“I’ll make tea. Do you want tea?”
“Please,” Cassie nods and when I move for the kettle my nan stops right in front of me, twisting my cap backwards. “I haven’t seen this handsome face in so long, I need to get my fix.”
Cassie laughs at my grandmother’s wink in her direction.
“So, your mother and my other darling boy, how are they?” Nan continues plodding around the kitchen pulling a teapot and a couple of her special occasion mugs from the dresser.
“Fine.”
“Fine? Why is everything always fine? I need more information. I want to know if your mother is working too hard, is Wayne making sure she does something other than work?”
Eyes flashing to mine, Cassie looks at me with questions shining in her light whiskey eyes. “Mum is Mum and Wayne…well, he’s Wayne. He’s always been good to her.”
“Wayne?”
Nodding at Cassie, I put the teapot on the counter. She’s about to say something when Nan continues, “Kit and Jules? They seemed happy when they came to see me.”
“Kit came to see you?”
“Yes, he said you were too busy with life. I hope you’re not overworking yourself for that fucker. I’m sure Kinsley is watching over you boys; your grandfather is a good man. It’s a pity his son isn’t made from the same cloth.”
“Nan…”
“I’m sorry.” Brushing her hair from her face she gives me a sheepish shrug. “I worry about the three of you.” Her voice wobbles and Toby is quick to sniff at her ankles and offer her comfort, much like a cat would do.
Silly beast.
“Here, let me finish.” Cassie takes the tea bags from my hand and puts them in the pot in front of me before she cups my face, her nails grazing the stubble I didn’t shave this morning.
Kissing my cheek softly, she asks, “Are you okay?”
My hand slips into the back pocket of her jeans, and I can’t help but pull her closer, pressing a kiss to the corner of her mouth when her side presses to my front.
“I’m going to show Cassie your garden.” I tell my grandmother and she gives me one of her smirks.
“By garden, I assume you mean the blasted swing?” She takes the tray of bubbling apple tarts out of the oven. “You boys and that swing! Honestly, the fights the two of them used to get into over it.”
“Only because Kit was shit at taking turns!” The words rush out of my mouth before I can think them over and immediately my lungs dry up at the possibility that Kit might not come here again and all I’ll ever have are memories.
The threat bubbles in my chest and I find myself unable to stand here pretending that everything is okay, when it really isn’t.
Anger and devastation claw at my chest as I start for the glass paned French doors leading to the garden, and for once when Cassie is around, Toby follows me.
Reaching for the pack of cigarettes in my back pocket, I light one, taking a few deep drags before my head goes a little fuzzy from my effort. I stand outside the back door waiting for Cassie and watching Toby go wild as he chases the sitting ducks along the riverbank that runs the length of my nan’s property.
When she steps outside, Cassie hands me the sweet and milky smelling tea before she settles beside me.
“Why doesn’t your grandmother know?” Pulling on the high neck of her fluffy pink, cropped jumper, she looks up at me.
I can’t answer, her disapproving tone grates me a little because it’s really shit of us not to tell her Kit could be dying. It’s crappy of us to deny her the chance to say goodbye to her grandson.
Tucking her hand into the top of my jeans, she kisses my bicep, and fuck it if I can remain irritated. It’s odd how easily she can smooth over my unrest with her touch, nobody has ever had that hold on me. Not my mother, nor Kit, not even my nan or grandfather, and they are pretty capable of handling my temper.
My grandfather is probably the only person I allow to sway my resolves. He is the father my own refused to be. He’s the only person I trust outside of Francis and the Torch team. But Cassie trumps them all. This woman is every bit as dangerous as she promised to be when all I did was watch her from afar.
I take a last puff of my cigarette, and smile at the way she moans on a deep inhale. Her hand squeezes around my belt as she nuzzles into the top of my chest before looking up at me.
“She likes you.”