Ask Cassandra

Chapter Ten

Cassie dropped by Manny’s office on her way downstairs, but he wasn’t there. She stifled the pang of disappointment, and let herself out just as Aerope arrived. She’d obviously gone shopping right after work, hauling gigantic paper bags of groceries towards the kitchen.

“Can I help with that?”

“Oh, thank you, dear,” Aerope said, and Cassie grabbed the last two bags. Fresh produce, cheese, artisan breads; Aerope clearly meant to get busy in the kitchen for her family visit.

“There’s enough here to feed an army,” she said, as she deposited the bags on the table.

“My grandchildren are an army,” Aerope said from the fridge, where she was moving things around to make room for a giant rack of spare ribs. “Manny did mention that Augie and his family are coming up tomorrow evening?”

“Yes, he said. Steph Marshall offered to have me over this weekend, so I won’t be in your way.”

“Oh,” Aerope said, and there was a moment’s silence. She emerged from the fridge, looking distracted. “Well, that’s very thoughtful of her. Of both of you. Lovely girl, Steph.”

“She mentioned that you’d helped her out a lot, when she was a teenager.”

Aerope snorted. “Katherine Tannock—Katherine Marshall now—was always good at ignoring reality that didn’t suit her desires. She was very put out when Steph made her listen to a truth she didn’t want to hear.”

“Do you know everyone in town?”

“Oh, goodness, no, Weeping Rock isn’t quite that small. But you do get to know the library patrons, and we’re better funded than the high school library, so a lot of students use our collection. And while a lot of them leave for school or work, many come back here eventually.”

“Like Manny.”

“Like Manny.” Aerope paused. “It’s a lovely place, Weeping Rock. Prettier in the summer, of course. You’re not really seeing it at its best.”

“I like what I’ve seen of the town,” Cassie told her. “And the people, too.” Isaac Corey most definitely excepted. Steph had promised to introduce her to a few people at the Black Cat on Saturday evening, and she was looking forward to that.

“It’s a wonderful place to bring up a family,” Aerope said. “That’s why many people move back.”

“I bet. I liked the kids from the school, too. Thrace seems like a livewire.”

“She certainly is. Well, let’s see. I’d better start the marinade for the ribs, and figure out something for dinner tonight.”

Cassie’s phone vibrated against her thigh, and she pulled it out to look at the text. “Manny’s offered to buy me dinner in town,” she said, surprised and pleased. “He can pick me up in an hour.”

“Really,” Aerope said, but by the time Cassie looked at her, alerted by the tone, Aerope’s expression was placid. “In that case I’ll have a poached egg on toast, perhaps a light salad.”

“If you had something planned, we could always eat here,” Cassie offered, feeling bad for her, but Aerope shook her head, smiling.

“No, no, you two enjoy yourselves,” she said. “You’ll probably want to wash up, hm?”

Which was probably a gentle hint that Cassie was covered in attic grime. She texted Manny a reply, then went back to the cottage and opted for a quick shower. The little stall wasn’t nearly as comfortable as the deep claw-footed tub, but the luxury of a bath every day was starting to feel a little indolent. She took the time to wash and blow-dry her hair instead, scrunching the serum Laodice had snagged for her into the curls. They were getting a little longer than she liked. Maybe Steph could recommend a good stylist. Back in the bedroom, she opened her wardrobe and paused.

She’d meant to put on clean jeans and grab a fresh sweater, but a deep red gleam had caught her eye. She pulled the dress out and laid it over the chair, considering. It was the dress she hadn’t chosen to wear for her one-and-only date with Isaac, a red chiffon swing affair, with long, transparent sleeves and a hem that cut off just below the knees. After a moment’s contemplation, she hunted out black tights and gave her black T-bar heels a quick polish. Her puffer jacket would have to go on top, and that wasn’t a great match, but at least she’d look good once she took it off.

No need to think too hard about why she wanted to look good. She climbed into her red silk lingerie set before she got dressed, and applied lipstick of the same shade. A quick coat of mascara, and she was ready for…whatever this dinner was.

Nervous despite herself, she ran downstairs when the knock came on her door, and zipped up the puffer before she opened the door.

Manny was waiting outside, looking unfairly debonair in black slacks and a sweater over a shirt open at the collar, all of it visible under the open front of a long grey coat.

“This is nice,” Cassie said, reaching out to touch the lapel. The wool felt soft and warm under her fingers. “I haven’t seen it before, have I?”

“I mostly wore it in the city,” Manny said. “Thought it was time to pull it out.” His eyes snagged on her mouth, and took in the tights and heels without comment, but he opened the passenger door in silent tribute to her efforts. Cassie accepted the gesture and settled herself on the seat.

“Ooh, butt-warmers,” she said, snuggling in.

“I like a little luxury, now and then.”

“I appreciate it. Where are we going? The Black Cat?”

“I thought maybe we’d try somewhere else, if you don’t mind. How was your day?”

“It was good. Although I can’t claim to have made much more progress on discovering who and where Chris is. Without a surname, I think I’ve done as much as I can for now.”

“It was a big ask,” Manny said. “I guess the next thing is to tell Mom and Augie and Theo after all. They might have some ideas. Theo might even remember more from that day on the lake.” He sighed. “I just wanted to have more to show them. Maybe I’ll wait until Sunday night. We might as well enjoy the whole weekend before I drop a bomb on them.”

“I think that’s really kind,” Cassie said. “A couple more days won’t matter.”

“Yeah,” Manny said, and perked up. “The loan came through today.”

“Oh, great! You can start work on the carriage house soon.”

“Monday.” Manny hesitated, so briefly she could have imagined it, and added, deliberately, “That’s why I thought I’d ask you out tonight. To celebrate.”

Cassie looked at his nice coat, then down at the hem of her dress, poking out from under her jacket. “So this is a date.”

“If you want it to be,” Manny said. “Otherwise it’s two friends with benefits getting dinner.”

Cassie felt a spike of alarm, all the things she’d been carefully not thinking about immediately rising to the surface of her mind. “I don’t mind if it’s a date,” she said, after a minute. Because who was she fooling, anyway? She hadn’t put on lipstick in weeks.

Manny cleared his throat. “Good. I’m glad.”

And then they both shut up until they got to the restaurant, a small place in town on the third floor of a wooden building, with a narrow set of stairs that reminded her of the attic. She almost wished it was the attic. They’d never been awkward in the attic, and now she had no idea of what to say or how to behave.

Manny helped her off with her coat, with the same ingrained courtesy that had opened her car door, but his automatic manners stuttered when he got a good look at the dress.

“Wow,” he said.

Cassie smiled, feeling better. “Like what you see?”

“If I’d seen it before we left, we might not have gotten this far.”

The hostess showed them to their table, one of only six in the smallish room. Four of the others were occupied by people paying very close attention to their plates.

“I appreciate the effort, but I want you to know I would have been happy with a pizza and a good beer.”

“That was my first impulse. And maybe a movie by your fire.”

“Not a bad idea at all.” A plate went past her, covered in tiny gleaming balls of gel, sitting on a wide black cracker so thin it looked like lace. The rich, nutty scent of warm sesame oil drifted in its wake, and saliva suddenly flooded her mouth. “Wait, no, I take it back. This is perfect.”

When she turned back, Manny was looking at her. “Yes,” he said quietly. “I think you’re right.”

As she should have expected, Manny had excellent taste in fine dining. They chatted between courses, but otherwise she directed most of her attention to the food and its layers of texture and flavor, each bite a revelation. Manny wasn’t drinking, but Cassie had elected for the wine pairings with each dish, and by the time she’d finished the meat course, a tender nugget of lamb topped with a rosemary-potato mousse, she was feeling pleasantly fuzzy.

“Thank you so much for bringing me here,” she said. “It’s amazing.”

Manny cleared his throat. “We could do things like this more often, if you like,” he said.

Cassie laid her fork down. “You mean…more dates?”

“Yes.” Manny was looking at her, his eyes blue and honest. “I’d like to go on more dates with you. I’d like us to be dating.”

“Right,” Cassie said, trying to catch her breath. “I’m not opposed, in theory.”

“But in practice?”

“In practice, I can see so many ways it would go wrong,” Cassie told him. She had an entire inbox of examples, people who had pledged themselves to lovers, only to be ripped apart when their lovers turned on them. Emotional abuse, financial disaster, sometimes physical danger—she read about it nearly every day. She thought he was a really good guy, trustworthy to the bone, not a single red flag flapping in the breeze. But everyone in her inbox had thought that, once. They”d been blind to those red flags because the rest of it felt so good.

And she couldn’t tell Manny she was cynical about commitment because she gave advice to people for whom the good had inexorably turned into something terribly wrong.

“Can I think about it?” she asked.

“Sure,” he said, which was another green flag, and they devoted themselves to the salad course. Cassie crunched through delicately bitter endive leaves and thought.

Not all the relationships that turned up in Ask Cassandra had unhappy endings. Agora had just published that update from the formerly psycho Psyche, who’d taken her advice and spoken honestly to her boyfriend. Cassandra had truly—and cynically—expected that relationship to go up in flames, but Psyche had been brave, and been rewarded with a hot boyfriend who made bank writing hot romance novels.

Maybe, if Cassie was brave and honest, she’d get a hot boyfriend who knew where the best restaurants were.

“I haven’t done anything serious for a long time,” she said. “I really like you. But I’m a little scared.”

“I haven’t either. I’m scared too. But I’d really like to try.”

“Okay,” Cassie said. “I’ll think it over this weekend, then, while I’m hanging out with Steph and you’re hanging out with your family. And then… Maybe we can be scared together.” She looked at him. “I’m really happy you brought me here. And not just because the food is amazing.”

“One of our local secrets,” Manny said.

A man in chef’s whites was coming out of the kitchen with a tray of dainty treats arranged on a single piece of chocolate bark. He set the tray down before them, and then straightened, glaring at Manny.

“I want to be solvent, not secret,” the chef said severely. “Tell your friends, review and rate.”

“This is Jacques,” Manny told Cassie. “He runs this place. We went to school together.”

“Your food is amazing,” Cassie said sincerely. “I’ll tell everyone I know.”

Jacques unbent enough to smile at her. “Your taste in women is getting better,” he told Manny.

Manny raised his eyebrows. “You realize there’s no good way for me to respond to that, right?”

Jacques shrugged. “Enjoy your dessert.” He walked away, with Manny still frowning at his back, and Cassie took advantage of his distraction to take the first treat, something that tasted like a lemon cream suspended in a dark chocolate globe.

“Oh,” she said. “Oh, wow.”

Manny turned back and glanced at her face. “Okay, I have to try whatever made you look like that.”

“I think I ate the only one,” Cassie said, with zero remorse. “Don’t worry. I’ll make it up to you later.”

Manny walked over to the big house the next morning feeling pretty damn good. “I’ll think about it” wasn’t a yes, but it wasn’t a no either, and when Cassie said she’d think about something, she meant it. Last night, she’d invited him in “for a drink,” taken that incredible dress off, put a cushion on the floor to pad her knees, and given him the most spectacular blow job of his entire life. The sight of her red-painted lips sliding around his cock was going to stay in his memory for a long, long time.

Unless he could replace it with new, even better memories, like the moment he’d woken up in bed with her this morning. He’d wriggled under the covers, and licked her with slow and lavish attention, until her quivering thighs had clamped around his head and she’d chanted his name as she shook against his eager tongue.

He hadn’t even asked to sleep over. Cassie had asked him if he’d like to. He thought that gave him grounds for optimism on the topic of dating.

He opened the back door, stepped into the kitchen, and found himself nose to nose with his mother, fully dressed and with her most no-nonsense expression.

“Manny, I need to talk to you,” she said.

“Why does that never precede something good?” Manny asked, making a beeline for the coffee pot. If he was going to be lectured, he wanted to be caffeinated for it. “?Manny, I need to talk to you. I’ve just found a million dollars in a neglected bank account, and I want you to help me spend it.’”

Aerope did not appear to appreciate the levity. “Did you suggest to Cassie that she make herself scarce this weekend?” she asked severely.

“Of course not,” Manny said. “She and Steph Marshall were planning a Saturday girls’ night, and she figured that Augie’s visit would be a good time to do that, and then Steph offered to host her for tonight as well.”

“But I wanted her to meet the family! Better that she knows what she’s getting into.”

Manny heard alarm bells. “It might be a little soon for that, Mother. I like Cassie a lot, but I’m not sure how this is going to pan out. As far as I know, she’s still planning to head back to the city in a couple of months.”

“That’s just silly,” Aerope said. “She’s wonderful for you. Aren’t you even going to fight for her?”

“What happened to ‘I can’t believe you slept with that woman?’”

“Obviously, I was wrong,” Aerope said, unperturbed. “I like Cassie. She’s very bright. Perhaps even brighter than Ness, and much less abrasive.”

“I thought you and Ness were getting on better these days.”

“Well, I wish she and Augie wouldn’t fight so much, but I can’t claim he doesn’t give her cause,” Aerope said. “But Cassie doesn’t fight with you. And you’re obviously sexually compatible.”

Manny sputtered on his coffee. “This is not a conversation I want to have with my mother,” he said firmly.

“See, she said exactly the same thing last week. You’re perfectly matched.”

“Mom!”

“Helen would never dream of telling me to butt out,” Aerope said. “She would clam up or make an excuse to leave, or just pretend that she’d never heard me in the first place, but she didn’t push back. And you didn’t used to push back either, Manfred, but you’ve learned how, and you need a woman who can do the same. I think it’s Cassie.”

Manny squinted. “So the solution to our family being bad at respecting boundaries is to bring in someone who’s good at setting and enforcing them? As a role model?”

“It couldn’t hurt, surely.”

“Mom, why don’t you just work on your own issues around boundaries?”

“What makes you think I’m not?” Aerope demanded.

“The part where you’re trying to pimp me out to a prospective daughter-in-law, right now.”

Aerope folded her arms. “One day you’ll see I’m right. I only hope it won’t be too late.”

Manny bit down hard on the impulse to tell her that Cassie was thinking about dating. He could just see Aerope trying to seal the deal, and while Cassie didn’t scare easy, his mother’s enthusiasm might be even more intense than her fear had been. “Well, at that point you can tell me you told me so.”

“Don’t think I won’t,” Aerope sniffed, but she softened and poured him another cup of coffee. “I just want my children to be happy. Is that wrong?”

“Nope, but you can’t make it happen.”

“Hm,” Aerope said, in a tone that indicated she wasn’t quite ready to believe that. “Well. We’ll see.”

He was on guard against his mother sneaking up to the attic for the rest of that Friday, but when he kissed Cassie goodbye before she left for Steph’s, she didn’t mention any motherly ambushes. At least Aerope had respected his wishes that far. Or perhaps she’d been too busy. The kitchen had been a source of tantalizing smells all day as she cooked in a nurturing frenzy.

Augie’s family arrived too late for dinner, which didn’t prevent Aerope from trying to feed them anyway. The meal was a frenzy of conversation, hugs, and observations on how much various grandchildren had grown. Little Chrys, his youngest niece, was obviously up way past her bedtime, and so exhausted that she threw a tantrum at the thought of sleep. Geni, the eldest, was able to calm her down with the promise of three full stories at bedtime and carried her off, while Electra and Orestes, engaged in some complicated private game, nobly suffered ten minutes of attention from their uncle and grandmother before sneaking away to entertain each other.

“Four of them,” Ness said, sitting down heavily at the kitchen table. She was a beautiful woman, dark-skinned and full-featured, with long, relaxed hair and huge eyes, but at that moment she looked more tired than stunning. “Why did we have four?”

“I wanted two,” Augie reminded her, and Ness sat up straight.

“Excuse me? Who watched Orestes graduate kindergarten and asked if I couldn’t be talked into another?”

“You gave in pretty damn easy,” Augie said, and Manny could see the shape of the fight taking place before his eyes.

Except Aerope cleared her throat and said, “If you two don’t mind, I have something to discuss.”

“Oh,” Ness said. “Of course, Aerope. Go ahead.”

“As you’ve probably noticed, I haven’t been doing very well after Arthur’s death,” Aerope said.

“It’s been hard on everyone, Mother,” Augie said, in a tone that probably didn’t mean to be quite so patronizing.

“It’s not a competition,” Manny said mildly, and his mother flashed him a grateful look.

“I spoke to Doctor Olsen, and he referred me to a lovely specialist, who says I probably have situational depression,” she said. “I just wanted you all to know that I have a diagnosis and I’m getting treatment. So there’s no need to worry, but, well. There it is.”

“What?” Augie said, and then Ness elbowed him and he went to hug his mother, still looking slightly baffled, but at least doing the appropriate thing. “Uh, I’m glad you’re getting help, Mother. Would you like to stay with us in the city for a while?”

“No, dear, don’t be silly. I have work.”

Ness’s lips tightened and she closed her eyes in a slow blink, but she didn’t say anything. Manny eyed his sister-in-law with some surprise. There would have been a time when Augie making such an offer without consulting with his wife would have precipitated an instant screaming match, but perhaps they were all growing up.

Augie was certainly looking older. Still burly, still boisterous, but his hair was thinning, and as he released Aerope, Manny had a sudden inkling of what he’d look like as an old man. What they’d both look like, come to that, given the strength of the family genes.

For the first time, he wondered if the mysterious Chris had kids. Did Manny have cousins he didn’t know about, more distant branches of the Pelopson tree? Did Chris know about his heritage, or had it been kept secret from him as well?

“You okay?” Ness asked, and Manny blinked.

“Yes, thanks. Just tired. How are you? How are your family?” He’d always gotten on well with Helen and Ness’s parents.

“They’re fine,” Ness said by rote, and then she looked uncomfortable, an expression that was so strange on her that Manny was actually alarmed. “I’ve been meaning to tell you. I don’t know if you’ve heard, but Helen and Paris had a little girl. They’ve named her Hermione.”

“Oh,” Manny said, and waited for the familiar sting.

It didn’t come.

“Good for them,” he said. “And congratulations on being an aunt, Ness.”

“Thank you,” Ness said, looking gratified. “I hope I can do it as well as you do.”

“Manny’s an excellent auntie,” Augie said, and tried to ruffle Manny’s hair, which ended in the usual scuffle. Manny got away easily, surprised at his own strength. The work he’d been doing in the vineyard was evidently paying off in more than one way.

“Stop it, boys,” Aerope said tolerantly. “I’m sure we could all do with a glass of wine.”

Manny nursed a beer instead and watched his family talk at and around each other. Being the quiet one in the corner was an easy role for him to fall into. Cassie wouldn’t be quiet, if she were here, but she wouldn’t be loud, either. She’d be amused by Augie’s occasional blustering and unintimidated by Ness’s sharp tongue.

Was Chris quiet or loud? Were his imaginary kids? Did they have kids, more cousins for Augie’s brood?

When Aerope and Ness both declared themselves ready for bed, Augie offered to wash the wine glasses, and sent his brother a sidelong look, inviting him to linger.

“Are you really all right?” he asked Manny, rinsing the soap off. “I thought… It was a big thing you did. Giving up your job to come up here. Especially if Mom wasn’t doing well.”

With a start, Manny realized his brother was feeling guilty. “It’s okay. I like it.”

“Really?”

“Really. The loan has been approved, I got the carriage house designs yesterday, and I’ve been learning more about the vineyard. Jim’s a good teacher.”

“Who?”

“The foreman? The guy who’s been in charge since Granddad died?”

“Oh, right,” Augie said. He made a face. “I thought Theo would be trying to teach you.”

“Well,” Manny said, and cast around for a diplomatic way to put it. “He is trying, in his own way. But he’s also going through the grieving process.”

“I don’t think there’s such a thing as being a situational asshole,” Augie said, and Manny snorted in agreement.

“You and Ness seem to be getting on well,” he ventured.

Augie looked bashful. Which was almost as bizarre as Ness looking uncomfortable, and just as alarming. “We’re trying.” He rubbed a glass that Manny suspected was already very clean. “I, uh…haven’t looked at anyone else for a while. And neither has she.”

It shouldn’t be shocking when your nominally-monogamous brother admitted he wasn’t having an affair, but nevertheless, Manny was shocked. After a moment, he said as much, and watched Augie turn dull red.

“It wasn’t—” he said, and then, “It’s not like I ever stopped loving her. It was just, you know, the temptation.”

“Which you gave into,” Manny pointed out. “A lot.”

“So did she,” Augie protested, but it was automatic response rather than the injured spite he used to employ. “She, uh, we talked at New Year, and she said that as far as she could tell, we had three options. We officially opened the marriage, we divorced, or we committed to monogamy, for real.”

“And you chose option C,” Manny said. He was trying very hard not to sound dubious. Augie making emotional revelations of any kind was rare, and he didn’t want to make him feel bad about that. Even if he, once again, failed to understand his brother’s choices.

“Yeah,” Augie said, looking defensive. “We’re going to counseling, and it’s—Like I said. We’re trying.” He scrubbed the back of his head. “Anyway, Mom said you were fucking the help, so—”

“Mom did not say that,” Manny said, resisting, with some effort, the urge to smack his big brother in the nose. “She might have mentioned that I am seeing Cassie, who is the archivist working in the attic.”

Augie grinned. “But she’s working for you, right? You dog.”

“We’ve got an agreement,” Manny said, and then when Augie’s grin widened, “No, not like that. Stop it.”

“Archivist,” Augie said, rolling the word around his mouth like a hard candy. “Sounds like a sexy secretary type to me. Does she call you sir?”

“Good night,” Manny said, and walked out of the kitchen before Augie could say anything worse. His mother was right. He was better at pushing back.

He was on the defense against further innuendo in the morning, but Augie had apparently decided they’d come to a truce. With Theo’s help and the forklift from the vineyard, they got the last heavy pieces out of the carriage house and onto the vineyard truck. Manny kept an eye out for green suede record books and missing photo albums, or even the brown archive boxes that crowded the shelves upstairs, but nothing came to light.

“You don’t have to check every armoire,” Theo said, but it was friendly enough. He kept slapping Augie on the back and making awkward jokes, as good-humored as Manny had seen him since the funeral.

“Did you get much hunting in this season?” Augie asked, gesturing at the gun locker.

Theo shook his head. “Too busy. Shame you can’t stay longer. Waterfowl season’s over, but we could bag some squirrels.”

“Take Manny,” Augie suggested, and they both turned to grin at him.

Manny rolled his eyes. “You know I can’t shoot. No one bothered to teach me.”

“That’s because you cried the first time I came home with game,” Augie said.

“Cried like a baby,” Theo confirmed.

“I was eight,” Manny said. “I was a baby.”

Augie’s grin sharpened, but Theo nodded. “Fair enough,” he said. “I’ll teach you, if you like.”

“Oh,” Manny said. He wasn’t at all sure he wanted to learn, but he was trying to encourage Theo to give him more opportunities. Anything to make his uncle take him seriously. “Yeah, thank you. That’d be great.”

“You’re not taking all this stuff to the dump, right?” Augie said, his eyes moving over the furniture and machinery.

Manny shook his head. “No, we got rid of the trash already. These are the pieces we can restore. I’m just moving them to the vineyard warehouse so we can start construction on the suites.”

“Who’d you get for that?”

“Local firm, Appleton Construction. They’ve promised to get it done by June.”

“Nice girl, Petra Appleton,” Theo said. “She was asking about you the other day, Manny.”

Manny flushed. Fortunately, neither of his male relatives noticed. Augie was looking up the prices of vintage armoires on his phone, and Theo was eying a badly scratched table with a wobbly leg.

“Can I have that for the cellar door instead?” he asked.

“Sure,” Manny said, with perhaps too much enthusiasm.

“I can put a display on it,” Theo said. “Make some changes, in my own way.” He glared at Manny, but it was half-hearted.

“I’m going to ask Ness if she wants this armoire,” Augie said, and walked away to make a phone call.

“Are you coming over for lunch tomorrow?” Manny asked Theo. “Mom’s planning to break out the grill and spoil the grandkids. She’s already marinading the ribs.”

Theo grunted. “Can’t. I’m opening the cellar door tomorrow. First Sunday of spring.” He gave Manny a steady look. “It’s tradition.”

“Of course.”

“Jim got me to take another look at that organic stuff. I guess it’s worth thinking about for planting next year.”

“Thank you,” Manny said. Jim had been right, it seemed. All Theo had needed was time, and the assurance that not everything would change.

“And you’re sticking around,” Theo said, with only a faint question.

“Yes,” Manny said. He looked around. “I’m here to stay.”

“Your dad would be proud of you,” Theo said gruffly, and clapped him on the shoulder before he moved away, pretending not to see the tears that had sprung to Manny’s eyes.

Manny had never doubted that his father was proud of him, wherever he was and whatever he was doing. But he couldn’t help thinking that Theo was right, that Arthur would be especially proud Manny had decided to put down roots in their family’s land, using his talents and experience to support the family business. He took a deep breath of air no longer frozen, but merely cool. Some invisible wound was healing inside him.

And there was someone he wanted to thank.