Noah hadn’t thought to book his accommodation before he’d left New York. He’d assumed there would be plenty of options available. “I’ll go online and call a few places.”
“If you don’t find anything, you could stay in Acorn Cottage. My next guests don’t arrive until Monday morning.”
There was nothing Noah would like better than to stay close to Cassie, but it might not be the best thing to do. “I’ll make some calls and let you know. Thanks for listening to me.”
Cassie walked to the front door with him. When she lifted her gaze, her blue eyes were filled with concern. “I’ll call you as soon as I’ve spoken to Dad.”
Noah nodded and left her cottage. The next few hours could make or break his plans to dominate the exclusive jewelry market. If Cassie and her father didn’t want to be part of the journey, he would have to find another way to change their minds.
Not long after Noah left,Cassie called her dad. So far, the conversation had been nothing out of the ordinary, but that was about to change. “I’ve got something I want to ask you.”
“What is it?”
Cassie could hear the smile in her dad’s voice, but it might not be there for long. “I had a visit from Noah Devlin, the man who stayed at Acorn Cottage.”
“His name is familiar. Did he leave something behind?”
“Not exactly. He’s the chief executive of Wilson Enterprises.”
Silence stretched between them.
Cassie bit her bottom lip. “My friend Sam entered me in a big jewelry competition that his company sponsors. I won.”
“You’re not talking about the Wilson Award, are you?”
“Yes.”
“Cassie, that’s amazing. When did you find out?”
She scuffed the toe of her sneaker on the wooden floor. “A couple of months ago.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Her dad sounded more confused than annoyed, but it was hard to tell when they were hundreds of miles apart. “I thought you wouldn’t want me to have anything to do with them.”
“Oh, baby girl. Wilson Enterprises didn’t accuse me of copying the designs. They were only doing what any other company would have done. They trusted Emanuel to tell the truth and he let them down.”
Cassie was more upset than her dad. “But Mom—”
“Your mom hated what happened, but she never hated Wilson Enterprises or Emanuel. At the time, I never understood how she could be so forgiving. She used to tell me there was no point holding all that anger inside. Even when we were living in the shelter, she was happy. Your mom cherished the time we had together, regardless of what was happening. She had the two people she loved most in her life beside her and she’d had a wonderful life. That’s more than a lot of people can say.”
Hot tears fell down Cassie’s face. Over the last few weeks she’d missed her mom more than ever. She’d give anything to be able to hold her once more, to tell her what was happening and to listen to her gentle words of wisdom.
“Now tell me about the award. How did Sam submit your entry without you knowing about it?”
Cassie wiped her eyes and took a deep breath. “She took some photos of the ruby and gold necklace I made five months ago and filled in the online form. When I first heard I’d won, I thought it was a hoax. It turns out it wasn’t.”
“When do you receive the award?”
“There’s a presentation dinner in Manhattan soon. I’m not going.”
“Cassie Anne Harper. You cannot be serious.”
Her dad hadn’t called her by her full name for so long that it made her feel better. “You’ve worked hard to rebuild your career. I was worried someone would link the two of us together and bring up the trial. I don’t want to risk your job for the sake of a few new clients.”
“You don’t need to worry. Steve is a great boss. If anyone tries to derail my career, they’ll have to answer to both of us.”
“It might not be enough. I know you have a great working relationship, but some reporters are ruthless. I told Noah two weeks ago that I’m not going.”
