“But listen, I’m told that Liam’s estate will be finalized by Monday and the money in my account,” she fibbed, trying to think fast. She’d get the money somehow. She had to. Even if she had to ask Dominic….
“That would be fantastic,” Penny said with relief. “But what if it’s not, Cass? We could still lose the house.”
Cassandra didn’t want Penny worrying more than necessary. “Then I’m sure Dominic will be happy to help out.”
“Do you think he would? Oh, thank you! Thank you both!”
“You’re welcome, Penny,” she said, but her mind was trying to think ahead. Lord, things were getting so out of her control now.
“Everything’s okay with you and Dominic, then?” Penny asked, settling down. “When I heard you’d married Liam’s brother, I did wonder why.”
Cassandra’s gaze went to the little girl playing happily in front of her. “It was for Nicole’s sake, Penny. Liam wanted her to grow up a Roth, and both Dominic and I decided we would grant his last wish.”
“Well, you’re lucky the older brother was a hunk, Cass.”
Cassandra thought about how handsome Dominic was and how intense he’d been in bed last night. She’d known he’d been trying to erase the memory of Keith Samuels from her mind, but their lovemaking had been nonetheless physically satisfying. Emotionally, they’d been miles apart.
Somehow she tried to sound casual. “Yeah, he’s easy on the eyes, isn’t he?” she joked, then quickly moved on. “Now give me your bank details, sweetie. The money will be in the account by Monday. I promise.”
“Thanks, sis.”
“I’m happy to help.”
They ended the call, but that was only the beginning of Cassandra’s worry. Why-oh-why couldn’t Liam’s estate be already finalized and the money in her account? Then she wouldn’t have to mention a thing to Dominic about any of this.
No such luck.
And then something occurred to her and her heart started to race. This could actually work out for the better. All she had to do was tell Dominic about Penny’s predicament, then ask him for a small loan to make the house payment on Monday. That would then give him reason to hurry the money through from Liam’s estate, without her looking like she needed it for herself. And he would be none the wiser about the money she needed for the nursing home.
It all made sense. Dominic thought she was a gold digger, so mentioning the money for Penny would be the lesser of two evils. Could it really be so easy?
After Nicole was put to bed and they came downstairs for dinner, Cassandra discovered Nesta had cooked a surprise birthday dinner. The table was beautifully set, and a bottle of champagne sat in an ice bucket on the sideboard.
Oh, heavens, it was the worst time for this. Her mind was in too much turmoil, trying to figure out how best to approach Dominic. Her stomach was jumping with nerves. Yet she knew that if she didn’t broach the subject with Dominic tonight, she’d probably worry herself into a nervous breakdown.
Somehow she mustered up a smile, trying to focus on the moment, not on what was ahead. “Nesta, this is lovely,” she managed to say, then kissed the housekeeper’s cheek. “Thank you.”
Nesta smiled with pleasure. “It was nothing, Mrs. Roth. I’m happy to do it for someone like you.”
Cassandra was grateful that Dominic walked toward the table right then. She didn’t think she could have stood a sardonic look from him on top of all this.
He picked up the bottle of champagne. “Care to join us for a celebratory drink, Nesta?” he said, surprising both women as he popped the bottle.
Nesta actually blushed. “Maybe just a little one.”
Soon they were all holding glasses, and he raised his in the air in a toast. “Happy birthday for yesterday, Cassandra.”
Their gazes linked, sending her heart skipping all over the place. Hmmm, maybe he wasn’t as remote as he wanted her to believe.
“Happy birthday, Mrs. Roth,” Nesta said, then took a sip of her champagne.
Cassandra drew her eyes away from him and cleared her throat. “Thank you.”
Nesta took another sip, then said, “I’ll take this with me, if you don’t mind. Otherwise the roast lamb will burn.”
Cassandra smiled. “You cooked my favorite meal. Who told you?”
“You did, Mrs. Roth, when we were discussing that new restaurant the other day.”
“Oh, yes, I remember now,” said Cassandra.
Nesta excused herself, then departed in a flash, and Cassandra smiled to herself. The housekeeper was another one who refused to call her by her first name.
“What’s the secret?”