CASSANDRA
Cassandra Miller steps out of the shower, her ears catching the familiar sound of her four-month-old baby’s cries from the bedroom. The July heat in Manhattan is intense, and she figures that’s why her son, Alexander, struggles to nap during the day. But a cool bath usually does the trick to calm him down.
Thankfully, he sleeps through the night, only stirring once for his feeding.
Cassandra hurries from the bathroom, reaching Alexander’s crib in no time. She gently lifts him, her hand rhythmically stroking his tiny back until his cries subside.
Looking down at his sweet face, Cassandra can’t help but think he’s the most adorable thing she’s ever seen. His black hair, piercing black eyes—just like his father’s—and dark brows and lashes had her smitten from the start.
Alex was the result of a single night, but despite being only twenty-four, Cassandra has no regrets about having him.
Her mind wanders back to the night she met the tall, dark, handsome stranger who swept her off her feet. Her company had thrown a costume party, and everyone was wearing masks. But even behind the disguise, the chemistry between her and Emilio Rodriguez was undeniable.
She’d never met a man who made her pulse race, her heart pound, and her stomach flutter like he did. He was her first—and her last. She hasn’t found another man who could make her feel the way he did with just a simple touch.
Cassandra sighs. When she found out she was pregnant, she tried to find Emilio, but no one seemed to know who she was talking about. Her internet searches turned up nothing, so she eventually gave up and decided to raise her baby alone.
Nine months later, Alex was born, and Cassandra couldn’t have been happier—until three months ago, when her company went bankrupt and she lost her job. Since then, she’s been struggling to find work as an assistant or receptionist.
Things are starting to look grim. To help with bills, Cassandra asked an old college friend, Gwen, to rent out the spare bedroom. But now Gwen’s company is relocating to Seattle, and she’ll be moving out at the end of the month. That leaves Cassandra alone to cover the full rent and buy food.
She wonders how she’ll manage all that without a job. Her savings are dwindling; they’ll only last another month. After that, she and Alex could end up on the streets. The thought terrifies her.
Alex doesn’t deserve that. Cassandra is determined to prevent that from happening.
Once Alex is asleep again, she gets dressed. She braids her long, red hair into a fishtail and drapes it over one shoulder to keep it out of Alex’s reach—he loves to pull on it. Then, she heads to the kitchen.
As Cassandra prepares Alex’s afternoon bottle, Gwen walks in, a bright smile on her face. Gwen is tall and slim, with brown eyes, a small, straight nose, and long, brown hair.
In contrast, Cassandra barely reaches five feet. High heels give her a bit of a boost, but she’s still so short that most people think she’s too young to be Alex’s mom. She’s also always been curvy, having developed early.
Cassandra was the first in her class to develop breasts, which brought a lot of unwanted attention. That’s why she avoided social events in school, only attending if it was for a class project. She’s always been a bit of a loner.
Growing up was tough for Cassandra. She bounced from one foster home to another, never knowing her biological parents. She never tried to find them, figuring if they didn’t want her, why should she look for them?
“What’s with the smile?” she asks Gwen.
“Guess who has a job interview next Friday?” Gwen’s smile widens when Cassandra looks at her, puzzled. “You, silly!”
What? None of the companies she applied to have gotten back to her.
“You’ve lost me?”
“Cass, promise me you won’t get mad at what I’m about to tell you.”
Cassandra nods.
“I sent your resume to Rodriguez International. You know, the bank? They just opened another branch and they’re looking for a receptionist. I secretly sent your credentials to them, and they want you to come in for an interview. I hope you don’t mind.”
Rodriguez. Cassandra stiffens, but then she reminds herself that there are plenty of Rodriguez’s in Manhattan. Why should she be nervous?
“No, Gwen, I don’t. I need the job desperately. Thank you for looking out for me again.”
“That’s what friends are for.”
“Where will the interview be?”
“Midtown Manhattan. Their head offices are in Times Square, and you should be there at seven. You can use my laptop if you want to know more about the bank; they’re pretty well-known.”
“I trust you, Gwen, and right now I’ll take anything I can get. No one wants to share an apartment with me and a four-month-old baby.”
“Hang in there. You’ll find someone,” Gwen assures her.
“I hope so, or me and Alex will have to move into something smaller than this.”
The three of them have been quite comfortable in their two-bedroom apartment with its small kitchen, living room, and half-bath. Cassandra also appreciates that Gwen likes Alex a lot, even babysitting for her when she is job hunting.
“I’m going to miss you, Gwen.”
“Me too. I’ll call whenever I can, but for now, I’m still here. Want to order some pizza to celebrate? My treat.”
“I can’t…,” Cassandra begins.
“I wasn’t really asking you, Cass,” Gwen says over her shoulder as she heads to her room.
Just then, Cassandra hears Alex on the baby monitor that rests on the kitchen island. She grabs his bottle and fetches him from the room, then settles comfortably on the couch. As Alex feeds hungrily, his tiny mouth making a ton of noise, Gwen joins her again.
“Brian’s going with you, right?” Cassandra questions. Brian is Gwen’s boyfriend, and they’ve been together for five years.
“Yeah. He’s meeting me in Seattle once he wraps up a few things here.” Gwen reaches out to touch Alex’s hair. “He’s adorable, Cass. Any luck finding his dad?”
“No, and honestly, I’ve stopped looking. I don’t want to disrupt someone else’s life.”
“Cassie…”
“I’ve given it a lot of thought, Gwen. What if I find him and he’s got a family, kids, a happy life? I can’t just barge in and ruin that.
“Besides, it was just one night of fun. The condom broke, and by the time we realized, it was too late. He could’ve found me if he wanted to. I think his silence says it all.”
“So you’re going to do this all by yourself. It’s going to be tough, Cass.”
“I know it will be, but I owe it to Alex to try. I won’t do what my parents did. Alex might not have a dad, but I can give him the life I never had.”
“You’re brave, Cass. A lot of women your age would’ve given up by now.”
Cassandra gently lifts Alex up to burp him. “Everything I do, I do for my Alexander.” She rubs his back until he burps.
An hour later, the pizza arrives, and Cassandra savors every bite of her two slices. She doesn’t get to indulge in takeout often; her budget has tightened since Alex’s arrival and the layoffs. She can’t remember the last time she bought something nice for herself.
Later that night, as she lies in bed unable to sleep, Cassandra’s thoughts drift back to Alex’s father. Where is he? Who is he, really? ~Does he even exist, or was he pretending to be someone else?~
Cassandra isn’t proud of how Alex was conceived, and she’s unsure of what she’ll tell him when he asks about his father. But for now, Emilio’s intense eyes and deep, masculine voice—tinged with a hint of an accent—linger in her dreams.
