The older woman was easily won over by Alec's cheerful personality, accepting his presence with little negative comment—at least in public.
It wasn't until Alec left early to help Danny with a morning delivery that her aunt made her true feelings known.
"Seriously, Cassandra. He might claim to have been a friend of the family, but I don't remember your father ever mentioning him." She scowled as she collected the breakfast dishes.
"Alec said he ran into Dad once or twice over the years, upriver at Brownsville with his family. Not surprising I hadn't met him—don't forget, I left right after graduating high school," Cassie offered. "He knew enough about Dad to convince me, personal stuff he wouldn't have picked up sitting at the bar. And Danny—you know he'd pick up fast if Alec were up to no good."
Jean gave an annoyed huff. "Your father always liked talking to strangers. For all you know, he had a handful of words with Alec, nothing more. Then he passes, Alec checks the paper and picks up on the obituary—comes here with the specific goal of robbing you blind. Or worse." She shook her head. "God only knows what sort of past he has. Danny should check the books—he's likely been skimming off the till and getting ready to disappear."
Cassie paused, her mind spinning as she tried to construct some sort of decent rebuttal. She was still her aunt, after all.
"Danny's fine with Alec working at the bar. You know he'll protect his investment—if he had any issues with Alec, he'd bring them to me. Or take care of it himself."
"Good point," Jean said, conceding the point. "Except..."
"I trust Alec. He's a good man." The words sounded bland even as Cass heard them come out of her mouth.
"Yes, but..." Jean shook her head as she settled in the chair, gripping her coffee mug. "So soon after your father's death? You have to know Alec's taking advantage of you—you're emotionally vulnerable." She lowered her voice. "I'm only saying this out of love. Let's be honest—where do you see this going?"
An icy dagger of fear dug into Cassie's gut, fighting for space.
"What sort of future can you have with Alec? You came home to help your father out—and you did a wonderful job of caring for him."
She let out a deep sigh, tearing at Cass's heart. "Losing both your parents so soon... it was a kick in the gut. Now you've got to think about the future, about what you're going to do. Sell Danny your half of the bar, take the money and go back to Philly, find a good job and pursue your dreams. Or come out where I am, get settled and start fresh."
Cassie sat there, her mind racing through a thousand different scenarios, trying to figure out what to say, what not to say.
Jean sipped her cooling coffee. "Step back and think about it. Where do you want to be, a year from now. Five, ten years. Do you still want to be here, pouring beers? Ask yourself, what do you want out of life? And then see if Alec has a place in that picture."
Cassie fell silent, the churning in her belly twisting the invisible knife in deep.
Jean left two days later, cheerful and happy, shaking Alec's hand before getting back in her rental car and heading for the airport.
The emotional bomb she left behind took only a few hours to blow up.
***
Cassie looked outside and saw Alec down by the riverbank, gazing out over the water. Spring was arriving, mossy soil erupting in long, luscious green weeds. He scuffed his running shoe in the mud, leaving a deep dent in the dirt.
He wore his dark blue pea coat jacket, his first real purchase—they'd gone to the store and picked out clothing for him not long after his decision to stay; Alec eager to stop wearing her father's outfits.
The way he stared at the river...
There was a longing in his gaze, a hunger she knew only too well from seeing it in the mirror—she'd worn that look when she left for Philadelphia, for what she thought would be a whole new life.
Instead, she'd come home to a new reality, leaving her standing on a sandy beach—the ground under her likely to shift at any second.
Cass turned back to the kitchen and the evening meal, a simple meatloaf and mashed potatoes tonight. The familiar routine didn't banish the fear building inside her, entwined with a growing sense of anger and confusion.
Her vision blurred as she plated up the food, causing her to step back from the counter.
A gust of cold air swept through the kitchen, signaling Alec's return.
She grabbed at the nearby dishtowel in an attempt to push back the tears.
"What..." Alec took hold of her from behind, wrapping his arms around her. He'd shed his pea coat, wearing a black t-shirt and jeans. "What's wrong? You're crying." His gaze went around the kitchen, searching for any possible cause. "Are you okay? Did you hurt yourself?"
"Nothing. No. Not yet." She snapped, anger surging up her throat like bile. "Just tell me one thing—why are you still here? Are you playing some sort of game? Is this what shifters do, screw around with humans until they finish having their fun and then disappear?"
"What? What?" he repeated as he turned her to face him. "What brought this on?" A scowl married his handsome features. "Is this coming from Jean? She said something, didn't she?"
Cassie pushed him away, throwing the dishtowel against his chest.
"Yes. No. It's just..." She shook her head as she ran out of the kitchen, retreating to the couch.
The emotional dam burst, raging through her with a hurricane's intensity. "Damn it! I came here to care for Dad, and now he's gone. I should have sold the house and left as soon as he was buried. If I'd had done that, I'd..."
She covered her face with her hands, sobbing uncontrollably. Thoughts spun around inside her head like a merry-go-round on overdrive.
"Hey. Hey." The cushions beside her shifted as Alec sat down, pulling her close. "You stayed here because you wanted to, because you wanted to feel close to your dad. That's okay—you weren't ready to make another big change in your life. No one made you stay and no one's going to make you leave." He touched her shoulder, the heat burning through the light fabric and onto her skin.
"I'm sorry. I don't know what I'm saying." She looked up through the tears. "I'm just..." Cassie tried to organize her thoughts, catch the scattered slips of consciousness before they disappeared. "I have to ask you—what sort of future can we have together?"
Alec frowned. "What do you want?" He took her hands, his long slender fingers caressing hers. "Marriage? If you want, I can—"
"No." The pain bubbled out of her. "I don't want you to do anything because you feel you owe it to me." She sniffled. "At some point, you're going to want to go back to your family and I understand that, I respect it. The river, the water. I can't stop you and I wouldn't, but what happens to me?"
He kissed her cheek. "Why are you worried about that right now? We've got plenty of time to make decisions, plenty of—"
She pulled back, out of his embrace. "You've been here for how long? Six, seven months? Your family..." She sucked in a deep breath, unable to stop shaking. "They'll want you back at some point. Then I'll be alone." Cassie wrapped her arms around herself. "I'm sorry. What we have here... it can't last."