“Mom, Mr. Davis is helping me fix the bike.”
“I see that. Does Mr. Davis actually have any idea what he’s doing?”
Cole frowned up at her with feigned indignation. “Hey, lady, are you questioning my mechanical skills?”
She forced a grin. “You bet. I seem to recall an electric coffeepot that blew up after you’d tinkered with it.”
Cole tapped the wrench against the bike. “No electricity involved here, just nuts and bolts and chains.”
“True, but I’m sure you didn’t stop by to do bike repair,” she said. “I’ll help Jake later.”
“But, Mom,” Jake wailed.
“I said I’d help later. Cole, why don’t you come on inside? I know Mother is anxious to thank you for what you’re doing for her.”
“Is she really?” Cole asked, his expression skeptical.
Cassie did grin at that. “Well, she will thank you right after she tells you how she can’t accept, that Edna Collins doesn’t accept anyone’s charity, et cetera, et cetera.”
Cole got to his feet. “Now that sounds more like it. I guess I’ll just have to dust off my charm.”
That ought to do it, Cassie thought as he held out his hand to her son for a grown-up handshake. Certainly one member of the Collins family was under hisspell. Okay, two, she conceded reluctantly. She might not hold out any hope for their future, but that didn’t stop her from indulging in the occasional fantasy, the one in which she, Jake and Cole somehow put aside all the lies and deceit of the past and became a happy family.
As soon as Cole left and she could get away, Cassie invited her mother to come into town with her and Jake to have lunch at Stella’s. Eager for an outing of any kind, Jake had already raced ahead to the car.
“I need to talk to Stella about that job,” she explained to her mother. “This is as good a time as any. And maybe it will pacify Jake. He’s still smarting over the fact that I didn’t let Cole spend the whole morning helping him with that bike.”
“Then you’re determined to stay?” her mother asked. “Even with Cole showing up here earlier and sending you into a tizzy?”
Cassie couldn’t deny that she’d been thrown, but a promise was a promise. “I told you I would. Besides, there is nowhere else I could be right now. You need me.”
Her mother nodded, and what might have been relief passed across her face. “That’s that, then,” she said giving Cassie’s hand a squeeze. “It’ll be good to have the two of you here. The house gets awfully quiet sometimes.”
“I thought you’d be grateful for that after all the ruckus I raised as a kid.”
Her mother smiled. “I was for a time, but no more. Having Jake running in and out, having you to talk to now that you’re a grown-up woman yourself, it’s a real blessing, Cassie. I’m grateful.”
“I don’t need your gratitude, Mom. I belong here, especially now. Go on and get your purse. I’m going to buy you the biggest sundae Stella can make.”
“Oh, my, I couldn’t possibly,” her mother said, but she looked tempted as she followed Cassie to the car.
“Of course you can,” Cassie said as she checked to make sure everyone had fastened their seat belts. Then she grinned at her mother. “And you can have it before lunch.”
Her mother looked horrified. “Heavens, no. It will ruin my appetite.”
“So what?” Cassie said as they made the quick trip to Main Street. “Why can’t we have dessert first every now and again on a special occasion?”
“And what occasion would that be?” her mother asked as Cassie pulled into a parking spot in front of the diner.
“My homecoming, of course.”
A rare and full-fledged smile spread across her mother’s too-pale face. “Now that really is worth celebrating.”
She said it with such genuine emotion that Cassie had to blink back tears. Maybe she’d had it wrong all these years. Maybe her mother really had missed her.
“Can I celebrate, too?” Jake asked from the
“I see that. Does Mr. Davis actually have any idea what he’s doing?”
Cole frowned up at her with feigned indignation. “Hey, lady, are you questioning my mechanical skills?”
She forced a grin. “You bet. I seem to recall an electric coffeepot that blew up after you’d tinkered with it.”
Cole tapped the wrench against the bike. “No electricity involved here, just nuts and bolts and chains.”
“True, but I’m sure you didn’t stop by to do bike repair,” she said. “I’ll help Jake later.”
“But, Mom,” Jake wailed.
“I said I’d help later. Cole, why don’t you come on inside? I know Mother is anxious to thank you for what you’re doing for her.”
“Is she really?” Cole asked, his expression skeptical.
Cassie did grin at that. “Well, she will thank you right after she tells you how she can’t accept, that Edna Collins doesn’t accept anyone’s charity, et cetera, et cetera.”
Cole got to his feet. “Now that sounds more like it. I guess I’ll just have to dust off my charm.”
That ought to do it, Cassie thought as he held out his hand to her son for a grown-up handshake. Certainly one member of the Collins family was under hisspell. Okay, two, she conceded reluctantly. She might not hold out any hope for their future, but that didn’t stop her from indulging in the occasional fantasy, the one in which she, Jake and Cole somehow put aside all the lies and deceit of the past and became a happy family.
As soon as Cole left and she could get away, Cassie invited her mother to come into town with her and Jake to have lunch at Stella’s. Eager for an outing of any kind, Jake had already raced ahead to the car.
“I need to talk to Stella about that job,” she explained to her mother. “This is as good a time as any. And maybe it will pacify Jake. He’s still smarting over the fact that I didn’t let Cole spend the whole morning helping him with that bike.”
“Then you’re determined to stay?” her mother asked. “Even with Cole showing up here earlier and sending you into a tizzy?”
Cassie couldn’t deny that she’d been thrown, but a promise was a promise. “I told you I would. Besides, there is nowhere else I could be right now. You need me.”
Her mother nodded, and what might have been relief passed across her face. “That’s that, then,” she said giving Cassie’s hand a squeeze. “It’ll be good to have the two of you here. The house gets awfully quiet sometimes.”
“I thought you’d be grateful for that after all the ruckus I raised as a kid.”
Her mother smiled. “I was for a time, but no more. Having Jake running in and out, having you to talk to now that you’re a grown-up woman yourself, it’s a real blessing, Cassie. I’m grateful.”
“I don’t need your gratitude, Mom. I belong here, especially now. Go on and get your purse. I’m going to buy you the biggest sundae Stella can make.”
“Oh, my, I couldn’t possibly,” her mother said, but she looked tempted as she followed Cassie to the car.
“Of course you can,” Cassie said as she checked to make sure everyone had fastened their seat belts. Then she grinned at her mother. “And you can have it before lunch.”
Her mother looked horrified. “Heavens, no. It will ruin my appetite.”
“So what?” Cassie said as they made the quick trip to Main Street. “Why can’t we have dessert first every now and again on a special occasion?”
“And what occasion would that be?” her mother asked as Cassie pulled into a parking spot in front of the diner.
“My homecoming, of course.”
A rare and full-fledged smile spread across her mother’s too-pale face. “Now that really is worth celebrating.”
She said it with such genuine emotion that Cassie had to blink back tears. Maybe she’d had it wrong all these years. Maybe her mother really had missed her.
“Can I celebrate, too?” Jake asked from the
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