Free Love Me Tender by Susan Fox Page A

and striped tie. He stood talking to Brooke and Jake Brannon, who were holding hands. The woman by his side must be Sally Ryland.
    As Cassidy walked toward them, she checked out the other woman. Sally was attractive, with short, strawberry blond hair curling loosely around an oval-shaped face, greenish gray eyes, and freckles she hadn’t bothered to conceal with make-up. In low-heeled pumps, she was a couple inches taller than Cassidy in her flats. Her build was toned and lean, on the thin side. Her short-sleeved green dress was flattering, but understated. In fact, there was something about the way Sally stood, a little round shouldered, close to Dave but not touching him, that almost made her look like she’d rather not be noticed. Not snobby, Cassidy thought, but perhaps shy.
    Cassidy stepped up with her tray. “Would anyone like another glass of passion punch?”
    As Brooke and Sally reached for glasses, Dave smiled warmly. “Hey, Cassidy. Things are going well, don’t you think?”
    His smile was a magnet, tugging on something inside her. Making her want to move closer, to touch him, to press her lips to his smiling ones. Why did he have to be dating Sally?
    She gave him a carefully professional smile. “Absolutely. Madisun’s got everything spreadsheeted to death, along with Plan Bs and Plan Cs in case of glitches.” She said hi to Brooke and Jake, who she’d met before.
    Dave said, “Cassidy, this is Sally Ryland. Sally, say hello to Cassidy Esperanza. She’s Madisun Joe’s right-hand assistant.”
    The two women murmured greetings. Seeing Sally’s face up close, Cassidy realized that she had to be several years older than Dave, just as Brooke was older than Jake.
    When Dave gazed at Sally, Cassidy read fondness in his expression, and protectiveness. But not passion. And Sally mostly looked nervous. Was the woman so shy that it bothered her to attend a wedding reception with her boyfriend?
    As Cassidy continued on with her tray of drinks, her mind was still on Dave and Sally. They had both lost the partners they loved deeply. Maybe they were a perfect match, but as Madisun and one or two other people had suggested, perhaps Sally wasn’t right for Dave. Maybe each of them was stuck in the grieving stage and couldn’t move on. The only person in Cassidy’s life who had died—aside from her great-grandmother, when Cassidy was only six—was Gramps. She’d loved him so much and he’d been the only stability in her life. His death, when she was fifteen and her parents were breaking up for the second time, had shaken her to the core.
    But you had to move on. Lighten up, loosen up, get on with life.
    And speaking of moving on, a quick check of her watch told her it was almost time to herd the group into the dining room for a light dinner. Later, they’d return to the bar for dancing.
    She loved dancing. She’d really like to dance with Dave. On line-dancing nights, she’d seen him dance with Karen, Brooke, Jess, and others while she’d been busy serving drinks.
    Tonight, again she’d be staff. And—hah!—dancing? She just hoped her tingly left leg didn’t go numb. It was tough keeping her balance when she couldn’t feel one leg.
    During her normal workdays, she would sneak into a vacant room during her breaks, curl up on the bed for a catnap, then smooth the bedspread and return to work refreshed. Tonight, all the rooms were full and she likely wouldn’t get any breaks anyhow.
    No, she wouldn’t be dancing tonight. She’d be lucky if she could stumble the four blocks home to Ms. Haldenby’s.

Chapter Seven
    It was after midnight when Dave, tired but satisfied, walked from the dining room into the lobby and headed over to talk to Sam, at the desk.
    â€œEveryone’s cleared out?” the night manager asked.
    Dave nodded. “Except for a couple of staff doing the final