Free Catering to the CEO by Samantha Chase Page A

fine.  I was just calling to…um, see how you were?  I realize we left things…well, things were a little awkward when I dropped you off that night after dinner and I wanted to make sure that you were doing okay.  How’s Stephen?”
    “Oh, he’s fine, thank you for asking.  We’ve been having a wonderful time.  We babysat for Ella last weekend while Katie was working that event that Cassie did for you.  We had such a time!  I had forgotten how exhausting babies can be but I loved every second of it!”
    Great, pretty soon she’d be hounding him about getting married and having kids.  Just what he needed.  “Sounds like fun.”  His words lacked any form of enthusiasm and he knew he’d hurt her feelings by the way her tone changed.
    “Yes, well, anyway, how’s business?”
    Adam pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes and counted to ten.  Dammit, it shouldn’t be this hard to have a conversation with his own mother!  “Business is fine, mom.  The retreat went well and I think we’re going to have another great year ahead of us.  Listen, I was wondering…Grace just mentioned that Cassie had surgery today.  Is everything all right?”
    Pleasant mom was back.  “Lauren’s with her right now and the doctor is very pleased with how it went.  They found a couple of small cysts and took care of several lesions but they believe that they got everything and Cassie will be up and around in no time.  We were all relieved to hear that there was nothing cancerous.”
    “Was that even a possibility/” Adam asked, concern lacing his voice.
    Bev relayed the story of how Cassie’s mother had died young of ovarian cancer.  “I think that’s why Cassie waited so long to have this surgery; she was afraid of what they’d find.”  She paused.  “Such a sad story.”
    And not one that Adam wanted to dwell on.  “So Lauren’s staying with her?”
    “Just for tonight.  Actually, she had to force Cassie to let her stay.  We’ve all offered to go over and stay but she wouldn’t have it.  Tomorrow, Lauren’s got some big test so Katie and Ella are going to go over for lunch and spend some time with her.  Stephen and I were going to go over for dinner but he’s got a late meeting.”
    “So are you going to go alone?”
    “No, no…I guess I still feel a little new to all of this and I don’t want to overwhelm her.”
    Adam was baffled.  How could his mother overwhelm anyone?  “Why would you say that?”
    “I just don’t want Cassie, or any of the kids for that matter, to think that I’m swooping in and trying to be their mom.  I know that I’m marrying their dad but this is still new to all of them and it’s been a long time since their mom passed and I’m sure that they’re trying to…see what my role is going to be.  I want to give them time to get to know me.”
    This was all a little too emotional for him.  “I don’t think you have anything to worry about, mom.  They’ll all like you just fine.” 
    Bev sighed.  The business whiz was a complete dud in the encouragement department.  “I’m sure you’re right.  Anyway, Cassie’s going to be fine.  She’s a little sore but really, we’re all just concerned that she’s going to over-do it somehow and hinder her own recovery.  She hates to sit still.”
    “Well then maybe someone should be with her,” he suggested.
    “Adam…she is a grown woman.  She’s well beyond the age of being babysat for.  For the next twenty-four hours she’ll have people with her; after that she’s more than capable of taking care of herself.”
    He knew his mother was right but he also knew that he would make the time to stop over and see her tomorrow night after work.  Maybe he’d return the favor and bring her dinner.  Just as the thought of flowers entered his head, Adam cut himself off with disgust.  “Yeah, sure, she’s a trooper.” 
    Why the hell was even thinking of going over to Cassie’s?  They were