The Maverick Part 23

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?"

Ca.s.s wondered what her mother considered foolish. She'd already done everything except elope with him. "If it will ease you mind, Mom, I promise."

"Oh, thank you, dear. Thank you." She hurried from behind the desk and bent over to hug Ca.s.s. "Do it right away. I've been having such bad feelings." She kissed Ca.s.s's forehead and held her close in the comforting and protective way she'd always done.

"I will, Mom."

Ca.s.s SAT IN FRONT OF her computer for the longest time, indecision eating her from the inside out. Did she trust Griff or not? She'd trusted Daniel, and look where it got her. Her father had told her to follow her heart, but then he was a ghost, and she'd promised her mother, who was flesh and blood. her computer for the longest time, indecision eating her from the inside out. Did she trust Griff or not? She'd trusted Daniel, and look where it got her. Her father had told her to follow her heart, but then he was a ghost, and she'd promised her mother, who was flesh and blood.

Oh, h.e.l.l and d.a.m.nation! It was a simple matter to type his name into the search engine. Checking the Internet was no big deal. It was a wonder she hadn't done it sooner.

G-r-i-f-f-i-n M-i-t-c-h-e-l-l She punched "Search," closed her eyes and waited.

All kinds of Griffin Mitch.e.l.ls popped up, including a sixteen-year-old in Anaheim who was on Facebook, and one who had died recently in Alabama. The only ones she found for her her Griffin Mitch.e.l.l were innocuous mentions of information she already knew about. Griffin Mitch.e.l.l were innocuous mentions of information she already knew about.

Her shoulders slumped in relief. Should she take it further?

In for a penny, in for a pound.

Ca.s.s picked up her cell and punched in Maddie Evert's number.

When her friend and former colleague answered, she said, "Hey, Maddie, this is Ca.s.s. How are things in the Big Apple?" They yakked for a few minutes before Ca.s.s jumped in. "I have a big favor to ask. I know you went to Harvard. Did you happen to know a Griffin Mitch.e.l.l? I'm not sure of the year he was there, but I'd guess he was ahead of you."

Maddie didn't know him, but suggested her older brother or cousin might. Both were Harvard educated lawyers in New York.

"Would you check around for me and find out anything you can about him? Confidentially, please. It's, uh, business, and I want to know who I'm up against."

Maddie agreed to ask around and call back when she heard something.

When Ca.s.s hung up, she felt slightly dirty.

More than slightly.

She took a deep breath and tried to let it go.

Looking through the stack of business mail she needed to answer, she couldn't believe they'd received another letter from Walter Zeagler, the guy in New York who was so hot to buy the Chili Witches tract. Slicing it open, she was a bit surprised that not only had her last response not discouraged him, but he was requesting a meeting with them the following week. Why was ZASM Consulting so interested in their property?

Although she was certain what they would say, Ca.s.s set the letter aside to discuss with the family, and turned to other correspondence. She stopped only to have a peanut b.u.t.ter sandwich and a gla.s.s of milk, and by eleven she was finished and fell into bed.

But she couldn't sleep. Her sheets smelled of Griff.

She ran her fingers over the spot where he had slept, and hugged his pillow close, breathing in the tantalizing scent of him. She loved him so. Her mother couldn't be right about him. She just couldn't.

A small voice inside her seemed to whisper, "He loves you, truly loves you."

She had to believe that.

TOWARD THE TAIL END of rush hour, Ca.s.s looked up from the register to see Griff by the front door talking to Aunt Min. He held three smallish boxes tied with red ribbons, and she watched him present one to Min with a big smile. Ca.s.s looked around for her mother, but she must have been in the kitchen or office. of rush hour, Ca.s.s looked up from the register to see Griff by the front door talking to Aunt Min. He held three smallish boxes tied with red ribbons, and she watched him present one to Min with a big smile. Ca.s.s looked around for her mother, but she must have been in the kitchen or office.

"Hi there," Ca.s.s said, walking toward him.

"h.e.l.lo yourself. I got a yen for some chili." He handed her a box.

"He gave me one, too," Aunt Min said, holding open a box of chocolate-covered strawberries and smiling brightly. "Aren't they scrumptious looking?"

"Where's your mom?" Griff asked. "I have one for her as well."

"I'll go see if I can locate her," Min said. "You can seat Griff."

When her aunt left, he said, "At least she got my name right."

"Aunt Min is a dear." Ca.s.s motioned to a small table by the window. "Want a beer?"

"After last night, I'm not sure I'll ever want another beer. Do you have time to join me?"

"I'll take a few minutes. We're not too busy."

They had a quiet lunch, but Gloria never showed her face. After Griff left, Ca.s.s took the other box and tracked her mother down in the office. "Griff brought this for you."

"Oh, thank you, dear." She set the box on the desk without even peeking inside.

Later, after Min and Gloria had left for the day, the box still sat on the desk.

Ca.s.s sighed. What a mess. She was too old to play Juliet.

AFTER SHE CLOSED, Ca.s.s again found Griff waiting for her on the steps to her apartment. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I was lonely. Pack a bag and come with me. I've bought bubble bath and more ma.s.sage oil. I'll rub your feet. And we'll spend all day tomorrow feeding each other bananas and grapes."

"Bananas and grapes?"

"Somebody has to eat all the fruit I bought. And I'll cook you the steak I promised."

Ca.s.s had to consider for only half a second. She tossed some things in an overnighter and they were off.

"Do you like Marcia Ball?" he asked.

"I adore Marcia Ball. She's won blues awards out the kazoo."

"Good. I heard phenomenal things about her and got tickets to her show at someplace called Antone's tomorrow night."