Cloud Riders(30)

‘You seem to have a flair for enjoyment,’ he said. ‘You’re always so bright and cheery that it would be refreshing to have someone happy around the office. The job is yours if you want it but no pressure. I’ll give you a couple of days to think about it.’

She chuckled. ‘I hardly need a couple of days to think about getting out of that dress shop. Washing dishes would be more exciting than turning up there every day. When do I start?’ Cassie asked, flattered he had thought to offer it to her.





Fate Meeting


Cassie had been working at the casino for a few months and had a good rapport with her work mates and the regulars, even knowing them all by name. Towards the end of the shift her instincts alerted her that she was being watched, yet detected nobody unusual as she glanced around the noisy crowd. Being used to overzealous drunks perving on her, she shrugged it off and continued with her walk of the floor.

It was a good night with the casino in full swing and the room packed with gambling patrons. Flitting from one game table to the next, Cassie made sure the dealers were handling players tactfully and that they had their game faces on.

She stopped at one of her favourite tables. The patrons there were having a good night. She kidded around with a couple of the big players, soaking in their good mood before moving on. Then she felt the eyes on her again.

Why is it bothering me? Cassie was used to others watching her and she normally relied on the bouncers to keep a lookout for troublemakers and move them along for her. However, the eyes she felt on her were becoming disturbing. Scanning the gaming floor more carefully this time, she gasped as her eyes rested on a man from her past. Leaning against the railing with a drink in his hand and a slight grin on his face was Woody.

Oh my God! That was the only immediate thought Cassie’s brain could manage as she stood frozen to the spot, her hand up to her mouth, not taking her eyes off him as all the memories flooded back to her. Pain ripped across her chest, squeezing her fragile heart as if it were in a vice. The colour drained from her face and the room began to spin. An agonizing electric shock surged through her as all the emotions she had squashed deep inside her surfaced. She felt herself fighting her way through blackness, then nothing.

When she came around, Alex was talking to her. ‘Are you hurt anywhere, sweetie?’

Cassie frowned. The raw memories were tumbling into her new world while she fought to reseal the opened door within. She tried to get up, pushing everyone away from her. With one quick movement Alex had Cassie in his arms, looking overly worried as he carried her into the office and laid her on the couch.

‘You’ve just passed out and until I get you checked, Cassie, you do as you are told and rest,’ he said, getting a cold cloth and dabbing her forehead.

Cassie was being ungrateful so she let him fuss, glad there was no Woody in sight when she woke up. Facing him again just now would be unbearable to say the least. She didn’t like it that Alex seemed a little too concerned about her and realised his feelings for her were more than those of just a workmate.

‘I’ve called an ambulance, Cassie. Can you hear me?’ Cassie heard Alex say. She slowly opened the eyes that wanted to stay closed to hide her embarrassment over collapsing in front of everyone.

‘Please, no ambulance. I’ll be fine. I just need to rest a minute.’

Alex rinsed out the cloth in cold water again and let the coolness of it sit on her forehead. ‘I just want them to look at you. They’re here now. Please do not fight me on this, Cass,’ he said, still troubled.

The ambulance team came in with a bag and checked her vitals. They agreed that Cassie had just fainted and suggested that she should visit her local doctor for some tests as soon as it was convenient.

After they left, Cassie wondered if she really saw Woody or if she had just imagined it. She sat up, drinking the coffee Alex made for her and apologising for the embarrassing display in front of his patrons. ‘Sorry to scare you, Alex, I just …’ And it was then that Cassie realised how she still held her secret past sacred, as her voice even now would not allow her to whisper his name.

Alex sat next to her. ‘Did it have anything to do with that guy with the red hair who caught you before you fell? He put up a hell of a stink. He wanted to stay with you but I had him removed from the premises.’

Cassie couldn’t talk about it even to Alex who she considered to be a good friend. So she did what she had to and lied. ‘No, I don’t know who he was, I just felt dizzy. My fault totally. Not been sleeping well lately.’ She stood up. ‘I really would prefer to go home now. My shift’s over and I think I just need an early night.’