by Cindy Kirk
As amazing as the flowers were, it was the grill station that captured her gaze and held it. Under a pergola of redwood, the massive steel-fronted grill was encased in stone and brick. The countertop had more space than the one in her apartment. Of course, she’d venture the Duggans did more cooking here during nice weather than Cassidy did in her kitchen all year.
There was only one negative. The grill with its dozens of shiny silver knobs released a nauseating aroma of sizzling meat into the air.
Not certain if it was nerves or brats, Cassidy ignored the churning and watched Zach turn the meat tongs over to his father-in-law then give his wife’s hand a squeeze.
Even from this distance, Lindsey looked a little green. Perhaps the brats had gotten to her, too. If Cassidy hadn’t known Tim’s sister was pregnant, she’d never have guessed. Lindsey’s navy cropped pants hugged a slender figure without even the tiniest bulge.
Of course, this was early days for her, just like it was for Cassidy. For a brief second, Cassidy had an image of her child and Lindsey’s little one playing together in this yard under the shade of the large oak tree.
She immediately banished the image as premature. Cassidy still hadn’t decided what to do once the baby was born. Though she told herself she’d do what was best for the child, the thought of giving up a part of her—a part of Tim—to strangers tore at her like a rusty nail on smooth flesh.
But that was future stuff. First she had to get past the crucial twelve-week mark. Her hand moved protectively to her flat stomach.
Tim cleared his throat.
Cassidy reined in her thoughts and gestured to the two men next to the grill. “Your dad and Emerson look like they’re having fun.”
Tim’s father held meat tongs in a classic fencing pose, while Emerson swiped at them with a two-prong fork. The two only laughed when Suzanne called out for them to act their age.
“About Emerson being here—”
“He’s your dad’s friend. It’s fine. I thought you said it’d be just family but—” Cassidy paused, horrified. Dear Lord, were those tears filling her eyes? Darn pregnancy hormones.
She blinked the moisture back before Tim could notice and waved a hand. “The more the merrier.”
“My parents invited them. I didn’t know they were coming myself until I got here.” Tim’s arm draped around her shoulders and he leaned close, his gaze intense. “We don’t have to stay.”
Get a grip. Cassidy gave herself a swift mental kick. As much as she’d like his arm to stay just where it was, it was a little too...intimate. She lifted a shoulder and took a step back, dislodging the connection.
“We’re not going anywhere. At least I’m not. I came here specifically to get a taste of Lindsey’s corn salad. We were talking at Perfect Pizza before you got there that night. She mentioned it was a favorite of the girls’. When she said there were Fritos on top, I knew I had to try it.” Cassidy stopped the chatter and took a breath. “Besides, this is the perfect opportunity for Jayne and me to chat about something of personal interest to us both.”
Tim’s brows pulled together in puzzlement. “What would that be?”
Cassidy winked. “Why, you, of course.”
A startled look flashed across Tim’s face, but before he had a chance to respond, his father called out and motioned them over.
With each step, the odor, er, aroma, from the smokin’ hot monster grew more intense. Bile rose in Cassidy’s throat. She fought it by breathing through her mouth.
Both men greeted her and Tim with friendly smiles.
“Hello, Miss Cassidy.” Tim’s dad lifted his tongs in greeting. “I’m glad you could join us today.”
“Good to see you again, pretty lady,” Emerson added, his meat fork no longer at a dueling level.
As they chatted, Tim’s hand rested proprietarily on the small of her back. When warmth flooded her body, Cassidy scolded herself for responding to such a simple gesture.
They’d barely made it through a few comments about the beautiful weather when Jayne wandered over. Cassidy wasn’t surprised to see the librarian had eschewed jeans for a pencil-thin navy skirt and a crisp white shirt. A scarf with a nautical flair was looped artistically around her throat.
Cassidy thought of the tulle skirt and the tie-dyed tank she’d considered wearing today and wished she’d worn the ensemble. Though she hadn’t wanted to stand out, she realized her everyday clothes gave her confidence.
Wearing what she wanted, doing as she pleased, reaffirmed to her that she was no longer a scared little girl subject to her mother’s crazy mood swings. She was a woman in charge of her own destiny. Today, she needed that confidence.
As she visited with Jayne, Cassidy was seized with an uncharacteristic urge to take Tim’s hand. Why, she wasn’t certain. To show Jayne she was here with him? To say they were connected in a way not yet obvious?
Cassidy kept her hands at her sides.
She didn’t need anyone. The only person she’d ever been able to count on was herself. This needy uncertainty was new and extremely annoying.
It’s just the hormones, she reassured herself. Or perhaps it was this whole crazy wholesome scene. A backyard barbecue on a Friday night. With a normal family. Excluding Suzanne, of course.
Still, at least she didn’t have to worry about Tim’s mother snorting cocaine at the table or screaming obscenities at the top of her lungs over nothing. That was the kind of home life she’d had as a child.
Though Tim kept a respectable distance, Cassidy found his presence beside her comforting. For some reason, she’d expected him to remove his palm from her back once Jayne draw near, but it remained firmly against her spine. Cassidy felt the heat all the way through the fabric of her shirt.
“How’s the task force coming?” Tim asked, bringing up a subject they could all discuss.
Before she or Jayne could respond, the twins ran up, talking a mile a minute.
Jayne smiled indulgently. “Slow down. I can’t understand a word either of you are saying.”
Tim laughed. “That makes two of us.”
“They found a frog and want us to come see it.” A fast talker herself, Cassidy had no difficulty interpreting the high-pitched, jumbled-together words. “A huge green one.”
“He’s by the fence. Ellyn is scared.” Esther’s tone made it clear what she thought of her sister’s fear. “Come see.”
“You go on.” Jayne wrinkled her nose. “I’m not a fan of anything slimy.”
Cassidy glanced around the fenced yard. Not a pond in sight. Not even a small decorative one. “They normally like water.”
Jayne shuddered. “Just get rid of it.”
“Noooo,” Esther protested.
“Let’s take a look.” Without thinking, Cassidy extended a hand.
Esther took it readily, pulling her across the lawn.
While Jayne remained behind, Tim and Ellyn followed.
Esther tugged Cassidy all the way to the far corner of the yard, where decorative bushes in vibrant colors of red, gold and green had been expertly trimmed.
The amphibian sat big and bold in front of a gold-leafed bush.
“He is a big boy.” Cassidy squatted down to get a closer look. The large green frog stared back. “And quite a beauty.”
Ellyn spoke up from somewhere behind her.
“He’s...slimy,” she said in a hesitant tone, her words echoing Jayne’s opinion.
“Good observation.” Cassidy glanced over her shoulder and smiled. “The sheen helps his skin stay moist when he’s not in water.”
She turned back to the frog and Esther squatted down beside her. Cassidy motioned with her hand for Ellyn to also move closer. “Girls, look at how pretty he is with his shiny green skin. And don’t you just love his black polka dots?”
/> Okay, so the dark spots weren’t really polka dots, but what good was an imagination if you didn’t use it?
“I bet he’s a she,” Esther announced. “Boys don’t wear polka dots, do they, Daddy?”
Behind her, Cassidy heard Tim chuckle. “Not usually.”
“I have a polka-dot dress,” Esther told Cassidy quite seriously. “But my dots are pink.”
Though Ellyn still appeared hesitant, she edged closer until she stood beside Cassidy, digging the toe of one shoe into the dirt.
“His eyes are bulgy,” Ellyn observed.
“They stick up like that so he can see in several directions at the same time.” Cassidy kept her tone matter-of-fact. “He’s curious. Just like you girls. Curiosity is a good thing.”
Cassidy glanced back and caught Tim staring, a look of approval in his warm hazel eyes.
“Jenna in our class at school has bulgy eyes,” Ellyn announced.
Tim covered his laughter with a cough.
“But she doesn’t have green skin,” Esther told her twin then refocused on Cassidy, her intense gaze reminding Cassidy of Tim. “I like bright colors.”
Cassidy grinned. “You and me both, chickadee.”
“I like it when you have those pretty colors in your hair,” Ellyn surprised Cassidy by saying.
“I do, too,” Tim agreed.
Cassidy straightened, angled her head. “You do?”
All three nodded.
“Though you look very nice today,” Tim quickly added. As if he could hear her unspoken thoughts, he smiled. “I believe what my daughters and me are saying is that we like you however you wear your hair.”
The weight that had been pulling her heart into the basement began to lift.
“What are you doing back here?” Suzanne scolded as she moved cautiously through the grass, looking perfectly groomed—as usual—in khaki pants and red-checkered shirt.
“Gramma.” Ellyn hopped and ran to her grandmother tugging on her hand. “Come see the pretty frog.”
“Don’t touch it.” Suzanne pulled her granddaughter close. “You get warts from those things.”
“Mom.” Tim looked mildly amused. “Warts are caused by a human virus, not by touching frogs or toads.”
“So you say,” Suzanne said dismissively, tightly clutching her granddaughter’s hand. “There’s a stick over there. Kill it.”
The cry of the girls nearly drowned out her words.
“Nooooo,” Esther cried.
“Don’t kill it,” Ellyn said, tears filling her eyes.
Tim cast his mother a censuring glance. “No one is killing anything.”
“Of course not.” Cassidy spoke in a reassuring manner. “But your grandmother is right. He doesn’t belong in this yard.”
The two girls focused on her even as Cassidy shifted her gaze to Suzanne and spoke directly to her. “Do you happen to have an empty shoebox?”
Suzanne’s brows pulled together in puzzlement. “Why?”
“It’s time we take Mr. Frog to a new home.”
* * *
Tim insisted on driving Cassidy home after the barbecue. The girls were playing happily with Miss Priss and her bad-boy baby, Domino. They happily waved goodbye when he told them he’d be back shortly. His father had given Cassidy a warm hug and told her he was glad she’d come and to not be such a stranger.
Even his mother had been cordial. At least what passed for cordial for Suzanne Duggan. She’d thanked Cassidy for ridding her yard of the green menace and even managed to sound sincere. In deference to her, Tim waited until they were out of sight before capturing Cassidy’s hand.
“What’s this?” Cassidy lifted their joined hands.
Tim pretended to study their fingers, his straight-cut nails and her purple-tipped ones. “It’s me touching you, something I wanted to do all evening.”
She didn’t smile or shoot back some pithy remark guaranteed to make him grin. Instead, she pulled her hand from his.
“You don’t have to do this, you know,” she said softly, her expression serious.
“Do what? Be nice?”
“Pretend to be interested in me.” Cassidy stopped at the edge of the driveway and faced him. “While I appreciate it, we both know you’re only hanging with me now because of the bun.”
Tim cocked his head. Sometimes it was as if she spoke a foreign language.
“In the oven.” Cassidy patted her flat belly.
He almost grinned but pulled the smile back at the last second.
Her blue eyes were so serious and there was an uncharacteristic frown between her brows. He also saw fatigue and weariness in the way her shoulders, normally so straight, drooped.
He raised his hand and cupped her cheek. “I’m with you because I like you.”
She shook her head. “You made it clear, BB—Before Bun—that you didn’t have time for a relationship.”
Instead of answering, he glanced from the driveway to the street. “Where’s your car?”
“Down the block. With your parents living on a circle, I wasn’t sure where to park.” Her gaze met his. “You don’t need to drive me.”
“You’re not driving home alone at night.”
A startled look crossed her face. “It’s not even dark.”
“If I have to ride in the trunk, I’m coming with you.”
“In the trunk, huh?” She tapped a nail against her lips. “That might be interesting.”
He just grinned and when she started down the sidewalk toward her vehicle, Tim fell into step beside her.
“I had the next ten years of my life planned out,” Tim said finally, turning serious. “Then you showed up.”
Her chuckle sounded forced. “And turned your life upside down.”
Tim opened her car door. He didn’t dispute it. How could he? It was true. But an upside-down life wasn’t a bad thing, or so he kept telling himself.
“I want to get to know you, Cassidy.” He slanted a sideways glance and was once again reminded how different she looked this evening. “The real you.”
“I’m always me.”
“Not dressed like that.”
Her lips twitched. “You don’t like boring?”
“You’d be beautiful in a burlap sack.” He reached over and took her hand. “You don’t need to change your hair or clothes to prove you belong.”
“Is that what you think I was trying to do?” Her voice had turned cool.
“Weren’t you?” That was one of the things he liked most about Cassidy. They could be honest with each other.
She hesitated for a long moment. “I wanted to fit in.”
“Not possible.” At her startled look, he grinned. “You’re unique. One of a kind. Don’t change, Cass. Not for me. Not for anyone.”
The drive to her downtown apartment went by all too quickly. He parked and they stopped outside the door that would take her up the steps to her second-story apartment.
“Will you invite me up?”
She hesitated then shook her head. “It’s been a long day.”
His gaze searched hers. “I want us to start dating. I want you to get to know my girls and let them get to know you.”
“Because of the baby.”
“Partly. The baby will be their sibling,” Tim said finally. “You and I will forever be joined by our child.”
Cassidy gave a humorless laugh and pretended to shiver. “Now that’s one scary thought.”
He found himself encouraged that she didn’t mention the possibility of not keeping the baby.
“Seriously, Cass. I think it’s important we use this time before our child is born to get to know each other better.”
“I’d say we know each other pretty...intima
tely.”
If she thought the suggestive tone and wiggling eyebrows would distract him, it only proved how little she knew him.
“What do you say?” Tim pressed. “Will you go out with me tomorrow night?”
Chapter Twelve
Cassidy still wasn’t quite sure how it happened, but she was dating Tim Duggan.
Of course, she knew how it had happened, she corrected her thoughts. She’d gotten herself knocked up. He was being a gentleman.
The real question was, how had she ended up shopping for baby stuff with his sister?
“What do you think of this?” Lindsey held up a one-piece garment that looked incredibly tiny with little snaps and a picture of a red dump truck on the front.
“It looks like it’s made for a doll.” Cassidy fought a frisson of fear. Would her baby really be so small?
Lindsey examined the tag. “It says zero to three months, so it should fit a newborn.”
Tim’s sister had stopped into the salon at the end of Cassidy’s workday. The women had headed to Babies R Us, a boutique not far from the hair salon. After standing on her feet all day, shopping didn’t interest her but Lindsey had sounded so hopeful when she’d asked if Cassidy had plans. If she was going to make an effort to become better acquainted with Tim’s family, spending time with Lindsey—a woman she liked—seemed a good place to start.
Cassidy glanced at the garment, not even tempted to pick it up. “I’m surprised you didn’t ask your mother to shop with you.”
Lindsey gave a little laugh. “And have her lecture me on how much weight I’m gaining, or not gaining? No, thank you.”
Cassidy looked at her askance. “I thought the two of you were getting along better?”
At the barbecue two weeks ago, Cassidy hadn’t heard Suzanne direct a single snide comment at her daughter. Lindsey put down the garment and picked up another one. Only this one, instead of having a truck on the front, had a pink princess. “It’s up and down. Mom can be a tad overbearing. In case you hadn’t noticed.”
“I noticed,” Cassidy said with a wry smile.
“Tim pretty much ignores her.” Lindsey moved on to more little outfits hanging on impossibly small hangers on a circular rack. “That’s always worked for him. Our sister, Sarah, could do no wrong. She and Mom got along wonderfully. But her and me...”
