A Child's Heart (Trent & Cassie's Story) A River City Novel

by E. Ayers

Cassie looked at the adorable Tudor-style house with its tiny front yard and its meticulous gardens. “For sale or rent?”

  “Sale, but the cost will be about the same as renting.”

  Cassie listened while Amanda spoke to someone on her cell phone.

  Amanda smiled. “Not a problem. It’s vacant. The owner moved out last week.”

  “It looks huge.”

  “It is.”

  They walked up a wide flagstone path to a door with gardens on each side of it. Amanda put a key into a small box that hung from the doorknob and withdrew two keys from the box. She tried one and then the other in the lock.

  Once inside, they both smiled.

  “It’s lovely.” Cassie looked around the empty room. A big window faced the front yard and several more faced the side. It was bright and spacious.

  Amanda grimaced. “It needs painting.”

  “But that’s minor, right?”

  “That’s what I thought when I started painting my house.” Amanda sighed. “It’s hard work, if you do it yourself, and it costs a fortune to pay someone to do it.”

  “All this pretty wood trim and someone converted the fireplace to gas.” Cassie wandered into the kitchen and peered into the backyard. There was enough room for Shawn to play, but it was the massive, detached, two-story garage that held her captive. Trent will love it.

  “Cassie, here’s the bedroom, and this is the laundry room.”

  Cassie did an about-face. “Bedrooms?”

  “No, bedroom.”

  “But we need more than one, that’s our problem now.”

  Cassie looked at the bedroom with its tiny nook and the small bathroom, then the laundry room. “This is cute, but it’s too small.”

  “For you, yes, but this is only part of the house. Follow me.”

  They went through the laundry room and into the other side of the house.

  Cassie sucked in a deep breath. On the far side, there was a larger living room and a big kitchen. Upstairs there were six large bedrooms and another tiny room that wouldn’t hold much more than a small desk. Then another staircase that led to a huge finished attic room.

  “Ohmigod! This place is huge. We’ll never afford this.”

  “Yes, you will. Your mortgage will only be a few dollars more than what you are paying now, and the interest you pay on that mortgage is tax deductible. So it will actually be cheaper for you to live here.”

  “So what am I supposed to do, rent that tiny apartment to someone?”

  “You could, but I was thinking about Trent’s mom. She’d have her own place, yet she’d be nearby. You’d only share the laundry room. She could rent her house. There’s a demand for those houses. From what I’ve been told, the woman who owns this place had her mom living there.”

  Cassie chewed on her bottom lip. This place is perfect for us. “I’d have to talk to Trent.”

  “Of course.”

  Cassie opened the back door and gazed around the yard.

  Amanda pointed. “There’s also a FROG.”

  “Where?” Cassie looked in the general direction where Amanda pointed. "I don't see any frogs. You must have great eyesight."

  Amanda giggled. “Not that kind. It’s an acronym for finished room over garage. I can try one of these keys.”

  Neither one worked. Disappointment flowed over Cassie, as she would have loved to see it. She turned back towards the house and looked at the two tiny patios, separated by the kitchen. Picturing quiet evenings with Trent made her heart swell. Everything about the place was perfect, including the little apartment. Certain that the falling out Trent had with his mom was temporary, she imagined Shawn happily playing while his grandmother watched over him.

  Amanda shoved her hands into her pants pockets. “The appliances are old, but they appear to be in good shape. You could always renovate the kitchen at a later date. The washer and dryer look to be fairly new. The place just needs some paint.”

  “I love all the windows. That was the one thing about Sweet Grandview that attracted me to it, those large windows.”

  “You should have seen Sweet Grandview before Jeffery Lister bought it. It was gross.”

  “That’s hard to imagine. It's a beautiful building.”

  Amanda looked towards the front door. “I’m going to grab my computer from the car and go over a few figures with you.”

  Cassie watched Amanda leave and looked around the old house. It wasn’t new and it did need work. She ran back upstairs and looked at the bedrooms. The front bedroom was spacious with its own bathroom. The other rooms shared a single bathroom. Its robin-egg blue with black trim was quite old, but appeared to be in good shape.

  “Cassie, are you upstairs?” Amanda called.

  “Yes. I’ll be down in a minute. Just looking around.”

  “Take your time.”

  A peaceful serenity swept over Cassie as if she belonged in the house, but her head kept telling her that living here alone would be a mistake. There was a lawn to mow, and the general upkeep on a house was out of her price range. Was Trent ready to make that commitment to her? She bit her lower lip as her heart battled with her head.

  ~~27~~

  “Good afternoon,” Brad Shoemaker said, extending his hand to Cassie. “Hope you don’t mind sitting in my office. It’s a little crammed, but everything is in there.”

  Cassie followed him into the small room and watched as he lifted a handful of file folders off a chair before pulling it around to the back of his desk.

  “Here, have a seat, Cassie.”

  “Thank you.”

  She thought it was rather awkward to be sitting behind his desk with him, until he shifted his computer monitor so that she could see it.

  “Seems you stirred up quite a hornet's nest. We’ve had several people working non-stop to straighten out the financial mess of the museum. Mrs. Winston's fastidious records have been very helpful. You’re getting your own bank account. I’ve already sent everything over to Mrs. Winston. All your deposits will go in there.”

  Well, that’s good news. She leaned back in the chair and waited for the proverbial axe to fall.

  Brad gazed at her for a split second and then pulled up a spreadsheet. “Can you see this?”

  “Yes.”

  “Okay. The mayor sent over some spreadsheets you had given him. Did you do those?”

  “No, someone else did them. I’m not an accountant.”

  “May I ask who?”

  Her defenses immediately went on high alert. It wasn’t anyone’s business what the museum was doing financially, and she didn’t want to get in trouble for exposing that information to Tate and Ari Bia. “A friend.”

  “Well, whoever did it, did an awesome job. We set our spreadsheets up the same way, plugged in the numbers as we uncovered them, and came up with almost the same figures.” He grinned at her. “You’re going to love this.”

  Cassie began to relax as she discovered that she wasn’t the only one whose money was being dumped into the general fund. Hugh Fitzgerald’s claws had dug into several other departments within the city’s government, and at least one other woman had succumbed to his sexual blackmail. Bastard! So I wasn't alone.

  “It’s not exactly a raise, but it is an incentive. City Council has to approve it.”

  “Go over that one more time.” She realized she wasn’t paying close attention.

  “We can’t give you a raise, and you deserve more than what you are getting. Curators are never truly paid what they are worth. You are doing an excellent job, and it shows in these figures. Eleven point three six quarterly bonus is the most we can offer you, and you’ll get paid quarterly based on the previous quarter's income.”

  “Starting when?”

  “As soon as City Council approves it. Which means the end of June you could be getting a check based on the figures at the end of March. This quarter’s incentive would come the end of September.”

  “And what about rent and taxes?”


  “Gone. That’s a general expense. Water, electricity, etc., will come out of your operations budget, which is quite small.”

  “Advertising?”

  “For now, it's a general expense, along with salaries, and everything listed behind the blue line. What we're hoping is that you will be completely self-sufficient.”

  Cassie nodded. “May I have a copy of that?”

  “Certainly.” He touched a few buttons on his keyboard and a printer in the corner of his room started. “Would you like me to email this to you, too?”

  “Yes. That would be good.”

  “You’ll have full access to this spreadsheet through the city’s intranet. Just keep in mind there is usually a few days lag in getting everything posted.”

  She nodded as he handed the pages from his printer. “Thanks.”

  “Cassie, everyone in this department is very pleased that you stood up for the museum, and we’re all truly sorry about what happened to you. I’d like to think that you wouldn’t hold what Fitzgerald did against the rest of us.”

  She smiled at him. “I really thought he did it because we knew each other as teenagers. I had no idea that I was not alone.”

  “There’s a lot more to the situation, but I’m not at liberty to discuss it.”

  “I understand.”

  “It won’t be a surprise to see that he’s been arrested again, with additional charges.”

  She raised her eyebrows and Brad Shoemaker smiled back at her.

  As soon as she left city hall, she called Trent’s cell phone and didn’t get an answer. She had told him she’d call him when she was done, but she never expected that the meeting would have lasted for over two hours. She tried the direct line to the room.

  Trent answered, and she thought her feet were going to lift off the ground at the sound of his voice. She wanted to jump for joy, but she contained those feelings as she walked to her car. “I’ve got so much to tell you.”

  “You sound happy.”

  “Oh, I am. I almost don’t know where to start. What’s up with Shawn?”

  “He’s doing great. They let him walk down the hall this afternoon.”

  A giggle left her throat uncontrolled. “Walk or run?”

  “Walk. He’s not quite ready to start running, but he will go to physical therapy starting tomorrow morning.”

  “That’s wonderful.” She opened her car door and allowed the heat to escape. “Is there anyway I can sneak you out of there for a few minutes?”

  “I guess. Shawn’s been completely engrossed in that electronic game Tate gave him.”

  “Good. I need to make a phone call, then I’ll call you right back.”

  She started her car and called Amanda. They agreed to meet at seven o’clock. As she pulled into her parking space at the museum, she called Trent and told him she was stopping by her office. Afterwards, she’d pick up some food for them on her way to the hospital.

  She practically flew through the front doors and down the hall of the museum. “Hi, Mrs. Winston.” Cassie beamed at the older woman. “Have you heard the news?”

  “Something must be happening, because I know we're getting our own bank account.”

  “I just spent two hours with Brad Shoemaker.”

  Cassie spent several minutes with Mrs. Winston, and then went to check on Gail in the gift shop.

  Cassie smiled at Gail as she entered the immaculate shop. Gail kept the place running like a well-oiled machine, and kept the displays in perfect order. “For the time being, you can check these out under my name, but they are coming back here assembled as displays,” Cassie said as she picked up four wooden puzzles. She picked a book for Shawn and then spotted a bag of small plastic dinosaur figures. “Put these two things on my account. I’m taking them to Shawn.”

  “How’s he doing?”

  “Great. He’s awake, alert, and walking the hall.” She looked around the gift shop and realized there were no other customers. “Has it been this dead all day?”

  “Oh, no. This is the first break we’ve had.”

  She blew out a breath between pursed lips. “That’s good.”

  Cassie went back to Mrs. Winston’s office. “Hi. I need a favor. I want twenty-five gift certificates for free family passes to be used before September.”

  “Twenty-five?”

  “Yes. I want to give them away at the hospital.”

  Mrs. Winston counted out the passes and put them into her scanner. A moment later, she handed them to her boss.

  “Thanks.” Cassie grabbed some brochures and made her way back to the hospital.

  “Hi, guys. I brought dinner.” She smiled broadly at her men. “They said you aren’t on any dietary restrictions, so here’s yours.” She handed Shawn his sandwich and salad. “Wash your hands first.”

  Trent stood and helped his son wash up at the small sink in the room before washing his own hands.

  “You're ready to eat,” Trent said when Shawn had finished.

  “Thanks.” Shawn climbed onto this bed and looked into the bag on his wheeled tray.

  Several times they had to remind Shawn not to speak while his mouth was full. He was brimming with information about his upcoming therapy. “And I get to go swimming three days a week. And they’ve got a treadmill that’s just my size.”

  “When you get out of here, I’m going to buy you a bicycle,” Cassie promised.

  “Too late. I’ve already made him that promise.”

  “Maybe we each need one so we can ride as a family.” Visions of them riding through the little neighborhood danced in her mind. She had seen signs of other young children in the community. She smiled as she thought about Shawn playing ball in the backyard and children’s parties.

  Trent nudged her. “Why the big smile?”

  “You’ll see. Shawn, I’m going to steal Daddy for a little while, but we’ll be back here before it’s time for you to go to sleep.”

  “Where are you going?”

  She scowled and put her finger to her lips. “It’s a secret, and you’re going to love it.”

  Shawn laughed.

  “Oh gosh, I have something for you. I think I was so hungry, I completely forgot about it.” She reached down and found the big bag. “Puzzles for you and Daddy to put together for me for the museum so that I can display them. A book for you to keep, and…” She slowly withdrew the bag of little, plastic dinosaurs and watched, as Shawn’s eyes grew large with excitement.

  “Dinosaurs! For me?”

  “Yes, for you. Don’t lose them in the sheets or you’ll scare the nurses.”

  An incredible feeling of happiness bubbled within her. She didn’t think the day could get any better, and seeing Shawn with pink cheeks and such a rosy disposition added to her elation. She didn’t want to wait another minute. She wanted to show Trent the house.

  “Now, for Daddy’s surprise.”

  She and Trent quietly walked out of the hospital to her car. She wanted to wrap her arms around him and kiss him. She wanted to make love to him, but that thought mentally stopped her in her tracks as she had started with her period.

  Once ensconced in her car, she turned to Trent. “Kiss me because I can’t stand another minute without one.”

  He gave her a quick peck on the mouth.

  “We’re not exactly in public view.”

  “I know. But we need to talk.” He snapped his seatbelt in place. “I talked to Mom and the best thing for me to do is move home.”

  ~~28~~

  Cassie’s heart fell into her stomach. “N-no, you can’t.” Her hands shook as tears welled in her eyes. “I love you. I-I…I’ve made plans.”

  “I love you, too. But I’ve got to do what is best for Shawn. And going back to your apartment isn’t. I’m sorry,” Trent said firmly.

  “No, I’ve found a place for us.” Panic wrapped around her fallen heart.

  “Cas, I’m not going to make you move out of your apartment. I can’t afford to go anywhere, and I alre
ady told you that Mom is dependent on me to help her with the house.”

  Cassie brushed the threatening tears from her eyes. “Trent, please, keep an open mind and let me show you something. Amanda found the perfect place for us. She’s going to have some exact figures for us tonight.”

  “I can’t afford anything. Don’t you see that? I’ve got a two-bit job and the only benefit is that I get to spend time with my son.”

  She rubbed the back of her hand over her cheeks to wipe away the moisture, and sniffled. “I’m just going to be trading expenses, a one-bedroom for something much larger. I got a raise today. It makes everything even more affordable.”

  “Nice to hear you got a raise. That’s always good.” His tone was flat.

  She had gone from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows in a split second. Suddenly the only thing that mattered was that she kept Trent, and she couldn’t figure out how to do that. She leaned her forehead against the warm steering wheel and sobbed. “I want us together…a family…no separation…I love you, and I love Shawn…can’t you see that?”

  “I want us together, too. I know you love me, but I have got to do what is best.”

  The sound of people in the parking garage broke the stillness between them. Cassie raised her head and fished for some tissues. “Give us a chance. I want you to see this place and listen to what Amanda has to say about the cost.”

  “Okay, if that is what you want. I’ll look, but there is no reason for you to move.”

  “Yes, there is. We can’t be a family if we’re living in two different places.”

  He let out a deep breath. “Just drive.”

  Cassie snaked her way into the old neighborhood, then slowed as she tried to find the street.

  “You found something in Cobblestone? Are you out of your mind? These houses cost a fortune.”

  “No they don’t.”

  “I think it’s this street. I might have to call Amanda.” She slowly drove until she spotted the Tudor house with geraniums in the front gardens. “This is it.”

  “This? You’re nuts.”

  “No I’m not. We’re a few minutes early, we can walk around the yard until Amanda gets here.”