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  “Anything else?” Steve asked, gesturing toward Amiee. It seemed he was more than ready to take on whatever it was she wanted to toss his way.

  “If you and Mom get serious, you know, really serious, and you decide to marry, will you want children?”

  “Yes,” Steve said. He glanced toward Cassie and held her eyes for a moment.

  “As far as I’m concerned, this is a moot point,” Cassie said.

  “Good,” Amiee pronounced, with a sharp nod of her head.

  “You approve?” Steve asked.

  “Well, duh. Ask Mom. I’ve wanted brothers and sisters forever. It takes the pressure off me.”

  “Right,” Steve said, agreeing with her.

  “One more thing, and this is important.”

  “Ask away.”

  Amiee leaned forward and with all the wisdom of her twelve years said, “My mother is a wonderful person and she’s been through a lot. Don’t hurt her.”

  “It would never be my intention to hurt either one of you,” Steve vowed. “And I promise to think about everything you said. Now, is that it? Any other questions or suggestions?”

  Amiee let out a lengthy sigh. “That’s about it, but I reserve the right to ask questions later if I think of something else.” Satisfied, Amiee resumed, munching on a french fry.

  Steve reached for his burger.

  The only one not eating was Cassie, and that was because her head was buzzing. Neither Steve nor Amiee seemed to think her feelings on the matter were of any significance. That rankled and now she was angry and growing more so by the minute.

  As if she had a sudden thought, Amiee leaned forward and looked at Steve. “When I’m sixteen, you’d let me drive, right?”

  “Amiee!”

  “If your mother approves.”

  “What about a car? Would you willing to buy me my own car?”

  Cassie couldn’t believe this. “Amiee, Steve, stop right this minute,” she snapped, nearly shouting in order to gain their attention.

  “Okay, okay,” Amiee muttered. “I probably shouldn’t have asked that, but you can’t blame me for trying.”

  “Oh yes, I can,” Cassie declared. She turned and glared at Steve. “And Steve Brody, this is serious, I don’t appreciate you making assumptions you have no right to make.”

  “Was I getting ahead of myself?” he asked, and to his credit, he looked at bit chagrined.

  “You and I need to talk … privately, and the sooner, the better.”

  “Okay. Whatever you say.”

  Her daughter turned to look in Steve’s direction. “When would you like to start?”

  Steve blinked. “Start?”

  “Dating Mom?”

  “Soon,” Steve assured her, dragging his troubled gaze away from Cassie. “That is, if your mother agrees.”

  Amiee sighed expressively. “Of course she agrees. She’d be a dope not to. She’s really busy these days with Habitat and work, though. She’s at the salon early and at the house site late.”

  “And I need to return to eastern Washington for the time being. Which, given the look on your mother’s face right now, might be a good thing.”

  “For how long?” Amiee demanded.

  “I don’t know. Hopefully for only a few more days. But before I leave,” Steve said, “I think your mother and I need a few minutes alone.”

  Amiee’s eyes brightened. “Are you going to kiss her?”

  Steve grinned before answering in a whisper, “If she’ll let me.”

  Chapter 26

  Steve drove Cassie and Amiee back to the apartment. Cassie clenched and unclenched her hands several times while she debated what to say to Steve. Earlier she’d felt ready to explode, but her anger had dissipated as they headed back to the apartment. Nevertheless, she felt it was important that she set him straight. Sitting in the truck, Amiee was already talking wedding dresses and asking if she’d serve as the maid of honor when Cassie married Steve.

  Just as they neared the apartment Steve got a phone call. Cassie could hear only one side of the conversation, but it was enough to glean that he was needed back at Grand Coulee Dam as soon as possible.

  Steve walked them back to the apartment, where Amiee settled in with some homework. Cassie followed him back outside and stood by his truck. He climbed in the cab and rolled down the driver’s-side window. With a heavy heart, Cassie leaned against the door.

  “We still need to talk,” she said.

  “I don’t understand why you’re so upset.” His look was sheepish. “Okay, so Amiee got a bit carried away, but I found it amusing and rather sweet. You have to admit the kid’s got a lot of enthusiasm.”

  “It isn’t right to lead her on, Steve.”

  “I wasn’t. I’m serious about us, Cassie. I know you want to go slow with this and I understand. I feel the same way, but it’s important that we’re on the same page, don’t you think?”

  “Yes, that’s what I’ve been trying to say all afternoon.”

  “I want us to get to know each other, and the only way that can happen is if we’re committed to this relationship. I’m not going to date anyone else, and I hope you won’t, either.”

  Truth be told, there wasn’t anyone she would rather date.

  “Can we agree to that then?”

  She nodded.

  “I want to be sure you understand,” Steve said. “I excused myself from your project not because I wanted to see less of you. I want to spend more time with you. I felt working on your house and us dating might be considered a conflict of interest.”

  “Okay.” That made sense.

  “We’re square, then?”

  “We’re square.”

  “I’d like to talk this out a bit more, but unfortunately I’ve got to get on the road.” The hesitation in his voice was evident.

  Cassie felt it herself. She’d been angry, and with barely an effort he’d managed to turn it around with a few words. He was a good negotiator, a good businessman. It unsettled her.

  “We will talk soon,” Steve said. “I’ll call when I can, okay?”

  She nodded.

  “Kiss me before I go.”

  Cassie leaned in to give him a quick kiss, but he placed his hand on the back of her head and made sure she understood he was going to miss her. Standing on her tiptoes, Cassie leaned into his kiss, opening up, weaving her fingers through his hair.

  He released her slowly. “A guy could get used to a send-off like that,” he whispered.

  Cassie was breathless and leaned her forehead to his.

  “I can’t remember a time I’ve wanted to travel out of town less.”

  “It’s only for a few days. We’ll talk again when you get back, okay?”

  “What about Saturday night?” he asked.

  “Yes,” she whispered, “that will work.”

  He grinned and gently placed his lips over hers. The kiss made her knees weak. It frightened her how quickly he could melt away her resolve. Many more of these exchanges and she’d agree to just about anything.

  “Dinner, then—just you and me—on Saturday,” he said.

  “Someplace quiet where we can talk.”

  “Sure.” He held her gaze a moment longer and then whispered. “Until Saturday.”

  “Saturday.” Cassie repeated and stepped back from the pickup. She remained standing on the curb until Steve’s truck was well out of sight.

  Amiee was waiting for Cassie when she returned to the apartment.

  “I was thinking,” her daughter said thoughtfully, “about you and Steve marrying and then sometime later you giving me a sister.”

  “Amiee, please. Steve and I aren’t getting married.”

  A horrified look came over her daughter. “You’re not?”

  “Well, who knows—maybe someday, but not anytime soon. You’re getting way ahead of yourself.”

  “But Mom, Steve said—”

  “I know what he said and he shouldn’t have.” She walked into the kitchen a
nd reached for a hand towel to dry off the last drops of water from the dishes she’d washed earlier. It was completely unnecessary, but it occupied her hands and it helped her avoid eye contact with her daughter.

  “Why not? You really like him; I can tell. You were kissing just now. I saw you.”

  Naturally, Amiee would have been watching them. It wasn’t like Cassie could deny that she was strongly attracted to Steve. “You’re right, I … do like him … a lot.”

  Amiee slapped her hands against the sides of her thighs. “Then what’s the big deal? You heard Steve. He’s serious. He wants to officially start dating you. That’s like one step away from marriage.”

  How kind of her daughter to enlighten Cassie on the ins and outs of romantic relationships. “No matter what it means,” Cassie clarified, “any talk of marriage is premature. Do you understand that just because a man wants something in a relationship, that’s not all she wrote? You will have to know this when you are old enough to date—you need to make sure your voice is heard in any relationship you’re in.”

  Amiee slumped down on the sofa. “But I’ve wanted a sister since forever.”

  “I know you have.”

  “When can I meet my aunts and cousins?” Amiee asked her.

  “I actually talked to my sister on Friday,” Cassie said, happy to steer the conversation away from Steve.

  “You did?” Amiee immediately sat upright. “Aunt Karen or Aunt Nichole?”

  “Your aunt Nichole. She called me. We’re going to get together, with Karen, too.”

  Right away Amiee brightened, her eyes flashing with excitement. “Can I come?”

  “Of course. My sisters are excited to meet you and I want you to meet them.”

  “Can I tell them about you and Steve, or do you want to do that yourself?”

  Cassie resisted the urge to groan. “I prefer to tell them myself.”

  “Are they coming here? When?”

  “I don’t know yet. Karen said she’s hoping it will be in a couple weeks.” She was wading from one crocodile-infested conversation to another. While Cassie sincerely hoped she would be able to truly reconcile with Karen and Nichole, she had no guarantee it would happen.

  “Don’t you have homework?” she asked.

  “No. I finished my science worksheet and that was it. You made me finish all my other homework before I left for the camping trip. Don’t you remember? You checked my pre-algebra worksheet.”

  “I did?”

  “Mom, what’s with you lately? You looked at Steve like you were upset and all he wanted to do was be good to you. Didn’t you notice?”

  “Notice what?”

  “The way he looked at you. It’s like it’s a hundred degrees outside and you’re holding out an ice-cream cone just for him.”

  “Please, just stop.” Setting the pan and the cloth aside, Cassie turned her back to her daughter and pressed her hands against the edge of the kitchen counter while she gathered her thoughts. Duke had rushed her, too. She’d wanted to wait before they married, give her family a few weeks to adjust to the fact that she loved Duke and then tell them about the pregnancy. Duke refused to listen. He made it sound like marrying her was the honorable thing to do and her wanting to wait was a slap in his face. When they finally did come before a justice of the peace he’d made it seem like it was the two of them against the world. He’d convinced her that he was her family now and she didn’t need her parents or her sisters. For the first couple months she’d believed him. By the time she saw her mistake, it was too late.

  “Mom?” Amiee’s voice seemed to be coming from a long distance away.

  Cassie had to pull herself back into the present, and it seemed to be a long, treacherous journey through the years. “Yes?” she asked.

  “Tell me what you and Nichole talked about.”

  “Oh, we had a nice chat.” Cassie had been thrilled to hear from Nichole. She suspected Karen put her up to it—not that it mattered. The conversation had gone well after a strained start. Cassie understood her sisters’ hesitation to let her back into the circle—she didn’t blame them.

  Amiee interrupted her musings with a loud yawn. “You’re tired,” Cassie said. She checked her watch and was surprised to find it was after eight.

  Amiee yawned a second time. “Camping was a lot of fun, but sleeping on the ground wasn’t all that comfortable.”

  “I thought Claudia said there were air mattresses.”

  “There were, but it wasn’t like sleeping in a real bed.” She stifled yet another yawn. “I’m going to bed.”

  After the busy day she’d had, Cassie was more than ready to turn in herself, but she had a few more things to do around the house first.

  It was around nine-thirty when the phone rang. She was just getting ready to crawl into bed with her book. It was her friend Rosie from Goldie Locks. “I called to see if Steve made it to the Hoedown.”

  “He was there.” Although she tried, Cassie hadn’t been able to hide from her friends how badly she’d missed Steve while he was away.

  “So? Did you have a good time?” Rosie asked.

  She remembered the way he’d looked at her from the other side of the dance floor. He’d started walking toward her and it was as if an invisible thread had pulled them together. “We had a fabulous time,” she admitted, and then added, “The best ever.” No matter what happened between her and Steve in the future, she would always have the romantic memory of that night.

  “Tell her about you and Steve,” Amiee insisted, shouting from her bedroom, not asleep yet herself.

  Cassie walked to the doorway of her room and glared at her daughter.

  “What did Amiee say?” Rosie asked.

  Cassie sighed and shot her daughter a warning look. “Nothing much. Steve was by earlier and very kindly asked me out to dinner next week.”

  “You’re going on a date?” Rosie sounded as excited as Amiee had.

  “He wants to start officially dating Mom,” Amiee shouted.

  “Officially dating Steve?” Rosie asked. “What does that mean?”

  “According to my daughter, it’s the step right before getting engaged, which is ridiculous.”

  Rosie laughed with what sounded like glee. “So when’s your first date?”

  “Next Saturday.”

  “Wonderful.” Rosie reeked excitement. “I’ll set up an appointment for you with Shirley late Saturday afternoon.”

  “Shirley hasn’t got time—”

  “Shush, if you’re officially dating Steve, it’s our duty to make sure he wants a second date, got it?”

  “Uh …” Cassie wasn’t sure that involving her friends in this dinner date was such a good idea.

  “You’ll need an appointment with Alice, too. She’ll do your nails.”

  “I just painted them this morning,” Cassie protested.

  Rosie sighed expressively. “Apparently, you weren’t listening. Hair and nails we can do at the shop. What we need to think about next is your outfit. What you wear is ultra-important.”

  “She hasn’t got anything decent to wear,” Amiee said loudly.

  The kid had radar a bat would envy.

  “Let me check with Elaina,” Rosie continued. “You’re about the same size, aren’t you? She has that pink dress …”

  “Not the dress she wore for her wedding,” Cassie protested.

  “Yes, that dress. It isn’t like she’s planning on getting married again, so it’s just hanging in her closet. Someone else might as well make good use of it. It was a lucky dress for her. Come to think of it, though, that dress is a little demure. Scratch Elaina’s pink wedding dress.”

  “Thank goodness.”

  “We’ll go shopping,” Rosie insisted.

  “I can’t afford—”

  “Stop. There are places where we can find the right dress at a bargain price. What do you have in the way of jewelry?”

  “Ah …”

  “Don’t worry about it. Maureen has
lots of beautiful pieces. She’ll donate to the cause.”

  The same feeling she’d experienced earlier when Steve had initiated his little chat with Amiee returned. “Look, Rosie … I know you mean well, and I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but—”

  “Don’t say another word,” Rosie barked. “Put Amiee on the phone.”

  “Amiee? Why do you want to talk to my daughter?”

  Rosie exhaled loudly. “Just do as I ask.”

  “When did you get so bossy?”

  “Me, bossy? You haven’t seen anything yet. Now let me talk to Amiee.”

  Dazed, Cassie stretched out her arm to hand the phone to her daughter. Amiee leaped up as if Cassie was extending her the Holy Grail. She grabbed it and took it over to the sofa, where she knelt on the cushion.

  “What’s the plan?” Amiee asked, smiling as her eyes followed Cassie, who’d taken to pacing in the small apartment.

  Cassie’s hearing wasn’t nearly as good as her daughter’s. She was able to make out only a few words here and there of the conversation. What she did hear gave her just enough to get the gist of what they were discussing, and it didn’t sound good.

  Amiee approved because she mumbled words like: Great. Perfect. That’ll work.

  At one point Amiee laughed out loud.

  “What?” Cassie demanded. She had no inkling of what the two were plotting.

  Amiee waved her off like she was swatting a pesky mosquito.

  The two continued deep in conversation when Amiee abruptly pulled the phone away from her ear. She glanced at the face of the cell phone, pushed a button, and then continued her conversation with Rosie. It must have been fifteen minutes later when Amiee ended the call and handed Cassie back her phone.

  “You don’t have a thing to worry about,” her daughter assured her. “Rosie and I’ve got it all figured out.”

  “That’s nice to know.” Cassie was being sarcastic, but Amiee took her seriously.

  “Rosie said you’re gonna knock Steve’s socks off.”

  “Really? Do I have a say in any of this?”

  Amiee considered the question, tapping her index finger against her cheek as she mulled it over. “Not really.”

  Cassie was afraid of that.

  “Oh, and Mom.”