Not What It Seems (Escape to Alaska Trilogy) (2 page)

“Women should willingly forego their careers to marry a suitable fellow and produce grandchildren, not delay bearing a first child until her late thirties or early forties.” Her father tugged on his lapels, another familiar courtroom habit, while admonishing his daughter. “I desire grandchildren while I’m still young enough to enjoy them.”

Cassidy almost laughed aloud. Her strikingly handsome father had celebrated his fifty-sixth birthday last June, and although graying at the temples, he’d remained as physically fit as a twenty-year-old.

“Dad, a lifelong commitment to sports contributes to your tireless energy and excellent health. You’ll enjoy a healthy life and someday grandchildren for decades to come. As always, your whole argument revolves around you. It’s my life in question, and frankly, I deserve better than Jonathan Ward!” Cassidy sat, back straight and head held high. Her over-bearing parent wouldn’t win this argument.

“We’re never going to agree, so there’s nothing gained in continuing this conversation.” Her father rose from his chair and leaned forward, placing his hands on the desk.

Cassidy stared at her father. “The partnership is a done deal? There’s no negotiating? There’s no way I’ll change your mind?” She couldn’t believe her career had plummeted to this level, with no hope of a partnership any time soon. And her father would harp about marriage relentlessly, hoping she would renege on her refusal to comply with his wishes. That would never happen, especially if Jonathan was the intended groom.

“Jonathan Ward is partner…end of discussion,” declared her father. “The new letterhead for Donahue, Charles, Bennett and Ward is being printed as we speak.”

Cassidy’s cheeks flamed; she felt slapped in the face by her father’s pronouncement. For years he’d boasted that someday two Donahues would emblazon the corporate letterhead. And today, he’d shattered her dream by partnering with Jonathan instead.

“If that’s your final word on the matter, then I agree with you about one thing. This discussion is over. Mark my words. In many ways, you’re going to regret this decision.” Cassidy strode soundlessly across the carpet, opened the door, and slammed it shut behind her.

“Gracious, dear, is everything all right?” Ruby leapt to her feet.

“No, Ruby, everything most certainly isn’t all right.”

“Oh, dear,” whispered Ruby, paling.

Cassidy charged down the hallway before Ruby noticed her tears. And then she bawled her eyes out in the ladies’ room for twenty minutes. Her father’s announcement echoed in her mind and sliced into her heart like a knife all over again. Disappointed. Humiliated. Heart-broken. Devastated. All wonderful, descriptive words, but none of them conveyed her overwhelming sense of loss and betrayal.

Why had she poured her whole self into her job assuming hard work and commitment would guarantee her lifelong dreams would be fulfilled? Why did her father’s approval matter so much? Why had she permitted her father to control her future, to hold all the cards? Why had she ever given Jonathan Ward the time of day, planting that seed of hope in her father’s mind?

In an instant, her anger flared.

Cassidy charged into her office and slammed the door closed behind her. And then she noticed her assistant, Jeannie St. James, leaning over her desk, writing something in her black leather appointment book.

“There you are.” Jeannie straightened, smiling.

Without a word, Cassidy strode behind the desk and slumped into her executive chair.

Jeannie’s smile faded. “You heard, didn’t you? I called your cell phone to warn you about the rumors, but you didn’t answer.”

“Oh, there’s no rumor about it. Dad just informed me in no uncertain terms that Jonathan Ward has been promoted to partner. It’s a done deal, no turning back.” Cassidy recalled her cell phone had rung on her way to her father’s office. She regretted ignoring the call. But whether she had answered or not, it wouldn’t have changed the outcome. She’d already lost the partnership to Jonathan. But at least she wouldn’t have been blindsided.

“I’m so sorry, Cassidy. You worked so hard.” Jeannie slumped into the chair in front of the desk, looking as deflated as Cassidy felt.

“Apparently, I lost the partnership due to my impending nuptials,” spat Cassidy. She loved her assistant like a sister, and she shared an apartment with Jeanie and considered her a lifelong friend.

“What?” Jeannie stared at her, incredulously. “You’re getting married?”

“No! I’m not getting married. Jonathan asked Dad’s permission to propose, and Dad started counting grandkids already.” Cassidy leapt out of her chair and paced. “I can’t stand that arrogant ass. I wouldn’t marry Jonathan Ward if we were the last two people on the planet.”

“Then how did your dad arrive at the conclusion you were engaged?”

“It never occurred to him that I’d turn down Jonathan’s proposal.” Cassidy continued to pace, hands fisted, temper raging. “Jonathan is such a wonderful catch: partner in a prestigious law firm, secure future. And such a splendid example of manhood would father the most remarkable children. If I married this
brilliant
lawyer and
extraordinary
male specimen, Dad’s personal project would be complete.”

“Cassidy, you’d better sit down or you’re going to pop your aorta.”

“I’d like to pop Jonathan’s aorta. That sleazy character stole my partnership.” Cassidy unclenched her fists, imagined her hands around the enemy’s scrawny neck.

“So what’s next?” asked Jeannie, leaping to her feet and guiding Cassidy back behind her desk.

“I honestly don’t know.” Cassidy slumped in her chair, rubbed her temples, and with a hoarse voice, bitterly whispered, “I worked my fingers to the bone for that partnership, and then my entire future disappeared into thin air with Dad’s announcement.”

“I can’t imagine anything so horrible.” Jeannie shook his head. “Doesn’t your father realize Jonathan’s a player and a womanizer?”

“Nope. Jonathan has completely fooled Dad.” Cassidy rested her elbows on the chair arms and tented her fingers. “Dad brushed aside all my hard work, never recognized any of my accomplishments. He’s totally fixated on marrying me off to the first suitable candidate and demanding grandchildren as his due.”

“Who would consider Jonathan to be a suitable candidate for marriage? An alley cat would win a morals contest with him. And I cannot visualize Jonathan as a father. In fact, the concept frightens me. He’s so incredibly irresponsible. He couldn’t care for a goldfish, never mind care for a child.”

“Probably kill the goldfish in a matter of days.” Cassidy grinned.

“He would never remember to water a house plant. Kill it just as quickly.”

“He could manage to kill a silk plant.”

Cassidy and Jeannie burst into laughter. Soon, they were wiping tears from their eyes.

“Goodness that felt good. I can’t remember the last time I spared a moment to laugh.” Cassidy grabbed another tissue from the box inside her top drawer.

“I never penciled it into your appointment book,” mumbled Jeannie, dabbing her tears, and then she met Cassidy’s eyes.

That set the two of them off again.

“To hell with it. Let’s go for a drink.” Cassidy tossed her soiled tissues into the garbage can, dug her handbag out of the bottom drawer, and leapt to her feet.

“We can’t just walk out of the office at eleven o’clock in the morning and head to a bar,” exclaimed Jeannie, the voice of reason.

“Why not? Nobody appreciates my hard work, so I might as well go AWOL. Nobody will even miss me.” Cassidy grabbed Jeannie by the arm and dragged her toward the door. “And nobody should drink alone.”

Four hours later, Cassidy and Jeannie, slurring some of their words, staggered slightly on their way outside to meet the cab that the bartender had called for them. During their drinking spree, they’d formulated a foolproof plan. Now, Cassidy looked forward to an independent future out from under her father’s thumb.

Chapter 2

Cassidy Donahue breezed through security at the Chicago O’Hare Airport and then strode down the concourse. Her plan just had to work.

“Please, God, I can’t be too late. Please, please, please.” She whispered the prayer aloud while she raced toward her boarding gate. A wheeled cabin-sized Louis Vuitton canvas suitcase followed her like an obedient puppy.

Cassidy ignored the maze of travelers and the surrounding airport hubbub and concentrated on her destination. She shuffled along behind an exceptionally tall gentleman for several seconds, and then swerved to the left attempting to slip past him and continue onward. A teenager, head down and furiously texting on her cell phone, crashed into Cassidy. Plugged into an iPod, the girl appeared totally oblivious to anything or anyone around her.

Ebony-lined eyes met Cassidy’s glare, and the crimson-faced young lady removed her ear bud. “Sorry I bumped into you, ma’am.” As she spoke a gold tongue stud popped in and out of view.

“Watch where you’re going next time,” muttered Cassidy, her ego smarting. No one younger than sixty deserved the ‘ma’am’ treatment, she thought.

“Over here, Cassidy, hurry!”

Cassidy whipped around and spotted her former college roommate standing on tip-toes and waving frantically from beside a boarding gate podium. “I’ll be right there,” shouted Cassidy, and a half minute later she stood breathless at Sheila Graham’s side.

“This is highly irregular,” said a female airline worker, lips pursed, peering over wire-framed eyeglasses. She wore a trim-fitting, neatly pressed uniform and a white blouse that sparkled in the afternoon sun that streamed through the viewing windows.

Sheila flashed the attendant a gleaming smile. “I’m sorry for any inconvenience, but the situation simply cannot be helped. As I explained, my assignment changed at the last moment, and my co-worker must utilize the ticket in my place.”

“Hello, I’m Cassidy Donahue.” Cassidy straightened her medium-blue business suit jacket and swiped one hand across her forehead. “I’ve never altered my itinerary so quickly in my life. Believe me, this ridiculous change of plans is not our doing.”

The woman shook her head. “At least we agree on one thing: this situation is ridiculous. You cannot change passengers two minutes before boarding!”

“Blame it on management.” Cassidy flashed the irate woman a sympathetic smile. “Two minutes ago I was standing in line about to purchase a ticket to Miami, and now here I am heading to Anchorage.”

Sheila handed her boarding pass to Cassidy. “Corporate supervisors never consider whether or not they’re inconveniencing their employees by changing assignments on a whim.”

“Thank you for holding the plane. If I’d missed this flight…the consequences boggle the mind…just too horrible to even consider,” stammered Cassidy, still a little winded from her haste.

“Good luck with the client.” Sheila clung to Cassidy in an energetic bear hug. And then she stepped back and met Cassidy’s eyes. “I cannot express how thankful I am you’ve stepped in at the last minute.”

“Think nothing of it. I’d gladly reciprocate for you.” Cassidy smiled broadly and winked at her friend.

“Good luck,” whispered Sheila.

“I’ll board now, before the plane leaves without me.” Cassidy adjusted her purse strap on her shoulder and grabbed the handle of her carry-on bag.

“Safe journey,” added Sheila.

Cassidy charged down the narrow walkway toward the plane’s entrance. That stellar performance qualified for an Oscar nomination, she thought, and she stifled the giggle that threatened to escape her lips. Hopefully, as the flight crew finalized their duties, feeling annoyed or flustered by the delay, the changing of names on the passenger manifest wouldn’t cross their minds.

“Home free,” she whispered to herself.

Cassidy slipped through the open doors, waving the boarding pass. “I’m here. I’m here. Sorry for the delay.”

“Welcome aboard.” The young stewardess offered a smile and quickly glanced at the paperwork. “Can you find your seat without assistance?”

“Certainly.” Cassidy shoved the handle out of sight and hoisted her carry-on bag into her arms. “22A will be the seat not occupied by a glaring passenger.”

The stewardess smiled. “Only a couple of minutes delay. No problem.”

“Thank you for your understanding,” whispered Cassidy, smiling.

Several pairs of eyes followed her progress down the narrow aisle. A few passengers glared openly, but other less-hostile expressions suggested mere curiosity about the delay. She stowed her bag in the overhead compartment, crawled across the passenger seated on the aisle, and flopped into the window seat. Two seats over across the aisle a baby wailed, and a young mother groped in her bag for a bottle. Soon the nursing infant quieted.

One of the flight attendants quickly recited final passenger instructions, and five minutes later the plane lifted off. Cassidy sighed in relief, leaned back and closed her eyes.

Sheila Graham, she thought, I owe you big time.

****

Hours later, Cassidy shifted in the aircraft’s uncomfortable seat—she never flew coach, but desperate times called for desperate measures—and stared out through the small window into ebony oblivion. She glanced at her watch; the illuminated dial indicated two o’clock in the morning. What sane person travelled at this ungodly hour? The engines droned, and several passengers snored softly. She propped her elbow on the narrow window ledge and rested her chin in her hand.

A small pocket of air turbulence briefly vibrated the plane, and simmering anger created similar turbulence in Cassidy’s mind. In hindsight, she should have foreseen what happened. All the signs were there: her father’s insistence that she date Jonathan, his reluctance to praise her efforts or recognize her ambition, and his stubborn resolve that his actions and decisions were always meant in her best interest. After her father’s betrayal, she’d plotted her escape and incorporated painstaking precautions to avoid detection. Never again would she live or work under Theodore Donahue’s reign. Her careful planning during the past few days culminated with the successful escapade at the airport.