Chapter 23: Reminiscing
Cassandra’s POV
Cameron approached our table. I could see the surprise on his face. Clearly, he hadn’t expected to see me and Dillon here, alone together, having an intimate dinner.
“Well, what do we have here?” Cameron asked, eying the open bottle of champagne on the table. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think this was a date.”
He raised his eyebrows at us, a smirk on his face.
“Hardly,” Dillon said quickly. “This is a business dinner.”
“Hm,” Cameron teased. “A business dinner with champagne?”
“Cassandra and I were just discussing the details of a business collaboration,” Dillon smiled.
I realized in that moment that we hadn’t discussed business at all. On the contrary, our conversation had actually taken a really
intimate turn.
“Must be quite the discussion,” Cameron said, gesturing to the multiple plates of food on the table. He reached over and snatched a piece of bread right off my plate.
“You know, Cameron, I’m a little upset with you,” I replied haughtily. I wanted to steer the conversation away from this whole ‘ date’ thing. It was making me uncomfortable.
“You’re always upset with me about something,” Cameron replied, playfully rolling his eyes. “So shoot. What is it this time?”
“Withholding information,” I said airily. “You knew I was trying to track down the CEO’s son of Fox Finch Holding at the gala. You watched me waste my entire night trying to find him! And meanwhile, you knew, this whole time, it was Dillon.” I put on a fake pout. “Is that any way to treat your sister?”
Cameron knew me well, so he knew I was only teasing. He broke out into a wide smile.
“I was sworn to secrecy, Scout’s Honor,” Cameron replied, holding up three fingers and crossing his hand over his chest.
“It’s true,” Dillon said, leaning back in his chair. “He’s a good friend. Loyal.”
“Well shame on you both,” I chastised. “You could have made my life a lot easier if you’d just told me!” I wagged my finger at
them.
Dillon chuckled then he shrugged his shoulders innocently.
“Well since you’re here, stay,” Dillon said to Cameron. “Pull up a chair. As you can see, your sister ordered half the menu. Join us. My treat.”
For a brief moment, my heart fell. It’s not that I didn’t want my brother to join us. It’s just that I’d been having such a good time with Dillon. Alone. But I couldn’t very well say that. So instead I smiled brightly.
“Yes, Cam. Stay.”
But to my relief, Cameron shook his head. “Sorry. Can’t,” he shrugged. “I have a business meeting of my own. So you’ll have to finish up this ‘meeting’,” he used air quotes, “without me.”
He gave Dillon a pat on the shoulder. Then he leaned in and kissed me on the cheek.
“Have fun, you two.”
Then he winked and left.
1/3
We watched him walk across the restaurant and seat himself at a table with a well-dressed man in a suit.
“Good,” Dillon smiled at me. “More for us.”
With Cameron gone, we both fell back into our easy rhythm. The waiter brought out yet another plate of food, and we tried to make room for it on the table.
“This is getting embarrassing,” I giggled. “We could feed a small army!”
“Speaking of small armies,” Dillon said, a mischievous glint in his eye. “Do you remember when we were kids and Cameron and I would play ‘warrior’?”
I nodded. “I vaguely remember, yes.”
“You were so annoying,” he chuckled. “Following us around, asking if you could play too.”
It was true. I was the little tag-along sister in those days. Cameron and Dillon were always playing some sort of ‘boy’ game.
“You never let me play,” I sighed. “You told me to ‘scram’.”
“We didn’t want you to get hurt,” Dillon said.
“Oh, was this it? You were just being protective?” I laughed.
“I can’t speak for Cameron. But I was.” His expression changed. He pressed his lips together, a serious look on his face.
I felt a blush creep onto my cheeks.
“Even back then, Cass, I felt like, I don’t know, like it was my job to keep you safe.”
“It wasn’t,” I replied. His eyes stayed locked on mine.
“Perhaps not,” he replied. “But can you blame me? You were always so….” he paused, searching for the right word. I waited, my breath held. My stomach fluttered.
“So what?” I prodded.
“So…beautiful.”
My heart stopped.
Beautiful?
He thought I was beautiful? The blush in my cheeks deepened.
He was looking at me so intently. I was starting to feel uncomfortable. What was going on? Why was I blushing? Why was he looking at me like that?
“Yeah, well, you needed glasses if I recall. So clearly you didn’t see so well,” I joked in a self-deprecating way.
But he didn’t laugh.
Instead, he tilted his head to the side.
“Just for the record, I had laser eye surgery,” he said. “My sight is perfect now.”
Umm…
I didn’t know how to respond to that. There was an awkward silence for a beat, then Dillon broke out into a huge smile.
“Remember that Halloween when you dressed up like a banana?”
2/3
I almost choked on my champagne. He remembered that? That horrendous, big, puffy yellow banana costume? I could hardly even walk in it. I had to waddle down the street.
“I was only eight! Bananas were my favorite fruit!” I defended myself. “But go ahead, Laugh it up! Ha ha.”
We continued to reminisce, recalling funny memories from our past. I nibbled on the delicious food. We poured another glass of champagne and laughed together.
By the time we got to dessert, my stomach hurt from laughing. I hadn’t felt this relaxed in a long time.
The waiter placed a crème brulee in front of us with two spoons. Dillon was in the middle of recounting a memory where I’d climbed a tree. We each picked up a spoon and crackled into the crème brulee.
“And THEN,” Dillon chuckled, “you just kept climbing, even though we warned you not to.”
“And the branch broke,” I giggled. “I still have the scar,” I said, showing him my elbow. “Five stitches.”
Buzz.
My phone went off. We both stopped and glanced at it.
Jordyn’s name flashed across the screen.
My heart sank.
“You can take it,” Dillon said. “The call.”
“No,” I shook my head. “It can go to voicemail.”
But he called again right away.
“Maybe you answer,” Dillon said dryly.
“Sorry,” I said, reaching for the phone.
I was prepared to scold Jordyn. What could he possibly want? And where had he gotten my new number?
But before I could say,anything, his voice cut me off.
“Cassandra,” Jordyn said, his voice tight and anxious. “It’s Grandfather. He’s…he’s fallen ill. They’ve taken him to the emergency room at the hospital.”
3/3
