Zero Visibility (7 page)

***

Cassie was a huge supporter of small, local business. Obviously, as she was the owner of a small, local business herself, and that’s how she helped keep the town thriving and her local friends working. Lucky for her, the only local coffee shop in Lake Henry had closed its doors for good over a year ago. No so lucky for the owner, Cassie understood, but at least she didn’t feel layers of guilt upon her as she stood in line at Starbucks. And they really did have the best coffee on the planet.

Jonathan had gone a little heavy on the cologne today. She was normally a big fan of most of his scents, but this one was a bit cloying, even well into the afternoon, and she tried to be subtle about keeping a few feet between them. As she maneuvered slightly away from him in line and turned to look out the front of the shop, she saw Emerson pull up on a bike.

“What are you grinning at?” Jonathan asked, following her gaze. Then, “Oh, goodie. The Ice Princess is here.”

Cassie shot him a look. “Stop calling her that.”

Before he could defend himself, the cashier asked for their orders. Cassie ordered a simple Blonde Roast with room for cream.

“I’ll have a grande caffe espresso frappuccino, please,” Jonathan said sweetly. “But could you make that with soy milk? And hold the whipped cream. But add extra of that chocolate drizzly stuff.”

Cassie shook her head and rolled her eyes. “You are so complex.”

“And don’t you forget it.”

They paid, Cassie took her coffee, and they moved down the counter to wait for Jonathan’s order. Cassie saw Emerson enter the shop, bike helmet in hand, and gave her a quick wave. Emerson waved back, then took her place in line.

“I’m going to go say ‘Hi,’” Cassie told Jonathan.

“You just did say ‘Hi.’”

“I’m going to go talk to her,” Cassie said with a sigh. “I’ll be right back.”

Emerson’s cheeks were flushed a healthy pink, and her blonde hair stuck out in the back from where she’d removed her helmet. “Hi there,” Cassie said as she approached.

“Hi.”

“You got a bike.”

“I did.”

“I’m glad.” They moved up in line together, taking one step at the same time. When Emerson said nothing more, Cassie dove in to break the awkward silence. “So, things going okay?”

With one nod of her head, Emerson replied, “Yeah. Fine.”

Jesus. Talking to her is like pulling teeth.
“Are you bored out of your skull yet?”

Emerson turned to look at her then, her ice-blue eyes almost startling Cassie. Then, much to Cassie’s surprise, one corner of Emerson’s mouth lifted slightly. “God, yes.”

Cassie hoped her sudden laughter didn’t sound as relieved as it felt. “I bet. You should come over to the rec center tonight. There’s a hockey game.” Emerson’s grimace made Cassie open her eyes wide in mock indignation. “Don’t tell me you don’t like hockey.”

“Okay.”

“Oh, no. No, no. I cannot have this.” Cassie shook her head. She was rewarded with what sounded almost like a chuckle from Emerson.

“You can’t have it? Why not?”

“Because hockey is the most awesome sport on the planet.”

“Really.”

“I kid you not. Tell you what. You come to the game tonight and sit with me. I’ll answer any questions you have, I’ll teach you the rules, and if you don’t love it by the end of the game, I will owe you a drink. Sound fair?”

Emerson studied her face intently, and Cassie could feel herself warming from the inside, even as she stared back. Finally, Emerson gave another nod. “I’ll think about it.”

Before they could continue the conversation, Jonathan approached them. “I’ve got to get back to the store,” he said.

“Okay.” Cassie intended to introduce him to Emerson, but he was making his way to the front door before she could even begin. With an apologetic expression on her face, Cassie squeezed Emerson’s upper arm as she took a step in Jonathan’s direction. “I’ll be there by 6:45. Game starts at seven.” With a quick wave, she was out the door.

Outside, she caught up with Jonathan, who was half a block down the street. “Hey,” she said when she came alongside him. “What the hell was that? Besides rude?”

He gave her a sideways look. “I don’t like her.”

“Why? You don’t know her.”

“Neither do you, but that hasn’t seemed to stop your schoolgirl crush.”

“Seriously?” She arched an eyebrow at him. Luckily, she knew him well, and therefore was clear on when he was in a snit and there would be no reasoning with him. She mentally shrugged off the entire subject. “I’m just being friendly. For Christ’s sake, the woman just lost her mom. Cut her some slack.” After a few more steps in silence, she changed topics for him. “What’s on the agenda the rest of the day?”

“You know, it’s been busy today. I think I’m going to look into that new glass display counter I’ve been talking about for ages. Patrick will blow a gasket when he sees how much it costs, but—”

“You can blow something else and get your way?” Cassie finished with a wink.

“Exactly.”

Patrick Farnsworth was Jonathan’s sugar daddy. Not that anybody called him that besides Cassie. And even then it was only in her mind. He was very wealthy, having come from old money. He was also nearly thirty years older than Jonathan, which would have seemed a little creepy to Cassie if the two men weren’t so ridiculously happy. Patrick owned Boutique and let Jonathan do whatever he wanted with it. In turn, Jonathan attended fundraisers and banquets on Patrick’s arm, playing dutiful—and devastatingly handsome—husband. They shared a sprawling ranch set up high on one of the smaller mountains just outside of the village, with a stunning view of Lake Henry, and their dinner parties and holiday gatherings were legendary. It was a good life, but there was one thing Jonathan wanted that Patrick hadn’t given him: a marriage proposal. Every now and then, Cassie would mention a same-sex couple that was having a wedding, or she’d point out a dress she liked for someday down the road when she got married, and she’d catch her friend with a far-off, wistful look on his face.

Before her thoughts could continue, they were in front of their respective stores.

“You going to watch the kids play tonight?” Jonathan asked.

“Yeah. Trevor’s starting again.” Cassie’s fourteen-year-old nephew was the youngest player on Lake Henry’s varsity hockey team, and she was anxious to see how he did. She was not anxious to tell Jonathan that she’d invited Emerson, so she left that part out.

“Wish him luck for me. Patrick and I are going furniture shopping tonight.”

“What for?” Cassie made a face of disbelief. “You just got new furniture.”

“That was for the living room, sweetie. This is for the rec room downstairs.”

Patrick and Jonathan’s finished basement rec room was nicer than most upscale bars and restaurants she’d ever been to. A wet bar made of teak and polished to within an inch of its life, brass bar rail, expensive track lighting, leather stools and couches, a pool table, dartboard, enormous television; it had everything. Cassie had said many times that she could easily live in Jonathan’s basement.

“Unbelievable.” Cassie just shook her head and chuckled. “Have fun.”

“I intend to.”

***

“It’s okay, Trevor!” Cassie called out in support of her nephew as he skated off the ice. He was quick and wily, his still-scrawny body allowing him to weave between and around opponents. But when they got him, they got him good. Being body checked by a guy twice his size had to hurt, but he looked determined and ticked off as he left the ice. The first period was almost over and Cassie glanced at the clock. 7:28. Apparently, Emerson had decided against coming. Cassie was surprised by the strength of her disappointment. She’d felt the chill. She wasn’t stupid. She’d recognized Emerson’s lack of welcome openness. Being friends wasn’t something she necessarily wanted, and she made it obvious. But Cassie refused to accept that message and leave her alone. There was something about Emerson that just…drew her.

She blew out a frustrated puff of air just as an older guy she knew waved to her from a couple rows down. She waved back, smiled just as somebody plopped into the seat next to her.

“Hey, you.”

Cassie turned to meet smiling hazel eyes that were as familiar to her as her own. “You’re back,” she said with excitement and threw her arms around the man, hugging him tightly. When she let go, she asked, “How’d it go?”

“Fantastic. They hired me.”

Cassie squealed with joy and hugged him again.

Michael Prescott would always look younger than he was. With his slight build, smooth skin, and kindhearted grin, he’d be getting proofed at bars well into his forties. Cassie had known him since the fifth grade. They’d learned to ice skate together. They’d spent summers working the canoe and kayak rental shop when they were teenagers, then waiting tables at various restaurants during college. After college, they’d spent four years as husband and wife. Michael was the best man Cassie had ever known aside from her father, and those were some big shoes to fill. Even after she’d come to realize exactly why she couldn’t relax into their marriage, why something felt wrong, even after she sat him down, told him, and tearfully asked for a divorce, he didn’t hate her. He’d been hurt. Devastated, even. But he never stopped loving her. Their hearts were tied together forever. Even two years later with him remarried, he was still one of her dearest friends.

“You’ll work from here?” she asked him.

“Yep. I’ll have to travel to Manhattan a couple times a year, but I think I can handle that.”

“This is such great news, Michael.” He was a computer genius and specialized in internet security for large corporations. “I’m so proud of you.”

He bumped her with his shoulder, then changed the subject. “Trevor playing?”

“He was, but he got clobbered by a couple of forwards more than once. That boy needs to grow. Soon.”

Michael chuckled. “He will. It’ll happen overnight. Remember me?”

“Oh my god, that’s right.” Cassie reflected back on the summer after their sophomore year in high school. Cassie had gone away for much of the time to visit family in Canada. She was gone for the last month and a half of the summer. When she returned, Michael’s voice had deepened, he seemed to have grown a couple inches in height, and she was certain his shoulders were broader than before. It was bizarre.

“It’ll happen,” he said again.

They chatted absently between cheering. A few moments later, he squeezed her shoulder. “There’s Tina. Gotta run.” He kissed her cheek.

“Tell her I said ‘hi.’”

“Will do.”

“I’m proud of you,” she said again, and he waved over his shoulder as he made his way around to the other side of the arena. It was much too large for a simple high school hockey game, so the majority of the seats were empty. But Lake Henry was also home to several winter sports championships and tournaments, so the rink was big, the ski slopes were plentiful, and there was a bobsled run just three miles out of town.

As she watched Michael leave to meet his wife, the owner of one of the bars caught her eye and waved at her. “Hey, Carl!” She waved back as somebody took the seat next to her for the second time.

“Do you know everybody in this town?”

Surprise washed over Cassie as she looked into the startling blue eyes of Emerson Rosberg. It took her a moment to collect herself, but she did and replied, “Pretty much.”

“Seems like it.” Emerson gazed out onto the empty rink. “Is it halftime?”

Cassie grinned. “Um, no. Hockey doesn’t have halftime.”

“No halftime? What kind of sport is this?”

“Hockey has intermissions. This is first intermission.”

“Did I miss anything good? Is that even possible?”

“I will pretend you didn’t just mock the great sport of hockey and simply say that, sadly, it’s been an uneventful first period.” Cassie studied Emerson. She wore jeans and the same running shoes she’d had on this morning, a long-sleeved white blouse open at the throat, and a navy blue jacket that Cassie thought might have been Caroline’s, as the sleeves were a bit short on her long arms. Her short, blonde hair shone in the arena lighting, and dark mascara accentuated her eyes. Slightly flushed cheeks topped it all off. She was beautiful. Stunningly so. Cassie thought so immediately, and she had to consciously pull her eyes away from the teasing peek of collarbone inside the shirt.
And sexy. Don’t forget sexy
.

Catching her gaze, Emerson said, “You didn’t think I was coming, did you?”

“You weren’t, were you?”

“No.” They both laughed. “I have a lot to do. I’ve been working on it and…I just needed a change of scenery.”

“This is a pretty big change,” Cassie remarked as the timer sounded and the kids skated back onto the ice.

“So, round black thing into the goal, yes?”

Cassie laughed. “The puck. Yes.”

“Got it.”

They watched for several minutes as the boys skated around the rink, passing to each other, taking shots on goal, and slamming one another into the boards.

Finally, Emerson commented, “This is kind of rough.”

“Not for the faint of heart, that’s for sure.”

“You know these kids?”

“Some of them. And my nephew plays, but he’s riding the bench right now.”

“Bummer.”

“It’s okay. He’s young. He’s learning.”

One player crushed another into the Plexiglas close to their seats and Emerson winced. “Okay, that can’t be legal.”

“Actually, that was a clean hit,” Cassie told her. “He had the puck. You can’t just hit a guy who doesn’t, though.”

Emerson suddenly sat up straighter and looked at Cassie. “Didn’t you say you coach
girls
’
hockey?”

“I did. Assistant coach.”

“Are they this brutal with each other?”

“They’re worse.” At Emerson’s shocked expression, she laughed. “Believe me. It’s true. Girls are much meaner. These boys generally want to hit each other. The girls? They want to
kill
each other.”

Emerson gave it some thought, nodded. “Yeah, I can see that.”

They sat in comfortable silence for a while, Emerson asking an occasional questions, Cassie explaining as best she could, and soon the buzzer sounded the beginning of second intermission.