“Oh Mom,” Gina said happily. “A wedding shower at the Empress.”
“We’ll get together soon and make the arrangements,” Caasi promised.
Tommy was studying her more intently now. “Can you come and see me, Tommy?” Caasi asked encouragingly. The little boy glanced from Caasi to Gina, then back to Caasi, before holding out both arms to her.
“You are such a good boy.” Caasi lifted him into her arms. She was sure that at one time or another in her life she’d held a small child, but she couldn’t remember when, and she thrilled to the way his tiny hands came around her neck.
“I think you’ve got yourself a friend for life.” Anne laughed and held open the back door for Caasi to come inside. Donald had arrived, and Gina hurried into the living room to greet her fiancé.
Tommy’s mother was busy making the salad at the sink, and she smiled shyly when Caasi entered the house carrying Tommy.
“Here.” Anne pushed out a tall stool for Caasi to sit on while she put the finishing touches on the meal.
Although Caasi joined in the conversation around her, she was enjoying playing peekaboo and patty-cake with Tommy. The little boy’s giggles rang through the house.
With her face flushed and happy, Caasi glanced up and saw Blake standing in the doorway of the kitchen. He was watching her, and her breath caught at the intensity of his gaze. At first she thought he was angry. His eyes had narrowed, but the glint that was shining from them couldn’t be anger. A muscle worked in his jaw and his eyes seemed to take in every detail of her sitting in his mother’s kitchen, bouncing a baby on her lap.
One of his brothers slapped Blake across the back and started chatting, but still Blake didn’t take his eyes off her.
She broke the contact first as Tommy reached for her hair, not liking the fact that her attention had drifted elsewhere. Suddenly a dampness spread through her linen skirt and onto her thighs. She gave a small cry when she realized what had just happened. Laughing, she handed Tommy to his embarrassed mother, who was apologizing profusely.
Anne led Caasi into the bathroom and gave her a dampened cloth to wipe off her teal-blue skirt. Someone called Anne and she left Caasi standing just inside the open bathroom door. Caasi couldn’t keep from smiling.
“What are you doing here?” Blake was leaning against the doorjamb. That warm, sensuous look was gone, replaced with something less welcoming.
“Your mom invited me last night,” she told him, her eyes avoiding his as she continued to rub at her skirt. “Do you mind? I’ll leave if you do. I wouldn’t want to interfere with your family. I’m the outsider here.”
He was silent for a long moment.
“No,” he murmured. “I don’t mind.”
Some of the tension eased out of her. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ll see if I can help in the kitchen.” She laid the cloth on top of the clothes hamper and started out the door. But Blake’s arm stopped her.
“How’d you sleep last night?” A strange smile touched the curve of his mouth.
Caasi didn’t know what he wanted her to say. “Fine. Why?” she asked tightly.
He shrugged, giving the impression of nonchalance. “No reason.” But he didn’t look pleased.
Anne gave her the job of dishing up the home-canned applesauce, dill pickles, and spicy beets. All the women were in the kitchen, helping in one capacity or another. Laughing and joking with everyone, Caasi didn’t feel the least like a stranger. She was accepted, she was one of them. It was the most beautiful feeling in the world.
After the meal, everyone pitched in and helped with the dishes. As promised, Caasi played Yahtzee with Todd and a couple of the other children. Blake was playing cards with his father and brothers and future brother-in-law.
While the children watched TV, Caasi joined the women, who were discussing knitting patterns and recipes. Caasi listened with interest, but her gaze was on Blake. He looked up once, caught her eye, and winked. Her heart did a somersault and she hurriedly glanced away.
“What game are the men playing?” Caasi asked Gina, who was sitting beside her.
“Pinochle. Have you ever played?”
Card playing was unheard of in the Crane family; even as a child Caasi had never indulged in something her father considered a waste of time.
“No.” Caasi shook her head with a sad smile.
“You’ve never played pinochle?” Gina repeated incredulously. “I thought everyone did. It’s a family institution. Come on, let Dad and Blake teach you.”
“No … no, I couldn’t.”
“Sure you could,” Gina insisted. “Donald, would you mind letting Caasi sit in? She’s never played.”
Blond-headed Donald immediately vacated his chair, holding it out for Caasi.
Standing, Caasi looked uncertain. Her eyes met Blake’s: he didn’t want her to play, and his eyes said as much. He scooted out of his seat, offering to let another of his brothers take his place.
Caasi felt terrible. The other women hadn’t played.
“Come on. I’ll coach you,” Gina persisted, and straddled a chair beside Caasi’s at the table.
The other men didn’t look half as obliging as Donald had, but one look told her he had been losing. Slowly she lowered herself into the vacant seat opposite Blake’s father, who was to be her partner.
The cards were dealt after a thorough review of the rules. Gina wrote down the necessary card combinations on a piece of paper as a ready reminder for Caasi. The bid, the meld, and the passing of cards were all gone over in careful detail until Caasi’s head was swimming.
They played a practice hand to let Caasi get the feel of the game. Her eyes met Gina’s before every move. Once she threw down the wrong card and witnessed her partner’s scowl. Caasi’s stomach instantly tightened, but George glanced up and offered her an encouraging smile. They made the bid without the point she had carelessly tossed the opponent, and all was well again.
Soon Caasi found herself relaxing enough to enjoy the game. Although playing cards was new to her, the basic principle behind the game was something she’d been working with for years. She studied her opponent’s faces when they bid and instinctively recognized what cards were out and which ones she needed to draw. By the time they finished playing, almost everyone else had left—including Blake—and it was almost midnight.
Anne and George walked Caasi to her car, extending an open invitation for her to come again the next week.
“You do this every Sunday?”
“Not everyone makes it every week,” Anne was quick to inform her. “This week was more the exception. Everyone was home because of Kathleen’s wedding.”
Caasi was glad Anne had reminded her. She snapped open her purse and took out an envelope. “Would you give this to Kathleen and her husband for me?” She had written out a check and a letter of congratulations.
“You didn’t need to do this,” Anne said, fingering the envelope.
“I know,” Caasi admitted freely, “but I wanted to.”
“I’ll see that she gets it.”
Caasi could see the elderly couple in her rearview mirror as she drove away. Their arms were around each other as they stood in the light of the golden moon as if they had always been together and always would be. A love that spanned the years.
Caasi was humming as she walked into her office the following morning. Laurie, her secretary, gave her a funny look and handed her the mail.
Caasi sorted through several pieces as she sauntered into her portion of the office. Pivoting, she came back to Laurie’s desk.
“I’d like you to make arrangements for a wedding shower in the Blue Room a week from Thursday. Also, would you send the chef up? I’d like to talk to him personally about the cake and hors d’oeuvres.”
Laurie looked even more perplexed. “I’ll see to it right away.”
“Thanks, Laurie,” Caasi said, as she strolled back into her office.
The morning passed quickly, and Caasi ate a sandwich for lunch while at her
desk. She hadn’t seen Blake all morning, which wasn’t unusual, but she discovered that her thoughts drifted to him. She wondered what he’d say when she did see him. Would he be all business, or would he make a comment about her visit with his family?
She stared down at the half-eaten sandwich and nibbled briefly on her bottom lip. His mother and sister had been discussing a quiche recipe that had been in Wednesday’s paper. Caasi hadn’t thought much about it at the time, but the urge to bake something was suddenly overwhelming. She’d taken a cooking class with Edie once simply because her friend didn’t want to attend the session alone, but that seemed a hundred years ago. There was a kitchenette in her suite, although she’d never used the stove for much of anything. The oven had never been used, at least not by her. There hadn’t been any reason to. And even if she did make the quiche, she’d be eating it all week.
Still …
Impulsively she buzzed her secretary. “Laurie, go online and get me the living section from last Wednesday’s paper. I’m looking for a quiche recipe.”
Laurie returned a few minutes later and handed Caasi the printout.
Reading over the list of ingredients, she realized that not only would it be necessary to shop for the groceries, but she would need to buy all the equipment, including pots, pans, and dishes. Quickly she made out a list and handed it to Laurie, who stared at it, dumbfounded.
“What you can’t find and have delivered to my suite, get from Chef,” Caasi instructed on her way out the door to a meeting.
Laurie opened and just as quickly closed her mouth, then nodded.
“Thanks,” Caasi said.
Caasi was late getting back to her office. Laurie had left for the day, but Caasi wanted to check over the list of phone messages before heading upstairs. She was shuffling through the pink slips when she walked into her office and found Blake pacing the floor.
He took one look at her and frowned.
“Blake.” She smiled nervously, avoiding his glare. “Is something the matter?” The atmosphere in the room was cool. He turned away, his back rigid. “Blake?”
He spun around, obviously upset. “I got a call from my mother this afternoon. She dropped off the card you gave her for Kathleen.” His words were harsh. “What is the idea of giving them a check for two thousand dollars?” The challenge in his eyes was as hard as flint.
Caasi swallowed tightly. “What do you mean?”
“They’re strangers to you.”
“They’re not strangers,” she contradicted him sharply. “I met them when I was with you Saturday night. Don’t you remember?”
“Kathleen and Bob don’t need your charity.” His eyes were as somber as they were dark.
“It wasn’t charity,” she returned. Her hands shook, and she clenched them into hard fists at her sides. “I have the money—in fact, I have lots of money. What does it matter to you what I do with it?”
“It matters,” he shouted in return. “Do you think you can buy yourself a family? Is that it? Are you so naïve as to believe that people are going to love and respect you because of your money?”
Caasi blanched, her hand shooting out behind her to grip the edge of her desk. She suddenly needed its support to stand upright. From somewhere she found the courage to speak. “I don’t need anyone, least of all you. Now I suggest you get out. I’ll send a letter of apology to your cousin. It wasn’t my intent to offend her or you or anyone. Now kindly leave.”
He hesitated as if he wanted to say something more, but then he pivoted sharply and stalked out of the room.
Caasi lowered herself into her desk chair and covered her face with her hands. She took several deep breaths and managed to keep the tears stinging the back of her eyes at bay. It mortified her that Blake thought she was looking to buy herself a family. His family. The thought was too humiliating to consider. She wouldn’t go to the next Sunday family dinner. Maybe keeping her away had been Blake’s intent all along.
She stayed a few minutes longer in her office, but any thoughts of returning her phone messages had been sabotaged by Blake’s anger. She leaned against the elevator wall on the ride to the penthouse suite, weary and defeated. Blake was right in some ways. That was what hurt so much. No matter how much she tried, she wasn’t going to fit into the homey family scene with love and acceptance. She didn’t belong. A lump had formed in her throat by the time she let herself into the empty suite. What she needed was a hot bath, an early dinner, and bed.
Dinner … Her mind stumbled over the word. She’d canceled her meal for the evening because she’d planned to bake the quiche. The laugh that followed was brittle. Well, why not? She could cook if she wanted to. Who was to care?
Laurie had done her job well, and the kitchen was filled with the necessary equipment. After a quick survey, Caasi slipped off her high heels and tucked her feet into slippers. Fearing she’d spill something on her suit, she used an old shirt as an apron, tying the sleeves around her waist. Rolling her sleeves up to her elbows, she braced both hands on the counter and read over the recipe list a second time. Last, she lined the ingredients up on the short countertop in the order in which she was to use them.
The piecrust was going to be the most difficult; everything else looked fairly simple.
Blending the flour and shortening together with a fork wasn’t working, so Caasi decided to mix it with her fingers, kneading the shortening and flour together in the palms of her hands.
The phone rang; she stared at the gooey mixture on her hands and decided to let it ring. Ten minutes later, just as she’d spread a light dusting of flour across the counter and was ready to roll out the dough, there was a loud knock on her door.
“Come on, Caasi, I know you’re in there.”
Blake.
Panic filled her. He was the last person she wanted to see, especially now.
“Aldo says you haven’t left. Your car’s in the garage and there’s no one in the office, so either let me in or I’ll break down the door.”
He didn’t sound as though he was in a better mood than he had when she’d last seen him.
“Go away,” she shouted.
“Caasi.” His low voice held a note of warning.
“I’m …” She faltered slightly with the lie. “I’m not decent.”
“Well, I suggest you cover yourself, because I’m coming through this door in exactly fifteen seconds.”
She caught her lower lip in her teeth and breathed in deeply. Why was it that everything in her life had to end up like this?
“It’s unlocked,” she muttered in defeat.
Blake let himself in, then stopped when he saw her framed in the small kitchen.
“What are you doing?” he asked, hands on his hips.
“What are you thinking, coming up to my suite like this? I should have Security toss you out.”
“Why didn’t you?” he challenged.
“Because … because I had dough on my hands and would have gotten it all over the phone.”
“That’s a flimsy excuse.”
Caasi released a low, frustrated groan. “Listen, Blake, go ahead and laugh. I seem to be an excellent source of amusement where you’re concerned.”
“I’m not laughing at you.” The humor drained out of his eyes, and he dropped his hands.
“Then say what you came for and be done with it. I’m not up to another confrontation with you.” Her voice trembled. Blake had the ability to hurt her, and that was frightening.
“To be honest,” he murmured gently, as he took several deliberate steps toward her, “I can’t recall a time I’ve seen you look more beautiful.”
For every step he advanced, she took one in retreat, until she bumped against the oven door. The handle cut into the backs of her thighs.
“There’s flour on your nose,” Blake told her softly.
Caasi attempted to brush it aside and in the process spread more over her cheek.
His gaze swept over her and he shook his head in dismay. ??
?Here, let me.”
“No.” She refused adamantly. “Don’t touch me, Blake. Don’t touch me again.”
He looked as though she’d struck him. “I’ve hurt you, haven’t I, Cupcake?” he asked gently.
“You can’t hurt me,” she lied. “Only people who mean something to me have that power.”
He frowned, his dark eyes clouding with some unreadable emotion. Surely not pain, Caasi mused.
“For what it’s worth,” he said quietly, “I came to apologize.”
She shrugged, hoping to give the impression of indifference.
“I got halfway home and couldn’t get that stricken look in your eyes out of my mind.”
“You’re mistaken, Blake,” she said pointedly, struggling to keep her voice steady. “That wasn’t shock, or hurt, or anything else. It was …” She stopped abruptly when he placed the tips of his fingers over her lips. Helplessly, she stared at him, hating her own weakness. By all rights she should have him thrown out after the terrible things he’d said.
His hands slid around her waist and she tried to push him away, getting dough on his suit jacket.
“I told you not to touch me,” she cried. “I knew something like this would happen. Here, I’ll get something to clean that.”
“There’s only one thing I want,” Blake murmured softly, pulling her back into his arms. His mouth settled hungrily over hers.
Caasi’s soft body yielded to the firm hardness of his without a struggle. His arms tightened around her waist until every part of her came into contact with him. For pride’s sake, Caasi wanted to struggle, but she was lost in a swirling vortex of emotion. She could feel the hunger in him and knew her own was as strong.
His teeth gently nibbled on her bottom lip, working his way from one corner of her mouth to the other. Caasi wanted to cry at the pure sensuous attack. No one had ever kissed her like that. What had she missed? All these years, what had she missed? Her breath came in quick, short gasps as she broke out of his arms. Tears filled her eyes until he became a watery blur.
“Don’t,” she whispered achingly, and jerked around, her back to him as she placed her hands on the counter to steady herself.