Before she could make a stinging rejoinder, Tyler cut in, as if he resented being left out of the conversation. "Hey, Austin?"
"What, buddy?"
"Do you know my daddy?"
Cassie froze, too flabbergasted to do anything else. She didn't know what she had expected from Tyler but it wasn't that. She had never made it taboo to discuss Lester, but she didn't encourage it, either.
"I've met him," Austin was saying.
"Did you know he's in prison?"
This time Cassie reeled. Two back-to-back missiles dropped by her son
was hard on her heart. What on earth had possessed Tyler to blurt thatout? She turned away for a moment and tried to pull herself backtogether.
At last she faced her son and said, "Honey, I don't think Austin's interested in that subject." Austin shook his head, then gave Tyler a sweet smile, a smile that stolewhat little breath Cassie had left. That was how he had looked at her years ago, when he'd called her brat, before she'd forced him intomaking wild, hot love to her, changing things forever.
"It's okay, buddy. I'm interested in anything you have to say."
Tyler's face was serious.
"He did something he wasn't supposed to.
He"--" That's enough, Tyler." Cassie's tone was firm but gentle.
"Finish your breakfast."
"If he wants to talk," Austin said, disapproval strong in his voice,
"I'm willing to listen."
"Well, I'm not." Cassie's voice shook with suppressed anger, but not at Tyler. He was innocent, and her heart wrenched for him. At this moment
her anger was directed at Austin. He had no right to interfere, to usurp her authority.
"We're about to get on the road," Cassie said into the uncomfortable
silence, feeling Austin's eyes sweep over her, knowing that if she met his gaze, she would see her own anger reciprocated.
Tyler perked up, smiling at Austin.
"We're going to see my other grandparents. They have some presents for me."
Austin smiled back at Tyler.
"Sounds like fun."
"You could come with us, if you want to."
"Tyleri" Austin tousled Tyler's head once again, then shoved his chairback and stood.
"Thanks, kid, but I'd best stay here and mind the store."
Once again that drawling voice pulled Cassie's eyes up to him. For along second they stared at one another, the heat flaring again.
"Y'all be careful now, you hear?"
Cassie could only nod. Her throat was too tight to do otherwise.
"When will we see him again?" Charlotte asked Cassie.
"I'll try to make it soon."
Tyler was already in the car, playing with some of the many gifts theSullivans had given him. Cassie hadn't approved of such extravagance,but she hadn't said anything. After all, they hadn't seen Tyler inyears. They had just been making up for lost time, or so they'd said.
"It doesn't seem like you've been here long at all." Charlotte stoppedshort of whining as she patted her bubble-style hairdo.
"Time simply flew."
"It did for Tyler too, I'm sure." Cassie made herself smile.
"But we've been here for hours."
"Hours hardly make up for years," Dewitt put in, a hard edge to his deepvoice.
Cassie didn't let their disapproval get to her. At one time they hadbeen able to both intimidate and bully her. No longer. However, theywere having difficulty in accepting this new, strong-willed Cassie.
No one was ever going to run roughshod over her again. She had their sonto thank for that.
Even so, Cassie stared at her ex-in-laws with mixed emotions. On the onehand, she had trouble even tolerating them, while on the other, she feltsorry for them.
Dewitt and Charlotte Sullivan still believed their son was innocent of all charges against him. They had told her that while Lester was injail, awaiting trial on the weapons charge. Consequently, they had doneeverything in their power to see that their son was released and hisrecord cleared.
When their efforts failed, they simply started all over again. Cassiehad to give them A plus for effort and perseverance. But that was allshe intended to give them, except limited access to Tyler.
"I'll bring him back," Cassie said at last, feeling the heat get to her.She knew Tyler would soon be calling her to come on. The heat combinedwith the humidity was unbearable.
"Next time we'd like him to stay," Charlotte said, her eyes darting to Dewitt's, as if asking for support, before returning to Cassie.
"At least for a weekend."
Cassie purposely pretended to misunderstand.
"It's impossible for me to get away right now, with Mother's condition and all." She smiled her sweetest smile.
"I'm sure you understand."
"Well, actually I ... we thought he could stay with us alone."
Charlotte paused and pursed her lips.
"We would take good care of him, but then, you know that."
That was the problem, Cassie thought bitterly, she didn't know that.
Their idea of taking care of Tyler was talking nonstop about Lester and
what a fine man and father he was, and how much he loved his son.
Blind, doting parents. Thanks but no thanks. As far as Cassie was
concerned, these two people had created a monster and were continuing to feed it.
She wasn't about to expose her son to that. He had already been down
that road. Besides, her conviction that she was right had been borne out by Tyler's con r versation with Austin. It had demonstrated just how confused and vulnerable her son was when it came to Lester.
"I'll give that some thought." Cassie's lie broke into the silence at the same time that her head began pounding from the heat.
Dewitt stiffened, registering his displeasure.
"Is that all you can say?"
He wasn't used to being crossed, and he didn't like it one iota.
Cassie, however, was deriving great satisfaction from doing just that.
"At the moment, yes."
"I want some time alone with my grandson." Unveiled hostility now filled his voice.
Ah, so the velvet gloves had finally come off. She had been wondering when that would happen. They had sat in their cluttered living room where they ate, drank and tried to be merry. Only Tyler had been the merry one, oblivious to the underlying tension.
"Now, Dewitt," Charlotte cautioned, "please don't get something started."
"Be quiet, Charlotte. Let me handle this."
Charlotte turned red, but she didn't say another word.
"This can all be handled in a civil manner, Dewitt," Cassie said in aneven tone, though she longed to raise her voice. She was hot and tiredand longed for a bath. Besides, her emotions had been taxed enough forone day, after that encounter with Austin.
"As long as we play by your rules." Dewitt's eyes iced over.
"Hell, we couldn't even mention Lester's name in our grandson's presence."
Cassie stood her ground.
"That's right."
Dewitt let go of an expletive, and Charlotte's mouth pinched in
displeasure.
"Mom, I'm burning up!"
Cassie turned and saw Tyler's red face framed by the open window.