Sweet Surrender (Returning January 4th 2025)

Chapter 5

Cassandra was in her bedroom, packing up her clothes, when the doorbell rang. Tossing a blouse on the bed, she left the room and headed for the foyer. There she opened the door and found a delivery man holding a package.

"Cassandra Barnes?" he inquired.

"Yes?"

"I have a package for you." He held out a tablet. "I just need your signature, please."

Cassandra signed her name and handed back the tablet. She took the package from him, thanked him, and closed the door. Retracing her steps to the bedroom, she placed the package on the bed.

At that moment, one of the moving guys stuck his head in the room. "We're going to head out for lunch, Miss Barnes. We'll be back around one."

Once he left, Cassandra opened the package. She discovered a black dress and an envelope with her name scrawled across the front. She removed a letter from the envelope and read it silently.

Darling,

Here's something for you to wear tomorrow night. I know what you're thinking. You can't accept it. You can and you will. You better get used to me spoiling you. It's going to happen often. I will talk to you soon.

Yours,

Gabriel

Cassandra grabbed her phone from the nightstand and called Gabriel's business.

"Dorsey Industries, Heather speaking."

"Hello, Heather, is Mr. Dorsey available to talk?" Cassandra asked.

"May I ask who I'm speaking to?" Heather queried politely.

"Cassandra Barnes."

"One moment, please."

"Hello, sweetcheeks," Gabriel said, coming on the line, a few seconds later. "I had a feeling you would call."

"Thank you for the dress," Cassandra said softly. "It's lovely and very thoughtful of you."

"It was my pleasure," Gabriel said. "I wanted to buy you jewelry too, but I didn't want to overwhelm you. I'll save it for another time."

Cassandra gritted her teeth. "No, you won't."

"Whatever you say, darling," Gabriel said, his voice filled with amusement.

"How did you know my dress size?" Cassandra wanted to know.

"I'll never tell," Gabriel said in a sing song voice. "I hate to let you go but I have a meeting I need to get to. I'll call you later."

"You don't have to," Cassandra said.

"I will call you later," he uttered firmly. "Say hello to my friend Charlie for me."

"I'm not talking to that cat right now," Cassandra stated. "He's a traitor."

Gabriel chuckled. "Later, sweetheart."

"Later."

"Thank you for meeting me," Gabriel said, sliding into the booth.

"You said you needed help with Cass." Jane set a cup of tea down. "Anytime you need help with her, I'm available."

"You're a good friend, Jane," Gabriel said. "Cassandra is lucky to have you."

"I'm the lucky one." Jane gazed into his eyes. "Don't make me regret helping you."

"You won't," Gabriel said seriously.

Just then, a server showed up. Gabriel ordered a cup of coffee and a slice of pecan pie with whipped cream.

Jane arched an eyebrow. "It's barely two in the afternoon. Isn't it a little early for pie?"

"It's never too early for pie," Gabriel said. "I have a big sweet tooth."

"So does Cass," Jane said.

"Good," Gabriel said, smiling.

"Did she get the dress?" Jane asked.

"She did and she called to thank me," Gabriel replied. "Thank you for helping me pick it out and also for telling me where her favorite bakery is."

"You're welcome." Jane picked up her cup and took a drink. "You said you need help with Cass."

"As her best friend, you know everything about her." Gabriel leaned forward. "I want to know her likes and dislikes, anything that will help me win her over."

The server returned with Gabriel's pie and coffee. She placed it in front of him and then told him if he needed anything to let her know. Leaving the table, she went to take a couples order.

"Let me think." Jane tapped the rim of her tea cup with her fingernail. "She likes horror movies and hates comedies. She prefers a physical book over an ebook."

Gabriel swallowed a bite of pie. "Then she will enjoy my library. I have thousands of books. What else?"

"She likes the rain, but hates thunderstorms," Jane continued.

"Is there a reason why she hates thunderstorms?" Gabriel asked, reaching for his coffee cup.

"When she was seven she went camping with her parents and younger sister," Jane said. "It stormed throughout the night. Cass's sister, Mary, got scared. Instead of climbing into Cass's sleeping bag, she told Cass she was going to go sleep with their parents in their tent."

A sinking feeling settled in the pit of Gabriel's stomach. He took a drink of coffee, gripping the handle of his cup so hard his knuckles were white.

"The next morning no one could find Mary," Jane said. "Search and rescue were called in. They found her at the bottom of a ravine, a half mile from camp. Her neck had been broken."

Gabriel swore under his breath. "How did she end up in the ravine?"

"No one really knows," Jane said with a shrug. "Any clues as to what happened got washed away in the rain. The police had a theory though. They think she might have saw an animal, went after it and got lost. It was raining so hard she couldn't see in front of her, and they think she lost her footing and fell into the ravine."

"I don't agree with their theory," Gabriel said.

"Neither does Cass," Jane said. "A little girl afraid of a thunderstorm isn't going to wander around in it, going after an animal."

"Did her parents agree with the police's theory?"

"Yes, but wouldn't you, if you had been in their shoes?" Jane said. "The only alternative is that something sinister happened to her. It's easier to think that it was an accident than someone hurting her."

"I can't imagine what Cassandra and her parents went through," Gabriel muttered.

"I can't either," Jane said.

Gabriel cleared his throat. "Let's talk about something else. Tell me her favorite food."

"Lasagna," Jane said.

While Gabriel ate his pie he asked questions about Cassandra. By the time he was done he felt as though he was better prepared to win her heart.

A/N: Thank you all for your support. I appreciate you. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Have a great weekend. :)