Chapter 16

Cassandra lifted the receiver before the second ring ended. “Excuse me,” she said gently to David, who hovered just inside her cubicle’s threshold. Then, tilting her head toward the mouthpiece, she whispered, “Yes?”

A soft chuckle came down the line. “Shouldn’t that be ‘Yes, hon’?” Thomas teased.

Cassandra bit her lower lip, glancing sideways at David, whose brow creased in mild impatience. “Yes, hon?” she repeated, a playful lilt in her voice.

“I’m just curious,” Thomas continued, his tone warm, “what would you like for dinner tonight?”

“Dinner?” Cassandra turned back to David, recalling the meeting he’d scheduled. “Ah—sorry. I have a dinner meeting later on. I can’t.”

A faint sigh of disappointment drifted through the line. “Oh. So you’ll be home late?”

“Maybe,” she admitted.

There was a moment’s pause, then: “Can I pick you up? I hate to have you travel home alone when it’s dark.”

Cassandra felt her lips curl into a grateful smile.