The Forgotten Night

by Becky Andrews

  THE FORGOTTEN NIGHT

  by

  BECKY ANDREWS

  OTHER BOOKS

  My Brother's Best Friend

  The Forgotten Night

  The Forgotten Night. 1st Edition

  Copyright © 2013

  All Rights Reserved

  Cover Art and Design by Humble Nations

  This book is a work of fiction. References to real people, events, establishments, organizations, or locations are intended only to provide a sense of authenticity, and are used fictitiously.

  All other characters, and all incidents and dialogue, are drawn from the author's imagination and are not to be construed as real.

  Table of Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Epilogue

  Special Note from Becky

  Also By Becky Andrews

  Prologue

  “I can’t believe our parents agreed to this,” Cassidy Ames said as she boarded the plane headed from New York to Los Angeles.

  “You mean you can’t believe your parents let you come, your dad in particular,” Andrew Winbright said, sitting down in his aisle seat in first class. He smiled to himself as Cassidy glared at him, taking her window seat across from him. She was very east to annoy, and he found that one of the most adorable things about her.

  “Just drop it,” Andrew’s sister Rachel said, sitting on her knees and looking over her seat in front of Andrew’s. “We’re here to have fun, not argue over how overprotective Cassie’s dad is.”

  “So where’s Sandy? I thought you’d bring your girlfriend,” Cassidy commented, but the way she said it made Andrew look at her closely.

  “We broke up,” he said simply.

  “Broke up? When, I mean why?” Cassidy asked, and this time something in her voice made Andrew sure she was pleased to hear it.

  “Two weeks ago, and because I knew she wasn’t the right one for me, or me for her,” he stated. Cassidy was his sister’s best friend, but he’d always had a thing for her, and now he was starting to wonder if she felt the same. Perhaps this vacation the three of them were taking to California might give him a chance to explore that further.

  Cassidy nodded. “So why do we all have our own row?” she asked, obviously trying to change the subject.

  “Because this is a six-hour flight, Cassie. Believe me, you’ll want your space,” Andrew said, smiling at her.

  Cassidy gave him a weak smile in return and buckled her seat belt just as the captain came over the intercom with his pre-flight instructions.

  Andrew flipped through one of the in-flight magazines, watching Cassie close her eyes and give the arm of her seat a white-knuckled grip. “Are you afraid to fly?”

  “Not really, but I’ve heard that most accidents happen within the first five minutes, so I’m always glad when they’re over,” she replied as the engines began to rev up for takeoff.

  Andrew watched her for another few seconds, noting how pale she was, and then quickly undid his seatbelt and crossed the aisle, buckling himself in beside her. He gripped her hand, trying to give her a little courage. She was obviously scared to death.

  “What are you doing?” she cried as his hand closed around hers. “Put your seatbelt on, we’re about to take off!”

  “It’s on, Cassie,” he said with a smile.

  “Oh,” she said, looking down at his buckled belt. Seconds later, the plane lurched forward and she grasped his hand tighter. He looked down at her and couldn’t help but caress her hand with his thumb. She seemed to relax and his stomach tied in knots as he hoped it was because of his touch.

  For the next few minutes, as the plane climbed through the clouds, they sat that way, hand in hand.

  “I seem to recall you saying you wanted your space. You don’t have to sit here with me. It’s been five minutes, I’m fine,” Cassidy said, finally opening her eyes.

  “I said that?” he asked, feigning confusion. “I couldn’t have been more wrong, I think I like sitting right here.”

  “Well, now I think I want a whole row to myself.” She smiled at him, letting him know she wasn’t serious.

  “You’re not going to get rid of me that easy,” he said playfully, poking her until she laughed.

  “You two need to stop it right now, you sound like two lovers,” Rachel called from the seat in front of them.

  Cassidy turned bright red and refused to look at Andrew.

  “Well, maybe we are secret lovers and this trip is a front for our torrid love affair,” Andrew replied and noticed Cassidy turning redder.

  “God, if it is, you know I’m on the first plane home and you two can explain yourself to Cassie’s father, because I don’t think he would approve of the two of you alone, unchaperoned,” Rachel replied, turning around in her seat so she could see them across the aisle.

  “Then you don’t know my dad. He actually likes Andy,” Cassidy said and then bit her lip.

  “See, Rach. I’m practically part of the family,” Andrew said.

  To cover up her obvious embarrassment at his jest, Cassidy hit him playfully.

  “Well then, maybe while we’re in LA we can drive up to Vegas and you two could get hitched. How does that sound?” Rachel smiled and turned back around in her seat, sticking the headphones to her mp3 player back on.

  Andrew blessed his little sister. He had a feeling she knew that he like Cassie and was purposely giving them some time to talk.

  “How does that sound to you?” Andrew asked and suddenly realized that a lifetime with Cassidy wouldn’t be such a bad thing. His heart flipped in his chest at the mere thought of spending his life with her.

  “Shut up, Andy,” she said playfully, hitting him on the arm again, but she smiled as though she was thinking about it too.

  “What are you smiling at, Cassie?” Andrew asked, seeing the dreamy look in her eyes. “Thinking about a lifetime with me and how wonderful it would be?”

  “Ha ha, Andy! Yes, I was dreaming of how I couldn’t live without you, how my life wouldn’t be the same without you in it. Dreaming of our kids and what they’d look like and what their names would be,” she said overdramatically.

  “Okay, okay, you can stop, but just to clarify, we would have one hell of a beautiful family,” he said with a smirk and turned back to the magazine in his hands.

  Cassidy opened her mouth to say something in response, but nothing came out. She was obviously wondering if he was serious.

  “And just for the record, since you're still staring at me,” he said, flipping through the magazine as if they weren’t talking about anything out of the ordinary. “I like the names Benjamin and Marisa.”

  “Marisa?”

  “Yes, well, what names do you like?” He turned back to her briefly before returning to the page he was on, trying not to look too interested.

  “I like Benjamin, you know that, and for a girl I like the name Mikayla.”

  Andrew smiled then turned to face her. “Wanna watch something?”

  “Excuse me?” she asked not sure what to make of his abrupt change in topic.

  “A movie, I’ll pay.” He smiled, handing her the magazine with possible movies listed. Cassidy took the magazine and perused the titles, one catching her eye in particular. Andrew saw the corners of her mouth curl up and her attempt to hide it.
He knew exactly what movie title she had just seen and had planned on watching that one anyway.

  “I don’t know, you pick,” she said, handing the magazine back to him like she really didn’t care.

  Andrew turned on their call light and one of the flight attendants came by. He held up the magazine out of Cassidy’s sight and pointed to one of the movie titles, then handed her his credit card. The woman walked away and came back a few minutes later with Andrew’s card and receipt. “Thank you,” he said and put his card away.

  “So which movie did you choose?” Cassidy asked.

  “Well, I was in the mood for Lost in Translation,” Andrew said, waiting to see her reaction.

  “Oh, okay, but you do know that I don’t particularly care for that one,” Cassidy said.

  “You just haven’t watched it with me,” Andrew smirked.

  “You forget that I’ve watched it twice with you, both times I fell asleep before it was over.”

  “Well, if you fall asleep I won’t wake you.”

  Cassidy narrowed her eyes at him as she put her ear buds in her ears. Andrew copied her action and waited for the movie to start up. He smiled secretly to himself.

  The movie started and even before the opening scene appeared, Cassidy gasped, her lips curving into a smile. “Pride and Prejudice? I thought—”

  “I wanted to surprise you. I saw your eyes light up when you read over the title.”

  “But you hate this movie.”

  “Correction, I hate reading the book, but the movie’s all right. I mean, Kierra Knightly is pretty hot.”

  Cassidy hit him again as she curled up on the seat. She took the liberty of grabbing his arm and rested her head on his shoulder. Andrew smiled as she snuggled up to him. His stomach knotted as she rested her head on him, and he had to resist the urge to wrap his arm around her. He truly had hated reading the book, but he really didn’t mind watching the movie, but not for the reason he told Cassidy. It was the one girly movie he really enjoyed and more so because it was one of Cassidy’s favorites.

  When the movie ended, Cassidy had a huge grin on her face. “I just love the story and the movie. I want Mr. Darcy.” She sighed.

  “Because he has money, a huge house, and is full of pride?”

  “No, because he’s so sweet. Besides, it wasn’t pride. He loved Elizabeth from the first moment he laid eyes on her, he was just shy,” Cassidy argued, untangling herself to dig around in her bag.

  Andrew said nothing but suddenly his heart flipped in his chest. He looked down at her, her hair falling to one side and he knew, like Darcy, he had loved his ‘Elizabeth’ since the first moment he had laid eyes on her.

  They saw each other infrequently, but when they did, he couldn’t tell how she felt. Some days he believed she felt the same way, but other days he couldn’t tell what was going through her head. He didn’t want to ruin their friendship and most of all he didn’t want to hurt his sister so he held his tongue.

  But every year, their families spent the holidays together. Christmas Eve at Andrew’s house and New Year’s Eve at Cassidy’s. This year, he resolved that when they all got together again, he would let her know how he felt.

  Chapter One

  Five Months Later…

  Cassidy Ames sat in the corner at the Winbright’s annual Christmas Eve party, listening to the cheerful holiday music playing in the background as she read the book she’d managed to sneak in her clutch. All around her were people in nice Armani suits or beautiful Chanel gowns. She’d always hated holiday parties, especially those thrown by rich businessmen, though she had no right to say anything because her parents threw one every New Year’s Eve. She was glad she had gone with the green dress, which allowed her to bring her larger matching clutch. Had she worn the red dress her mother always insisted on, she would be carrying the small black clutch that could only carry a few essentials.

  Unfortunately, Cassidy couldn’t focus on her book, due to the loud music and the many people crowding around her, but mostly because she felt Andrew Winbright’s gaze on her. She’d known the minute he had laid eyes on her, and it didn’t help that she couldn’t stop blushing. She had known him since she was ten years old. Why did her body react to his penetrating gaze in such a manner?

  It was obvious. Well, not to him, and certainly not to anyone else, but she knew. She knew it was because she loved him. The second she had laid eyes on him twelve years ago she’d known. It wasn’t because he had saved her life that day at the pool or because he wouldn’t let her out of his sight the rest of the day, but because of the way he looked at her, as though he were the first person to actually see her.

  Before him, she had been a nobody. True, her parents were multimillionaires, but she felt like no one saw her for her, but only as an heiress to a tidy sum. But he was different, he had seen the real Cassidy. She wasn’t just his sister’s best friend or the girl who almost drowned in the kiddy pool, but Cassie. She was his Cassie, and he was her Andy.

  Andrew caught her gazing at him and smiled, causing her cheeks to heat in embarrassment.

  Finally, he walked across the large room and stood in front of her. “Why aren’t you enjoying the party?” he asked, leaning down to her ear so she could hear him.

  Cassidy fumbled with her book, which dropped on her lap, closing neatly. “Now why would someone think that?” she asked, hiding her smile.

  Andrew held out his hand. “Dance with me.” It wasn’t a question or a command, just an understanding. Cassidy had to will her heart to stop beating fast at his words. It was only a dance, a tradition of sorts ever since she attended her first Christmas Party at Andrew’s house. Cassidy looked up at his clear, deep blue eyes and soft, brown hair that hung just a little too long around his face and smiled. “I would, but I don’t have a place for my book and purse.”

  “Had you given Roger your clutch with your coat, we wouldn’t be in this mess, but as it so happens, I do have a pocket,” he said, taking the book and clutch from her hands. “Pride and Prejudice,” he said, looking at her book. “I should have known. Haven’t you read this a million times?”

  “It was, uh, the only book that would fit in the clutch,” she answered lamely, hoping he didn’t realize how much more the book had come to mean to her since they’d shared that plane ride last summer.

  Andrew laughed softly as he unbuttoned his suit jacket. “So what part are you on?”

  “What?” Cassidy asked, confused.

  “You know, in your book, you had this dreamy look on your face earlier.”

  “Oh…um, I was reading the part where Darcy and Elizabeth are dancing together at the Netherfield ball.”

  “How fitting then, that we are going to dance. Now all we need is someone to congratulate us later on how superb we are at dancing.” Andrew laughed.

  “Ha ha. Andrew Winbright, you know as well as I do that Aunt Cecile always tells us how wonderful we dance,” Cassidy said, referring to Andrew’s aunt, who watched Dancing with the Stars and therefore thought she knew everything about dancing in general.

  When they were younger, their parents had hired a private dance tutor for the three of them, but it did not mean that they were experts. They were better than the average person, but once Andrew joined a football team and Rachel joined a martial arts class, they had stopped taking lessons.

  “I really don’t think it’s going to fit,” Cassidy said, as Andrew tried to put her book in his pocket.

  “Then you haven’t seen the size of my pockets.” He chuckled and tucked the book away safely then took her hand in his, her purse in the other. They walked out of the living room to the door where Roger, the Winbright’s household manager, stood. “Roger, please make sure to take extra care of Cassie’s purse.” He smiled, handing the purse over before Cassidy could protest.

  “Don’t worry, Miss Cassidy, your purse will be safe with me,” Roger assured her.

  “Roger, for the last time, please just call me Cassidy or Cass, if you pr
efer. We’ve known each other for twelve years,” she said with a hint of exasperation.

  “Cassie, he won’t even call me Andrew and he’s known me all my life. Isn’t that right, Rog?” Andrew smiled up at the man. Cassie knew Andrew had the utmost respect for the man and valued their friendship.

  “Yes, Master Andrew.” Roger nodded, and Andrew’s smile broadened.

  “His ego is already large enough, Roger. Do you have to inflate it more by calling him master?” Cassidy asked, a smile still on her face.

  “Don’t worry, Miss Cassidy, it his ego gets too large, I’ll deflate it myself,” Roger replied with a quick grin.

  Cassidy laughed softly before Andrew pulled her toward the large ballroom on the other side of the house, mansion more precisely, where most of the guests had congregated to dance.

  As they walked inside, Cassidy spotted Rachel Winbright, Andrew’s sister, dancing with her current boyfriend. She smiled. The two of them had become best friends in the third grade when Cassidy had stood up to playground bullies for Rachel. They hadn’t meshed right way, but after a few weeks and a whole lot of isolation together after school, they clicked and now nothing could ever tear them apart. Cassidy loved Rachel like a sister and so it was only natural that she would fall in love with her best friend’s brother, right?

  “C'est magnifique!” Cassidy breathed.

  “By the way, how goes the French?” Andrew asked, smiling down at her as he swung her around to face him, placing a hand on her hip and taking her other hand in his.

  “C'est génial! Il ne me reste plus que quelques cours pour remplir les conditions de spécialisations.” Cassidy laughed as Andrew furrowed his brows at her.

  “What did you say? You know some of us aren’t double majoring in Linguistics and French.”