Not What It Seems (Escape to Alaska Trilogy) (17 page)

Cassidy could not recall a time in her entire life when she’d heard her father apologize to anyone. “You…were wrong?”

“Totally, absolutely, completely.”

“I insisted Jonathan didn’t love me, but you wouldn’t even listen.” Cassidy started the car and drove out of the parking lot.

“I know, I know. Sweetheart, the fellow’s a common thief.” Theodore patted her arm. “Less than a month after his promotion to partner, we caught him embezzling money out of one of his client’s trust accounts.”

Chapter 15

Cassidy gasped. “You’re kidding!”

“Jonathan Ward currently resides in Marion Federal Prison, and I hope he rots there for years to come. I cannot believe how badly I misjudged that young man. And I certainly regret not listening to you, sweetheart.” Theodore shook his head. “I shudder to think of the outcome had he married you.”

“Trust me. That would never have happened.”

“The press caught wind of Ward’s shenanigans, and a couple of reporters attempted to besmirch our firm’s reputation. Several competing law firms in town even defended our good name: the old ‘one rotten apple’ defense. Ugly matter for awhile, but the entire episode has blown over now.”

“Did you recover the client’s funds?” Cassidy stopped at a red light.

“That we did.” Theodore smiled. “As always, you’re thinking about the client’s welfare. You’re an exceptional lawyer, honey, but I’ve reconsidered dragging you back to your old life.”

“You have?” Cassidy tilted her head.

“Watching you working tonight, I observed a whole different Cassidy from the one I thought I knew. Your kiss comment for that drunken fellow had me chuckling; you certainly handled yourself well. You’re exceptionally competent, and you seem truly content. I never would have believed it had I not witnessed it myself. I’m very proud of you, sweetheart.”

Cassidy’s eyes filled with tears. “How long have I waited for your praise? I craved your recognition of my work as an attorney. But it never happened.” Cassidy brushed at her tears so she could see to drive. “And now, you’re expounding on my talents as a cocktail waitress.”

“My God, you’re right! I’ve failed miserably. I’ve totally ignored your need for simple recognition of a job well done. Something I wouldn’t think twice about doing for anyone else I’d mentored.”

Cassidy heard the regret in her father’s voice. She suspected he was choking back tears of his own.

“Whether it’s for winning multimillion dollar litigations or outwitting a drunken womanizer, I’ll accept any praise you’re offering.” Cassidy smiled through her tears at her father.

“Even when you squashed an opponent in the courtroom, your face never lit up as brightly as when you greeted your regular customers tonight. Stay in Anchorage, sweetheart. Work at Gold Diggers. Life is too short to spend it miserable and unfulfilled.”

Cassidy almost drove into a lamp post in the Denny’s parking lot. “I can’t believe what I’m hearing.”

“I’m serious.” Her father patted her arm. “If working at Gold Diggers and dating this Clayton fellow fulfills you, I’m all in favor of it.”

She pulled into a vacant parking spot near the back of the crowded lot, turned off the ignition, and released her seatbelt. “Initially, I decided dating a bartender would annoy you if you discovered where I lived and worked. I fought with Clayton constantly when we first met. Now I’ve discovered he’s a total enigma.” Memories of their night together flashed through her mind, and she smiled. The fact Clayton hadn’t asked her out again troubled her though, especially since she’d fallen in love with him that night. But she’d worry about that problem another day.

“Let’s get something to eat. I’m starving.” Theodore climbed out of the car.

Cassidy slipped into step with her father as they crossed the parking lot. Her father wrapped his arm around her, pulled her close, and kissed the top of her head. She couldn’t recall such a simple affectionate gesture since she was ten.

“I love you, Cassidy.”

“I love you, too, Dad.” Cassidy looked up into her father’s eyes. She meant every word. Regardless of their corporate or personal disagreements, he was still her father. And she was thankful for it.

The waitress showed them to a booth and handed them menus.

“Is there anything served here that isn’t a heart attack on a plate?” Theodore peeked around his menu at the waitress and then grinned.

“Absolutely. A glass of water.” She grinned back at him and sashayed away.

Theodore chuckled. “You waitresses sure know how to handle us fellows, don’t you?”

“Comes with hours of in-depth training and years of experience.” Cassidy buried her nose in her menu, hoping to avoid his inevitable question.

Theodore tossed his menu aside. “All right, miss. Confess. Where did you learn your skills as a cocktail waitress? Clayton told me, everything returned to you in no time.”

“While I attended college, your allowance didn’t sufficiently meet my requirements. So I did a little moonlighting at a campus lounge. The guy who invented tipping should be granted sainthood.”

“You’ve always been resourceful.” Theodore shook his head.

The waitress returned to their table and set down two glasses of ice water. “What will you have, sir?” she asked, meeting Theodore’s eyes.

“Why don’t you surprise me?” Theodore grinned, expectantly.

“Dad, waitresses hate it when people say that.”

****

Cassidy had pinched herself every day for the past week since her father departed for home. As she yanked off her denim skirt and unbuttoned her white shirt, having completed the early shift, her mind wandered to the recent encounters with her father.

After his sudden appearance at Gold Diggers and their tumultuous faceoff, Cassidy had worried that enforcing her independence would prove an impossible task. And she’d dreaded the next grueling confrontation with him. Her stomach had knotted the minute she’d spotted him that night sitting in Sherry’s section at Gold Diggers. She’d mentally prepared herself to do battle: to exert her independence, to demand her freedom to choose the path on which her future would take her, and to convince her father she had no intention of returning to Chicago.

Cassidy hung her work clothes in her locker and strode across the wood plank floor to pull her cowboy boots off with the assistance of the brass boot jack. “I need one of these at home,” she muttered aloud. As she set her cowboy boots on the floor of her locker, her mind returned to her musings.

Instead of a knock-down, drag-out fight, her father had treated her to a late-night bite at Denny’s and encouraged her to stay in Anchorage. After their meal, he’d announced his planned departure for home the next morning.

She pulled on a pair of black jeans and slipped a thin white cashmere sweater over her head. While she donned a pair of black flats, her thoughts again wandered.

That one eighty still confused her. Why had her father changed his mind so quickly? She’d half expected to be dragged from her bed in the dead of night, whisked away in a black sedan, and wake up hours later in Chicago. Okay, maybe she’d been reading too many whodunits in her newly-acquired free time, but her father’s sudden change of attitude was confusing to say the least. Granny Du Pont would have said
never look a gift horse in the mouth
. So, just go with it, she encouraged herself.

Cassidy smiled while she fluffed her hair, applied new lipstick, and observed herself in the mirror. “So this is what freedom looks like?” she whispered at her reflection.

True, she’d won her freedom. Now, concealing her identity and whereabouts from anyone had become totally pointless. But she found herself in a tenuous situation. Clayton still believed Cassidy Du Pont was a student struggling to make ends meet and pay her college tuition. How would he react to the news that Cassidy Donahue, successful defense attorney, had recently chosen to start her new, independent life by waitressing in the bar he managed?

“Well, Clayton Morrison’s opinion of me simply doesn’t matter.” Cassidy slipped her lipstick and brush into her purse.

A few weeks ago, he’d fed her a home-cooked meal—well, technically, his housekeeper had—and shown her a totally different Clayton: relaxed, jovial, playful. And then he’d curled her toes and almost drove her to insanity making love with her into the wee hours of the morning in his king-sized bed.

He hadn’t called her since.

They’d conversed at work, shared a drink after her shift a couple of times. But not once had he suggested another dinner, or an evening together, or even a darn walk in the park. Could she have read him so wrongly? Was he just proving he could score with her, and then mission accomplished, forget he’d ever dated her? She couldn’t admit that he’d used her, at least not yet. She still hoped she’d misjudged the situation.

Cassidy grabbed her jacket out of her locker and slammed the door, which promptly popped open again. She slammed it again, cursing the tinny piece of junk under her breath. And then she blushed, realizing she’d taken out her anger at Clayton on an inanimate object. As she headed out to the bar to meet Sherry, her thoughts returned to Clayton.

Perhaps he’d been busy with other obligations besides work. Sherry mentioned Clayton belonged to the Big Brothers organization, and his fatherless little brother, Reggie, was an adorable little guy who Clayton doted on like a proud parent. According to Sherry, Clayton attended Reggie’s hockey games in winter, his baseball games in summer, and cross-country skied with him in the Junior Nordic League. Perhaps Clayton took the child on fishing or camping trips on weekends during the summer months. If nothing else, Cassidy realized Clayton would be an excellent father if anything resembling happily-ever-after became of their relationship.

And then she frowned, her hand frozen on the swinging saloon door. What relationship? One night of knocking your socks off with out-of-this-world sex didn’t constitute a relationship. Cassidy had believed something would evolve from their date, at the very least a second date. Could she have misjudged Clayton so completely? Never would she have suspected him of being a womanizer.

Cassidy whipped through the swinging doors. Well, tonight would settle the matter once and for all. Either Clayton would show he cared for her or not. A little friendly competition always forced a man’s hand. Either she was important to him or she meant nothing.

“Sorry I took so long.” Cassidy slid onto the barstool beside Sherry, set her purse and jacket on the vacant stool next to her. She’d arranged to share a coffee with Sherry after her shift to discuss her anticipated date tonight with Randy Rock.

“So tonight’s the night?” Sherry’s eyebrows rose with her question.

“Yes, but I’m terribly nervous.” Cassidy sighed. “I wouldn’t do this with just anyone.”

Clayton set a fresh mug of coffee in front of her, and wandered away without exchanging a word. Cassidy watched him out of the corner of her eye, and suspected he was pretending that he wasn’t eavesdropping.

*

Clayton had almost dropped the mug of coffee. Suddenly, Cassidy had attracted his full attention. To hell with pretending he wasn’t eavesdropping.

“You’ll be fine.” Sherry set her coffee cup on the bar counter.

“I hope so.” Cassidy muttered, blowing on the hot brew and then taking a sip.

“Everything will come back to you, just like waitressing did.” Sherry patted Cassidy’s hand.

Oh, everything comes back to her all right, thought Clayton, even when it’s been awhile.

“I’m guessing Randy’s pretty good.”

Clayton growled. It hadn’t taken her long to immerse herself in the dating scene again. After her night with him, she’d developed a renewed yearning for romance by the sounds of it. “I’m pretty good,” he muttered the reminder aloud.

Both ladies turned toward him, appearing annoyed by his unsolicited comment. Well, be annoyed, he decided. Sitting there, discussing private matters where anyone could overhear. He’d considered Cassidy and Sherry refined ladies, and he’d certainly expected better of the two of them.

“I hope I don’t get cold feet.” Cassidy sipped her coffee. “I’d hate to disappoint Randy.”

“Cold feet? That happens often?” blurted Clayton. He certainly hadn’t noticed any cold feet when they were wrapped around his waist.

“Sometimes. Depends on what I’m doing.” Cassidy grasped her coffee mug with white knuckles.

Clayton scowled. Knowing Cassidy had a date with Randy Rock tonight, he added, “Maybe you should wear a big pair of red wool socks.”

Cassidy glared at Clayton. “Why would I wear wool socks in August?”

“For your cold feet.” Clayton added a ‘duh’ expression to his face.

“It’s a turn of phrase, Clayton.” Cassidy shook her head. “Perhaps you should join Randy and me. We could all try it together.”

“Whoa!” Clayton glared at the two women. “This is getting a little too kinky for my taste.”

“What is kinky about roller skating?” Cassidy glared back at Clayton. “Randy hasn’t been to the roller rink in years, and I haven’t skated since junior high. Sherry, you should come with us. You should come along, too, Clayton. Make it a foursome. We’ll all make total fools of ourselves together.”

“You’re discussing roller skating?” Clayton frowned. Now he felt like a damn idiot.

****

“I haven’t laughed so hard in ages while attempting to remain vertical.” Cassidy smiled over at Randy. He smiled back as he steered his SUV out of the roller rink parking lot. “Although we found ourselves horizontal on the floor several times, roller skating again was truly delightful. But I’ll be bruises from one end of me to the other by tomorrow.”

“I had a great time.” Randy pulled into Gold Diggers. “Are you up for a nightcap?

“You bet.” Cassidy had thoroughly enjoyed the evening and hated to think of it ending. She considered one nightcap safe; she wasn’t repeating her last date with Randy. She couldn’t guess how many drinks she ingested that night. And another hangover like that one would surely kill her.