“Then let me talk to your father.” Steve reached for Cassie’s hand and steered her off the dance floor and toward the back of the room to where the older man who’d accompanied Britt sat. He left Britt to trail along behind.
Joe Osborne stood as Steve approached. Smiling, he extended his hand. “Good to see you, Steve.”
“You, too, Joe.”
The other man looked pointedly at Cassie and then his daughter, who had joined the small group. Britt glared at Cassie.
“This is Cassie Carter,” Steve said, introducing her to Joe.
“Hello, Cassie,” Joe said, his smile genuine and warm, even while his daughter stared daggers at Cassie. Both men either didn’t notice or chose to ignore it.
“It’s a good thing you’ve done here,” Joe told Steve.
Steve brushed off his words. “I didn’t do much of anything. It’s the volunteers who put all this together.” He made a gesture with his hand toward the area around them. “Volunteers like Cassie.”
“You work for Habitat?” Joe asked, turning to her.
“I’m working on building a home for my daughter and me,” Cassie explained, not wanting Britt’s father to misunderstand. “I’m one of the recipients of the generosity.”
“Oh.” Surprise showed in the older man’s eyes.
“Yes,” Britt said, “Cassie is one of the charity cases.”
Her words were met with a strained, uncomfortable silence.
“So that’s how the two of you met, then,” Joe said, covering the awkward pause that followed.
“Yes,” Steve answered, reassuring Cassie with a glance. “And I’m grateful.”
“I am, too.” Cassie wasn’t about to let this spoiled rich girl intimidate her. Steve had his arm wrapped around her waist, as if letting it be known that the two of them were a couple.
“Good to see you, Joe,” he said, moving to step away. “Now I’d like to take my girl back to the dance floor.”
My girl? Oh goodness. She glanced up at him, wishing she could slow things down a bit.
“By all means,” Joe said, and sat back down and reached for his glass.
Just before she turned away, Cassie saw Britt slump down in the seat next to her father, fold her arms over her chest, and glare at Cassie. It was funny—it looked more like something Amiee would do than something a grown woman would do.
As they made their way back to the dance floor, Steve said, “Good girl, you held your own.”
“If Britt thinks she’s going to intimidate me, then she’s in for a shock. I’ve dealt with tougher characters than her.”
Steve snorted softly. “I know you have.” They reached the dance floor once again and Steve brought her back into the circle of his arms.
It felt like this was home, exactly where she belonged. Cassie pressed her head against his shoulder.
They danced to every song, if shuffling their feet and holding on to each other could be referred to as dancing. It didn’t matter what the beat or the rhythm, their steps remained the same. Dancing was merely an excuse to touch and be together.
“We’ve probably made a spectacle of ourselves,” Cassie told him, as the band announced the last song of the night.
“Probably,” he agreed. “Do you care?”
“Not really. You?”
He hesitated. “No doubt I’m in for a lot of ribbing from the guys.”
Cassie smiled.
“You find that funny?” he asked.
Her smile grew even bigger. “A little.”
He kissed her cheek sweetly.
The evening ended, and those who were left started to vacate the hangar. Fourteen Bones had already packed up the portable barbecues and left. The cleanup crew was in place. Cars began to leave, their headlights shooting beams into the night as vehicles lined up single file and drove toward the exit.
Holding her hand, Steve led her to his pickup.
“I drove my car here,” she reminded him.
“I know.” He continued walking her toward the back of the lot where he’d left his truck.
“Where are we going?”
He glanced at her and smiled. “Nowhere.”
“Nowhere?”
“Exactly.” He let down the tailgate of his truck, took hold of her about the waist, and hoisted her up.
Cassie sat on the edge, her legs dangling. Steve quickly joined her and placed his arm around her shoulders. She leaned her head against him.
“I had all week to think,” he announced. “Most of my thoughts revolved around you.”
She couldn’t deny the same was true for her. But as good as this felt, it also really shook her. She’d fallen head over heels in love before, with disastrous results. Steve wasn’t like Duke, she reminded herself, but the feeling of giving her heart to a man was also so closely associated with risk, even danger. She was keenly aware of how much she had to lose. The climb up from rock bottom had been long and hard. Now everything she’d worked for was so close, she was scared of being sidetracked by falling in love.
“This time apart was good,” he told her.
“It was good for me, too,” she added.
“It gave me perspective, and I needed that.”
“Me, too,” she added, looking up at the sky. The stars were out in a dazzling display. No evening she could remember had been more perfect.
He leaned over and raised her chin so he could kiss her. His mouth moved hungrily over hers. Only when Cassie was convinced she was about to melt and fall off the tailgate did he break off the kiss.
Steve dragged in several deep breaths before he continued. “I’ve made a decision.”
“Oh?” Lost in the moment, Cassie could barely speak, let alone think clearly.
His gaze held hers for the longest moment. “I’m excusing myself from the construction work on your and Amiee’s home.”
Cassie let his words sink in and then nodded. He, too, understood their relationship was moving too quickly. It was time to take a step back and slow things down. Put some distance between them.
“I think that’s a good idea.”
“You do?”
“Yes … I think we both realize that things have gotten pretty intense, and pretty quickly. We need breathing room, and that’s difficult if we see each other nearly every day at the job site.”
Steve frowned and leaned back on his hands. He seemed to be weighing her words. “I never expected to feel the things I do with you. After Alicia died, I assumed I would be incapable of loving anyone else. We were close, so close …” His voice drifted off, as if saying the words ripped open a half-healed wound.
Cassie reached over and placed her hand on his, wrapping her fingers around his and giving him a gentle squeeze.
“I’d like to take this relationship wherever it leads us, Cassie,” he said, keeping his head lowered and not looking at her. “It might be two steps forward and one step back for a while, but if you’re game to give us a chance, then so am I.”
She squeezed his hand again. If he understood that they were going to take things very slowly, she thought she could do this. “I’m game.”
Chapter 25
Sunday morning Cassie woke with a happy feeling. The Hoedown had been magical, by far the most romantic night of her life. After their talk, Steve had kissed her again and then walked her to her car. For the first time since she was eighteen Cassie felt the possibility of being truly free, unencumbered by the past, her own woman capable of making good decisions. At least that was what she kept reminding herself.
The evening with Steve couldn’t have been any more lovely. A dream come true. They understood each other; this was a night out of time. Like her, he accepted that they needed to take a step back and analyze where they were headed, and slow things down for the time being.
Amiee was due home from the camping trip late that afternoon. Cassie used the morning to clean the apartment, do laundry in the coin-operated machines in the back of the apartment complex, shower, and t
hen paint her toes and fingernails. It was such a luxury; she rarely had time for herself like this.
Amiee burst into the house shortly after five, full of chatter and excitement.
“Sounds like you had a good time,” Cassie said, helping her daughter lug her three absolutely essential pieces of luggage into the apartment. She’d required three bags for a single overnight stay. Three bags!
“We had the best time. Claudia’s dad took us on a hike in the rain forest. Did you know Washington state has one of the largest temperate rain forests in the continental United States? It’s called the Hoh Rain Forest, in Olympic National Park and Forest.”
“Really?” Cassie did know, but she didn’t want to squash her daughter’s enthusiasm.
“There was moss and it was slippery in places and the forest was so beautiful you wouldn’t have believed it. We walked and walked and it seemed like we’d gone ten miles but it was only two. I didn’t know a mile could be so far. Claudia’s dad had a walking stick. I always thought those were for old people, forty or fifty, but Mr. Anastasia isn’t that old.”
Cassie did her best to hide a smile.
“And we cooked on a camp stove. Claudia’s mom made this amazing soup that had everything you can imagine in it, and it tasted so good. Oh, and we made s’mores—you know, with graham crackers, marshmallows, and melted chocolate? They were yummy. I could have eaten ten of them, but I only ate three.”
“We’ll have to try making them ourselves sometime,” Cassie said, loving the way her daughter’s eyes sparked with joy.
“We can’t, sorry. It only works with a campfire.”
“Oh, then we’ll just need to go camping one day.”
Amiee grew serious. “Mom, this is real camping. This isn’t car camping or eating-dinner-under-the-table camping. We hiked to our site!”
“I’ll take that into consideration.”
“What’s for dinner?” Amiee asked, blinking at Cassie. “I’m starved.”
“I have an excellent idea of how to cure that,” Steve said.
He stood in the open apartment doorway, looking handsome enough for Cassie to stuff between two graham crackers, coat in chocolate, and munch on.
“Hi,” she said, knowing her voice sounded breathless and happy, mainly because she was both. At the same time, her head was telling her to take it slow. Before they parted, Steve had mentioned seeing her again before he returned to eastern Washington.
“You didn’t answer your phone,” he said, looking at Cassie.
“Oh sorry—I was in and out of the apartment doing laundry. I must have missed your call.”
His eyes were warm and gentle, his gaze lingering over Cassie before he turned his attention to Amiee. “How was the camping trip?”
Cassie held up her hand, stopping him. “Don’t get her started, she’ll talk your ears off.”
“That good, huh?”
“The best,” Amiee assured him, beaming him a wide smile.
Steve leaned against the doorjamb. “I stopped by to see if I could talk you girls into letting me buy you dinner.”
“I could be persuaded,” Cassie said, “and I don’t think you’ll have a difficult time convincing Amiee, either.”
“Let’s go.” Her daughter was more than eager. Amiee grabbed her purse and was already halfway to the door. “KFC?” she suggested eagerly.
“Not this time, okay?”
“Okay.” She didn’t sound disappointed, and Cassie was pleased her daughter hadn’t put up a fuss.
Steve drove them to the outskirts of Kent, to a mom-and-pop drive-in that had outside seating. He ordered cheeseburgers, along with french fries and drinks, and carried them over to the picnic table where Cassie and Amiee waited.
Steve set the sack down and then swung his leg over the bench and sat down next to Cassie so that he was directly across from Amiee. He’d grown progressively quieter as they drew close to the drive-in. After spreading out a napkin and cutting her burger in half with a plastic knife, Amiee took her first bite. “These are really, really good.”
“As good as KFC?”
“No, but close.”
Steve held his burger with both hands. “This is one of my favorite places to eat,” he said. “I used to stop by here for lunch at least once or twice a week.”
“You don’t anymore?” Amiee asked between bites. She’d already managed to scarf down the first half of her burger. Camping apparently made her extra-hungry.
“I spend a lot more time dealing with the paperwork these days than actually working on the construction site. So I end up eating at my desk. That’s one reason why I enjoy working with Habitat—it gets me back out,” he explained.
Cassie noticed Steve hadn’t done anything more than remove his sandwich from the brown paper sack. He was quiet for a second, then cleared his throat.
“There’s a reason I asked you to dinner,” he said, directing the comment to Amiee.
“You mean other than being hungry?”
“Yeah, it’s more than that.” Steve shot a speculative glance toward Cassie and grew even more serious. “I wanted to talk to you about dating your mother.”
Amiee frowned and looked from Cassie to Steve and then back again. “I thought you were already dating her.”
Cassie held up her hand, wanting Steve to slow down. All this talk made it sound as if it was a foregone conclusion that they were together now. They had an understanding, she thought. They’d talked about the need to take one day at a time and not rush into anything, certainly not speed up.
“I want to officially start dating your mother,” Steve explained.
Amiee tossed a look to Cassie and then back to Steve and seemed confused. “What’s the difference between official dating and unofficial dating?” she asked.
“Hold on a minute,” Cassie said. Steve was getting ahead of himself. Way ahead.
But Steve cut her off. He expelled his breath as though gathering his thoughts. “Amiee, I want you to know I’m serious about your mother.”
“Serious?” Amiee repeated, elevating her voice. “You mean like you want to marry her?”
Cassie sucked in her breath but before she could protest that any such idea was completely premature, Steve answered.
“It’s a bit soon to decide that just yet. I’m not taking marriage off the table—that is, if your mother is agreeable and if you’d be willing to let me be your stepdad—but that’s something for us to discuss in the future.”
Cassie was speechless. Of its own accord, her mouth moved up and down a couple times but no words escaped, which was probably a good thing. Had she been able to speak, she wasn’t sure what she’d say without the words tumbling out of her mouth and tripping over her tongue.
Steve was taking a whole lot for granted. She had thought he understood. It was clear now that they weren’t in agreement about this relationship. Despite their earlier conversation, it appeared that she’d given him the wrong impression.
Amiee’s eyes grew dark as she set her burger aside. “You must really like my mom.”
Seeming more relaxed now, Steve reached for his own cheeseburger. “You could say that. She’s not half bad, you know.”
“She has a bit of a temper,” Amiee informed him, lowering her voice, as if whispering would prevent Cassie from hearing her.
“Steve,” Cassie protested, finding her voice. “You and I need to have a serious discussion.”
Steve and her daughter ignored her. “I’ve seen this temper of hers a time or two myself. Any other bad habits you want to warn me about?”
“Hey, you two,” Cassie said, indignant now. “Stop it! Steve, we need to talk.” She made sure each word was spoken distinctly, so there was no room for misunderstanding. Seeing that she’d already made that mistake once, she wanted her meaning perfectly clear now.
Steve paused and turned toward Cassie.
“In a minute, Mom,” Amiee insisted. “This is important.”
“What I have to say
is important, too,” she said, but both Steve and Amiee continued to ignore her.
To his credit, Steve smiled apologetically before turning his attention back to Amiee. “Do you have any other important questions for me?” Steve asked. “Anything you want to know before your mother and I start officially dating?”
Amiee reached for her soda, took a sip, and then folded her forearms on top of the table. “Do you believe in God?”
Steve nodded. “Yup.”
She took that into consideration and then asked. “Do you go to church?”
Steve hesitated. “I haven’t in a while.”
“Why not?” Amiee wasn’t letting up.
“Enough, you two,” Cassie cried, growing more frustrated by the minute.
Steve gave her a gentle shake of his head, letting her know he fully intended to answer Amiee’s questions.
“I’ve been sort of mad at God.”
“How come?” Amiee pressed, unwilling to drop the matter.
Steve expelled a long breath. “Because my wife died. I prayed that God would heal Alicia. It didn’t happen and so I figured if He wasn’t going to listen to me, then I’d ignore Him, too.”
Amiee tapped her fingers on the top of the picnic table as she mulled over his answer. “I guess I can understand how you felt.”
“I appreciate it,” Steve told her. “Anything else you need to know?”
Amiee nodded aggressively. “Yes, there’s more. This is my mother you’re talking about, and if we’re going to let you into our lives there’s several important factors for us to take into consideration.”
Cassie interrupted. “This has gone on long enough. It’s far too early for you two to be talking like this. Steve, I appreciate you considering Amiee’s feelings, but I believe this is a discussion you and I need to have first. I am nowhere near ready for this to move so fast. I thought you understood that.”
Amiee’s gaze was focused on Steve and his on her. Both reacted as if she hadn’t spoken, as if they hadn’t heard a single word she’d said.
Cassie couldn’t take this any longer. She scooted off the bench and, with her arms folded, paced the area.