It Takes a Village
Well, what can I say? I've been totally blown away by your reviews and nice comments! I hope you enjoy this chapter, too. It's been so much fun to write so far, and I'm making sure I have at least one more chapter in the pipeline before I post so I don't any of you high & dry for 2+ years like I did with The Weekend. Although this is a sequel to The Weekend, you don't need to have read it first.
I've got an idea for a Sam/Cassie AU fic floating around in my brain, and eventually I will write more of "I Don't Know What to do About You" but ironically I can't remember what I planned to do with that story, so I genuinely don't know what do about it!
Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter. The next would should follow in the next week or so! Xxx
Chapter 2: Late to the Party
The get-together for Brandon and Tara's announcement gave Cassie something to focus on. She was thinking about what she would cook for the guests when the bell tinkled to announce a new customer at the Bell, Book and Candle. Cassie looked up sharply, for once doubting her own powers of intuition, but there was Linda. The two women had had very little to do with each other since Linda had moved into Sam's house even though, to all intents and purposes, they were now next door neighbours.
"Hello Linda, how can I help you?"
"I'm looking for something for Nick."
Cassie began a mental inventory of which essentials oils she had in stock and which one Nick could possibly need. She wondered why Linda would need her help when she was currently living under the same roof as a very talented medical doctor.
"I wondered if you might have a cane or some sort of walking stick." She looked around the shop a little hopelessly.
"For Nick?" Cassie clarified.
"Yes, he's almost walking like normal now. Sam offered to get him a crutch from the hospital but Nick has been watching some show on Netflix and decided he wanted something more unique. He suggested I come here actually."
Cassie smiled. "That was sweet of him. I'm glad he's getting better."
"Yes, it's given us quite a scare. You think your child is almost grown up, but then sometimes they just need their parents."
Cassie didn't disagree with anything that Linda had said, she felt the same way about Grace but it felt like she was referring to her and Sam as a couple. She wasn't sure if it was just an old habit she had slipped back into or if Linda was doing it to keep Sam and Cassie separated.
"We have some canes brought in from an estate sale, the owner had been injured in World War II and used a cane after he came home. Let me show you."
A little while later Linda selected one that looked about the right height for Nick.
"We're having a small dinner party at Grey House tomorrow night, perhaps you, Sam and Nick might like to come along if Nick is feeling up to it." Cassie said as she rang up the purchase at her till.
"Oh I think it's still too soon for that, thanks though."
Linda breezed out of the shop with the cane tucked in her oversized Dior bag, leaving Cassie feeling hollow again.
Late the next afternoon, Cassie was prepping dinner for that evening while Tara was working the last few hours in the shop before closing up. Although it was supposed to just be a small gathering, the guest list had got quite long. Obviously Brandon and Tara were coming, and George, Grace and Lori. Abigail was bringing Harry who was driving to Middleton after school finished that afternoon and staying for the weekend. Stephanie had offered to bring dessert and somehow word had spread to Martha so she and Tom would also be there. Even if Linda had accepted the invitation, she wasn't sure she'd have room for the three Radfords especially as there were also the Grey House guests to consider.
She hadn't meant to think about Sam, not even in a roundabout kind of a way. She shifted her attention back to the vegetables she was slicing instead. It was easier said than done though, and part of the reason why she had avoided being alone recently. She wasn't really alone now; George was pottering in the garden and Lori was upstairs working on a blog post but there was currently very little to distract Cassie from her thoughts. It would be better later when the house was filled with the laughter and celebration of the people she loved, except one of them would be missing of course. She wished, almost desperately, that he would pop on over to Grey House the way that he had always done before. She looked at the kitchen doors, half hopefully, half hopeless but she was still alone.
At the Radfords, they ate dinner mostly in silence. Nick was desperate to get back to his Xbox and he was planning to skype with Courtney later. Also, he wanted to escape the faintly toxic atmosphere that occurred every time his parents were together in one room for too long.
He knew it was his injury that had brought his Mom to Middleton and what kept her there. He wasn't ungrateful, but if he was honest, he was ready for her to go back to New York now. He was healing every day now and it wouldn't be too much longer before he was back at school. He was also conscious that his Mom being in town meant that his Dad wasn't seeing Cassie anymore. He was putting a brave face on it, but Nick knew that his Dad was missing her. Nick missed her, too.
Grace still skyped with him, smuggled him cookies and brownies from the bistro and, to his dismay, still brought him his homework but neither of them had really talked about their parents. It wouldn't have been easy anyway with Linda in the house all of the time.
Once dinner was over, Sam cleared the table and did the washing up as Linda had cooked tonight. Her cooking had certainly improved but Sam missed eating with Cassie, she always seemed to have prepared exactly what he had fancied eating. He threw their wadded up napkins in the trash and noticed it was close to overflowing. He decided to empty it now before Linda nagged him to do it. In some ways it was like still being married; like the days before their divorce. Living together again had made Sam even more sure that their decision to end their marriage had been the right one.
He tied up the sack and went out into the twilight to dispose of it. He realised he wasn't alone, and suddenly felt as shy and nervous as a schoolboy with crush.
"Hello Cassie."
"Sam," She smiled, eyes that had been shadowed for too long were suddenly bright again.
Grace checked that her Mom had definitely gone outside before rushing back to the rest of the party. Cassie had arranged the evening to celebrate Brandon and Tara's good news, but the rest of the guests had another agenda. Their lives had all been improved by Cassie's influence and love, and they all hated to see her as unhappy as she had been lately. They decided that this time it was their turn to help her.
"We have to be careful," Grace said, while Abigail nodded. "If we're not, Mom might realise that we're up to something and this won't work."
"Cassie and Sam love each other," Stephanie countered. "All they need is a little push." She motioned with her hands.
"What we need, " Abigail stood up and moved behind Harry, placing her hands on his shoulders. "Is to find ways to keep Linda out of the picture."
"It sounds like you want to murder her," Stephanie joked, but Abigail's eyes stayed cold.
"Please remember she's also Nick's Mom," Grace said, to lighten the mood.
"Surely now Nick is almost recovered she'll be heading home soon?" Martha added.
"She's stayed longer than we all expected," said Stephanie. "It's not like Nick is in any danger, he's just healing."
"Maybe she likes it here," Lori spoke up, to everyone's surprise. "Hey, I'm not about to start a fan club for her, but now I'm back I can see why she might want to stay. LA was great, but it didn't have the heart and community that Middleton does. Maybe she's feeling the same way about New York."
They looked at each other. What Lori said made sense. They had all chosen to remain in Middleton despite having other options, so could it be possible that Linda also felt the same way about their town?
"Fancy meeting you here," Cassie said, trying to ease the tension between them. Neither of them quite knew what to say.
"Lovely evening, isn't it? It's starting to stay light so much later now." Sam couldn't believe he was talking about the weather with the woman he had been sure was the love of his life.
"Spring really is here." Cassie couldn't seem to find anything better to talk about either.
"Let me help you with that," Sam said, reaching out to take the trash bag that Cassie seemed to be struggling with. "Wow, feels like you've been feeding an army." He laughed, the bag was much heavier than he'd expected.
"Well, we have got a full house tonight."
"Oh?"
"Tara and Brandon are having a baby."
"Oh, wow. Well congratulations to them both." Sam's smile was genuine but he also looked a little hurt. So, Linda hadn't told him about the dinner invitation then. Cassie wasn't going to bring it up, she didn't want to cause bad blood between them.
"Thank you, I'll pass that on to them."
"If Tara needs anything, she can pop into my office anytime."
"Thanks, Sam." She had reached out and put her hand on his bicep before she had even realised what she was doing. She had been moving in to kiss his cheek in the way she would have when intimacy between them was natural and easy.
"I should get back inside,"
Sam nodded. "Goodnight, Cassie".
He watched her walk back inside Grey House. It hurt that her life was changing and he hadn't been one of the people she'd run to when she'd received good news. A minute ago they had been inches apart but it felt like their lives were spinning out in completely different directions.