CHAPTER THREE

      CASSIE NOTED THE time on her truck’s dashboard and swallowed a curse. She’d promised her mother she’d be on time for dinner for once, but she was late by ten minutes already. She could blame the traffic for the delay, but the new house had eaten up her day.

      After the phone call from her father, she’d allowed herself only five minutes to ruminate before switching her attention back to the project. If John noticed she was distracted even for a short while, he refrained from mentioning it.

      She pulled into her mother’s driveway and stopped behind her sister’s sleek sports car. A quick glance in the rearview mirror revealed that her hair looked as if she’d brushed it that morning and had done nothing to it since then. It was her usual MO. She wasn’t one to waste minutes on her appearance beyond what was necessary. She took in her white shirt and frowned at the smear of something that she had brushed against while she and John discussed plans for their house.

      Their house. It almost sounded as if they were a couple. Not that she’d mind if those golden brown eyes of his turned in her direction with something akin to admiration. Or that generous mouth of his did something besides make impossible suggestions or logically reject her ideas.

      The front door opened, and her mother stood in the doorway peering at her. Best get inside and take her lumps. She got out of the truck, walked up to her mother and gave her a quick kiss on her cheek. “Sorry I’m late.”

      “Your sister arrived ten minutes early.”

      Of course, she had. Andie was never late for anything. “I was at the house with my partner, John.”

      Her sister gave her a swift hug. “I saw his picture next to yours in the paper. Quite a dish. Think you’ll introduce me?”

      Cassie gave her sister a once-over. Andie wore a cream lace top over moss green linen pants that refused to wrinkle. Her long dark hair was swept up in a ponytail with not a strand out of place. How did she make gorgeous look so easy? If John saw her, Cassie would never get a chance.

      Not that she was looking for one. They had to work together. Anything else would just complicate matters.

      She shrugged. “I’m sure you’ll meet eventually. You could drop by the house once we begin the demo.”

      Andie wrinkled her nose. “And get sawdust all over my clothes?” She shuddered, then laughed. “But for a good-looking man, I might take that risk.”

      Right. Her sister couldn’t get dirty, which is why she’d been the receptionist at her father’s office instead of being on-site. Cassie sniffed the air and grinned. “You made shepherd’s pie?” It was her favorite as well as her father’s.

      “It’s been awhile since we’ve had it,” her mother said.

      Since her father had disappeared last summer. Had her mom received a call from him, too?

      Her mother led them into the dining room, which was already set with china and crystal. Her mother believed that every day was a cause to celebrate, so they used the good stuff on a regular basis. She motioned for her and Andie to take their usual places on either side of the table, seating herself at the end. Conversation waited while they filled their plates with the casserole, salad and rolls.

      It seemed like lunch with John had been a decade ago rather than six hours. She couldn’t seem to get the food in fast enough, and she stopped momentarily to see her mother watching her with a wrinkle in her brow. Cassie put her fork down. “Sorry. I guess I was hungry.”

      Her mother sighed and took a sip of wine from her glass. “I saw the write-up for the contest in the paper this morning.”

      The hidden message being Cassie hadn’t called her with the news first. “I didn’t get home until late, then I had an early meeting at the Belvedere Foundation this morning.”

      “So what’s the house like?” Andie asked as she buttered her roll.

      How to describe the disaster? “Old and out-of-date. Run down from neglect and abandonment. But there’s potential there. I think we could really make something of this place.”

      “You sound like your father when he started a job.”

      Cassie glanced at her mother. “That’s good, right?”

      Her mother made a face as if to dismiss the words. A look of pain entered her mother’s features before she took another sip of wine. If Cassie missed her father, how much more had her mother missed him? She never talked about it, but it had to have taken a toll. Especially while being under the scrutiny of the police. None of them had any answers at the time of his disappearance, much less after almost a year.

      Cassie looked down at her plate, wondering if she should bring up her father’s call. It had been short, almost nothing. Less than sixty seconds. But it had stirred something in her. Something she needed to say aloud to her family, if no one else. She took a deep breath and turned to her mother. “He called me.”

      Andie gasped and put a hand to her mouth while her mother set her wine glass on the table and leaned forward. “When?”

      “This afternoon.” Cassie pulled the cell phone from her pants pocket and put it on the table. “He criticized me for entering the contest. That was it, then he was gone.”

      Her mother’s jaw clenched and unclenched. “You need to tell the police.”

      “I know, but—”

      Her mother’s expression was one of total fury. “Cassandra Jane, you need to tell them. We can’t keep something like this from them.”

      “There’s not much to tell, Mom. I tried calling the number back, but it keeps ringing.” She unlocked the phone and showed the call history. Seven times she’d called. And seven times he hadn’t answered.

      Her mother rose to her feet and left the dining room. Andromeda took the phone from Cassie. She ran her finger over the display, pressed the number and placed the phone to her ear.

      Cassie reached out for the cell, but her sister held it away from her. “I told you, he didn’t answer any of my calls.”

      After a moment, Andie nodded and handed her the phone. “He knew about the contest. That must mean he’s in the area still.”

      “Or he’s keeping track of us online. It’s not like you have to be in Detroit to know what’s going on.”

      “He’s watching over you at least. He’s never called me.”

      The bitterness in her sister’s words mirrored the sour look on her face. She placed her napkin beside her plate, then left.

      Cassie glanced around the empty room. Despite the beautiful place settings and the delicious food, ugliness had found its way to mar the family dinner. She soon found her mother and sister in the backyard, her sister leaning against the deck railing while her mother walked along the perimeter of the yard pulling at weeds. Andie put a hand on Cassie’s arm when she started down the steps to join her mother. “Let her grieve.”

      “He’s not dead.”

      “He’s not coming back, so he might as well be.”

      Cassie shook off her sister’s hand and met her mother by the lilac bush that had been planted there when she was born. She’d always thought of it as hers because