Read Online Heaven Beside You by Christa Maurice - Free Book Online
Authors: Christa Maurice
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know if Dan still has a job at the campground this summer,” Ida explained.
“Of course he does, if that’s what he wants. Isn’t that right, Cassie?” Paul put a plate in front of her. Tamales, beans, salsa and ramekins of corn pudding.
“Of course.” When had she lost control of her business? Her mother ran it, Paul ran it, and now the local school system, with her mother’s encouragement, seemed poised to take a cut of the operations. She just showed up May first and smiled for six months. This must be how it felt to live in a soap opera. Someone handed out script pages and the actors did their thing.
“Besides, Melinda, if she’s a good girl, she might need somebody to run the place full time,” Paul said, serving plates to Jason then Cass’s parents.
“What?” she nearly squeaked. Did they think she was going to run away with Jason? That idea appealed, even if it was complete fantasy.
Jason was watching her with a less devilish expression than a moment ago. And, he’d stopped dandling her foot. He still had more control over it than she did, but wasn’t wielding that power now.
He smiled at her and gestured with his fork. “It’s good,” he murmured.
It felt like he’d whispered in her ear. Heat crawled up her cheeks to her hairline.
His smile turned dark and he winked at her.
The bell over the door rang, and as the crowd turned to see who’d walked in, she caught a glimpse of Finn arriving. Now the madness was complete.
“Bill Wernick is talking about selling that property that adjoins yours,” Paul continued, seeming oblivious to what took place inside their booth. “It would almost double your grounds. You’d need somebody up there full time to help you then. You really need to call me, little girl.”
“Bill wants to sell his high pasture?” her father asked, setting down his spoon. His eyes glazed with longing. “It’s a beautiful piece of land, Cassie. There’s that high valley up there with the pond and the waterfall.”
“I’ll talk to Bill about it,” she said before her father could start waxing poetic about the land. He knew the mountain like no one else, and had taken her all over it when she was a child. High up and commanding a view of the valley, that land would be a great place for more cabins and tents below, but she’d have to look at her insurance and find out what his price was. Her rec hall would have to wait another year at least.
“So you think you might be able to hire Dan full time?” Melinda asked.
“Let’s not get our hopes up yet.”
“About what?” Finn asked, stopping at the edge of the table. He glowered at Jason in what amounted to a challenge, but Jason was too busy scraping the last of the corn pudding out of its ramekin to notice there’d been one issued.
Then Jason twitched one foot and looked at her through his eyelashes. The motion so startled Cass, her finger slipped off her fork and plunged into her refried beans. He’d noticed the challenge and blew it off. Someone must have given him the script pages with the background story, and he knew he had nothing to worry about from Finn’s direction.
“Cass might buy Bill Wernick’s high pasture,” Paul told him.
“You should talk to me about these things before you make a decision, Cass. I am your accountant,” Finn whined. He must have noticed his challenge had been dismissed, too.
Cass tried not to flinch at the possessive way Finn spoke to her and opened her mouth to snap that she’d just heard about it.
“Paul, this is excellent,” Jason cut her off, announcing over everyone else. “I haven’t eaten this well since the last time I was in Europe. Thank you.”
“Oh, well, it was nothing.” Paul turned a shade of red that competed with Ida’s hair for wattage.
Cass stuck her thumb in her mouth to clean it off, hoping no one would expect her to speak. However, if she needed to intervene she would have food in her mouth and wouldn’t be able to. Decisions,
“Of course he does, if that’s what he wants. Isn’t that right, Cassie?” Paul put a plate in front of her. Tamales, beans, salsa and ramekins of corn pudding.
“Of course.” When had she lost control of her business? Her mother ran it, Paul ran it, and now the local school system, with her mother’s encouragement, seemed poised to take a cut of the operations. She just showed up May first and smiled for six months. This must be how it felt to live in a soap opera. Someone handed out script pages and the actors did their thing.
“Besides, Melinda, if she’s a good girl, she might need somebody to run the place full time,” Paul said, serving plates to Jason then Cass’s parents.
“What?” she nearly squeaked. Did they think she was going to run away with Jason? That idea appealed, even if it was complete fantasy.
Jason was watching her with a less devilish expression than a moment ago. And, he’d stopped dandling her foot. He still had more control over it than she did, but wasn’t wielding that power now.
He smiled at her and gestured with his fork. “It’s good,” he murmured.
It felt like he’d whispered in her ear. Heat crawled up her cheeks to her hairline.
His smile turned dark and he winked at her.
The bell over the door rang, and as the crowd turned to see who’d walked in, she caught a glimpse of Finn arriving. Now the madness was complete.
“Bill Wernick is talking about selling that property that adjoins yours,” Paul continued, seeming oblivious to what took place inside their booth. “It would almost double your grounds. You’d need somebody up there full time to help you then. You really need to call me, little girl.”
“Bill wants to sell his high pasture?” her father asked, setting down his spoon. His eyes glazed with longing. “It’s a beautiful piece of land, Cassie. There’s that high valley up there with the pond and the waterfall.”
“I’ll talk to Bill about it,” she said before her father could start waxing poetic about the land. He knew the mountain like no one else, and had taken her all over it when she was a child. High up and commanding a view of the valley, that land would be a great place for more cabins and tents below, but she’d have to look at her insurance and find out what his price was. Her rec hall would have to wait another year at least.
“So you think you might be able to hire Dan full time?” Melinda asked.
“Let’s not get our hopes up yet.”
“About what?” Finn asked, stopping at the edge of the table. He glowered at Jason in what amounted to a challenge, but Jason was too busy scraping the last of the corn pudding out of its ramekin to notice there’d been one issued.
Then Jason twitched one foot and looked at her through his eyelashes. The motion so startled Cass, her finger slipped off her fork and plunged into her refried beans. He’d noticed the challenge and blew it off. Someone must have given him the script pages with the background story, and he knew he had nothing to worry about from Finn’s direction.
“Cass might buy Bill Wernick’s high pasture,” Paul told him.
“You should talk to me about these things before you make a decision, Cass. I am your accountant,” Finn whined. He must have noticed his challenge had been dismissed, too.
Cass tried not to flinch at the possessive way Finn spoke to her and opened her mouth to snap that she’d just heard about it.
“Paul, this is excellent,” Jason cut her off, announcing over everyone else. “I haven’t eaten this well since the last time I was in Europe. Thank you.”
“Oh, well, it was nothing.” Paul turned a shade of red that competed with Ida’s hair for wattage.
Cass stuck her thumb in her mouth to clean it off, hoping no one would expect her to speak. However, if she needed to intervene she would have food in her mouth and wouldn’t be able to. Decisions,
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