Page 30 of A Chance to Believe

‘I’m feeling a little overwhelmed trying to figure out the connections. Especially now there’s a new one turning up.’

‘You’ve met Beth. She’s my accountant.’

‘The one with the little girl? I wouldn’t say met. We passed in the hallway. Not a family member?’

He chuckled. ‘Not directly. Small town stuff. She’s related to Becca. A cousin, but they don’t really have much to do with each other.’

‘How do you not have anything to do with a cousin in a town this size?’

‘Easy. You don’t invite them for dinner.’

‘There’s no ill-feeling?’

‘Not that I know of.’ He pushed her gently towards the long timber outdoor table and she didn’t resist. ‘You sit down and I’ll bring you something to eat. Any favourites?’

‘A little of everything. Not too much.’

The chairs were filling up, the younger children sitting at a small table supervised by Kimberley. Shayne wondered why she’d decided on being a lawyer when she was so good with children. He’d expected her to look at teaching or childcare. When he’d asked why, she hadn’t really been able to explain it other than she enjoyed fixing things and helping people.

Not a problem for today. She would have plenty of opportunities to think about her choices. Today, he should concentrate on Cassie. There was a spare seat beside her at the end of the table, so he filled both plates and joined her. Ben and Beth arrived as he sat down, Beth with tiny Hope on her hip clutching a stuffed toy. There was a bustle as Dawn and Grace made a place for them, but he stayed put. He could do formal introductions later.

‘You have a nice family.’ Cassie’s hushed tones were meant for his ears only.

‘I’m lucky. I appreciate my luck, too.’

She darted a glance at him. ‘I’m glad. It’s easy to take all this for granted.’

‘Did you?’

‘I was nearly nineteen. Of course, I took it all for granted. You don’t think about mortality when you’re a teenager. You expect everyone to live until they’re a hundred. Apart from my cousin, who was badly injured when I was about fourteen, I’d never known anyone who was very sick or died. Except my gran, who I’d never known other than as old and frail.’

‘Did your cousin survive?’

‘Tess? Yes, she’s the one who lives here.’

‘You should invite her over so we can meet her.’

She hesitated, and he thought for a moment she was going to disclaim any desire to introduce her cousin to his family. ‘I’ll talk to her. She’s always busy and on deadlines with her business.’

‘I thought you said she was an artist.’

‘Artists have deadlines.’ A flush of colour washed her cheeks and a fiery light sparked in her eyes.

He held up his hands. ‘My bad. I simply assumed that as she ran her own business, she would be flexible with times.’

‘Sorry. I get defensive with the general populace thinking people in the artistic community are off with the fairies.’ She grinned. ‘Though when you meet Tess, you might be excused for thinking it. She dresses in clothes that look like sparkly unicorn vomit most of the time.’

A small voice piped up. ‘Is your unicorn sick?’

The soft toy the tiny little girl was clutching was a white unicorn with a multicoloured mane and tail and a horn made of some sparkly fabric coloured like the inside of a shell. Obviously invested in sick unicorns.

Cassie glanced at him, but he had nothing.

She shifted in her chair to talk to Hope more easily. ‘No, he’s not sick. I was joking.’

‘You shouldn’t joke about being sick. Grandy is sick at the hospital.’

‘Is he okay?’

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