Part 23 (1/2)
Horrified, Ca.s.s watched Griff's eyes widen, but he didn't say a word.
”Mother!” Ca.s.s grabbed a handful of napkins.
”Oh, dear merciful heavens, Mr. Griffith, I'm so sorry. Don't move. I'll get some towels. Jeff! Bring towels!” she shouted over her shoulder.
With the yelling, customers who'd missed the original catastrophe added their stares to the others who were gawking at the beer dripping from Griff's lap onto the floor.
”Oh, Mr. Griffith, can you ever forgive me? Sometimes my arthritis acts up, and I get so clumsy.”
”What arthritis?” Ca.s.s said. ”You don't have arthritis.”
”Don't worry about it, Ms. O'Connor,” Griff said. ”Accidents happen. My mom has arthritis, and sometimes her hands bother her, as well.”
”Well, bless your heart, Mr. Griffith. Aren't you the sweetest thing. Here, Jeff's brought some towels. Let me help you clean up.” She began dabbing at his lap.
”I think I can handle it,” he said, looking pained as he grabbed the towels from Gloria.
If Ca.s.s hadn't been so ticked off at her mother, she would have laughed. ”Let's go upstairs to my apartment, Griff, and you can shower. I'll wash your clothes and put them in the drier.”
It was her mother's turn to look horrified. Good enough for her.
Griff nodded and tried to dry off as best he could. When he rose, he laughed and said loudly enough for all the gawkers to hear, ”Sorry about the interruption, everybody. Dessert is on me.” He glanced down at his lap. ”As is my beer.”
Everybody laughed along with him.
”Mother,” Ca.s.s muttered between clenched teeth. ”We'll talk later.”
She and Griff hurried out the back way and up to her apartment.
”Griff, I'm so sorry. I don't know what got into my mom. This isn't like her.”
”Don't worry, honey. Accidents happen.” He stripped off his clothes and handed them to her.
”You know and I know that what happened was no accident. Why would Mom do such a thing? I'm so embarra.s.sed.”
”Don't be. For some reason she doesn't like me, and she's a lioness protecting her cub. Give me some time. I'll bring her around.” He gave Ca.s.s a peck on the nose. ”Would you get my gym bag from the car?”
”Sure. And I'll call downstairs and have our food delivered up here.”
”Mind if we skip the chili tonight? I've lost my taste for chili and beer.”
GRIFF DECIDED TO GO back to his condo and leave Ca.s.s to her work. She wondered if it wasn't merely a polite kiss-off. No, he was sincere, she told herself, when he'd said it would take more than a little beer to get rid of him for good. back to his condo and leave Ca.s.s to her work. She wondered if it wasn't merely a polite kiss-off. No, he was sincere, she told herself, when he'd said it would take more than a little beer to get rid of him for good.
He might be polite and forgiving, but Ca.s.s was royally p.i.s.sed at her mother, and she stomped downstairs to confront her. Aunt Min saw her come in, and hurried to meet her.
”Oh, Ca.s.s, I'm so sorry about what happened. Did Griff leave?”
”Naturally. Were you a part of the floor show?”
”Absolutely not! I was in the kitchen.”
”Where's Mom?”
”Hiding in the office. Are you angry?”
”Of course I'm angry.” Ca.s.s wheeled and strode to the office.
Her mother was sitting behind the desk, her head in her hands. She didn't look up when Ca.s.s slammed the door. ”Why, Mom? Why? Why? And don't feed me any bull about accidents or arthritis or poor memory.” And don't feed me any bull about accidents or arthritis or poor memory.”
When Gloria looked up, her eyes were red-rimmed and teary. ”I-I don't want you to get hurt, Ca.s.s. I'll do whatever it takes to keep that from happening. I don't trust him. I never have. From the first moment I met him, I knew he was up to something. Something deceptive. He's using you for his own purposes. Mark my words, the man's a charlatan.”
Ca.s.s rolled her eyes. ”And what are you? Psychic?”
Her mother took a deep breath and stared directly into Ca.s.s's eyes.
”Yes. As a matter of fact, yes, I am.”
Ca.s.s knees gave way and she plopped down in a chair. ”Since when?”
”Since as long as I can remember. I screamed and fainted the moment your father was shot. Ask Min. I'd been uneasy for several days before it happened. I get feelings.”
”And you're never never wrong?” wrong?”
”Rarely. I'm not wrong about this.”
”But, Mom, Sam Outlaw checked him out. He's clean.”
”And exactly why did Sam, a Texas Ranger, Texas Ranger, check him out?” check him out?”
Ca.s.s squirmed. ”Bad vibes? I don't know.”
”I'll bet Sam didn't trust him, either.”
”Perhaps not, but I trust him, Mom. I love Griff.”
”Oh, dear G.o.d!”
”Mom, cut the dramatics.”
”Will you promise me, promise me sincerely that you'll find out more about him before you do something foolish?”