The Perfect Game(36)

“I’m glad you like it,” she teased, her eyebrows raised.

“I’ll like you better out of it,” I whispered against her neck.

“Jack! Stop it.” She smacked my arm and I laughed.

We interlocked our fingers and I led her toward the blue double front doors. One of them shot open and Dean appeared, grinning from ear to ear. “It’s about time,” he chastised before pulling Cassie against him in a tight bear hug.

“I will hurt you. Get off her.” I playfully shoved him away from her.

Cassie laughed at our horseplay, then lifted her chin, sniffing at the air. “It smells incredible in here.”

“It’s Gran’s homemade sauce,” Dean said with a smile.

“Welcome home.” I beamed, watching as she looked around at all our things.

“Look at all these old pics of you two. You were so cute,” she said, pointing at an elementary school photo framed on the wall.

“We’re still cute.” I led her across the aging beige carpet toward the entryway to the kitchen.

We walked through and I immediately spotted Gran leaning over the stove, her graying brown hair pinned tightly back in a bun. Gramps sat at the round dinner table, reading the newspaper. He looked up when he heard our footsteps, his glasses resting on the tip of his nose like always.

“Oh, Ma, they’re here!” Gramps sounded excited. He rose from his chair and walked straight toward Cassie with open arms.

“You must be Cassie. It’s so nice to finally meet you.” He squeezed her hard against his chest.

I laughed as I headed over to Gran. “Gran, this is my girl, Cassie.”

Gran wiped her hands on her apron as Cassie grinned and pulled herself from Gramps’ hug. “It’s so nice to meet you, Cassie. We’ve heard so much about you.” Her eyes crinkled in the corners as she grinned, a hint of dimples like mine appearing on her creased cheeks.

“It’s so nice to meet you both. Thanks for having me,” Cassie replied with a warm smile. “Can I help?” She directed the question toward Gran.

“Oh heavens no, dear. I’m almost finished. Go sit down and make yourself comfortable. Jack, you get her whatever she needs, you hear me?” Gran’s voice took on the tone she only used with Dean and me.

“Yes, Gran, of course.” I leaned toward her and planted a kiss on her cheek.

“Do you need anything, Kitten?”

“I’m fine, thanks.”

Gramps pulled out the empty chair next to him and patted it. “Come sit down next to me, Cassie. Or do I get to call you Kitten too?” he asked with a wink.

Dean laughed out loud. “I think we should all start calling her Kitten.”

I shot Dean a murderous look, not at all amused. “Only I get to call her Kitten. You’d be wise to remember that.”

“Jack, stop threatening your brother,” Gran remarked while waving the steam away from her face.

“Yes, Gran.” I gave Dean a hard kick under the table.

Gramps leaned on his elbow and tilted his head. “So, Cassie, Jack tells us that you’re a photographer.”

She glanced at me, grinning before looking back at Gramps. “Well, that’s what I’m studying right now. I’d like to start my own business as soon as I graduate.”

Gramps slapped his hand against the table. “Well, that’s just great! Isn’t that great, dear?”

“That is great. What kind of photography?” Gran asked.

“Ideally, I’d like to work for a magazine that focuses on travel and human interest stories. I’d get to travel around the country and meet all sorts of incredible people with amazing stories.” Cassie started to explain slowly and loud enough for everyone to hear. It didn’t escape me the way her green eyes lit up when she talked about her craft.

“Ooooh, that sounds exciting.” Gran squeezed her shoulders up to her ears.

“Now, what would you do for them? What kind of pictures would you take?” Gramps asked as he reached for his glass of water.

“I think I’d either get assigned with the journalist writing the piece, or I’d go by myself to shoot whatever the focus of the article was about. It could be anything from a new hotel opening and its impact on a struggling city, to a town’s comeback after almost being destroyed in a natural disaster. But the overall theme is positive and uplifting.”

She paused before looking at me, her eyes wide. “There’s an internship that I’m going to apply for this summer. Apparently one of the New York-based magazines has an LA office and my professor mentioned it to me today. He said he’d write me a letter of recommendation, so you never know.”