazel Nelson was the world's worst trash talker. Bea, was somewhat more strident. "Come to watch me kick your ma's ass?"

  "Ha!" trumpeted Hazel. "I'll say a prayer for your eyes, if you think that's going to happen." Which was a fairly typical 'Hazel' pronouncement since it was delivered with gusto and probably made a lot more sense if you could hear the part of the conversation that was only happening in Hazel's noggin.

  Cass laughed in spite of herself. "Hey, keep it friendly, you two—no rumbles tonight." Surely to God, there was alcohol back at the table by now.

  There was not, at least not for Cass. Libby had already drunk hers, and was clutching another shot in her hand. Ava sipped a sprite and did look a bit more comfortable than she had earlier. "Did you drink my shot?" Cass asked the nervy blonde.

  Libby didn't even look up at her. "No." Great. Either the pizza coven hadn't bothered to get her a drink or Libby had helped herself to it. How did everyone else not see just how much Libby hated her?

  "Well, it's not here," Cass harrumphed. She was taking no more chances with her very necessary inebriation. She stomped up to the bar. She avoided returning to the table, but her choices were slim. She watched a bit of the pool table 'smack down' but soon realized that Hazel and Bea were not keeping score. This made Hazel's pronouncem
ent, "You are going down old biddy!" ludicrous at best.

  Ava was texting and Libby was doing another shot. Cass pulled a chair back to join them at their table and heard the crunch of glass. A shot glass was on the floor. Cass glared at Libby, she had clearly stolen the shot earlier, and hidden the evidence. It was hard to imagine a more miserable evening. Cass was about to make an excuse, "I need to bone the quails for the wedding feast," was the phrase that came, nonsensically to mind. Then she remembered that Libby would immediately correct her. "It's February," she minced sarcastically to herself in a vinegary impersonation of the pharmacist/wildlife expert. "Everyone knows you can't hunt quail in months than end in Y."

  Closer inspection gave her pause, however. Libby looked positively green. Hazel and Bea were having a ball at the pool table. Ava was sending work texts on her phone. The pizza coven had gone to wherever they went when not being the worst waitresses on the planet.

  Cursing the day she was born, Cass helped Libby to the ladies' room. Cass had never seen a floor as disgusting as the ladies' room at Sam's. Not even in bars she'd frequented in college. It was a tight fit in the stall. Cass awkwardly pulled Libby's hair out of her way, trying her damnedest to stay on her own feet. She was determined not to kneel on the floor, reasonably certain that she would become stuck fast like a fly in the world's most repulsive flypaper. Between heaves, the blonde pharmacist was mumbling to herself. Cass could not make out much of what she was saying although the name 'Nelson' was clearly a significant part of the conversation. Unexpectedly, Libby sat back and looked blearily at Cass. "Has Killian ever spanked you in his truck?"

  Cass felt a surge of jealousy. She knew that Killian and Libby had lost their virginity to each other, but she had hoped that at least one thing could be strictly hers. She surrendered to her baser nature. "No," she responded and then continued, "he has a house now." Another wave of nausea rocked the slender girl and Cass felt (briefly) guilty. "Listen, there is no point in not dealing with this. Killian loves me, and…"

  "I should fucking hope he loves you. You are his wife. It's good though, you are the love of his life. Everybody knows it. Torsten thinks so too," slurred Libby. More vomiting. "Neither of us expected last week to happen."

  Cass fought to maintain her composure. "Libby, Killian is married." (To me you bloody stupid cow, she thought).

  Libby wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "Killian? Who's in love with Killian?"

  "What happened last week?" Cass asked, the tension in her voice causing it to rise sharply.

  "Was Killian at Sam's last week?" Libby asked. "I didn't see him there. Or here." She looked around. "We're at Sam's right?"

  "You saw Killian at Sam's last week?"

  Libby leaned back against the wall of the stall and seemed to have trouble focusing her eyes. She used her head to punctuate every syllable that she slowly slurred, "Of" nod, "course" nod, "not," biggest nod yet.

  "I didn't think so. I mean you are beautiful but Killian was home every night last week." She knew that what she should say was "I trust my husband" and she did. Still, it was made easier by the knowledge that Libby couldn't be telling the truth.

  "You are silly, but I like you a lot more than I want to." Libby reached for her hand with the easy affection of the truly drunk.

  "I like you too." Also against my better judgment, Cass thought.

  "But Jesus, you are stupid." Libby's head lolled to one side.

  Cass's temper flared. "Yes, I am stupid. Otherwise why would I be in here with the woman who says she got drunk with my husband last week."

  Libby looked around. "Who?"

  "You!" Cass bellowed through clenched teeth.

  Infuriatingly, Libby patted her shoulder. "Don't be ridiculous." Libby hiccupped loudly. Cass rose to abandon Libby to her inebriated, mean spirited self. "I got drunk and had sex with Torsten." Cass leaned against the stall door. Torsten had gotten to Slicktrench the day before he arrived at the lodge. He'd been with Libby.

  Libby was sobbing now. "We started talking, and I've always thought he was a great guy, and he was doing some shots before he went home to talk to Killian. And he knows he won't ever be happy with her, but he has to marry her anyway." She surrendered to the dry heaves that shook her body. "Fucking Nelson brothers. Handsome, sweet, sexy as hell and never in love with me."

  Perhaps he did have feelings for Libby; maybe that's why he seemed even less happy about his impending marriage than he had before. Once she took her own man out of the picture, there was no denying that Libby would make a hell of a Nelson woman. Cass felt a sudden pang of sorrow for Torsten who was nobly marrying a woman he didn't even like, while the woman he could so easily love was puking up her heartbreak.

  Chapter 11 - Frozen Assets

  The morning of the wedding dawned bright and icy. Cass had finished the cakes, and although she didn't favor dark chocolate wedding cakes, they both looked magnificent. She gave the lodge a quick walk through, emptying all of the trash cans, even in the bathrooms that were not used when just the family was here. She poured herself a cup of coffee and reviewed her notes… the crudités platters were crisp and lavish. The spanakopitas lay on long trays ready to brown in a ferociously hot oven. There were cheese platters, surrounded by ruffles of crackers. Canapés galore would be served to the guests, followed by cake, all washed down with sangria and beer. Looking at the buffet, it struck Cass just how out of sync with its environs it was. The food was all delicious, but not a single dish was the sort of thing you'd crave while in a stone lodge surrounding by Alaskan wilderness. The 'goddamned green dress' as she'd begun to call it in her head, fit in with the buffet. Ava wanted a beach wedding. Torsten was Alaskan to the bone marrow. If her parents, who had everything in common, couldn't find common ground, what hope did these two have? She was glad she'd found the solution, even if she had misgivings about it. Killian wouldn't have to compromise; he could be the magnificent man he was created to be. She would find her joy in that.

  The only thing more depressing than wearing the goddamned green dress would be to do demeaning labor in it. With her bitter mood, she decided she had nothing to lose. Ava had gone to get ready in one of the cabins, so she could be sequestered away until her grand entrance. Cass did a final sweep through the bathroom that adjoined to Ava's room. She didn't think anyone would go in there, but better to be tidy. Ava had taken most of her make up with her, so it only took a second to wipe down the sink. She emptied the trash can into a garbage bag. The bag caught on the drawer pull of one of the cabinets and split open. "Fucking great," Cass muttered to herself as she bent to gather up the spilled trash. A pregnancy test was laying on the floor. A used pregnancy test with a large red minus sign in the little window. Cass sat back on her heels. Ava was the only female guest in the lodge. Hazel had cleaned the bathroom before she arrived.

  She stuck her head around the corner. Libby and Hazel were admiring each other's dresses. Under the present circumstances Cass was thrilled to see Libby the pharmacist.

  "Libby, does a pregnancy test stay positive if it's positive? I mean..."

  "I know what you mean," the pharmacist replied, her usual blunt self. "Yes, the newer ones do. People like to keep them for scrapbooks. Go ahead, keep it, you will still be able to read it."

  Suddenly the scrapbooks her mother foisted on her seemed positively benign. Cass was fairly certain her mother had never urinated on anything she'd included in one.

  Cass dumbly held the test up, careful to keep her fingertips as far away from the business end as possible. "It's not mine."

  Libby looked closer. "But that's a negative."

  "I know." Cass was trying to wrap her head around it.

  Hazel reached out with a consoling pat. "I'm sorry dear, it will happen soon."

  Cass waved the plastic stick in front of her. "This isn't mine."

  "Well, I'm flattered, dear, but it isn't mine," her mother-in-law said with her characteristic bustle.

  Cass looked at Libby. "Ca
n you run in those shoes? We have a wedding to stop."

  On her best day, Cass could never have kept with a sprinting Libby Pritchett. With love on her mind, Libby was unstoppable.

  Cass caught up to her hovering in the hall, uncertainty on her face. "What do I say?"

  Cass may not be the athlete that her nemesis turned friend was, but she had cut her trash talking teeth confronting cabbies in the windy city. "Leave it to me." With a resigned set to her shoulders she knocked on the door where the bride to be was getting ready.

  Ava had sunk to the ground, a deflating meringue with a mouth in the shape of a sad 'o'. She denied nothing. Cass had prepared herself for an outraged denial, and was left thrown off balance by the lack of one. "Can I tell him?" was all Ava said. Had Ava been furious or bitchy, Cass could have held onto her outrage.

  Ava whispered, "I was, you know. It wasn't all a lie. And then he said that it would be okay and he would take care of me. I knew he wasn't in love with me, but I was already in love with him. Then I got my period and I thought, well. We're not using protection, so it will happen again. But he wants to be here, and I don't… believe it or not I am not a horrible person."

  " I don't think you are a horrible person." Well not entirely, she thought to herself before continuing. "But if you loved Torsten, you would have told him the truth. You don't lie to people you love," Cass said with much less venom than she had intended. A vision of the job offer from DIY Bride, rose unbidden behind her eyelids. "That was different," she reassured herself. "I agreed to give all that up when I decided to submit to my husband. That's not a lie. That's priorities".

  "You have no idea how much I wanted to be loved by a man like that."

  "I do. I totally do."

  While Ava confessed to Torsten, Cass found herself doing some confessing of her own.

  Of all the ways she had thought her husband might react to this news, she would never have predicted what he did. She thought he might commend her for being correct about it being ridiculous for her to consider it. She also thought he might be angry. She would never have predicted his slumping onto a bench and burying his face in his hands.