Too Hot to Handle

by Jennifer Bernard

  “I don’t want to tell him yet. Of course I will tell him.” Now she sounded irritated. “You said we could call you if we needed too, and that you’d keep it confidential.”

  “And I will. Of course. As long as no immediate danger is involved.”

  Holly was silent for a moment. Cassie wondered if she’d misstepped. It didn’t feel right going behind Kevin’s back like this, but on the other hand, Holly needed someone right now. And she couldn’t turn her back on her. She’d just have to take her chances that Kevin would understand.

  “There’s no immediate danger,” Holly finally said. “At least not the way you’re thinking.”

  “See you soon, Holly. Whatever’s going on, we’ll figure it out, okay?” Cassie ended the call, wishing she had a magic carpet to whisk her back to Jupiter Point.

  Well, she had the next best thing. Two pilot brothers who loved her.

  24

  Kevin idled outside Jupiter Point High School for half an hour before he realized that Holly wasn’t coming out. After a Sunday “family day” that was more like a Cold War, he’d decided he needed to shake things up.

  He hardly ever picked Holly up at school anymore, so that right there would be a dramatic gesture of goodwill. After that, he planned to take her to Pie in the Sky, where they made the most incredible sugared donuts that Holly loved. A surprise outing might get Holly to talk about what was really bothering her. And if she truly was upset about Cassie, they’d have a whole discussion about it.

  Which would include the fact that he had no idea where things stood with Cassie at the moment. She was going on a surprise vacation—without him. What did that say about their relationship?

  Also, he’d gotten online just in time to snag tickets to a Rihanna concert in LA next weekend. If that didn’t soften Holly up, nothing would.

  But the steady flow of students filing out of the school didn’t include Holly. He called her—again—and got her outgoing message. He’d already left a message, so this time he was “super annoying” and didn’t leave one.

  He spotted one of her friends and dashed out of the car to snag her before she got too far.

  “She wasn’t in gym class,” the girl said with a shrug. “But she skips that a lot.”

  “She does?” That was news to him. Not good news.

  “Oopsies. Forget I said that. Gotta go, sorry.” She hurried away to catch her ride.

  So Holly skipped gym class a lot. Which made no sense because she liked physical activity. She liked riding her bike, she liked playing softball in the summer, he’d even gotten her into tossing a football back and forth.

  What the hell was going on here?

  He headed into the school and searched out her gym teacher, who he’d met when he’d enrolled Holly in Jupiter Point High. She was a very nice and busy woman who explained that she’d excused Holly because she had her period.

  Not much he could say to that.

  “Does she get excused from gym a lot?”

  “Only when there’s good reason. Holly isn’t someone I ever worry about. She’s such a sweet girl and she takes good care of her own fitness level. If all my students were like Holly, my job would be very easy. My only complaint is that she has no interest in organized sports.”

  “She likes softball, have you mentioned that?”

  “I did, as a matter of fact. She said she hates it.” The teacher shrugged in apology and disappeared back into the gym.

  What the hell was going on?

  On his way down the main hallway to the front entrance, he veered off track to check out Holly’s locker. He’d helped her with the lock when she’d first started school and remembered exactly where it was. He wasn’t sure what he was expecting to find, and in fact it looked just like every other locker.

  Except that a bit of white card stock was sticking out from under the locker door. He muttered a quiet word of apology to his absent daughter, then pried it from her locker.

  And saw the last thing he’d expected. A business card with Cassie’s name and personal number on it.

  What the hell?? This was getting stranger and stranger.

  He pulled out his phone and called Cassie. She didn’t answer either.

  He didn’t like how this was shaping up. Holly was supposed to be at school, and if she wasn’t at school, she was supposed to tell him where she was. Had she called Cassie? If so, why hadn’t Cassie called him?

  He called Cassie again and left a message. “Call me right away. I can’t find Holly and she’s not answering her phone. I…” He gritted his teeth against the other angry words that wanted to come out. “Where are you, anyway? I left you a message earlier and never heard back. So, uh…I’d really appreciate a callback, especially if you know anything about where Holly might be. I found your business card in her locker, so…yeah. Anyway. Call me.”

  After that, he hopped in his car and called Knight and Day. Tobias answered.

  “I’m looking for Cassie, have you seen her?”

  “Looking at her right now. She’s about two thousand feet in the air, though, so you can’t talk to her yet. She should be on the ground in a few, I’ll have her call you.”

  “Thanks, big guy.” He hung up and let out a long relieved breath. Cassie would call him back as soon as she landed and tell him whatever she knew about Holly.

  But what if she didn’t know anything? What if that business card meant nothing?

  He launched into another series of phone calls. He called the observatory, where he spoke to Holly’s boss and learned she hadn’t been there for a few days.

  Really? That was definitely news to him, too.

  He called the neighbor family, with whom she often spent time after school. They hadn’t seen her since the day before. Jesus, he didn’t know who else to call. Mrs. Murphy at the bookstore? It was much too early to panic and call the police, or Will Knight or any other law-enforcement type.

  Still no word from Cassie. She must have landed by now. But when he called her, he got her voice mail again.

  Why the hell was she up in the Cessna? Wasn’t she supposed to be on vacation?

  Desperate to take action, he caved in and drove to the Third Book from the Sun. Mrs. Murphy assessed him with curious eyes that missed nothing.

  “I was wondering if my daughter Holly stopped in at all today. You probably know her, she has black hair and loves to read books about science and astronomy.”

  “Indeed I do know her.”

  No surprise there; Mrs. Murphy knew everyone in town.

  “But she hasn’t been in today.” She leaned closer. “I have noticed that her reading tastes have changed lately. She’s been shopping in the dystopian section.”

  “Dystopian? That’s a section?”

  “Yes, you know the kind of book. There’s been some kind of apocalyptic event and only one person, usually a teenage girl, can save humanity,” she explained. “Very popular with the kids these days.”

  “Huh.” Maybe he should pay more attention to what Holly read when she was holed up in her room. He’d been so lax lately, so wrapped up with Cassie that he hadn’t even realized his daughter was gorging on dystopian fiction.

  He was a terrible parent.

  But that was all about to change. From now on, no distractions. No Cassie. No fantasies about falling in love and having a real relationship. Once he found Holly and found out what was going on with her, he was going to make it perfectly clear that she was his top priority. His only priority.

  With guilt gnawing a massive hole in his stomach, he tried Cassie once again. This time, she answered.

  “Where the hell have you been?” he demanded. “I’ve been calling all afternoon. Do you have any idea where Holly is?”

  “Yes, she’s here with me. She’s okay. I was going to call you right away but I needed to talk to her first.”

  “She’s okay?” All his pent-up worry exploded in a rush of anger. “That’s not for you to decide,” he said in a tight voice. “Yo
u shouldn’t be in the middle of this. Put Holly on the phone.”

  She hesitated, clearly taken aback by his tone. “I’m sorry, Kevin. She’s not quite ready to talk. But she’s fine, I promise. I told her she could stay with me tonight, if that’s okay with you.”

  No, it wasn’t okay. No, no, no. He was her father, and he was supposed to protect her and keep her safe and nurture her and give her everything she needed…

  He tried to answer, but nothing came out but a strangled choking sound.

  “Kevin? Are you still there?”

  He grunted.

  “Can you trust me on this? She needed to talk to a non-parent. Please understand and don’t be angry with her.”

  Angry with Holly? He wasn’t angry with her. He couldn’t be angry with her.

  But fuck, he was angry. Or disappointed. Or confused. Or sick to his stomach. Something.

  “What is this all about?”

  A pause, along with some whispering on Cassie’s end of the phone. “It’s better if she tells you.”

  “Then put her on.”

  “No. Not yet.”

  His gut churned with worry.

  Get a grip. Holly was okay, according to Cassie. That was the important thing. She’d be perfectly safe with Cassie for the night. She’d probably have fun in that luxury home of Hunter and Starly’s. He didn’t need to be so panicked. This wasn’t a repeat of the kind of shit Sylvie used to pull.

  When he’d gotten a grip on his emotions, he finally managed a full sentence. “Fine. Tell Holly to call me when she’s ready to be picked up. I’ll come and get her.”

  “You don’t have to do that. I’ll take her to you, or wherever she needs to go. Apparently tomorrow’s an in-service day, so there’s no school—”

  “I know the school schedule.” He cut her off, using his voice like a whip. “And I’ll pick her up. I insist.”

  “Jesus, Kevin, there’s no need for—”

  “Stay out of it, Cassie. I don’t know why Holly called you, but it doesn’t mean you belong in this. You don’t, and I thought we were perfectly clear about that.”

  “Oh, we are,” she snapped back. “Perfectly clear.” She muttered something else as she ended the call, something that sounded a lot like “jackass.”

  Which he fucking was. Absolutely. When it came to his daughter, he could be a total jackass.

  Now that Cassie knew that, she’d probably never bother with him again.

  25

  “Did my dad freak out?” Holly asked in a small voice. Cassie sat back down next to her on the beach-grass-covered dunes. Holly’s bike lay nearby, along with her school backpack.

  “He’ll be fine. He says he’ll pick you up tomorrow. You can stay with me tonight.”

  “I’m just so embarrassed,” Holly wailed. “I want to tell him, but I’m afraid to. I’m still afraid to tell you. He’s going to be so disappointed in me.”

  “Oh sweetie. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Your father loves you.”

  “But you don’t understand. He’s always worried I’ll turn out like my mom. He doesn’t say it, but I know he thinks it. He has really high standards about some things. He’s like, kind of old-fashioned. He always expects the best. It’s so annoying.”

  “Listen, Holly. Kevin knows what it’s like to be young. He was no saint when he was a kid, or even when he was in the Air Force. Judging by the stories Ben tells,” she added quickly, remembering she wasn’t supposed to know Kevin that well.

  Not that it mattered now. Kevin’s icy-cold voice and cruel words didn’t leave much doubt that it was over between them. Whatever “it” had been in the first place.

  Holly gave her a knowing look. “You don’t have to hide the truth, you know. I know you and my dad are sleeping together.”

  Cassie swallowed hard. “Um…”

  “It’s okay. That’s partly why I called you. You know my dad, so maybe you can help me talk to him.”

  Maybe. Or maybe Kevin would freeze her into a popsicle at her own front door. “I’ll do whatever I can to help, but I honestly don’t know what that is. You have the wrong idea about us.”

  It doesn’t mean you belong in this, he’d said.

  Message received.

  “Whatever. It’s okay. I’m kind of glad you are, because he needs someone. I mean, I kind of lost it at first, when I found out. He should have told me. But—seriously, will you help me talk to him?”

  “Of course, I’ll do whatever you need. But you’re going to have to tell me first, you know.” She pushed her toes into the sand. “My curiosity’s going wild, I have to say.”

  The girl buried her head in her hands. Her hair tumbled in thick sheets alongside her face. Gently, Cassie lifted the silky black mass away from her cheek.

  And saw what she’d feared, what had been bubbling in the back of her mind. The faint traces of a nearly healed bruise.

  “Did someone hurt you?”

  “No. I mean, yes, but I deserved it.”

  “Sweetie, that’s not possible. No one deserves a bruise like that.”

  “I do.” Holly lifted her head and glared at Cassie. “I know what you think of me. You think I’m a nice girl, a good student, kind of a science geek, right? Someone who behaves herself and goes to school on time. Blah blah blah.”

  Taken aback, Cassie shook her head. “I wouldn’t describe you like that. You left out the sarcastic sense of humor and great taste in TV shows. But keep in mind, I don’t know you nearly as well as I wish I did.”

  Slightly mollified, Holly rubbed at a bit of the eyeliner that had smeared around her eyes. “Well, I know for sure that’s how other people see me. It’s because I’m half Asian. People assume I’m smart and studious and boring. I was sick of it.” She shoved her hair behind her ears, defiantly revealing the hint of color still left from the bruise.

  “Okay.” Cassie contemplated the mark. “So you decided to shake things up by joining a fight club?”

  Holly laughed, a surprised crackle of amusement. “Funny. But kind of close, actually. I wanted to prove myself to some girls I was hanging out with. They dared me to steal something. So I did. And while I was doing it, someone nearly caught me. That’s how I got the bruise.”

  Oh shit. This was bad. Very bad. And totally not what Cassie had been expecting. She’d imagined boy trouble, a crush who turned out to have a violent streak. Maybe even a sexual encounter gone wrong. But stealing? That hadn’t crossed her radar at all.

  “What did you steal?”

  “Money,” the girl admitted. “A lot of money. Like, over a thousand dollars.”

  Cassie fought to keep her reaction calm, to not scare her off before she told the entire story. “From where?”

  Holly drew in a deep breath. “The observatory. Where I volunteer. I knew how to access the cash register for the tours and everything. That’s where I took it from. I wore a silly mask because I knew there were cameras. A security guard chased after me and grabbed my wrist. I got away but his baton thingie hit my cheek.”

  Cassie went cold to the soles of her feet. “You were lucky he didn’t shoot you.”

  “I knew he wouldn’t do that. The security guards there don’t carry guns.”

  Jesus. Did she have some kind of budding criminal on her hands here? Luckily, in the next breath, Holly relieved her of that worry.

  “I thought it was just a stunt. The other girls dared me to steal it, and I did. But after that I planned to give it back. Just sneak it back into the cash register as if it was there the whole time.”

  “Let me guess. The girls changed the plan.”

  “It was over a thousand dollars! They couldn’t believe I got that much. So they decided we should all have a spa day.”

  “Oh my God.” Cassie clutched at her head, hoping it didn’t explode. “A girl gang booking a spa day. You know, I’d totally watch that movie.”

  Holly snorted. She shot Cassie a cautious glance. “You aren’t freaking out on me.”

&n
bsp; Oh, she was, but Holly didn’t need that from her. She needed a calm adult who could help her through this. “Holy mother of God, Holly.”

  So much for calm.

  “And there it is,” Holly said gloomily. “The freak-out.”

  “That’s…larceny. That’s a crime, Holly. Me freaking out is the least of your worries.”

  Tears sprang to the girl’s eyes. “I know. You don't have to rub it in!”

  Cassie sucked in some air before she freaked out even more. What was she supposed to do here? Couldn't Holly have called someone who knew how to handle a situation like this? Should she call Kevin right away? He would probably want to know that his kid had joined a girl gang and stolen a grand from her own place of employment. “I’m sorry. I’m not used to this kind of thing. I’m not a trained kid-wrangler. I’m more of a mom-wrangler, if you want to know the truth.”

  “Me too,” Holly said with a hint of surprise. “And you want to know the crazy thing? I actually think my mom would laugh about this whole thing. She’s kind of a wild and crazy rebel.”

  Cassie picked up a handful of pebbles and let them sift through her fingers. Kevin sure wouldn't laugh about this, guaranteed. “Is that why you did it?”

  “No! I just wanted those girls to like me. I didn’t want to be the geeky one anymore. The dorky Asian kid. You wouldn’t understand. I mean, that part.” Her lips turned down in a pout of misery. “The part about high school hell, obviously you understand that. That’s why I kept your card after you came to talk. I decided if I was going to tell anyone, it would be you.”

  “Well, I’m honored.” And terrified. “Also worried, sweetheart. That’s a serious amount of loot. You’re going to have to tell the truth to more than just me.”

  “I thought about running away,” she said in a small voice.

  For the first time in this conversation, Cassie felt on solid ground. Maybe she did have something to contribute after all. “Take it from me, that’s not the way to go. You can’t let your problems chase you away.”

  “But my dad…” Holly cringed, unable to even finish that sentence.