The Weekend

Part 3

Lori walked to Brandon and Tara's place - enjoying the crisp morning and soaking up the Middleton atmosphere again. When she had left L.A. it was barely cold enough for gloves, but here the snow was still piled up on the sidewalks. She walked up to Brandon and Tara's building and stamped snow from her boots. She waited patiently for the door to open and was almost swept off her feet by Brandon.

"Lori! What a surprise! I didn't know you were coming for a visit."

"Surprise," She replied weakly, and then broke down in tears, shocking them both.

"Tara, Lori's here! Put some coffee on!" Brandon shouted, leading his sister inside and shutting out the cold winter morning.

Tara had just finished getting dressed and was putting her hair up in a ponytail. She looked as surprised as her husband when Brandon led Tara into their kitchen.

"Lori, it's great to see you, but were we expecting you?"

She handed her sister-in-law a box of tissues and waited for Lori to stop crying before she fired any more questions at her.

Brandon and Tara had a silent conversation made up entirely of facial expressions over the top of Lori's head while they waited for the coffee to brew and for Lori to get herself together.

I love you. The words echoed between Cassie and Sam in the big, empty kitchen at Grey House. I love you. No one had said that to her in a very long time; not in the way Sam was saying it. Grace told her she loved her all the time; Abigail too and her step-children but no one had said I love you like that since Jake. So many emotions bubbled to the surface at once that Cassie froze; Cassie Nightingale who always knew exactly the right thing to say; the right thing to suggest was suddenly incapable of saying a word.

"It's okay if you don't feel the same," Sam continued, while Cassie stood staring at him. "I just wanted you to know and I hope it doesn't change anything between us."

"Sam…"

"It's okay, just pretend I never said anything and we'll just focus on enjoying our weekend…unless I've gone and ruined it now."

"Sam," She said, a little firmer now. She remembered how she had felt last night when she and Sam had gone to bed together; the reverent way that he had held her and how gentle and passionate he had been. She had never thought or expected to fall in love again after Jake, but it was different with Sam but no less potent. "Sam, I love you, too."

His face broke into a grin. "You do? You're not just saying it because you feel bad for me because I just mad an ass of myself?"

Cassie laughed. "I love you all the more for that."

She reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling his face down to hers. They kissed, gently at first but increasing in passion.

They had planned on going out for a walk, before going to the bistro for a late lunch but before either of them knew what was happening they were making their way back upstairs to Cassie's bedroom again.

Brandon, feeling a little out of place in his own home while Tara and Lori chatted, decided to go for a walk. The two women sat on opposite ends of the couch, a mug of coffee each.

"Have you talked to Cassie about what happened?" Tara asked.

Lori swallowed her sip of coffee and nodded. "It was a little awkward though, I didn't know she had Sam staying over at Grey House."

Tara raised her eyebrows. "Well, Grace and Nick are away for the weekend so it makes sense."

"I didn't know that until I almost walked in on them," Lori blushed. "So awkward. I should have called first but I was so upset over what happened with Darren that I just climbed in my car and drove straight to Middleton."

"Has he tried to call you since?"

"I turned my phone off." Lori admitted. "I don't know what he thinks he can say that will make it better.

"Is there any chance that you maybe got the wrong end of the stick?"

Lori shook her head. "What is there to misinterpret about coming home and finding your boyfriend in bed with another woman?"

"Fair enough. You're better off without him. What about your job though?"

"I'm going to call in sick on Monday and start looking for something else. I'm thinking about moving back to Middleton again, permanently this time."

"It'll be good to have you back." Lori and Tara toasted this by clinking their coffee mugs together and Lori smiled genuinely for the first time since she'd been back in Middleton.

"Wow," Sam sighed, rolling onto his back and trying to catch his breath. "We're getting pretty good at that."

Cassie led on her back, pulling the bed cover backs up over her and smiled like a cat with a lifetime's supply of cream.

"Doesn't mean we shouldn't keep practicing, though."

Sam laughed. "You'll have to give me a little, I'm not as young as I used to be."

"You're as young as you feel, Sam."

"Well, right now I feel pretty good."

"It's been a long time since I've laid in bed in the middle of the day." Cassie said, moving over to rest her head on Sam's shoulder.

"Me too. It's been years."

"How are we going to work this out when Grace and Nick get home?" She pondered. "They're at an impressionable age. Their friends will start having sex soon, if they haven't already. We can hardly forbid them from it, if we're doing it ourselves."

"I think Nick and Courtney might have already experimented…"

"Grace hasn't had her first kiss yet. I thought she and Anthony mind end up becoming more than friends, but then he moved away."

"I guess we'll just take it one step at a time. Maybe have a few weekends away at the lake house, just the two of us. I'm sure Abigail or George would be happy to keep an eye on the kids."

"Sounds perfect. It was where we had our first proper kiss after all." Grudgingly, Cassie sat up in bed. "Now we'd better get to the bistro for lunch, or we'll be the talk of this town."

"Cassie, we already are."

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