Page 6

CHAPTER SIX

David

Kassandra's jaw dropped open and I couldn't fathom why. My suggestion made perfect sense.

"You can't sleep here. How would I explain that to my kids?"

I hadn't thought about that.

It didn't matter though. There was no way I was leaving them in this house alone. Even without Bree's report, my gut was telling me whoever Michael got in bed with, wasn't going to back down anytime soon.

"Tell them I need a place to crash for a couple of days."

It was the first thing that popped into my head but it wasn't the worst suggestion I had.

"You realize that means you’ll be sleeping on the couch, right? This is a three-bedroom house and my sons each have their own room."

I shrugged. "I've slept on worse things."

Not exactly a lie. In the Marines there were times a rock was the only pillow I had, but that was twenty years ago. My body was much younger. Now I much preferred the comfort of a bed.

I was sure Kassandra was going to continue arguing with me on this but she surprised me. With a reluctant sigh, she hollered, "Mikey! Nate! Can you please come down here for a minute?"

They didn't holler back why she wanted them like I thought teenagers might. Granted, what did I know about that age in life? I was deprived of the opportunity of knowing Addison when she was that young.

I pushed the bitterness down. It did me no good to dwell on it. Madalyn wasn't around for me to be angry at and my relationship with Addison was going well. Other than her choice in men, but that was something else I wasn't going to think about.

Mikey and Nate rushed down the stairs with concern in their eyes.

"Everything okay, Mom?"

The one I knew to be Mikey, based on the report I pulled, stepped up to her protectively, putting himself between me and his mother.

Already, I knew I was going to like this kid. I just wondered if he was always this protective or if it came about because his father died. Was he forced to step into the role of man of the house long before this?

"Yeah, sweetheart." Kassandra cupped Mikey's cheek. "I wanted you to meet David Black. Remember I told you he was an old friend of mine and your father's? Well, he's in town for the funeral, so I offered for him to stay with us for a couple of days."

So her son had seen me outside. I thought he may have. I did my best to stay out of sight but it would appear her oldest was more conscious of his surroundings than I gave him credit for. I would need to keep that in mind for the future.

Mikey peered over at me. His look said it all. He didn't trust me. I just couldn't tell if that meant he planned to argue with his mother, or let it be.

I got my answer seconds later.

"If that's what you want and not something you're being pressured into."

Oh, he was good. Her oldest was no dummy. I would bet my yearly salary that Mikey knew exactly what was going on with his parents. I would even hedge to bet he knew there was more to his father's suicide than Kassandra was saying, but for her benefit he was playing along.

"You don't have to worry about me, sweetheart."

Kassandra had clearly gotten good at evading questions from her kids. It was no wonder Mikey seemed suspicious and appeared to know more than he was letting on. If his mother was constantly having to try and answer without lying, the kids would eventually start to see through that.

I gave them a little space and walked around the house instead. The floor plan wasn't big by any means. The downstairs consisted of a kitchen, living room, bathroom, and what I assumed was Michael's office. The door was closed and locked, but based on the information Kassandra provided on the phone, it made sense that was the room Michael died in. I couldn't fathom why she would continue living in the house after what happened.

There was nothing overly fancy about the place. The home didn't scream money like most of the houses in this neighborhood did. There was artwork on the wall and framed photographs of the family. Unlike the home I grew up in, a person could tell that the people in this house loved each other. Or at least Kassandra loved her boys. There were very few pictures of them as a family of four. One could assume Kassandra was a single mother based on a majority of what I found.

"I grabbed you a blanket and pillow from the closet." Kassandra hugged the two close to her chest, like a barrier she needed between us.

"Thanks. Did the boys go back upstairs?"

Kassandra glanced over her shoulder to the steps. I had been so focused on the pictures that I hadn't paid attention to what was going on behind me.

"Yeah. Mikey wanted to call his girlfriend back and Nate will probably study some more. He has a math test tomorrow. He hates taking tests. They make him nervous, so he ends up making silly mistakes despite knowing all the material."

One side of my lips turned up in a small smile as I was thrown back to our days in high school.

"Just like his mother."

Kassandra's smile wasn't nearly as bright. Clearly, reminiscing about that time in our lives didn't bring the same joy it brought me. That or the fact that she passed down that particular trait her son didn't sit well with her.

"Unfortunately, yes. His teachers are better about it than mine were, but it still bothers him to see those low scores. He’d exhaust himself with studying, just to make his father proud."

My smile is instantly gone. "Michael wasn't proud of him?"

How could that be? Michael was there just as I was when Kassandra struggled. He knew all about her inability to take tests.

"Michael was . . ." Kassandra paused as if searching for the right word. ". . . difficult?" It sounded more like a question. "He knew Nate struggled just like I did, but I think the need to impress people overshadowed his ability to see Nate's failure as anything other than disappointment. Nate hated to bring home anything below an eighty because it disappointed his father."

It was wrong to speak ill of the dead, so I kept my mouth shut. I already knew Michael was an asshole and so did Kassandra. No point in rehashing it out loud.

"So, a girlfriend, huh?" She mentioned Mikey going upstairs to call her, and I needed a change in subject. "How hard was that pill to swallow?"

Kassandra chuckled. She still had yet to put the pile from her arms down, and I didn't ask her to. If she needed the shield, then I would allow her to have it. Soon she would realize it wasn't needed.

"Hard. I'm not sure how serious it really is but she's a nice girl. Her family doesn't put pressure on her like most do in this area. She's quiet and sweet. Always polite when she comes over and doesn't push Mikey away from the things that are important to him."

"So, she's a mini version of you?"

There was that laugh again.

"I guess you could say that. I never really thought about it."

"I look forward to meeting her, then." Kassandra didn't look happy with my statement and I realized my error. "Not that I need to," I was quick to add. This was uncharted territory and it felt like I was walking through a field of landmines.

"No, it's just . . ." Kassandra cleared her throat. "Michael was never interested in meeting any of the boys’ friends and he took an instant dislike to Mikey's girlfriend. I think because she was so quiet."

Fucking Michael again. He was going to keep popping up, I just knew it.

"Why don't I take those?" I reached for the linens in her hands. "I'm sure you're tired after the day you've had."

"Oh, geez." Kassandra let out a nervous huff. "I completely forgot why I had them in my hands."

I laughed to break up some of the tension in the room. I didn't want her nervous around me but I figured it would take more than a few hours to accomplish that.

Kassandra shoved the pile at me. "I should go say goodnight to my kids and then go to bed myself. Maybe snuggle up with a book or put some trashy TV show on to numb my mind."

Without the blanket in her hands, she was wringing them in front of her. I decided to put her out of her misery. "Goodnight, Kassandra. You don't have to worry, I'm here so you can go get some sleep. You and the boys are safe. I'll see you in the morning."

The relieved exhale she let out was worth the crappy night of sleep I was going to get. "Goodnight, David. If I forget to tell you later, I'm really glad you're here."

Kassandra spun on her heels and rushed out of the room. I watched her go and was stuck rooted in the spot for longer than necessary.

"Get your shit together," I grumbled out loud to myself and turned back to the sofa, AKA my bed for the foreseeable future, despite having my own place not far from here. I let out a sigh and dropped the load of linens on the couch. I needed to grab the bag I stashed outside. Sleeping in a suit wouldn't be comfortable, and now that I’d promised Kassandra I would keep them safe, I wouldn't be leaving the premises.

With a quick glance up the stairs to make sure Kassandra wasn't coming back down, I slipped out the back door and grabbed my small duffel. I had a change of clothes to get me through the night, and then once Kassandra went to work tomorrow, I could stop home to grab more.

I wasn't gone more than a minute, but it was enough time for me to walk back into the living room and find I was no longer alone.

"Uh . . ." I stumbled to a stop. "I think your mother went upstairs to bed," I said, pointing in the direction of the staircase, like an idiot.

"I know. She came in to say goodnight but mentioned she was going to take a bath first. She'll be hidden in there for a good hour." Mikey looked older than his seventeen years, standing by the arm of the couch with one leg crossed over the other and his arms folded on top of themselves.

"Was there something I can do for you?" I didn't normally get nervous, but for some reason, I was sweating bullets standing there under the watchful eye of Kassandra's oldest son.

"What are your intentions with my mother?"

I faltered. "I'm sorry? I'm not sure what you mean. I'm just a friend of your parents who needs a place to crash for the night."

Mikey scoffed. "Don't bullshit me. I know who you are. I've heard my father talk about you on the phone to his friends. He said you're rich and own a house just down the street. Every time he spoke your name, it was with disgust in his voice. So I'm going to ask again, what are your intentions with my mother? Because right now she can't handle anymore crap. My father left her with enough shit to deal with."

I ran through a gambit of emotions while he spoke. Proud that he was willing to call me out. Anger toward a dead man for bringing me into his world despite not allowing me near his family. Happy that Mikey wanted to protect his mother so fiercely, and back to anger for what I could only assume was the mess this young man was talking about.

"You're right. I own a house two blocks away but I doubt your mother knows that. I've done everything in my power to stay away after she asked me to. At your father's request, of course. There was a time when he and I were great friends. I'm not sure when that changed, but I respected your mother enough to follow her wishes. I don’t know what your mother told you about your father's death but there is reason for me to stay and ensure your safety."

Mikey stood up straighter. He was big for his age, a little over six feet and probably had more growing to do. "She refuses to tell us anything but I know my father was in trouble. I would hear him whispering on the phone at night. At first I thought it was with one of his many mistresses, but then I heard him telling someone he would get their money to them."

I knew Michael was a shitty human being, but hearing that he cheated on Kassandra, and her son knew about it, was the icing on the cake.

"Do you remember when that was?"

He shrugged. "A couple weeks ago, I guess. I have trouble sleeping, so I wake up most nights to come down and get a drink or snack. I don't remember the exact night, but I know the next day my parents were fighting about money. My mother was trying to tell him that they didn't have anything extra this month because I need a new pair of hockey skates but he kept arguing. That night before bed, I told her I could make the pair I have last a couple more months but she refused to hear it."

Nope, I lied. That was the icing on the cake.

"So you play hockey?" I needed to steer the conversation away from Michael and how horrible a father he was before I said something I would regret.

"Yeah." Now Mikey looked embarrassed. "I got a full ride to play hockey at a D1 school."

"That's amazing. Congratulations." Pride filled me for Kassandra's son’s accomplishments. She was raising one hell of a young man. Getting accepted into a D1 school was hard enough but to get a scholarship to one was even harder. Mikey should be proud, not embarrassed.

"Thanks. You know, not even my father congratulated me. I mean he bragged to his friends about it, but he never told me he was proud of me. I remember exactly what he said when I told him. 'I need to tell everyone the news. They’re going to be so jealous.' Then he ran off to his office like he did every time he was home. I swear he spent more time in there than he did with us."

"You know he loved you, right?"

I had to believe that Kassandra would never have stayed married to Michael if he didn't love his children deep down. The man was a selfish prick, but I know he loved Kassandra and she loved him.

"I know. He was different when we were younger. It wasn't until the last few years that things got bad. After he lost his job, he turned into a completely different person."

I made a mental note to have Bree do a deeper dive into Michael's former job and reason for unemployment. She was already looking at the financial aspect, so it wouldn't be hard to get more information.

"I know you've heard this a million times today, but I'm sorry for your loss. I can't imagine it's easy to lose a parent so young. You don't know me very well, but if you need anything, don't be afraid to ask. I can't replace your father but . . ." I lifted my shoulder because truthfully, I didn't know where I was trying to go with that. The last time I fumbled this much was when I met Addison for the first time.

Thankfully Mikey chuckled. "I think I know what you mean."

Well, I'm glad one of us did.

We stood in uncomfortable silence for a few moments. I didn't know what more to say to the kid who wasn't so much a kid anymore. I never had the opportunity to help raise Addison, so this was way out of my league.

"I should probably go back upstairs," Mikey said awkwardly, as he pointed his thumb in that direction.

"Oh, yeah. Sure. Umm, goodnight."

He didn't say anymore, and I watched him jog back up the stairs before dropping my head to my chest. That was the most awkward conversation I ever had and I wasn't sure if there was any coming back from it. Kassandra's son was going to avoid me like the plague and I wouldn't blame him.

I was going to need some help if I didn't want to keep putting my foot in my mouth, and I knew just who to ask from my team.