After placing his own cup on the coffee table, he made his way to the piano and slid across the bench in front of it. He thought for a moment and then suppressed the grin that tried to rise over his face.
A few slow, serious notes sounded very much like they were leading into something classical…but then his fingers flew across the keys into a rendition of “Night Fever.” Cassie and Debra exploded with laughter, and Debra added some off-key vocals to the disco favorite as Cassie stood back, shaking her head at him and giggling.
Afterward, Cassie and Debra sat down and enjoyed their coffee while Richard played some Christmas carols, starting off with “O Holy Night.”
“That’s Mom’s favorite carol,” Debra told him.
“Mine, too,” he admitted.
He couldn’t help but think about how many things he and Cassie had in common, and it went far beyond Christmas carols. Even more significant were the things they didn’t share—like a love for disco dancing, for crying out loud. She’d somehow managed to finesse him into appreciating it, despite his doubts that she could. Everything seemed more interesting, more entertaining, just…more! with Cassie at his side.
As he played the chorus of “The First Noel,” Richard gazed at Cassie and smiled. She brushed her long bangs away from her face and nodded as Debra spoke to her softly; then she tucked her bouncy hair behind her ear and tipped her head to one side. She grinned, and it was a faint, slow smile that clung to the edges of her lips like a ray of light.
Richard played out the song and then joined them in the living room, sinking into the sectional next to Cassie.
“I’ve always wanted to play the piano,” she said to him.
“I could teach you.”
Cassie seemed to consider that for a moment, and then she asked him, “You know how suited I am to ballroom dancing?”
He grinned and then wiped the smile off his face and nodded.
“If only I were that musical,” Cassie stated.
Richard snorted.
“You—” Debra closed her eyes and shook her head. “Ballroom dancing?”
“Richard’s the ballroom dancer,” Cassie explained. “I’m the quicksand that slows him down.”
“You are the very lovely boulder determined to break my toes.”
Cassie hooted. “I’m so sorry, too.”
“A small price to pay for the pleasure of dancing with your mother,” he told Debra. She arched a curious brow and glanced at her mother.
“Well, this has been lovely,” Cassie said, “but I’m afraid we’re going to have to be on our way. Tameka has an open house planned for tomorrow, and I have a lot of details to attend to before then.”
Richard’s heart dropped an inch or two. “Really. Is there anyone interested?”
“I guess we’ll know tomorrow.”
“Best of luck.”
“Thank you, Richard,” she said as she rose from the sofa. “And thank you for dinner.”
“It was wonderful,” Debra told him. Then she crossed the room and gave him an eager hug. “And it was so nice to get a chance to know you. Thank you so much.”
“I hope I’ll see you again before you leave.”
“I hope so, too.”
He walked them to the door and touched Cassie on the arm.
“Tell Millicent to put me on speed dial,” he said, and then he grinned at Debra. “It’s her first night back in her house after the snake incident.”
“That’s what we’re calling it,” Cassie added on a chuckle. “The Great New Year’s Eve Snake Incident.”
“I haven’t had as much adventure in my whole life as I’ve had since your mother has come to town,” Richard told Debra.
“My mother? Adventurous?”
“She’s just the breath of fresh air this town needed.”
“I’m sorry,” Debra said, shaking her head again. “You’re referring to my mother? This woman, right here.”
“Hey,” Cassie laughed. “I have a fun side. You just never could see it from the glaring spotlight of your father’s fun side.”
“Richard, if you think my mom is a free spirit, my dad would have given you a stroke.”
“Oh, I’ll bet I would have liked him. He was a golfer, wasn’t he?”
“Addicted to the game, and it drove Mom batty.”
“Uh-oh. Note to self,” he teased.
“Everything he did made her nuts, in fact. From the Hawaiian shirts he wore to the sucking noise he made when he ate soup. Oh, and he refused to call her by her first name. He’d always just call her Mac.”
“Mac! Now that I just can’t see.”
“You know,” Cassie said with a grin, “now that I think of it…Richard is an awfully formal name.”
“Richard Alan Dillon,” he stated with a regal tone. “What’s formal about it?”
“You don’t mind if I call you Dilly for short, do you?”
“That depends,” he replied. “Do you expect me to answer?”
Debra cackled at his reply. “I can’t believe this. The two of you are soul mates.”
Cassie leaned in and planted a soft kiss on Richard’s cheek, and he squeezed her shoulder as she did.
“Thank you again.”
“Good night, ladies.”
He closed the door and stood there for a long moment just staring at the grain of the wood. Then, with a flinch, he turned and crossed the house, walked outside to the patio, and sat down in the chair he’d occupied over dinner. He blew out the pillar candle that was still flickering at the center of the table then leaned back into the jade green cushion and sighed.
The underwater blue lights made the pool glisten, and a slight breeze helped pick up the rhythm of the shimmer as the wind moved in waves across the water’s surface.
Richard ran both hands through his hair then propped his elbows on the edge of the table and leaned on his clasped hands.
“Now what?” he said aloud. He closed his eyes and drew his lips thin and straight. You’re not really going to let her sell her house and leave Holiday, are You?
It was at that moment that Richard Dillon realized he had no interest in any segment of the life that he’d been planning for so many years…life in Holiday, refurbishing the golf course, taking up sailing…. None of it held any draw whatsoever for him if Cassie Constantine wasn’t a part of it.
He blew out a sigh and rubbed his temple then repeated the sentiment again.
“Now what?”
“Did you know Richard before you came down this time?”
Cassie came to a stop at the traffic light as she shook her head. “No. We just met.”
“Funny.”
As she eased her way through the intersection, she tossed a quick glance Debra’s way. “Why is that funny?”
“You two seem like you’ve known each other forever. In fact—” She stopped herself mid-sentence and just shook her head.
“What?”
“Well…”
“Debra.”
“Well, I don’t think I remember you being that comfortable with Daddy.”
Cassie sighed. “Don’t be silly. Your father and I just had a different dynamic, that’s all. There’s no comparison in my relationship with Richard and my twenty-five-year marriage with your father.”
“I guess, but…”
“But?” Cassie pressed. “Debra, does it bother you that I’ve struck up a friendship with a man?”
“Not anymore,” she replied. “Now that I know Richard somewhat, I’m not bothered at all. What does bother me is that you could find someone who obviously suits you so well and you’d be willing to walk away from him. It seems a little cavalier to me, and I never saw you as cavalier.”
“What a thing to say.” Cassie’s heartbeat thumped as she pulled into the driveway and fumbled to press the button on the garage door opener.
“Yeah, I’m sorry. The truth can kind of rock your world sometimes, can’t it, Mom?”
You have no idea.
Once they were insi
de the house, Debra announced that she was going to make some tea. “Would you like a cup?”
“Please. I’m just going to tidy up my bedroom so I won’t have to worry about it in the morning.”
But Cassie plopped down on the edge of her bed when she got there, and she chewed on Debra’s words. She’d been almost accusatory in her tone. She’d called her cavalier!
Oh, Lord, what am I supposed to do here? Abandon my whole life in Boston for a man I’ve just met? Is it cavalier to want to be cautious? I’ve already had a quarter of a century with a wonderful man. What are the odds I’ll live out another quarter of a century with someone just as wonderful?
She entertained herself for a moment with thoughts of Richard Dillon the serial killer and Richard Dillon the bank robber but then brushed away the fantasies along with the bangs in her eyes. She popped up from the bed and straightened the items on the dresser, pushed shut the drawer that was open just a smidge, and scurried into the bathroom to run a Clorox wipe over the counter and sink.
Cavalier. I am not cavalier about love or anything else, she reassured herself. And I’m not going to give it another moment’s thought. I have a house to sell tomorrow.
Cassie shed her clothes and dropped them in the hamper, replacing them with cotton flannel pajama pants with clouds on them and a sky blue T-shirt that was two sizes too large. When she joined Debra at the dining room table moments later, the spicy scent of chamomile tea tickled her nose.
“I used honey instead of sweetener,” Debra told her, filling her cup from the ceramic teapot. “Just like you used to make for me.”
“It’s been a lot of years since we were alone together for a cup of tea,” Cassie replied. “I’m so glad you came down on your own.”
“It seemed like the perfect time to spend some time with my mom,” Debra said with a smile. “I’ve missed you so much. Especially since I got the news about this baby, for some reason.”
“It took you by surprise. A woman always wants some comfort from her mom when she’s taken by surprise. But you know, honey, you are such a spectacular mother to the boys. That’s not going to change with this little one.”
“Mitch and I were just so settled in our family. Two kids, a mortgage, and a minivan. And then…pow!”
“Change can be a good thing sometimes,” Cassie assured her. “Your father used to tell me that all the time.”
“Any chance you could listen to him now?”
Cassie raised her eyes and met her daughter’s concerned gaze. It caught her off guard, and she lowered her teacup to rest on the tabletop.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Consider a change,” she suggested. “Haven’t you had enough of walking around in the past? Clunking around in that big old house you shared with Daddy?”
“Oh, Debra—”
“Mom, all I’m saying is…maybe it’s time to consider a change.”
Cassie grimaced and turned her attention toward the sliding glass doors and the dark water beyond them.
“Change can be a good thing sometimes,” Debra quipped, and Cassie looked back at her daughter and lifted one corner of her mouth in a quiet smile.
“Don’t you need your rest?” she teased. “You’re sleeping for two now, young lady. Get out of my hair and go to bed.”
“Yes, ma’am,” her daughter replied, and she took her cup of tea with her as she left the table.
Debra backtracked to plant a quick kiss on her mother’s cheek. “I love you,” she said in a whisper.
“Yeah, yeah,” Cassie called after her as Debra headed down the hall, and she heard her daughter giggle as she closed the guest room door.
It started off as another restless night for Cassie, and two hours after she’d crawled into bed, she crawled out again and ran a hot bath in her garden tub. As she soaked in Warm Vanilla Brown Sugar–scented suds, she propped her feet up on either side of the faucet then piled her hair on top of her head and fastened it there with a large-toothed clip.
With a heavy sigh, she tilted her head back against the edge of the tub and appreciated her bathroom makeover. It would be difficult for her to say good-bye to such an ideal and inviting getaway, and she wondered if she would ever be able to recreate it in her house in Boston. She’d established a sort of relationship with this room, and she loved it from the top of the clear glasswork hanging in the high window to the bottom of the blue, wine, and gray mosaic tiles.
Cassie dipped her favorite scrub mitt into the hot suds and then gently rubbed her arm and shoulder. She was almost envious of the person who would buy the place, hopefully at the open house in the morning, because they would have the pleasure of unwinding in this spa-like haven she’d created for them.
In fact, this might be my last chance to soak in this tub, she realized. At that thought, she wished she’d lit some candles or something.
Sleep was tucked into bed and waiting for her when she returned to the bedroom. The next thing she knew, the alarm was going off and it was time to get up and greet the day.
Tameka brought cookies and muffins from a bakery near her office, and Cassie helped her by arranging them on a platter while she waited for Debra to get dressed and join them. She made one last lap around the house, making sure that everything was in order, and then the two of them dropped off Sophie at Millicent’s before they all headed out for breakfast…while strangers wandered around inside, gawking and evaluating and considering.
“I almost hope no one is interested,” Millicent admitted to Cassie over scrambled eggs and jellied toast. “I just hate the idea of you packing up and leaving Holiday for good. I’ll miss you so much, hunny bunny.”
“I’ll miss you, too,” she admitted. “And I never thought I’d see the day when I would utter these words, but I’m going to miss that house and this town so much more than I ever thought I would.”
“Yes,” Millicent nodded seriously. “No snakes or gators or giant water bugs.”
Cassie chuckled. “And no more little lizards with the”—she formed a sack under her chin with both hands, making a strange noise as she made it pulse—“the big weird things under their necks.”
“No more Hootzes taking down your dock or disco dancing with a bunch of old geezers.”
“Ohhh,” Cassie moaned, pulling a sad face and pushing out her bottom lip. “No more rumbas with you.”
“No more stomping on my toes,” Millicent added happily. “I have to admit, I won’t miss that.”
“Richard said you stomped on his toes, too, Mom,” Debra pointed out. “I see a pattern here.”
Millicent gasped, her big eyes round and her doughy features pulled taut. “Hunny bunny, no more Richard.”
Cassie’s eyes darted to her plate, and she pushed her eggs around with her fork. “I’ll miss everyone here, including Richard.”
She thought she caught an exchange of looks between Debra and Millicent out of the corner of her eye, but when she glanced at one and then the other, there was no sign of it.
“I heard It’s tango day again,” Millicent announced. “Either of you two up for that?”
“I forgot all about it,” Cassie admitted. “I’ll have to pop in to the house and change my shoes.”
“Mom, you can’t go inside when an open house is in gear.”
Cassie lifted her foot out from beneath the table and wiggled her toes. “I’m wearing open-toed sandals, Debra. I might need these toes at a later date, so trying to dance in them may not be the best idea. Besides, I’ll just run in for a second, grab my shoes, and run out. They’ll never know I was there.”
“While seeing who’s looking at the house,” Debra pointed out.
“There’s also that.”
“Seems like the real danger,” Millicent mumbled without looking up from her plate, “would be if I had to wear the opentoed shoes.”
Cassie and Debra exchanged grins and then Millicent glanced up at them, seeming surprised that she’d spoken the words out loud. Debra snicke
red first, and then all three of them let out laughs that rolled over sniggers and snorts.
“Come on, then,” Millicent said, drying her eyes with the corner of her napkin. “Let’s go fetch those shoes.”
They had to park at the corner for all the cars gathered for the open house. Millicent and Debra waited in the car while Cassie sauntered down the block and up the driveway.
An elderly couple nodded and greeted her as they exited the house, and Cassie found herself hoping they weren’t about to become the new owners. With the pronounced limp she had, there was no way that particular blue-haired woman was going to be able to enjoy the garden tub in the master bath.
It would take her husband and several of the neighbors to get her on her feet again after one good soak.
A younger couple with a toddler stood in the kitchen. The husband inspected the cabinets while the wife allowed their young son to pull a large plastic truck on a string across the new stone floor.
No, Lord, not them either. Please.
She made her way down the hall and noticed a middle-aged couple in the guest room, and the woman was running her hand along the edge of the door.
“Hollow doors, Milton? Do you think these are hollow?”
Not as hollow as your— Cassie cut herself off. Well, that wasn’t nice.
Just as she produced a pair of walking shoes from the closet and shut the door behind her, Cassie turned around and bumped into a tall man with a funny little pencil-thin mustache and a face like a boxing glove.
“Oh, I’m so sorry!” she exclaimed. “I didn’t see you there.”
“You’re not stealing those, are you?” he asked her.
“Certainly not,” she replied. “They’re mine. I own this house.”
“Yes, she does,” Tameka interjected from the doorway. “And the owner is not supposed to be here during an open house.”
“I know, Tameka, and I’m sorry. We decided to go over to the rec hall for a dance lesson.” Cassie looked at the stranger standing much too close to her and added, “It’s tango day at the senior’s class.”
“Certainly you’re not a senior,” he said in a slow, slithery voice that reminded Cassie of how a serpent would sound if it spoke.
“I’m well on my way to being a senior,” she said, folding her body awkwardly in an effort to navigate around the immovable man. “I’m sorry, Tameka. Consider me gone.”
Love Finds You in Holiday, Florida Page 23
