Part 3
For her part, Cassy didn't have to put too much effort into the pretense that there was tension between the married couple. Anger, desire, confusion and fear roiled in her breast as she pointedly ignored her "husband" and settled down to sunbathe. Her refusal of his offer to oil her back was as much for the act as it was for her own all too real self-protection. That stunt in the corridor did to her that thing she hated most, it made her feel out of control.
What about Brett? If she had been asked twenty-four hours ago she would have said she was in love with the man. He was smart, successful, funny, secure, and charming. Everything she had always looked for in a man. Her "perfect man" Yet, all Tom had to do was touch her once and she was a quivering mass. Guilt joined the crowd of emotions trespassing on her normally ordered mind.
Just like back in April.
Or New Year's Eve.
Her body began to burn with the memory. That one stolen night with Tom had done more to hurt her equilibrium than perhaps their entire past relationship. Still, she had found the strength to walk away before anyone got really hurt, again. For weeks afterwards, until he had met Virginia, she had seen the look of confused pain in his eyes that told her that Tom didn't understand why she had left, he never had. Not really. He agreed they argued too much, got on each other's nerves, didn't spend enough time together and were too competitive, yet he didn't believe that ending it before they hated each other forever was the answer. How could he not understand that she couldn't live without him in her life?
Cassy's angry glare and refusal to talk with him was right on schedule as far as Tom was concerned. It was even comforting. Satisfied with himself Tom uncurled his lean body and lay back on the sun chair.Cassy might well be wondering what he was thinking and if she cared to ask he would finally have a clear answer for her. For months, since before New Year's Eve, if he was honest, he had been struggling with his feelings for his ex-wife and partner. After years of excuses and half-assed explanations he had actually managed to convince himself that a platonic and professional relationship with Cassandra St. John would be enough. Then he had been shot and his world had been turned upside down.
He knew the moment he had awakened, even before he found out she had taken on the mob on his behalf, that things between them were far from over.If that wasn't enough, the nurse had found the wedding band under his pillow. The implication was undeniable. Even armed with hard evidence, however, he was still too afraid to broach the subject until a few drinks on New Year's gave him the courage to make a move. A move that had he been sober he would have realized would only serve to scare Cassy off. And she had left him, again.
And he had let her, again.
Before he could finish kicking himself for being a fool or cursing her for her cowardice he met Virginia and Cassy had met her knight-in-a-white-lab-coat.
Now, here they were, playing at husband and wife instead of working at being the real thing, which after watching her sleep last night he finally admitted was what he wanted. Cassy always accused him of being even more stubborn than she was, well Tom know how much she hated to be wrong. This time he wasn't going to let her walk away from him.
"You sure about that lotion? You're going to burn," Tom's words rolled off his tongue and down Cassandra's spine.
"I'm fine," she bit out and turned over onto her stomach to ignore him and keep furtive watch on their fellow sunbathers.
"You are," Tom drawled, biting back a chuckle when he saw her back stiffen.
>>>>>
"You look beautiful," Tom said as Cassy walked into the living room where he was waiting.
"Thank you." Cassy couldn't prevent the flush his compliment caused. She couldn't even be upset about it, she admitted as she smoothed the front of the long yellow dress she was wearing for their dinner at the Club. All day Tom had been casting her admiring glances and showering her with compliments. At first she thought it was part of his husband act, even the kiss she had managed to dismiss into the realm, but now she was coming to realize that her partner had an entirely different agenda. It wasn't the first time he had tried to pay her court. Her cheeks flushed a deeper pink at the memories.
She couldn't believe is that she was being sucked into it again. Especially when they were supposed to be displaying marital problems and she was supposed to allow herself to be seduced by an FBI agent in order to draw out the killer. Then again, if they fell into old patterns, portraying marital discord would be inevitable.
The pressure of Tom's hands on her shoulders pulled Cassy back from her thoughts.
"Hey, pay attention here, we have work to do," Tom said.
"Sorry." Cassy cleared her throat and looked up at her "husband."
"I lost you there for a moment. I asked if I might have this dance," he repeated.
"Dance? That's work?" Cassy's brow furrowed.
"We're a bit out of practice, it might look suspicious," Tom said.
Cassy couldn't fault his logic before he slid his hands down her waist to settle on her hips.
"Where's the music?" Cassy asked, then suddenly strains of "Sometimes" by Britney Spears began to play. "Tom!"
"Best I could do. Besides, it's on the charts, get with it. Besides, it reminds me of you." Tom ignored her protests and took her hand in his and pressed their bodies close together.
"I doubt they're going to be playing today's teen hits," Cassy said through clenched teeth.
"Dance, Cass. Just dance." Tom sighed and pulled her closer.
>>>>>>
"Gee, not one single strain of Britney Spears," Cassy noted as she and Tom entered the dining room.
"How come you knew who was singing?" Tom asked as he walked behind her to their assigned table.
"You make marital discord so easy," Cassy snapped under her breath as he held her chair.
"Part of my charm," Tom said as he took his seat beside her before turning his attention to meeting and greeting their dining companions. Meghan Blum and her beau, and their suspect, Andy Pellen were among them.
"Did Tom ask you about tomorrow morning?" Meghan who was seated next to Tom asked.
"Golf, yes. Thank you so much for inviting us," Cassy said as she draped the napkin in her lap and then picked up Tom's and dropped in his.
"So how long have you two been married?" Andy leaned around his girlfriend to ask.
"Two years," Cassy gave their prepared answer, not bothering to smother her grimace when Tom slid his hand onto her leg.
"Two wonderful years," Tom chimed in and pressed a kiss to her temple.
"Just wonderful," Cassy said sweetly as Tom's hand burned into her bare thigh. She was going to kill him. She was going to make him stand behind the borrowed car her loved so much and run him over.
"How long have you two been together?" Cassy asked after she had shed herself of Tom's groping hand under the guise of picking up the napkin he had knocked to the floor.
"Not quite that long, but five wonderful months," Meghan said.
'The blush of first love," Cassy said.
"We've both been married before, to other people. We know how hard it can be if you take the relationship for granted," Andy said.
"Amen," another gentleman at their table chimed in.
Tom and Cassy knew that Andy had been married back in Chicago. The department was looking for information about Meghan in case she knew something. Cassy looked around for their other suspects as Tom continued to draw out their golfing partners.
"I saw you playing tennis today, dear," an older woman who introduced herself as Marion Swanson said.
"Yes, it's been a while, though," Cassy admitted.
"Wayne is such a wonderful teacher. He's very patient," Marion continued.
"Yes, he is," Cassy agreed sweetly.
"We've played with im for years, Max and I," Marion tapped her husband's arm. Her husband, smiled briefly at Cassy before turning back to buttering his bun.
"I thought he was only here for a short while," Cassy said.
"Yes, yes. We used to play with him in Clearwater. Then we found him here. I was so pleased," Marion said.
Something niggled in the back of Cassy's mind.
"It's a shame really," the woman was saying. "That poor child moving around so much."
"Child?" Cassy asked, the question echoing in her head. They didn't have a record of a child.
"His son, the sweet boy. He's about nineteen now I should think. Wayne's wife ran off when the boy was young and Wayne's had to move him around from place to place, the nature of his work. He sometimes helps out around here. Not a bad tennis player himself," she explained.
"Yes, stability is so important for a child," Cassy murmured absently.
"Do you plan to have children?" Marion asked.
Cassy was too shocked by the question itself to be shocked by its intrusiveness.
"We've talked about it," Tom answered for them.
Cassy looked over at Tom, her heart inexplicably pounding. Yes, they had talked about having children. A long time ago. His eyes caught hers and she wasn't surprised to see the deep yearning shining from his dark eyes.
It was the answering pang that surprised her.
End Part 3