“No, I was just getting the glasses.” Cameron turned to her. “What’s wrong? You’ve been jumpy all night.”
Cassidy shook her head and shrugged. She was both keyed up and exhausted, her mind filled with thoughts she could not seem to put in order. “Tired, I guess.”
He poured and handed her a glass, then guided her to the couch, kissing the back of her neck before she sat down. “Well, day’s over now.” After setting his wine on the low table, he turned her around and put his hands on her shoulders. “MasŹsage?”
“No, it’s okay.” She sipped the wine and tried to focus on the evening. UnfortuŹnately, the only thing she kept thinking about was her conversation with Brenna in the parking lot after work. And the hug. She wondered what the other woman had thought of her at that moment and just when she had realized Brenna needed that hug as much as she had.
She leaned into Cameron’s body reluctantly and wondered why. With a rueful sigh, she sat up straight. “Thanks,” she said politely as his hands slipped from her shoulders.
“Is it the call from Mitch?” he asked. “Why didn’t you tell me when he first called?”
“What?” Cassidy, who had not been focusing, looked at him in confusion.
“At the studio, during lunch. That call you got it was from Mitch, wasn’t it?”
Her forehead briefly furrowed. “Oh. Mmm hmm.”
“You said it was nothing.”
“I couldn’t deal with it then,” she said. “We were heading back into shooting.”
“You told Lanigan about it.”
“She asked.”
“So did I.”
“Mommy?”
Cameron and Cassidy turned to see Ryan in his footed pajamas, peering at them from the bedroom hall, his stuffed monster doll hugged to his chest.
“What is it?” Cassidy held out her hand to her son.
“Can’t sleep. Can you tell me a story?”
Cassidy looked over her shoulder at Cameron, then back at her son. “Not tonight, buddy,” she said quietly. “I’ll give you a hug, though.”
“Okay.” Ryan climbed onto her lap and turned into her chest. She closed her eyes and reveled in the sensation as she wrapped him securely in her arms and kissed his hair.
Cameron’s hand moved between her arms, and he patted her son’s back. “There you go, guy,” he said. “One bona fide Mom hug.”
Cassidy loosened her grasp but was pleased when her son did not immediately get down from her lap. She absently stroked the monster toy, thinking of the woman who had given it to him, while her other hand lightly drew circles on Ryan’s lower back. Looking up, she saw Cameron looking pensive.
“Back to bed,” she said, keeping her mouth from showing the regret she felt as her son left her lap. She stood and walked him back to his bedroom. Pulling the covŹers to his chin, she kissed him again. “Good night.”
When she returned to the living room, Cameron was sitting back against the couch sipping his wine. “So, are you ever going to tell me what happened Saturday?”
“I told you,” she said, resuming her seat. “Ryan got away from me, and it took a while to find him.”
“Somebody take him?”
“No. Cam, I got the third degree from Mitch; I don’t need you to cross examine me, too.”
Cameron eased back and lifted his hands in the universal symbol of surrender. But he couldn’t resist one last question. “How’d Lanigan get involved?”
Ruminating, Cassidy leaned back. She remembered the wariness on Brenna’s face when they ran into one another in the store aisle and how it was just as quickly set aside when Cassidy revealed her problem. Brenna had taken thorough command of the situation, dispatching her sons. Cassidy smiled. “After the Halloween party at the studio, she invited me to go camping with her charity group. Saturday, I realized there were still a few things I’d need. It seems we both had the same idea to check out the new warehouse store. She was there to pick up a few things for the trip herself.”
“She invited you on a camping trip?”
“Yes. Next weekend.”
“That was nice of her.”
Cassidy thought Cameron’s tone didn’t sound like he thought it had been. Her response was defensive as a result. “Yes, it was. We haven’t talked much”
“She’s done her best to ignore you. You’ve”
“But that’s been changing. We’ve become friends.”
He scoffed. “Since Saturday?”
“You don’t think it could be that simple?”
“Nothing with that woman is that simple. What’s she getting out of it?”
“She said she thought Ryan and I would have some fun.”
“Press gonna be there?”
“No, a bunch of underprivileged kids. Damn, Cameron, can’t you just be happy for me?”
Cameron shifted on the couch and even pulled his arms down from around the back of the cushion as he rubbed the knees of his trousers. “She’s never made a gesŹture like this before. Doesn’t that just seem…weird to you?”
“I’m flattered she wants to spend time with me and Ryan,” she responded pointedly.
Cameron straightened and shot back, “Don’t start. I like Ryan just fine, but I’m dating you, not him.”
“Cameron, we’re a package deal.”
“Why are you picking a fight with me?”
“I’m not picking a fight.”
“Speaking of picking a fight… You should thank me. Today, Chapman wanted
to rewrite a scene, Branch got him to cut our ‘discussion’ short at lunch, but I still found a sheaf of script pages on my desk. After one look, I ripped them up.”
“Why? Maybe Will had an interesting idea. You let Rich pitch you ideas all the lime.”
“Paulson doesn’t want to write scenes where he’s kissing you,” Cameron replied.
“Chapman wants to kiss But Raycreek and Hanssen have nothing in comŹmon.”
“He doesn’t care about that. He knows you’re the ratings grabber, and he wants in on the action.”
Cassidy sighed. “I really thought I was beginning to be part of the team. Brenna”
“Brenna’s been all over you lately.”
“I worked hard to get her to acknowledge me,” Cassidy objected. “That’s why I appreciated the invitation to go camping.”
“We could’ve gone to Napa or something.”
“But Ryan couldn’t come along on a winery tour.”
Cameron stood abruptly. “Fine. Forget it. Go camping.”
Cassidy said nothing. Leaning on the arm of the couch, she rested her head on her crossed wrists, watching as he collected his coat. “Will I see you tomorrow?” she asked to his back as the door opened.
“Maybe.” Cameron’s terse response followed him out.
Worn emotionally, Cassidy rose from the couch and went to her bedroom, stopping at Ryan’s door with a quick glance inside to see that he was safely asleep.
She decided to unwind in the bathtub. Opening the taps to the clawfoot tub in the master bathroom, she returned to her bedside table and picked up the script. She shook her head and put it down. You want to unwind. Pinning up her hair, she stepped out of her clothes, slid into the warm water, and stretched out in lavender bubbles.
Breathing deeply, she ignored the phone when it suddenly rang in the bedŹroom. Whoever it was, however, disconnected as soon as her answering machine picked up. A beat later, she remembered she had wanted to call Mitch. Shaking her head, she closed her eyes resolutely. Tomorrow. From work. Maybe Brenna would be willing to sit with me while I try to reason with him.
The thought of Brenna brought Cassidy back to their hug. Her body flushed at the memory. In that instant, when Brenna had presented her hand, Cassidy had seen the same “this is absurd” expression on Brenna’s face that she figured she’d had on her own. When she initiated a hug instead, Brenna had leaned into the embrace. Remembering the contact, Cassidy crossed her arms over her chest and
submerged in the water. The warmth soothed her prickling skin. What an incredible feeling of belonging.
Cameron’s words bubbled to the surface along with her released breath. “Brenna’s been all over you lately.”
What did he mean by that? Was it just a professional thing, some form of manipulation, or something more personal? When she surfaced, she scolded herself for being fanciful. “Ridiculous. You are overanalyzing again, Ms. Cancer Ascendant. It was just a hug.” She grabbed her sponge and scrubbed her skin until it held a rosy glow.
When the water had cooled, she pulled the plug, stepped out of the tub, and dried. After pulling on a nightshirt, she pulled up her bed covers and curled around a pillow. Sleep claimed her quickly.
Inside her front door, Brenna was surprised from behind with a hug from ThoŹmas as she turned around to put up her coat and keys. She jumped, then returned the embrace. “Good to see you, too,” she said with a chuckle. “What’s up? Besides you, that is?”
“I thought you were stuck at another all-nighter.”
“No. I ended up in a conversation in the parking lot, then took surface roads instead of the highway.” Putting her purse down, Brenna thought back to the hug. And I needed time alone to think.
Thomas nodded. “Sure. Are you hungry?”
“No. I’m just going to bed. You should, too,” she told him with a kiss. “Why are you always up waiting for me?”
Thomas shrugged. “I’m usually still doing homework.” She looked askance at him. “Well, okay. It’ll sound kind of stupid, but sometimes I think you could use someone to talk to. I like being that someone,” he added sheepishly.
Moved by her son’s admission, Brenna patted his arm. “You’re going to make some young lady very lucky, Thomas. Thank you.”
“Mom,” he groaned as she leaned against him and hugged him.
“Where’s James?”
“Right here.”
She hugged her younger son, who appeared at her shoulder from the bedroom hallway. “I missed you guys,” she said. “Are you looking forward to our weekend away?” They both nodded.
“Good night, Mom.”
“Good night.” Brenna entered her room and flipped on the late news to watch as she changed. The reminder to vote in the elections the next day brought Kevin to mind. She had already sent in her absentee ballot, but she ought to encourage him on his important night. She reached for the phone, then remembered it was going to be two a.m. in Mount Clemens. She arranged her pillows and curled up, hoping the bed would warm quickly as she snuggled deeper into the mattress.
“Thanks for everything,” Cassidy whispered in Brenna’s hair.
Brenna’s eyes opened as the soft voice played in her head. She had been looking at her own hand, wondering why a handshake was not what she wanted to offer, and then suddenly they were hugging. Awash with pleasure, Brenna realized she had not wanted to say goodbye in the first place.
She took a quick breath of relief and met Cassidy’s gaze. Surprise and curiosity were mirrored there. Stepping closer to the other woman, Brenna felt Cassidy’s arm brush against her hand as she lifted it to waist height. She remembered how warm the skin of Cassidy’s cheek felt as it lightly touched her own. She could smell the scent of lavender caught in Cassidy’s hair, present even after a long day. Her arms went around Cassidy’s back; Cassidy’s fingers spread and slid up Brenna’s back. She closed her own eyes and moved her hands up a little. Cassidy’s arms squeezed briefly before the two pulled apart.
When she met the blue gaze again, there was a faint smile. She felt a similar one shaping her own lips. The change in their relationship felt incredibly good. “How was that?” Brenna asked. She was surprised to hear a mild huskiness in her own voice.
“Perfect,” Cassidy said absently.
She backed reluctantly from Cassidy’s hands and their grasp lingered for a long moment. She hesitated. “I…should go. Take care of yourself.”
“1 will.”
Brenna’s heart had heen pounding so hard afterward that she needed the extra drive time to relax. Just the memory now sharply raised her heart rate. Closing her eyes lightly and balling her hands against her chest, she wondered what the next day would bring in her changed friendship with Cassidy.
Chapter 15
“Action!”
Brenna and Kyle were ushered inside by the doorman, and Brenna gave up her rain slicker and hat, revealing a ladies’ skirt suit in a very flattering dark blue.
With her boss, Virgil, Susan Jakes entered the nightclub set in this altered timeline. He had coaxed her to dinner while they worked on an office project. “Are you sure we can spare the time away from this project?” she asked.
“I appreciate that you want to get it finished, but taking a break isn’t a crime,” he answered, taking her coat.
“How can we talk in this noise?” Susan asked.
He smiled at her. “Don’t you like the music?”
Susan studied the woman crooning into a microphone and swaying to the pianist’s music as she sang. When she didn’t answer, her escort shrugged. “Something to drink?”
Jakes shook her head. “No. It’s all right. Should we sit?”
“Perfect.” He smiled.
Surreptitiously Susan kept track of the other Time Squad operŹatives. Chris was the singer, Creighton kept the liquor flowing behind the bar. Their waiter, Jeremy Dewitt, showed them to a table near the stage.
Chris’ blue eyes brushed over them as she moved across the stage, beginning another song:
No, you don’t know the one who dreams of you at night, and longs to kiss your lips and longs to hold you tight…
Finishing the stanza, she paused, turned back, and found Susan Jakes studying her. “You, you just don’t know me,” she crooned, watching as Jakes’ escort grasped her hand where it rested on the table. “You’ll never ever know, the girl who loves you so…” Chris dropped her gaze back to the couple in the front row, finding Susan’s eyes. Mind on the mission, she reminded herself. She paused for the handful of beats between the stanza and the next refrain, looked at Virgil, and then growled seductively.
“Cut!”
Cassidy immediately softened the line of her shoulders and laughed. Brenna reached over and tapped her on the arm, and she turned to the Commander. “Yes?”
“Don’t do that!” Brenna said with mock distress. “You’re acting like a jealous lover.”
“Just trying to distract him from guessing we know each other already.” She laughed again. “But I could do jealous, if you like.”
Kyle Masters stood. Half a day with the blond actress he had thought was ice cool had quickly shown him her playful side, which, as the day wore on, she had thrown his way once or twice. “I’ll flip you for her. Someone have a quarter?” He
outght one tossed from off set. “Heads she stays in this time frame with me; tails she goes back with you.”
Cassidy nodded, catching Uremia’s shoulder in a quick hug. “You have to come hack! What would I ever do without you!”
Brenna laughed uneasily, and Cassidy felt the other woman tug away gently. Reluctantly she let go, watching Brenna move away with her head down. She was obviously thinking very hard about something as the post-camera smile had evapoŹrated, replaced by…Anxiety? “Bren?”
Brenna turned at the soft call, but just then, Hifer walked up. “Are you three finished?” He chuckled. The trio suddenly looked up and laughed, separating. “Go on, back to your marks.”
“Scene 18 B. Take 12.” On their cue, the trio replayed the scene, finally finishŹing it to Hifer’s satisfaction.
“All right, everyone. Take five. We’re going to set up for the scene with Terry.” The dark-skinned actor stepped up. “Ready, Terry?”
Terry nodded, and Brenna watched him sink into character; it was a palpable change. His eyes went shallow and dark, and the musculature and veins in his neck and arms became more pronounced. Damn, she thought. He’s going for scary.
Cass
idy stopped at her shoulder on her way off to the side. “What’s up?” the blonde asked against her head.
“Look at Terry,” Brenna said softly. Her head close to Brenna’s, Cassidy turned and caught sight of Brown, pacing the portion of the set where his character worked. He was so caught up in character that he was muttering to himself and stalking, ignoring the lighting and sound grips moving the booms around to illuminate the area properly.
“Damn. That’ll give me nightmares,” Cassidy remarked. “He should’ve worked on my last movie. I didn’t have anything on him as a vampire.”
Brenna chuckled at the image of Cassidy as a vampire. “I’ll have to go to the opening of that now,” she teased.
“It was fun.” Curious about Brenna’s earlier withdrawal, Cassidy slipped an arm over the smaller woman’s shoulder and watched gray-blue eyes look uneasily at the hand trailing over her costume. “I liked the fangs,” she said.
“Cass, I…” Brenna eased out from under the touch.
“Horror movies scare you?” Cass asked in a playfully low voice. “Look. No sharp teeth.” Brenna’s eyes met hers, and Cassidy gave her a full grin, showing her very white, very straight teeth. Cass released Brenna as Hifer stepped toward them.
“All right, everyone. Places.”
Brenna went over to her mark with Kyle, and they leaned across the table toward one another; Cassidy returned to her mark, and Terry stood behind the bar. “Action!”
The dark-skinned actor became frenetic; Brenna was transfixed. Standing behind the bar, he smashed a bottle against the bar. With an animal-like growl, he jumped onto the bar surface and began raving, then he leaped onto the stage and grabbed Cassidy.
Brenna started toward him.
“Let her go!”
Creighton lunged away from her, dragging Chris with him. He grabbed the microphone and held it like a knife against her throat. Chris’ face filled with fear when Creighton held her close with one hand and growled his lines into her face. “Stop singing!”
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