The Corner Booth (8 page)

CHAPTER 11

The pizzeria smelled heavenly as usual and Cassandra’s empty stomach protested loudly at not having been fed all day.

“Hey, Cassie! You are here!” Tony shouted from behind the counter.

“Hi, Tony!” Cassie responded with the first genuine smile in days as she slid into the corner booth.

“Be right there with the usual!”

“No rush, Tony.” Her head dropped into her hands; she closed her eyes as she waited. It felt good to get out of the house. She knew that she had to do something quick, because there was no way that she was going to last several more months as she saved money, and she knew a second job was not an option because she wouldn’t have the strength or the time. Sakis’s offer flashed in her mind, which she quickly pushed aside.
That was such a non-option
. When she lifted her head up, she stared at the pictures of Greece on the walls that reminded her of the pictures Sakis had in his hallway. Three nights since she had been over to his house and not one phone call. She must have frightened him off.

Tony watched Cassie as she sat quietly in the booth. She looked terrible and very tired. He knew that her job was hard, and if the dark circles under her eyes were a gauge, this week seemed to have really taken a toll on her. This was the first time all week she had been in—very unusual that she’d be gone so long—and he had to admit, he missed her.

As he slid a plate of food in front of her, Cassie reached for her wallet. “No, this is on me.” After he sat down in the booth, he waited until she took several bites. “Are you okay, Cassie?”

Cassandra shrugged. “Very bad week at work.”

“It certainly looks like it. Why don’t you leave? There has to be something else you can do?” Tony leaned forward.

Remembering this very conversation with Sakis, Cassandra smiled wistfully at the concern in his voice. “I am trying, Tony. Just pulling the finances together.”

Tony sat back and stared at the tired young face in front of him. He could bet she was. Cassie was a hard worker and whatever was going on in that house, she never spoke about it to him and he suspected, to anyone. He knew she didn’t and not just because of pride, but because that was who she was. Trustworthy, even when people treated her like shit. She was too sweet not to offer to help.

“Hey, what if I loaned you a little bit, just to get you started?” When she started to protest, he raised his hand to cut off anything she was about to say. “No, hear me out. It would be a loan, and you could pay me back, with interest if you want, over time as you get on your feet. Don’t answer now—just think about it, okay? I have some money tucked away, so it wouldn’t be an imposition at all.”

As she smiled at her friend, Cassie felt a surge of relief. It could work. If she found a job and maybe a little studio apartment, then she could borrow some money from Tony for first and last month’s rent to at least get her away from her nanny position. Just the thought of getting out of the Hunter house brought her hope. She allowed it to rise inside her, instead of knocking it away like she normally did.

“You are very kind. I will definitely think about it.”

Tony smiled back in relief. From the hope he read on her face, he believed that she would seriously consider taking him up on his offer. He sure hoped so, because he really couldn’t stand to see her this way for too much longer. The pizzeria started to get busy with the late-night crowd; Tony patted her hand gently as he rose to help behind the counter. “Hanging out for a while, Cassie?” he asked hopefully.

“If you don’t mind.” She pulled a book out of her handbag and grimaced. “Not quite ready to go home.”

Tony laughed. “I don’t mind. Stay as long as you want.”

For the next several hours, Cassie lounged back in the booth and read her book. At times, when it got really busy, she would help clean tables. The look of gratitude that Tony and the other men shot when she stepped up was worth the small gesture. Whenever it slowed, Tony would come over and chat with her for a few minutes. Towards the end of the evening, as she put her book away, Tony hurried over to say goodbye and to see whether she had made a decision regarding his offer.

“Tony, if you don’t mind, I would really like to take you up on that offer for a loan, and I can’t begin to tell you how much I appreciate you helping me.”

Beaming at Cassandra, he nodded. Tony suspected this was a huge step for her. “Anytime. Just let me know how much and when, and I will have it for you. Don’t worry about the amount, either. Have a good night, Cassie.” Tony kissed her on both cheeks just as the bell rang above the door. They turned at the same time as Sakis walked through the door. For Cassandra, his appearance was unexpected, and she brushed the hair back out of her face, while she smoothed down her shirt that she hadn’t taken the time to iron before leaving the house.
She had to look horrendous with no makeup on.
Feeling like a potato, every part of her being wanted to melt into the floor.

As he coolly shook Tony’s hand in greeting, Sakis’s eyes never left her face. She did not seem happy to see him, and that cut through him considering he had spent the last three days trying to find out anything that he could about her and run a business at the same time. Watching Tony kiss her did not help his already dark mood, even though the logical side of his brain knew that it was innocent. Gripping her shoulders as Tony had done, he kissed her softly on each cheek and whispered in her ear, “Good evening, Cassandra.”

“Good evening, Sakis and Stephanous,” she mumbled. She pulled from his grasp to rush out the door.

“Cassandra!” Sakis called out to her but she pretended to not hear, as she hurriedly rushed down the sidewalk.

Tony had watched the interaction between Cassie and Sakis, stunned. “What the fuck have you done?” he asked angrily.

Sakis didn’t even bother to respond, choosing instead to go after Cassie. Moments later, he grabbed her arm and spun her around. He was furious at her. “Don’t you ever walk away from me when I call to you,” he hissed.

“I am not your puppy, Sakis.” She turned to walk away again.

Taking a deep breath, Sakis attempted to control his fury. He was not used to being spoken to in such a way. As he took her arm more gently, he realized that they had drawn attention to themselves.
God, he hated scenes.
“I know you are not my puppy. Have I done something to upset you?”

Cassandra looked incredulous. “Are you being serious right now, Sakis?”

“Very!” he replied angrily.

“Did it ever dawn on you to make a phone call?” she hissed; her voice caught in her throat. The week was finally catching up to her and she was ready to lose it but there was no way in hell she was going to break down in front of him.

Sakis pulled her into his arms, and this time she did not fight him; instead, she wrapped her arms tightly around his waist. After several moments, they separated. “I apologize. It has been a crazy week, but that is no excuse. You will forgive me?”

Cassandra nodded and smiled. “Of course. And I shouldn’t be so silly—it has been a crazy week here too. I just had a great time with you on Sunday, and when I didn’t hear from you, I assumed that the feeling wasn’t mutual.”

Her words shocked Sakis. He had been so consumed with his thoughts of her that it never dawned on him that she might not have felt the same way. When he had not contacted her, then of course she would assume that the feeling was not mutual. He did feel like an ass. “You know, you are free to call me if I am ever remiss in contacting you.”

Cassie laughed. “You never gave me your telephone number.” As Stephanous stepped out of the pizzeria and looked up the street at them talking, she pushed him away gently. “Stephan is looking for you. I am taking up too much of your time already and I have to go home. Maybe I will see you soon?”

“We could give you a ride.”

“No, Sakis. I want to walk, but thank you!”

Sakis smiled. “Yes, you will see me soon.” He winked before he turned away.

Cassie walked the rest of the way home, feeling lighter than she had in a very long time.

Sakis returned to the pizzeria. Tony still stood in the same spot, this time with his arms crossed. He was livid, and Sakis thought of the last time he had seen Tony this angry. If he remembered correctly, it was from the floor, flat on his back, looking up after Tony had punched his lights out. His hands raised in surrender, Sakis walked towards the corner booth, but Tony stepped in his way.

“Stay away from her, Sakis.”

Sakis’s eyes narrowed; his tone turned icy. “Do not overstep your bounds with me, Tony. I am not a child. Now, may I have a seat, or am I leaving?”

He stepped aside to allow Sakis a seat, but Tony slapped his fist on the table and it shuddered. “Do you not have enough already, that you need to take everything?” he spat at his friend.

“First, I have not ‘taken’ anything.” Sakis stared down Tony. “Yet.”

Tony reached around the table and grabbed Sakis’s shirt. “You son of a bitch. She is a good girl. You will destroy her if you don’t stop this now.”

“I will be seeing her again.”

“Why!”

“Because I like her, Tony,” Sakis stated softly.

Heaving a sigh, Tony let go of Sakis and dropped into the seat. Stephan, who had watched everything from a distance, relaxed in his seat. Tony was a smart guy to not take it any further. He was surprised but glad for the outburst. It was good for Sakis to be taken down a peg or two once in a while by his friends. Stephan could tell Sakis was uncertain on how to proceed.

“You misunderstand my relationship with Cassandra.”

As he poured two glasses of ouzo, Tony shook his head. “I misunderstand nothing. You cannot always take, just because you can, Sakis. There are consequences that will occur.”

As he threw back the drink, Sakis relished the way it burned in this throat. He hoped to God Tony was wrong because right now, she invaded his thoughts and he looked forward to seeing her again.

CHAPTER 12

Mason shuffled the papers in front of him on his desk as Cassandra sat quietly in the chair and stared at him curiously. He rarely worked from home but after his unique conversation this morning with an unexpected visitor, he could not focus on the work in the office.

“Is everything okay, Mason? Have I done something wrong?

She was nervous.
Good
, he thought, because she at least felt a bit of what he felt at the moment. Oh, who was he kidding. He wasn’t nervous—he was terrified.
God, who would have thought—his nanny, of all people.

“Are you happy here, Cassie?” He finally raised his head to look at her.

With a shrug, she met his gaze head on. “It is not the easiest job in the world, for sure,” Cassie replied honestly.

He grimaced but he appreciated her truthfulness. He knew that his wife was a hard taskmaster. Cassandra was the fourth nanny that they had in two years. Jennifer was certainly building a negative reputation, which was why they had to search outside of the Boston area for help. Every au pair agency they normally went through was reluctant to find them help. Their only recourse was to place ads in the local papers in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont in the hopes that someone would respond. He had been relieved when Cassie had responded within twenty-four hours.

Hoping she wasn’t shooting herself in the foot, she decided to be upfront with her employer. “I will be honest, Mason. I am currently looking for another job.”

There it was, in black and white. He leaned back in his leather chair and let out a heavy sigh. “Do me a favor—do not let Jennifer know this. It would not bode well for any of us. Look, I do understand it has been hard, and I am sorry. She really isn’t a bad person.”

Cassandra refused to respond to his statement and from the way the color spread over his cheeks, the silence was not lost on him. Cassie felt otherwise, but she was wise enough not to voice her opinion. She couldn’t believe he was as calm as he was at the news that she was looking elsewhere, and a huge part of her was relieved that he wasn’t going to fire her on the spot, at hearing that she planned to leave.

“Is this why you came home early, to find out if I am happy?” she asked, confused.

Hesitating again, Mason thought carefully about what he was going to say. “No. Actually, I wanted to let you know that I am going to give you tomorrow and Sunday off at the personal request of one of your friends.”

A blush colored her face as Cassandra shifted uncomfortably. “Mason, I don’t know what Sean said to you but—”

“It wasn’t Sean who spoke to me, Cassie, but a representative speaking on behalf of Mr. Carras.” Mason watched the different emotions flicker over her face.

“Excuse me?” Cassandra’s face flushed an even deeper shade of red. All of the air seemed to have left her lungs and she found it hard to breathe.

“I received a visit today, requesting that I give you some time off. From my understanding your birthday is tomorrow?” Mason was disappointed that she didn’t respond to his statement. He really had expected more of a reaction. “I told Mr. Carras’ assistant that, yes, of course you could and that you could actually finish up early today. You are welcome to leave any time after two p.m.”

“But Jennifer—”

“Don’t worry about Jennifer. I will take care of her.” Mason hesitated. “Cassie, do you mind if I ask how you came to meet Mr. Carras?”

Smiling now, Cassandra shrugged. “It is a bit of a long story. Have you met him?”

Mason nodded. “Yes, actually I have, at one of the charity galas that I went to, but I had heard of him before that event. Cassie, do you know who he is?”

“A little bit. He is a big businessman in Boston, from my understanding.”

Really looking at Cassie in a new light, he had wondered what Sakis Carras saw in her. For the first time since knowing her, Mason was shocked into the realization that his nanny was actually very beautiful. Her long hair looked as if she just recently had it cut and colored, which only enhanced her beauty. She had lost quite a bit of weight over the two and a half months she lived with them, which made her high cheekbones even more prominent next to her vivid ice-blue eyes. He had to admit that even without makeup, she was stunning. Kicking himself, he also realized that her youthful beauty was probably what caused Jennifer to be even harsher on her than any of the other women they had employed.

“He is a very successful businessman, Cassie. Do not take this the wrong way, but I hope you are careful? Men like Mr. Carras tend to get their way, no matter what. I wouldn’t want to see you get hurt.”

Cassandra laughed. “Yes, I do understand that, Mason, but I appreciate you saying that anyway.”

Mason doubted very much that Cassie understood, but it was not his place to inform her. She said that she would be leaving as soon as she found another job. His first instinct was to ask her to leave. He certainly couldn’t now, knowing who she was spending time with. No matter what happened until she did leave, he would ensure that her final days in his home were pleasant ones.

As he stood to his feet to let her know the conversation was over, he handed her an envelope as she rose. “I was asked to give you this.”

Cassie took the envelope and practically skipped out of Mason’s office, almost taking out Jennifer, who hovered outside the office door.

With a bright smile, Cassie brushed past her and ignored the frown that caused wrinkles to form on Jennifer’s face. In a few minutes, her employer would be raging.