Frank woke to anguished noises from the living room. He bolted upright and rushed to Cassie’s side to see her thrashing in her sleep.
As gently as he could he shook her shoulder and she started to fight hard, striking him in the head twice and getting her legs tangled in the blanket as she tried to kick him. “Cassie, wake up.”
A disoriented Cassie emerged from her nightmare into consciousness. “Frank? What are you doing here at …?” She slumped back onto the pillow, panting hard.
“You had another nightmare.”
She rose to sitting and wrapped her arms around her knees. “It was worse than usual. This time it was Deion and Vlad and Hulk taking turns with me while Mum and Gord held me down and cheered them on. Then the scene shifted to SkyDome and there were dozens more men lined up and thousands of people in the stands cheering them on. I was starting to fight back when you woke me up.” She reached out for a hug and slumped exhaustedly against him.
Frank stroked her back while he made comforting noises. When her breathing finally returned to normal he said, “Would you like to sleep with me tonight? You didn’t have any nightmares when we shared the bunk on the yacht.”
She stiffened in panic before remembering that this was Frank, her husband who loved her. After a moment’s consideration she said, “Okay.”
Frank held her gently for a few moments longer. “I’m not asking so I can get you into my bed. It’s just to sleep.”
Cassie snapped at Frank, “I said okay, okay?”
Frank nodded. “Okay.”
He stood and took her hand to lead her to the bedroom. Cassie frowned. “Shall we flip a coin to see who gets the right side of the bed?”
Frank said, “You can have the right side. I only use it because it’s closer to the door. And you might feel safer if I’m not between you and the door anyway.”
Cassie smiled nervously and slid under the covers, wrapped in Frank’s scent and residual warmth.
Frank pointed at the unused pillow. “But I’d like my own pillow, please.”
She sat up quickly and traded. He walked around the bed to climb in the other side. “Are you still considering seeing a counsellor?”
“I think I have to. This just isn’t normal, Frank. I talked to Kiera about it after supper in Chester. She gave me the name of someone she knows of in Ottawa. Anne mentioned that the church also has a good support group and counsellors available.” Cassie rolled over on her side to face Frank. “I have a favour to ask.”
“About what?”
“We’re still headed for Parrsboro on Tuesday?”
“That was the plan. Did you want to go somewhere else?”
“No. I want to invite Bonnie and Gray’s kids to come with us.” She felt his hesitation. “It’s not that I want a buffer between us, Frank. It’s just that Jan needs to have some fun this summer and it might be good for George and Sophie, too. I think Bonnie may have overreacted when she set Jan’s punishment. And maybe Bonnie and Gray need some time to themselves.”
Frank inched closer to Cassie and propped his head up on his hand. “Maybe you’re right. Bonnie and Jan are oil and water this summer. It will be like a time out for both of them.” He reached out with his left hand to brush some wayward hair from Cassie’s face. “I’ll call Bonnie tomorrow but I’ll ask them to pick up the kids on Saturday.”
“Unless they want come out on Friday to stay the weekend with us. Will there be enough room for everyone?”
Frank said, “It is a pretty big place. Right now only Bonnie and Gray have kids so there are more bedrooms than people if everyone in the immediate family shows up.”
Cassie counted in her head. “There are more than fifteen bedrooms?”
“Seventeen in the main house not including Geraldine’s apartment and the servant’s rooms in the attics plus five above the carriage house and seven in the cottage near the shore. And there are four serviced pads on the property where we can set up trailers or RVs. Great-grandfather Murcheson kept the lots in reserve in case some of the family wanted to build their own place. There’s a local couple who take care of basic maintenance and security in exchange for free rent of the gatehouse, which has two bedrooms and a loft. We pay the wife extra to keep the gardens looking good and supervise the landscaping service. Mother hires an extra cook and housekeeping staff to help Geraldine when they fill the place with guests. I think there might be one of Mother’s friends or cousins using the shore cottage this week. The summer home came to us from Mother’s family in Boston.”
Cassie recognized that the feelings of unreality when Frank nonchalantly described the trappings of the family’s wealth were diminishing over time. She reached out her hand to touch the reddening spot on Frank’s cheek. “Did I do that?”
Frank winced and moved her hand. “Yes. But it was while I was trying to wake you up.”
Cassie yawned and said, “I’m sorry, sweetheart.”
Frank grinned. “You could kiss it better.”
Cassie’s eyes narrowed while she tried to assess his motives but rose up enough to lean over. She gave him a light tender kiss on his cheekbone then lowered her head to give him a proper kiss. Then she rolled over and pulled up the covers.
Frank moved his pillow so he could snuggle up to her.
Cassie scooted backward into his embrace and fell asleep almost instantly, feeling protected and safe.
Frank had a very long argument with his hormones but eventually fell asleep too.
———
Frank looked up from his newspaper to see Cassie peering through the crack in the bathroom door before letting out a sigh and shaking her head. She brought her bundle of clothing with her and firmly shut the door behind her. Frank heard the lock click. He shrugged and turned his attention back to the paper as he heard the shower start.
A few minutes after the shower finished Frank heard the bathroom door creak and saw a single eye peer out of the narrow crack of the barely opened door. The eye widened in alarm and the door was slammed closed and locked with an accompanying shriek. Frank stood up and saw the bathroom door open. An ashen faced and embarrassed looking Cassie emerged with her damp towel and pyjamas draped over one arm.
Without moving towards her, he said, “Good morning, my love. Would you like some tea?”
“Hot chocolate, please.” Cassie ducked into the bedroom to put her laundry in the hamper.
Frank moved to the counter as Cassie made her way to the fridge.
Cassie turned to face Frank, unsure where to start.
Frank said, “I’ll listen if you want to tell me.”
She said, in an embarrassed mumble, “Sorry. I was checking for Gord. I guess I wasn’t quite awake.”
Frank started the coffee maker and went back to sit at his place. “I assume you’re awake now.”
She gave him a sheepish look. “Yeah.” She turned back to the fridge and got out a small package of bacon. “Are bacon and pancakes okay? There’s fruit salad, too.”
“I had some fruit salad already but pancakes sound wonderful.”
Cassie nodded then began to gather the ingredients for the batter. Frank allowed the silence to continue as he perused the business section of the paper. While the pancakes were cooking, Cassie said, “I got caught by Gord in the bathroom once. He’d hidden behind the door and I got trapped in there with him.” She shuddered at the memory. “Fortunately Mum needed to use the washroom and interrupted him before he got more than a good feel.”
Frank made an affirming noise.
Cassie continued. “So I started turning the lights on and checking that the bathroom was empty before using it if Gord was in the apartment. But he trapped me coming out of the bathroom a couple of times, once when I only had a towel on. So I started to bring my clothes for the day into the bathroom with me and putting a wedge under the door so I wouldn’t be interrupted when I showered.”
“How often have you checked the bathroom here?”
Cassie mumbled,
“Only a couple of times…”
Frank asked, “Twice? That’s not too bad then.”
Cassie put the two pancakes on Frank’s plate and two on hers. She brought his plate over and said, “Twice a day. Sometimes more. But this is the first time I’ve done it during the day.”
Frank looked out at the dense fog surrounding the building. “Because it’s dark?”
“Probably.” She retrieved her breakfast and joined him at the table. “I know it’s not normal but I feel better if I do it.”
Frank sighed.
Cassie asked, “What are you thinking?”
Frank sighed again. “Murderous thoughts about Gord again. I’ll have to say some special prayers. We’re supposed to love our enemies, but he’s particularly difficult to forgive.”
Cassie took a sip of chocolate. “I agree. At least I don’t check the washrooms in public places.”
“We can make sure that we’re in one of the rooms with an en suite bathroom at the summer home.” Frank started to clear his dishes. “I’m entitled to one now that I’m married.”
Cassie said, “Because you’d be embarrassed if I checked the bathroom before I used it?”
“No. It’s a perfectly natural reaction to an unnatural situation. But you might be embarrassed if someone other than me caught you.”
“It’s starting to fade. At least I don’t stop and peer around corners anymore.”
“That’s good because the summer home was built in five phases and has all sorts of twists and turns in the hallways. I’d hate to think of you creeping around and getting spooked. Speaking of which, Bonnie enthusiastically agreed to let us take the kids but she’ll drop them off at lunch on Wednesday because we don’t have room in the rental for all three kids and Sophie’s booster seat. She did remind me that my birthday was on the long weekend and that everyone will be in town for it, except Lita. Mother will expect us to come.”
“Maybe we can host a party there rather than imposing on your mother?”
“That sounds good to me. I got an email from Supriya saying that they were going to come down on the long weekend to meet you. I know Dale prefers to stay at the summer home or on the yacht when he’s in the area.”
Cassie looked up at Frank. “And the rest of the family?”
“Robert and Melissa are supposed to be here this month, too, but he doesn’t tell anyone his plans until he’s actually in town. We could run into some of Mother’s guests but she usually lets them use the shore cottage rather than the main house.” Frank snapped his fingers. “Oh, right. Aunt Paula will be there, too. She spends the summer with her paint box tramping around the cape. But she’ll probably hide in her apartment in the carriage house the whole time we’re there, especially if she’s deep into a new canvas. We rarely see her unless Mother is with us.”
“And she is?”
“She’s my mother’s spinster sister, a rather eccentric art history professor at a small college in Maryland. She thinks Baltimore is too hot in the summer so she heads north to paint and relax before she has to go back to teach the fall semester.” He paused for a second. “What’s the date on Sunday?”
Cassie rolled her eyes. “August 4. It’s the long weekend. And your birthday.”
Frank shrugged. “It’s too easy to lose track of the days when you aren’t working.” He leaned forward. “Are you recovered?”
“I am.” Cassie leaned forward and kissed Frank on the cheek. “Thank you for caring.”
“You’re welcome.” He stood and moved some stray hair off her face. Cassie could sense his internal debate about giving her a kiss and offered her cheek.
With an amused grin he gave her a fond peck. “All right. I’ll go email everyone an invitation for Sunday supper at the summer house.”
Cassie peered over the edge of her mug, trying not to be too obvious about admiring her husband’s fit form walking towards the living room.