Chapter 4
“I know it’s only a five minute drive to City Hall, but they’re expecting us in forty minutes, Cassie.” Frank called through the door.
Cassie’s attention was brought back to the present and she said, “I’ll be two minutes.”
“Okay.”
She looked in the full length mirror on the back of the bedroom door and could hardly believe that the beautiful woman looking back at her was her. She waved a hand and the image in the mirror waved back.
The fashion consultant at the dress shop had found Cassie a far too expensive A-line dress that fit like it was custom made for her. The translucent white silk overdress had a sprinkling of embroidered blue flowers and a solid band of embroidery around the hem of the calf length skirt to give it some weight. Underneath everything there was an opaque sky blue satin slip to provide the modesty she needed to wear the dress in public. The fitted bodice hugged her closely enough that she seemed to have an actual bust for a change although the new underwear definitely helped with the shape. A pair of matching mid-heel pumps in cornflower blue completed the outfit.
She’d visited a hairdresser to get a needed trim and left the salon with her hair up in a soft bun that displayed the delicate lines of her neck and shoulders. The makeup artist had recommended an auburn mascara and eyebrow pencil that darkened her fine blonde brows and lashes to a light redhead colour. The extra colour added enough years to her face that she looked like a woman and not a girl. The pink frosted lip gloss and dark pink nails added something, too. She almost felt beautiful.
She took one more look at the mirror and sighed. It would have to do. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly then opened the door.
Frank stopped in mid-stride when Cassie emerged from her room and gaped at her. Gone was the bedraggled waif in tattered jeans or the coltish teen in the shabby shirtwaist dress and scuffed pumps. Frank gulped as he realized that this beautiful woman was to be his wife before another hour passed.
Cassie caught the stutter in his step and his wide eyed fascination as he stopped to admire her. Pretending a confidence she did not feel, she twirled around and asked, “Do you like it?”
He recovered then stepped forward to get a better look. “You look wonderful, absolutely wonderful.” Then belatedly he gave himself a mental kick. “I need a picture or two. Do you mind?”
Cassie stood uncertainly. “Only a little. I don’t like having my picture taken.”
Frank said, “I’m the same. But my parents will expect some.”
Cassie felt her cold feet return and got a panicked look. “Parents?”
He headed for the bedroom. “I do have parents, despite what some of my so-called friends believe. And I won’t hide you away. Besides, even if I went home alone I’d still have to explain the ring.”
“You don’t need to wear one,” she called through the open bedroom door.
Frank found his pocket camera and slipped it into his jacket. When he returned he took both of Cassie’s hands and said, with sincerity, “Yes. I do need to wear a ring. For as long as I am married to you I will have no other and I’m enough of a realist to know that there will probably be times when I will need to be reminded. My grandfather said that we should always wear our brides’ rings to show the world that we are committed to someone. If you believe nothing else, Cassie, believe that I am committing myself to you today.”
Cassie gave a tense little nod as she thought, for a while, anyway. She pushed her doubt aside and said, “And I am doing the same, Frank.”
Frank nodded. “Good. Now, I’d like you to twirl around again then smile at me.”
Cassie closed her eyes as she remembered their first kiss and twirled once before looking at Frank and smiling. He snapped the picture and said, “Now one of me, then we can head out.”
She took the camera and said, “Smile at me like you want a kiss.”
She snapped the picture and was almost overwhelmed by the look of longing and tenderness on Frank’s face. “Um. We should be going.”
“Not quite yet. You need these.” Frank went to the dinette table and picked up a small bouquet of lilies and a dainty white silk cap with a veil attached to it.
Cassie looked at the veil and tears threatened. “That’s so thoughtful, thank you, Frank. It’s lovely.” Then he offered his arm and they headed for the courthouse.
———
“Cassie, I’d like you to meet Eric and his wife, Jocelyn. I went to university with them and they agreed to stand witness for us.”
Cassie shook hands with an obviously shocked Eric and a very suspicious looking Jocelyn. “Pleased to meet you.”
Meghan Sokolov came hurrying in and said, “Have I missed anything?”
Frank looked at Cassie in surprise. She said, “When you were getting dressed, I phoned Meghan to invite her to the ceremony and stand as my witness.” She turned to Meghan and said, “No, we haven’t been called yet.”
“Good. Then you need this.” Meghan stepped forward and draped a doubled rope of pearls around her neck. “And this.” She put an antique sapphire-headed hat pin into Cassie’s cap to hold it in place. Then she smiled and said, “If that’s a new dress, you’ve got all the pieces of the rhyme.”
Frank recited, “Something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue. Thank you very much, Meghan.”
Cassie was almost overwhelmed at Meghan’s thoughtfulness but managed a shy, “Thanks.”
A balding middle aged man in a rumpled suit came into the room pushing a stroller. Meghan said, “Gene, I’d like you to meet Cassandra and Frank.”
Evgeni bowed over Cassie’s hand and said, “Ah, the beautiful bride. For today only, you may outshine my wife.” Cassie gave him a shy smile.
Meghan gave her husband a swat on the arm. “You told me you’d stop flirting with other women after we got married.”
“And I will be certain to let you know when I am actually flirting. I could demonstrate with you but we are here for another reason.” He leaned in to kiss his wife then turned to Frank. “Thank you for giving me a wonderful excuse to skip yet another incredibly dull meeting on performance measurement. I wanted to tell them to talk to me after they’ve decided what good performance looks like for a research lab.”
Frank grinned. “I’ve sat through too many of those sessions myself. Allow me to introduce my friends Jocelyn Meagher and her husband Eric Ferguson.”
The doors to the ceremony room opened and a small party emerged with a happy looking couple leading the way.
The commissioner asked them to approach and provide the requisite license and identification. Both the commissioner and Jocelyn were surprised and uncomfortable with Cassie’s age but the ceremony proceeded.
Fifteen minutes later Frank and Cassie Ellis emerged to begin their married life together.
———
“Frank, where’s your head?” Jocelyn cornered him near the bar at the steak house for a brief moment alone while Meghan and Cassie went to freshen up and Evgeni was chasing a wandering Cassandra.
Frank crossed his arms. “What do you mean?”
“I mean we had dinner with you on Wednesday night and you were complaining about fending off all of the women your mother was throwing at you. You said you weren’t about to get married any time soon. And here we are, not quite two days later and you’re married to a girl who hasn’t finished high school yet.”
“Well, I couldn’t let her go back to live on the streets, Jo.”
Jocelyn rolled her eyes. “But you didn’t have to marry her, Frank. You’ve got more than enough money to pay for lawyers and boarding school and anything else she needs. I’m sure that set of rings cost more than four years at university. With residence. Why didn’t you do it that way?”
“Because she doesn’t want to go to the police, Jo. Her mother’s an addict but Cassie doesn’t want to see her in jail. And I looked up emancipation for minors and Ontario doesn’t allow it except if she gets married.”
<
br /> Eric crossed his arms and shook his head. “You’re going to get taken to the cleaners, Frank. Mark my words.”
Jocelyn shook her head sadly. “I hope you know what you’re getting into, Frank.”
Evgeni came back with a three quarters asleep little girl in his arms. “He’s beginning a marriage with a truly beautiful young woman. They treat each other with respect and you can see the seeds of love starting to grow. From here, Frank, you have a choice. You can water those seeds and take care of the flowers or you can let them wither. It will not be easy. As God is my witness, it will not be easy. I married my beautiful Meghan when she was considered far too young for me and I made some dreadful mistakes, especially when I let other people’s preconceptions colour my actions. And so will you. And so will Cassie. Please, please, please remember that she is only less educated than you – she is not stupid – and that women are always better with matters of the heart than we men are. Trust each other, talk to each other, teach each other, and forgive each other. Then it will work out as God intends.”
Jocelyn’s marshalled rebuttals were put on hold as Meghan and Cassie rejoined them.
———
“But he only married me to rescue me from that bad situation I just told you about.” Cassie told Meghan in a matter of fact way.
Meghan gave her a knowing smile. “Let me see your rings.” Cassie looked puzzled but put her left hand in Meghan’s.
“These are exquisite, Cassie. Were they your choice?”
“They are the ones I liked the best but I didn’t want Frank to spend that kind of money on me. I didn’t even tell him that these were the ones I liked best.”
Meghan tapped the engagement ring. “Then he’s very observant and you have excellent taste. You know, he didn’t have to offer marriage to you. These rings prove that he could have gotten you a good lawyer and paid for you to stay in a hotel or with your friends in Toronto until everything was sorted out. Even if he doesn’t know it yet, he married you because he saw something in you that he needs in his life.”
“But I know almost nothing about him or his life. His name is Frank Ellis. He’s an accountant from Halifax. He works for a company called Alawen. He’s got more money than anyone I’ve ever met. And he’s my husband.”
“And he’s kind and generous and handsome and very lonely. And you are beautiful, very mature, and give him the opportunity to practice being kind and generous. Are you in love with him?”
Cassie pursed her lips. “It’s way too soon to tell. I feel something for him. It might be love or it might be gratitude. But I feel so unworthy of a man like him. And he hasn’t shown any indication that he sees me as a woman.”
Meghan laughed. “Oh, Cassie. That may have been partly true at lunch when we first met but certainly not since you put that lovely dress on. Even Eric is having a hard time remembering you needed permission to get married and he doesn’t want to like you.”
Cassie blushed. “But I’ve only known Frank for, like, eighteen hours.”
Meghan got serious. “Have you spoken about sex?”
Cassie’s blush got darker. “Only that he promised he’d wait until I was ready. I have no good experiences with men, so far, only bad ones. It’s why I ran away from home.”
Meghan put her arm around Cassie’s thin shoulders. “Trust that Frank married you for the right reasons. And try not to make him wait too long.”
Cassie looked skeptical but nodded nervously.
Meghan gave her a brief hug and said, “One more serious piece of advice. Frank probably knows a lot more about how the world works than you or I do. But… and this is an important but… he does not know how Cassie Ellis works and he probably doesn’t really know how Frank Ellis works. You both have a steep learning curve and you can’t learn anything if you don’t ask questions or tell him how you are feeling. Don’t be afraid to tell Frank you don’t understand something and ask him to explain.”
Meghan straightened up and gave her a rueful smile in the mirror. “Mind you, he might just hand you a book and tell you to read up on it. Or tell you to look up the bands he’s talking about on YouTube. But when you go to dinner parties, if you ask open ended questions and listen politely you’ll be amazed at what you learn and how quickly people will accept you. And how little you’ll have to speak.”
Cassie still looked skeptical. “Why are you being so friendly?”
A brief flash of old deep pain crossed Meghan’s face. “Because six years ago I was exactly where you are now. I wish I could lie to you and tell you it’s all a walk in the park, but it is not going to be easy for either of you. Some people will think you are a gold digger, especially when they see that ring. Some people will pity Frank for being a fool to fall for a pretty face. Some of the less scrupulous men will hit on you because they think that because you’re obviously mercenary you’d be willing to cheat on Frank if they offer nicer gifts. Many of the women won’t talk to you because you’re far more beautiful than they are, especially if you dress like you are now. And they will all assume that you like to talk about the same sorts of silliness that their teenagers do and talk down to you, if they give you credit for any intelligence at all.” She grinned. “Not that they were any better when they were in high school and some of them are still pretty shallow. But you will make some real friends among Frank’s circle, especially when they see that Frank is truly happy with you. I hope you can hold your temper better than I did when they question Frank’s judgement in marrying someone so young. But then I’m a redhead and I was born in Ireland so I have an excuse for a hot temper.” Meghan grinned.
Cassie grinned then relaxed slightly. “It’s been a very strange twenty-four hours.”
“Call me in a couple of days, if you get the chance, and we’ll have coffee or something. I’ll be a stay-at-home mom for the foreseeable future and it’s nice to have a grown up to talk to during the day. Gene’s friends mostly have teenagers and my college friends are just starting to get married off so I’ve got the only toddler in our circle although I am starting to make friends at the church in our new neighbourhood.”
“I’ll definitely call. I have to return your pearls.” Cassie reapplied the frosted pink lip gloss that the saleslady recommended. “We should get back to the party.”
Cassie noticed that Jocelyn and Eric were standing stiffly and that Frank had a serious look on his face. As they got closer they could see Evgeni speaking and Frank nodding agreement. Then Frank spotted her and his face lit with pleasure as he smiled at her.
Cassie was aware that all eyes in the bar were on her as she smiled demurely at Frank in return. He stepped forward to take her hand. Then the maître d’ called their names and they were led to their table.
———
Cassie sat and listened, taking Meghan’s advice about asking open ended questions. After Frank gave a brief description of how they met, Cassie asked Evgeni about meeting Meghan.
Evgeni said his first meeting with Meghan Callaghan happened when she was sent to his lab to get him to fill out some requisition forms correctly. He was impressed with how patient and cheerfully obstinate she was. Meghan remembered that the terms he’d used were more like stubborn, pig-headed, bureaucratic, officious and a waste of his time. Evgeni said he’d finally filled them out properly because she wouldn’t leave his lab until he did it right. Then Evgeni interrupted his story to give her a kiss before saying that he couldn’t get her out of his head that evening. So he tracked her down the next day and asked her out. He knew she would be a wonderful partner for him because he needed her cheerfully patient stubbornness and her organizational skills in his life even if she was less than half his age.
Jo relaxed enough to tell the story of her one disastrous date with Frank that happened while she and Eric were on the outs. Frank said that they’d been at one of the bars in downtown Fredericton and he gave Jo a kiss that had all of the emotional impact of kissing his great-aunt Margaret. Jo compared it to kissing a dead frog t
hen Eric, somewhat shamefaced, said that he’d shoved Frank away from Jo and got all three of them bounced from the club. After a long shouting match on the sidewalk, with Frank laughing through most of it, Eric told Jo that he didn’t appreciate being dumped for Frank. Jo replied that she couldn’t have dumped Eric because they never actually went out together, which was a big surprise to Eric.
Frank continued, “Then I handed Jo some money and told her and Eric to get a cab back to residence so they could continue their fight somewhere warm. And private.” He snickered. “I didn’t see them until Monday morning at breakfast and they couldn’t keep their hands off each other.”
Eric leaned over to give Jo a fond kiss and said, “I still can’t.” Jo grumped at him but followed it up with a beaming smile.
Shortly before seven, Cassandra started to get cranky so Meghan and Evgeni thanked Cassie again for the invitation and invited them for supper on Thursday. Eric and Jocelyn used their departure as a reason to leave, saying that they were going to check out the offerings at the Cineplex.
As Eric and Jocelyn took their leave, Cassie felt some of the tension drain from her back.
Frank looked at her and said, “Are you okay?”
“I will be.”
“Good. I’m glad you invited Evgeni and Meghan. They’re good people.”
“And they understand what we’re up against?”
Frank gave her a wry grin. “There is that.” He handed his credit card to the waiter then turned to look at her. “Have I told you yet how beautiful you look?”
Cassie cast her eyes downward. “No. I was only hoping that I wouldn’t embarrass you.”
Frank lifted her chin with one finger and said, “You didn’t embarrass me at all. If I’m disappointed in anything it’s that Eric and Jo couldn’t give us their full blessing. You were perfect.” He punctuated that with a fond kiss.
Cassie looked into Frank’s eyes and saw a familiar and unwelcome hunger and panicked. Her expression shuttered immediately and she said, in a snappish tone, “I’m not perfect.”
Frank sighed. “Okay. You’re right. Only God is perfect. But you did handle things very well.”
The waiter handed the folder to Frank and waited as Frank signed the slip and put four twenties into the folder for the tip. He handed the folder back with his thanks.
“Shall we?” He held a hand out to Cassie and she hesitated a moment before deciding that she needed to start as she wanted to continue. Suppressing her uneasy reaction to his touch, she took a deep breath for courage and gave him a sunny smile. Then she put her hand in his and allowed him to lead her back towards the car.
“So what will we do with the rest of our evening?” Frank was feeling very content despite a sense of disappointment that he was going to have to wait for more than chaste kisses.
“Maybe we should just go to the hotel and talk? Or we could see a movie.”
Frank caught their reflection in the mirrored window of an office building. “We’re a little overdressed to go out to the movies. Maybe we should go dancing?”
“I’d love to …” Then she got a crestfallen look as her voice trailed off. “Where could we go to do that?”
Frank felt like he’d walked into a wall. “I’m sorry. I forgot. They wouldn’t let you in most of the clubs would they?”
Heartened by the fact that he’d forgotten she was underage, she said, “They might not card me.”
“But we shouldn’t take the chance?”
“And I really don’t like the smell of beer or whiskey.”
Thinking back to the morning and Gord, he nodded. “I can understand why.”
“It’s not Gord, if that’s what you’re thinking. It’s Mum. Whiskey was her escape before she discovered Granny’s pain pills. She lived with us for a few weeks the year before Granny died. I did my best to hide the pills so Granny wouldn’t have to suffer so much but Mum managed to convince her doctor to increase the prescription because she was in so much pain all the time. She wouldn’t have been in that much pain if Mum hadn’t been stealing her pills.”
Frank squeezed her hand in sympathy. “At least my mother only tries to set me up on blind dates every now and then. I guess she won’t be able to do that now.”
“For a while, anyway.”
Frank disguised his sudden fear of losing Cassie by saying, “A very long while, I hope.”
Cassie said, “Tell me about your family. You know brothers, sisters, that sort of thing.”
“Ah, you want the family section of the Frank Ellis bio as it would appear in Who’s Who.”
Cassie looked puzzled so Frank said, “Who’s Who is a book that’s published every year with the names and brief biographies of the country’s noteworthy people in business, politics, arts and academia. It’s a big deal to have your name in Who’s Who and they always include some family information along with a summary of your current position and your noteworthy accomplishments. My dad is listed and so is Grandfather Murcheson because they’re prominent businessmen.”
“So is Alawen one of your Dad’s companies?”
“No. He and I don’t see eye to eye on business ethics since I became a Christian. He thinks that Christian principles just get in the way of making money. He may be partly right but as for me I choose to serve God not Mammon.”
“Then you aren’t very close to your family?”
“I’m only close to my sister Bonnie, and that’s recent, although I see my parents about once a week for dinner or at a charity function – you know, honour thy father and thy mother and all that. Father is still hoping that I’ll give up my job with Alawen and join Ellis Holdings but I don’t think that’s going to happen unless Father changes his ways. Mother and I get along well but she usually sides with Father when I get into a fight with him, which is fair because she’s married to him, not me.” He shrugged.
“My oldest brother Robert is forty-two. He’s an associate professor of business at Athabasca. Father is leaning on him to take over the family business but he likes being three time zones away from the family drama and so does his wife Melissa, who is an adjunct professor of environmental studies.”
“Second is Bonnie who’s almost forty. She’s Jan’s mom but it wasn’t until the crisis with Jan this spring that I convinced her and her husband to come to church with me. Father isn’t happy about that, although he’d never admit it, but Bonnie’s marriage is becoming solid again. Jan and her brother George and sister Sophie are delightful company, at least with Uncle Frank.”
“Next is my thirty seven year old brother Dale who’s a financial advisor and venture capital fund promoter in Toronto. We get along pretty well, especially since he got married. He and his wife Supriya are both good at the corporate game but he doesn’t like managing people. He does put together some incredibly successful venture capital projects, though, and he’s been getting more involved in the film industry recently. Dad gave him a chance at Ellis a few years ago. Dale messed up enough that Father let him go.”
“Then there’s a five year gap to Carmelita who is a fashion model in Europe. Bonnie and I both worry that Lita is using drugs to keep her weight down and her spirits up. Then there’s me, the baby brother, a relatively obscure accountant, at least by Ellis and Murcheson standards.”
“Mother is one of the Murchesons from Boston. She has two sisters and three brothers. The Murchesons made their money from shipping and railways in the 1800s and invested the profits in real estate. They actually got richer during the Depression because they didn’t play the stock market like everyone else and bought up a lot of real estate when the prices crashed. Grandfather Murcheson is still with us. He’s a neat old man and I get along with most of that side of the family, but they’re scattered all over the States. I think he’ll like you.”
Cassie absorbed the information then said, “Mum and Granny Caswell were both only children. Mum was the only child in her generation on both sides that I know of, though there might be some second cousi
ns. Granny married young to Horace O’Leary. The O’Learys did not approve of Granny so Grampa Horace changed his name to Caswell and never spoke to his family again. Granny only carried one baby to term before Grandpa Caswell died when Mum was thirteen. After Mum got weird in high school Granny’s parents wouldn’t speak to her and that continued until they died. Well, while Mum and Dad were still together we were welcome occasionally but after Dad took off no one on either side of the family would speak to us except my Granny Caswell. Granny Marcussen never approved of Mum because we were Catholic.” Her tone became bitter. “I didn’t hear a thing from Dad’s old maid sisters until after he was killed in the accident. They only showed up for his funeral. I think they were hoping to be named in his will. They all assumed that I would end up like Mum and they didn’t want to associate with ‘trash like Penny.’”
Frank said, “But you didn’t end up like her.”
“Granny and her friends wouldn’t let me and I didn’t have any spare time to get into trouble, between taking care of Granny and running errands for my spare grannies and school work. While I was growing up, Mum wasn’t home much ‘cause she was usually out of town living with her latest boyfriend or working in some strip club. Granny had faith in me and I had Mum’s example of what not to do. I kept praying that the cancer would wait to take Granny until I turned eighteen, at least.”
Frank squeezed her hand in sympathy. “I guess God had different plans for you.”
“I guess.” She caught their reflection in the doors of City Hall as Frank opened them to let her go through. “It’s not real, Frank.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s been less than a day since I met you. Yesterday this time I only had the clothes on my back and my ID and I was worried about getting a dry bed for the night. Today I have my things back – such as they are – a safe place to live, and a husband, even if I don’t know you very well yet.” She leaned over to give him a peck on the cheek. “Thank you.”
Frank pushed the button for the parking garage elevator. “You’re welcome.”
They were silent as they walked to the car. As he pulled out of the parking spot, Cassie asked, “Frank?”
“Yes, Cassie?”
“I know you’re worried about something besides me. Can you tell me about it?”
Frank hesitated. “I’ll show you when we get to our room.” He paid for the parking and pulled onto the street for the short drive to the hotel. “Actually, it will be good to have someone to explain it to. I haven’t had anyone I could trust to talk to about it.”
Cassie nodded. “Okay.”
Frank raised a finger. “Oh. You’ll want to go shopping tomorrow for some more clothes.”
“Is there something wrong with what I have already?”
Frank sensed there might not be a right answer but continued anyway. “What you have is okay as long as you are comfortable. But I have to make a good impression, no, we have to make a good impression on a couple of people before we leave for Halifax.” He felt Cassie get tense. “It shouldn’t be that bad but I don’t want you to feel out of place, Mrs. Ellis.”
“I will anyway.”
“So will I but Mother always insists that the right clothes for the situation are like good armour and help you feel more confident. So, if you’re up for it, I’d like you to get a nice dress for church on Sunday and before we go home you should get Meghan’s advice on dressing for rich snotty relatives.”
Cassie sighed. “Home. That’s a pretty strange concept.”
Frank patted her hand. “I suppose it is. Especially the concept of ‘our home’. I’ve never shared space with a woman I wasn’t already related to.”
They both looked at their wedding rings as if to make them real. Cassie asked, “When are you due back?”
“I have to be back at work a week from Monday. But things might change before then.”
“Because of what’s worrying you?”
He pulled up to the hotel parking gate and pressed his card to open it. “Yes.”
They sauntered through the lobby, earning a few more pointed looks. As they were waiting for the elevator, Frank gave Cassie’s left hand an ostentatious kiss, aware that at least a couple of people were observing them.
When the elevator doors closed Cassie asked, “Why did you do that?”
“What?”
“Kiss my hand like that?”
“Because I wanted the bell captain to see the wedding rings and to notice your veil. Now he can pity me for being an idiot rather than hassle you for soliciting.”
“Should we move to a different hotel?”
“We’ll get the same looks if we go somewhere else and I like this one.”
“But they won’t remember me from last night if we go somewhere else.”
“True. But if I read his face properly he was disappointed he wouldn’t be able to get an extra-large tip from me for not reporting us to the police or me to the hotel manager which is ludicrous because the manager already knows about us. I arranged with her to move our things to a two bedroom suite while we were at City Hall.” He fished into his pocket to check the new room number and get out the key card.
The doors opened on the seventeenth floor and Cassie followed Frank to their new suite. He pushed the door open and Cassie started to move past him when Frank swept her into his arms and carried her across the threshold.
She panicked and started to struggle before she realized what he was doing. She made a conscious effort to relax as he kicked the door closed. Cassie felt the tenuous bond between them strengthen as he carried her to the middle of the living room and set her down gently. She gave him a wondering smile as he stood straight.
He returned her smile and contemplated a kiss but remembered his promise and her panic when he picked her up. “Sorry, I should have warned you I was going to do that.”
Cassie felt her heart rate slowly return to normal. “Yes, you should have.” But she smiled forgiveness at him.
He returned the smile then said, “I’m going to make a cup of decaf for myself. Would you like something?”
“Could you pour me some ginger ale? I think I’ll go change into something more comfortable.” Then she blushed as she realized what she’d said.
Frank blushed in return as his eyes travelled over his wife’s lean figure and his imagination involuntarily clothed her in a silk nightie and filmy robe. He swallowed and said, “Ginger ale it is.”
Then Cassie fled to her bedroom to change out of her wedding dress.