I Was His Wife, Then His Widow, Then No One's But My Own novel Chapter 90

"Dad! When are you guys getting here? I have something super important to tell you!"

"We're pulling up right now," Finnegan said. "Give us exactly two minutes."

"Okay!"

The call disconnected. Cassie vaulted off the living room sofa, stood at absolute attention, and started loudly counting down. She hadn't even reached sixty seconds before the front door clicked open.

Cassie practically launched herself off the floor, throwing the door open to find Seraphina smiling warmly on the porch.

Seraphina looked effortlessly stunning in a cream-colored cardigan, her hair tumbling softly over her shoulders. She radiated gentle maternal warmth.

Cassie tackled her in a massive hug, burying her face into Seraphina's waist. "Seraphina!" she squealed, her voice muffled against the fabric.

Finnegan walked in right behind her, chuckling as he reached down to ruffle Cassie's hair. "You said you had something important to tell us. What's the big emergency?"

Cassie pulled her face away from Seraphina's sweater, eyes wide. "My school is hosting The Willow Academy Summer Camp next weekend! Can you and Seraphina come with me? Please?"

Finnegan frowned, mentally scanning his calendar. He was scheduled to fly to Chicago next weekend for an aggressive merger negotiation. He had spent two months chasing this particular client to lock in the meeting. It was entirely unmovable.

"I have a massive business trip to Chicago next weekend, kiddo. I don't think I can make it."

Cassie's lower lip immediately shot out in a devastating pout. Seeing the impending meltdown, Seraphina quickly jumped in, her voice dripping with affection. "Don't worry, Cassie. I'll take you."

Cassie shrieked in delight, throwing her arms around Seraphina's neck and planting a massive, noisy kiss right on her cheek.

Seraphina laughed brightly, completely charmed, and playfully pinched the little girl's cheek in return.

But as Cassie finally untangled herself and hopped down, the gears in her head were already spinning furiously.

Before calling them, she had already formulated a backup plan. If Seraphina had said no, she would have called her mom.

Her mom always caved. But since Seraphina had eagerly agreed, there was no need to even bring it up to her mom now.

"I have plans next weekend," Nora finally said softly. "Why do you ask?"

Cassie let out a massive, silent exhale of relief. "Oh, nothing! Just wondering! Well, you go back to work then, bye!"

She hung up and beamed, practically vibrating with victory. Her mom wasn't going to ruin the weekend. Perfect.

On the other end of the line, Nora stared at her darkened screen and shook her head, an exhausted resignation washing over her. She wasn't an idiot. She knew exactly why Cassie was asking. The girl was likely praying she was too busy to interfere in her perfect new family life.

She had always known exactly how her daughter's mind worked. The only difference was that now, she simply didn't have the energy to care anymore.

Pushing the bitter thought away, Nora opened her messages and texted Bonnie: *Is there anything specific you want to eat at the camp?*

Even though Bonnie was recovering at home, she replied almost instantly, tacking a crying emoji onto the end of the text.

*Dr. Lawson said my tummy can't handle any greasy food right now. It's totally tragic!*