Chapter 25
The pleasant grey haired lady unpacking boxes at the reception desk smiled at Cassie as she entered the freshly renovated offices of Petitclerc and Ellis. “Can I help you, miss?”
Cassie held out her hand and said, “You must be Eleanor. I’m Cassie Ellis. We’ve spoken a few times on the phone.”
Eleanor couldn’t quite hide her surprise at the sight of Cassie in her school uniform with the white golf shirt sporting the school logo, black and green plaid skirt, black knee socks and sensible low-heeled oxford shoes. Cassie gave Eleanor her best self-deprecating smile and said, “I guess I’m not quite what you expected.”
Eleanor swallowed her surprise then shook Cassie’s hand and said, “Not exactly, no. I’m pleased to meet you, finally.”
“It’s only a half hour walk from the school to here and they were predicting a nice day so I drove in with Frank so he wouldn’t work late again. Is he busy?”
Eleanor checked the switchboard console then the computer in front of her and said, “He doesn’t have a meeting scheduled and he’s not on the phone, so you can go right in.” Eleanor looked up to see Cassie’s look of uncertainty. She grinned and said, “Right, you don’t know where his office is.” She got up and said, “Come this way.”
Frank’s office was in the opposite corner from reception. Cassie was led past a pair of small board rooms piled with file boxes and a large board room with an installation team setting up a smart board through a short maze of cubicles and past a closed door across from a lunch room before stopping at an open door next to the back stairs.
Frank was speaking to a middle aged woman in a teal power suit. “So, can I tell Trevor that we are still on schedule for October third?”
The woman paused before answering. “If we get those written authorizations from Henry by Friday noon, then yes. Otherwise we’ll have to reschedule. I can’t say how much that would delay things without checking everyone’s calendars back at the office.”
Frank noticed Cassie hovering. “We’ll get you those authorizations. I’ll talk to Trevor before I go home.” He looked up and said, “Come in, Cassie. Joanne and I were just finishing up.”
Cassie stepped in as Frank and Joanne rose from their chairs. Joanne gave Cassie a friendly smile which froze as Frank said, “Joanne Corvino, I’d like you to meet my wife, Cassie.” Turning to Cassie he said, “Joanne is the technical manager of the forensic team that’s working with me on the Menzies file.”
Joanne recovered her manners enough to say, “Pleased to meet you.”
Cassie darted a look at Frank, who was steeling himself to say nothing. Cassie gave Joanne her friendliest smile and said, “I’m pleased to meet you as well. Frank’s mentioned how lucky he was to get someone as competent as you to lead the forensic team.”
Joanne’s initial stiffness was mollified by the compliment and Frank winked approval at Cassie. “Did school let out early?”
Cassie pointed at the very large wall clock and sighed. “No. It got out on time and I even stayed behind to use the library for a while before walking over here.”
Frank registered the time on the clock and said, “I guess time flies when you’re having fun.”
Joanne shook her head and took her leave, saying, “Nice meeting you, Cassie. I’ll see you in a couple of days, Frank.”
Cassie waved as she left. Frank came around the desk to get a hug and then said, “I have to call Trevor to get those authorizations Joanne wants and then I have to return a couple of calls. I hope they’re actually as urgent as Eleanor thinks.” He turned to pick up his notepad. “Anne would like to know if we can attend another reception this Thursday. It seems that Thursday is the usual night for these events during cottage season. It was Wednesday in Halifax.”
Cassie shrugged off her pack and took out her agenda. “If I get my New Testament assignment finished by Wednesday night it should be fine.”
“Okay. Let’s get you set up so you can do some work while you wait for me.” He led Cassie to a vacant cubicle close to his office. “You can use this space. Ask Eleanor to give you the Wi-Fi guest password if you need to use the Internet.” He gave her an affectionate kiss after she dropped her pack on the work surface.
She looked up at him when he straightened up. “If you work past five thirty, I get to decide what restaurant you’re taking me to.”
Frank backed off a pace and saluted. “Received and understood. I’ll keep my call to Trevor short.”
Cassie said, “Good luck with that,” then smiled knowingly as she got out her Bible and the rest of the material for her assignment.
———
“So you can bring your family here but I can’t.” Frank looked up at the door to see a grumpy looking James McNabb.
“Ryan is disruptive and Veronica is worse. I haven’t heard a peep from Cassie since she started working on her assignments.”
“But you told us we couldn’t bring our kids to work.” James said angrily. “You must have been young when she was born.”
Frank rose from his chair. “I was. But she isn’t my daughter, she’s my wife.”
James did a double take, whipping his head around to take another look at Cassie. “Your wife?”
Frank crossed his arms. “Yes. Do you have a problem with that? Because we don’t.”
James spluttered as he focused on the photos of Cassie on Frank’s bookshelves. “I thought she was older…”
“No, actually you didn’t think. You assumed. I hope you don’t make it a habit in your work.”
James looked affronted as he responded, “Charles has never had a problem with my work.”
“That’s what he told me”
James looked over at Cassie again and this time he had a knowing leer. Turning back to Frank he said, “I’m sorry if I jumped to conclusions.” But Frank didn’t hear very much sincerity in his voice and he didn’t like the way that James was ogling Cassie.
Frank decided not to call him on it and asked, “How’s the Mainwaring file coming along?”
James dropped the knowing look and sighed. “That’s what I came to talk to you about. We’ve still got some issues with the revenue reconciliation. I don’t think the new comptroller Dean hired understands the deferred revenue model that Mainwaring has been using for the past decade.” Then he snorted, “Hey, I’m not certain I understand it fully either but I know how to apply it and the tax man is okay with it.”
Frank nodded. “Do you want me to speak with Dick about it?”
James paused for thought. “That might be good. Maybe you can explain the extra costs of changing to the new method? Because if they make the change the new comptroller is suggesting they’ll have to recognize most of the deferred revenue in this taxation year. I think they’d have to send CRA a boatload of cash if it isn’t done exactly right. It’ll be bad enough when Dick transfers the company to Dean later this month and the capital gains crystallize with the rollover.”
Frank sat back down. “Let me put it on my to-do list for tomorrow.” He looked up to see Cassie’s triumphant grin. “Hi, love.” He looked at his clock and sighed. “So where are we having supper?”
Cassie grinned. “I feel like having a burger tonight, so I was going to suggest the A&W at Hunt Club but I didn’t want to hear you complain about having to do an extra twenty minutes in the pool, even though you’d eat as much anywhere else we went.” She gave a sideways look towards James. “So it depends. If you’re hungry now we can go to Local Heroes or if you’d rather we go home to change first we can head for the Swan.”
“How far did you get with your homework?”
“I’m all caught up and I got a very good start on the New Testament assignment thanks to Caitlyn’s suggestions.”
James gave Cassie another once over which Frank caught out of the corner of his eye. “Cassie, this is James MacNabb, one of our audit managers.”
Cassie gave James a polite smile and shook his hand. “Pleased to meet you.”
&nb
sp; “Pleased to meet you, too.” He turned to Frank. “I should get home. Ryan has hockey tonight.”
Frank snickered. “Stay warm.”
They waited until James left then Cassie came around the desk to look at Frank’s to-do list. “You didn’t answer my question.”
Frank tried to remember the conversation as Cassie’s amused grin got more pronounced. “Oh. Right. Local Heroes is great but there’s Monday Night Football tonight. It might be crowded already.”
Cassie gave Frank a teasing grin. “Men and football. Oh well, if it’s too crowded we can try Bigg’s or the Works. They have televisions, too.” She tapped his list. “Are you finished for the day?”
Frank scanned his list and decided that Cassie was a higher priority, remembering Friday’s fight and his promise. “I’m going to bring my portfolio with me because I’ve got a problem I’m muddling through and I may need to write something down if I get an ‘Aha!’ moment but everything else can wait until tomorrow. I’ve got our IT consultant coming to the house tomorrow morning to set up a secure connection to the server here. Sorry I’m not quite civilized yet.” He gathered her into his arms and his look seemed to ask permission for a kiss.
Cassie reached up to draw his head down when they heard a knock and an “Ahem” from the door. Eleanor said “I’m about to lock up. Was there anything else you needed before I go?”
Frank’s gaze involuntarily dropped to Cassie’s lips as he released his wife from his embrace. “Nothing work related, thanks.”
Eleanor gave them a knowing look as Cassie’s face got red. “I see.” She gave them a cheery wave as she turned to leave. “Well, have fun tonight kids.”
“Good night, Eleanor.” Frank turned to Cassie and said, “Now. Where were we?”
———
Frank called across the hall, “There’s someone at the door and I’m on the phone with Bonnie. Can you get it please?”
Cassie motioned to Hannah and Caitlyn to stay seated and called back, “I’m on it.” Then she said, “It’s probably your mum, Caitlyn.”
Caitlyn said, “Ugh. She’s early. Can you ask her in and get her a coffee or something? We only have that last slide left to finish for our presentation and I want to finish tonight if we can.”
Cassie shrugged and slid the mouse and keyboard to Hannah. “Okay.” Then she hurried to the front door as the doorbell rang again.
A woman who appeared to be in her late forties stood on the porch. Cassie opened the door and said, “Hi. Are you here for Caitlyn?”
She gave Cassie a superior smile and said, “Yes.”
“Would you like to come in for a coffee? We only have about ten minutes left to complete the last slide for our project.” Cassie waved her into the large foyer.
“I’m Cassie Ellis, by the way.” Cassie held out her hand in welcome.
She ignored Cassie’s proffered hand. “Mrs. Van der Broek. Is your mother home?”
Cassie closed her eyes briefly and prayed for patience. Resisting the urge to sigh, she said, “My mother doesn’t live with us, Mrs. Van der Broek.”
Stiffly, the older woman said, “Is your father home, then?”
Cassie suppressed a sigh. “No, ma’am.”
Frank came out of the study and joined them. “Sorry about that, Cassie, but Bonnie decided to be chatty. Do you want me to check on supper?” Then he noticed their visitor. “Hi. I’m Frank Ellis. Are you Caitlyn’s mother?”
“I am. Sharon Van der Broek.” She took Frank’s offered hand.
Cassie finally gave a resigned sigh and said, “I should get back to see what Caitlyn and Hannah have done with the last slide. We should be finished in ten minutes or so. Maybe you could check the temperature on the lamb and take it out if it’s medium rare?”
“Will do” Frank stepped forward to give Cassie a fond kiss and said, “Can I offer you a coffee, Sharon?”
There was a very hard look on Sharon’s face and she called, “Caitlyn, we’re going home, now!”
Frank looked at Sharon in a puzzled tone. “Is there something wrong?”
Sharon sniffed at him. “Obviously. You should be ashamed of yourself, taking advantage of a girl in high school.”
Frank and Cassie gave each other a puzzled look then Frank realized what had just happened. “Oh. Is it because I kissed my wife?”
“Wife?” Sharon was dumbfounded and began to blush.
Caitlyn came into the foyer at that moment. “I was sure I told you about Mrs. Ellis, Mum. We all thought she was the new teacher but it was Cassie. She offered her place for us to work on our project because they’ve got a great boardroom set up here so Mr. Ellis can work at home. It’s got a smart board hooked up to a computer and everything, so we can practice our presentations like it’s a real business situation and make notes while we’re brainstorming and everything.”
Cassie took a deep breath for courage and said, “Please make yourself comfortable, Mrs. Van der Broek. We shouldn’t be too long finishing the last slide.” She held out her hand again and this time Sharon took it.
Sharon, somewhat abashed, checked her watch and said, “It’s fine, Caitlyn, I am early. We don’t have to leave for another twenty minutes.”
Frank said, somewhat stiffly, “The offer for coffee stands. I think I heard Cassie say there was about ten minutes work to finish up.”
Caitlyn said, “Mum? We have to get Cassie’s help with the last slide. She’s amazing at making things look professional.”
Sharon unbent and said, “Go finish.” Sheepishly she began to look around the large airy foyer dominated by a large impressionist painting of Jesus being baptized in the River Jordan, and spotted a small abstract rendering of the Crucifixion, and a whimsical painting of a child’s tree house.
Frank said, “The kitchen is this way and the lamb smells right, so I need to check it.”
Sharon followed Frank and said, somewhat shamefaced, “I’m very sorry I jumped to conclusions.”
Frank shrugged. “Apology accepted. It’s a more honest reaction than some we’ve gotten. Unfortunately, Cassie looks younger than her age in her school uniforms because she’s both slender and petite. Not that she’s all that old to begin with.” He fished the meat thermometer out of a drawer. “The coffee maker is on the small counter by the patio door. There’s a variety of tea, coffee and hot chocolate pods in the drawer along with the sugar. Cups are in the cabinet above and the cream is in the bar fridge underneath. There are soft drinks and juice if you'd rather.”
Sharon pondered her questions as she walked over to the coffee bar. “How long have you been married?”
“Since July. We’re coming up on two months together.”
Sharon stood poised with a question on the tip of her tongue. Frank checked the roast then set it on the counter to rest and turned off the oven. He turned back to Sharon and said, “I was here in town on business when I met her. She was on the street begging to get a dry bed for the night. I offered her the sofa in my suite and by the time we finished breakfast I’d fallen in love with her. I would have waited until she was of age and done it up right but her mother is a drug addict and her stepfather is very very bad news, which is why she was on the street in the first place. She needed to be rescued immediately and the only way I could think of was to marry her. Fortunately her mother gave us permission.”
Now it was Sharon’s turn to be confused. “But she seems so … poised, I guess.”
“She was raised by her late grandmother in Toronto who was a staunch Catholic. Cassie nursed her Granny through four years of terminal cancer, so she had to grow up really quickly. Then she had to go live with her mother after her grandmother died because her father was dead and there was no one else who could or would take her in. Things didn’t get really bad for her until her mother remarried.”
Sharon pushed the start button on a cup of tea and said, “It’s still unusual.”
Frank came over to select a decaf espresso packet and wait his turn for
the coffee maker. “It is. We get all sorts of strange looks when we’re affectionate in public except when she dresses up. But so far it’s working out okay even if we’ve had a steeper learning curve than most couples.”
Sharon retrieved her tea and sat on a stool at the end of the island in the center of the kitchen. “Well, I didn’t think my older daughter was ready either when she got married after second year university but it seems to be going well for her. But I couldn’t imagine Caitlyn married. Well, not yet, anyway.”
Frank nodded. “Or Hannah either. But they didn’t have to be the primary caregiver for their dying grandmother or have to be the adult in the house with an addicted mother.” Frank set up his decaf and pushed the start button. “After I came to Jesus I overreacted to my old bad habits and ended up becoming a workaholic. So Cassie and I both missed out on a lot of the ‘smell the roses’ moments. It’s been fun exploring the world with my best girl. And I’m trying to ease myself into my new job and remind myself that I have competent associates I can delegate work to. But I forget sometimes and work too late.”
“What do you do?”
“I’m an accountant. I just bought into a small firm. Most of our clients are retirees or widows with significant investments or estate planning issues. Cassie gets along very well with the clients we’ve met so far.”
“How does she fit in?”
“Remarkably well. We handle a number of charity trusts that are directed by elderly widows who are big on social occasions like afternoon teas and art shows and charity galas like the one at the National Gallery last Thursday. Cassie is much better at the social side of things than I ever hoped for in a wife, really. I was hoping that my wife would be able to help me because I’m not really comfortable in a big crowd. Fortunately Cassie likes being around people and she knows how to deal with the quirks of elderly women and they seem to like her.”
They were interrupted by the sound of the three young women heading for the kitchen. Caitlyn’s voice rose above the others. “Thanks so much, Cassie. I don’t know how we could have done this without your help.”
“No problem. You gave me those great ideas for that first New Testament assignment. I really wasn’t sure what Mr. Hazelton wanted.”
Frank looked up and said, “Caitlyn? Would you like a hot chocolate to go?” He nodded to Sharon. “I can put that in a takeout cup for you.”
“Or we could ask them to stay for supper. I made extra so we could have leftovers but I’d happily trade tomorrow’s lunch for more company.” Cassie looked towards Sharon.
Sharon felt like a heel as she saw the hopeful expression on her daughter’s face. “That’s a lovely offer and the lamb smells wonderful but we need to be home with supper on the table when the boys get home from basketball practice.”
Caitlyn nodded a reluctant agreement. “Yeah. Dad would panic if he had to use the microwave.”
“All he has to do is take the tuna casserole out of the oven and the salad out of the fridge. He’s not completely useless in the kitchen.”
Frank said, “We’re having a barbeque on Sunday after church. You and your family would be welcome to join us.”
“I’ll talk to Kees when we get home. And I’ll warn him about Mrs. Ellis so he doesn’t make the same mistake I did.” She turned to Cassie. “I’m very sorry I jumped to conclusions, Cassie.” Then she said, almost to herself. “Oh. This is awkward. I’ve always insisted that the kids call the lady of the house by her last name. All of Caitlyn’s friends call me Mrs. Van der Broek. But I can’t insist that she call you Mrs. Ellis. And I should let you call me Sharon, at least when we’re here. But I can’t really ask Frank to call me Mrs. Van der Broek if you come over…” She trailed off as she realized she was thinking out loud and began to blush.
Frank’s amusement showed in the lines around his eyes. “Well, you don’t have to figure it out today.”
Caitlyn poured her hot chocolate into a takeout cup and handed an empty cup to her mother to pour her tea into. “Mum. We have to get going. We don’t want the casserole to burn or anything. Then we’d have to get pizza and the guys would want meat lovers with all that greasy bacon. They never let me get Hawaiian and forget about ordering Chinese.”
Sharon gave Frank a long-suffering look and returned his grin as she transferred her tea to the take out cup then followed Caitlyn and Cassie to the front door.