I laughed, thinking of my father and the trouble he came into as the owner of the local hardware. “It’s still difficult on days, but he’s doing the best anyone can expect.”
Running the hardware kept him busy, and even though he had more than enough women suitors who wanted to take him for a ride, I didn’t think my father would ever date again. He was a one-woman kind of man.
The type of man I hoped to grow into one day.
“Do the high school girls still go over there to get phone signal?” Cassandra asked.
I laughed harder, full of memories. “Yes. Even though the providers increased the signal, over the last few years, he still has a gaggle of them every afternoon. The old man has not lost his touch.” I didn’t believe they were all there for the improved cell signal.
Cass shrugged. “Your old man is prime silver fox material,” she said, putting her thumb and forefinger together in an okay sign.
I dropped a handful of sand on her back. “Hey! That’s my father. Don’t be making kissing faces.”
She wiggled her back deliciously to get the sand off of it. I helped slap the last few particles off, giving myself another chance to touch her. “I’m just saying.”
“Well don’t.” I placed a hand over her mouth, and she licked my palm. Exactly like old times.
Time to change the subject.
“What’s it like for you in Tennessee?”
“My life in Tennessee is safe and predictable. The way I like it.” She reached her hands off the blanket and pushed the sand into a pile.
I flopped onto my stomach, letting the sun heat my back so I was in the same position as her. “You can have safe and predictable in Pelican Bay.”
If she was looking for boring, she didn’t have to go all the way to Tennessee to find it. Pelican Bay was basically nothing. A diner, bakery, and a biker joint with a pizzeria attached to it. Nothing exciting happened in our small town.
“Riley,” Cass said with a deep sigh. Apparently, she did not agree with my assessment. “I’ve only been back a few days, and you surprised me with a trip to Florida. The only thing predictable in Pelican Bay is there’s a one hundred percent chance of my mom causing a scene once a month.”
She talked about her mother and her father fighting all the time, but that hadn’t happened in a while. I tried not to discuss her parents since it stressed her out, but I grew suspicious she wasn’t aware of their current relationship.
“Cass, have you talked to your mother much?”
She rolled over and looked at me with one eyebrow raised. “I try not to. I texted to let her know I’d be in town, but before that it’s been a while. She talks to my brother more.”
“How much do you talk to your brother?” Cassandra’s brother lived in Pelican Bay. He had to know what had gone on between her parents. Why hadn’t he told her?
She wiggled her shoulders in question. “Once or twice a month. Why? What aren’t you telling me, Riley?”
How in the world did I break this news to her? “I guess I don’t know their current status, but your parents split up a few months ago. Your dad moved out.”
It’d been tense for a while after the split. The tension any time either of them entered an establishment was thick enough to cut with a knife. Over the months, things calmed and fizzled out. Tabitha, Ridge’s wife, said they’d both been in the bakery at the same time and no one threatened to kill the other.
Her mouth fell open, and then she closed it, and then it fell open again as she digested what I said. “My parents got divorced?”
I shook my head. I hadn’t been following the gossip chain of Cassandra’s parents, but when someone mentioned them around me, I noticed.
“No, I don’t think they filed for divorce. They’re still married but not living together.” It cut down significantly on the number of times they’d called the police to their home.
She continued to stare at me in shock. The only thing moving in her entire body was her eyes when she blinked. “Why didn’t anyone tell me?”
I had no answer for that question, but I had a few ideas on the matter.
“I’m not sure. I’m sorry, babe. Your brother has to know.”
She nodded, as if understanding her brother hid this information from her. “I told him not to talk to me about our parents. I didn’t want to hear their drama,” she said almost silently, as if speaking to herself, and then she sat up and folded her legs under herself on the towel.
Her shoulders rocked, and she fell in on herself. Luckily, I was there to catch her as Cassandra’s body crumpled into mine. I wrapped my arms around her and held her tightly, pulling her into my lap. Her cries were soundless, and I wasn’t even sure she was actually crying until the first wet tear hit my shoulder.
