Page 63 of To Hold and Protect

He smiled, then brushed a lock of hair stuck to Everly’s cheek. “Ladybug, you’ve had a long day, and it’s almost bedtime.”

“But, Daddy, I still have to eat my cake. I was too busy at my party to have any.”

“A small slice. You can have more tomorrow.”

Everyone moved back to the dining room, and the guys went for a beer. Skylar and Harper wanted wine, and Willow poured a cup of coffee for herself. She needed to write later, and the caffeine would help keep her awake.

“Yum, so good,” Everly said after taking a bite of the chocolate cake. “I have a question, Daddy. If somebody tells you their name, are they still a stranger or can you talk to them?”

“We talked about this. Just because someone tells you their name doesn’t mean they’re not still a stranger. It’s only okay to talk to them if someone you trust introduces you to them.”

“I told the lady I couldn’t talk to strangers, but she told me her name and said she wasn’t a stranger anymore.”

“Oh, my God,” Willow said. Every adult in the room focused on her. How could she have forgotten about that woman, especially after Parker told her they suspected the arsonist was a female?

“What woman?” Parker said.

“The woman at Miss Fanny’s.” Everly pointed her fork at Willow. “You remember, the lady when we were buying my birthday dress. She talked to me, and I told her I couldn’t talk to strangers, so she told me her name.” She lifted her gaze to the ceiling. “But I don’t remember it now.”

“Cassandra,” Willow said. Had Everly been that close to the woman starting the fires? It was more likely that the woman just thought Everly was adorable, which she was. But, what if? Willow’s stomach churned at the thought.

“Yes! That’s it,” Everly yelled.

Parker slid his half-eaten cake to the side. “Harper, would you mind taking over bedtime duties tonight?”

“I was just thinking how much I’d love to.” Harper pushed her chair back.

“But, Daddy, I’m not sleepy.”

Harper stood and held out her hand to Everly. “Come on, sweetie. Bring your book, and after your bath, I’ll read it to you.”

“Oh, goody.” She jumped out of her chair. “Let’s go, Aunt Harper.” She was halfway out of the room when she stopped and ran back to Parker. “I love you, Daddy. I had the best birthday ever.” She went to Willow next. “I love you, too, Miss Willow. Thank you so much for my book.” She then made the rounds to her uncles and other aunt, telling each that she loved them and thanking them for her presents.

Once Everly was finally out of the room, Willow resisted squirming when four pairs of eyes focused on her. She’d never thought of these people before as intimidating, but they were that now. Did they blame her for letting a stranger talk to Everly? She met Parker’s gaze. “I’m sorry. I should have told you about the woman, but with the birthday party and all, I forgot about her. Do you think she’s the woman you’re looking for?”

Chapter Twenty-Seven

“Hey.” Parker put his hand over Willow’s. She was upset, thinking she’d done something wrong. “You didn’t know until a few hours ago that we thought the arsonist was a woman. You have nothing to be sorry about. Tell us about this Cassandra person. Exactly what did she do and say?”

While Everly had been opening presents, he’d thought of the woman he’d hooked up with at his last conference. She had ended up being a problem, and he’d planned to tell Tristan about her, but her name wasn’t Cassandra. He’d never met a Cassandra.

“She was in Fanny’s shop when Everly and I came out of the dressing room,” Willow said. “She was holding up a blue sweater, and I remember thinking that it matched her eyes, and that she should buy it. I don’t recall her exact words, but she told Everly she was pretty, and she kneeled in front of Everly and asked her name. That was when Everly said she wasn’t allowed to talk to strangers, so the woman said her name was Cassandra and that now she wasn’t a stranger. I was uncomfortable with how friendly she was being to a little girl she didn’t know, so I took Everly back to the dressing room. When we came back out, the woman was gone.”

“Everly never told the woman her name?” Tristan asked.

“No. She did exactly what she was supposed to. I think Fanny was uncomfortable with her, too, because she frowned when the woman kneeled to talk to Everly.”

“I’ll talk to Fanny first thing in the morning,” Skylar said. “See what she remembers and if the woman used a credit card.”

Kade leaned his elbows on the table, his eyes on Parker. “Do you know a Cassandra?”

“The name’s not even remotely familiar. But what if that’s not her real name?” He glanced at Willow. “Blue eyes, and what else did she look like?”

“She was a few inches shorter than me, and on the thin side. Shoulder-length black hair, and I mean true black, which is unusual.”

“Could it have been a wig?” Skylar asked.

“I guess it could have been. I didn’t pay that much attention to her hair, other than thinking how black it was. Sorry.”

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