“This water is just what the doctor ordered. I haven’t shopped so long in forever. I think I have everything I could possibly need for the trip. Max hopes for us to be out of there within a few days, but he said in Cordova’s harsh conditions it’s better to be prepared for the worst,” Cassie spoke before a sigh escaped as the woman rubbed her foot and leg.

“I know, this is pure heaven,” Amy said in response to the sigh. “Max is absolutely correct. I remember one trip I took with Lucas to Canada. We ended up getting snowed in for two weeks straight when an unexpected blizzard hit. Luckily, we were at a remote resort that was fully stocked and prepared for emergencies. There was only one other couple staying there, and they were just as happy to hibernate in their room as we were. We met in the kitchen a few times to refuel, but it ended up turning out quite romantic,” Amy sighed.

The thought of getting snowed in with Max in a remote location should terrify her, but it only caused excitement. She could think of many things she’d like to do with him in a remote cabin in the wilds of Alaska. A shiver racked through her at the thought, so she shook her head to clear it. She’d never been the kind of girl to fantasize day and night about a man, before meeting Max. She tuned back into her conversation with Amy and realized she must have asked her something, because she was staring at her expectantly.

“I’m sorry, Amy. What did you say?”

“I just wanted to know if you’d like to come over for dinner when you get back. I’ve enjoyed our day together. I’d love for you to meet my family. When us girls get together the men head for the hills. We feel like teenagers again. We have at least one day a month where our husbands babysit the children and we get an entire night of girl time,” Amy invited. Cassie was touched, more than the woman could possibly know. To be invited into such a close knit group felt unlike anything she could imagine. Maybe, just maybe, she’d develop some friendships out of all this, and finally start to feel like she belonged.

“That sounds perfect,” Cassie said, hearing that her voice was choked. Amy couldn’t possibly know how lonely she got sometimes. She really missed her family, and more than anything she missed her best friend. They’d been together through thick and thin and she couldn’t wait for her to come back to the states.

“I can hardly wait. I know you’re exhausted, but we have a bit more shopping to do,” Amy said with a Cheshire cat smile. Cassie was on instant alert.

“I already have everything I need,” Cassie said with trepidation. She’d never seen anyone who could shop the way Amy did.

“You got everything for your Alaska trip, but if you want to be a big city reporter, then you have to get some sleek business attire. I know the perfect place that doesn’t charge hideous prices, plus I get the ultimate discount there,” Amy said, practically bouncing in her chair.

“I don’t know…” Cassie hesitated. She was already picturing her rapidly falling checking account and didn’t think she could afford much more. She’d been out of work for a month and didn’t know when she’d get a job next.

“Let’s at least look. I promise you’ll have fun,” Amy pled.

“Okay,” Cassie caved. Looking couldn’t hurt, she reasoned with herself. Besides, she wasn’t ready to call it a day. She was enjoying herself too much.

They finished with their pedicures and Amy quickly hailed a cab, taking them to the huge Anderson Storefront. Cassie had been in the corporate offices, but never to their department store. The two women walked in and Amy was quickly greeted with many smiles. They got stopped several times on their way to Lady’s apparel.

“You’re very popular here,” Cassie told her.

“That’s because I’m their number one customer,” Amy said with a smile. Amy was certainly on a mission and soon Cassie found her arms loaded with outfits she would’ve never even thought about picking out for herself. She found that she liked the colorful materials.

“Okay, I can’t hold anymore items. Lead me to the dressing room,” Cassie told her with a chuckle.

“Give me one minute. I just discovered a rack of new items, and I have to try on these dresses,” Amy said, grabbing an armful for herself. “Now we can have a fashion show,” she added with delight.

The two women went to the changing rooms and modeled every outfit for each other, both of them oohing and aahing at the other’s clothes.

“You absolutely have to get the green, blue, and silver outfits. Those were my favorites,” Amy said as they came back out.

“I don’t know…” Cassie hedged. She hadn’t dared look at the price tags. She really did love the feel of the fabrics, but the skirts were a bit shorter than she normally wore and they were a lot more fitted. She knew she could stand to lose five pounds, but she felt slim and attractive in the perfectly cut clothes.

“Oh, please, you look so incredible in them,” Amy told her.

“Alright, you’ve talked me into it,” Cassie caved. She hadn’t bought herself new clothes in a long time and she deserved it. She’d charge them to her credit card and pray she got hired immediately after the amazing article she was going to put her heart and soul into.

If she didn’t get a job at the paper right away, she could always find something else until she got hired. It was better to have the right kind of clothes when she went for interviews, she justified to herself.

They went to the register and Cassie was thrilled with the total cost. Amy hadn’t been kidding when she said she got an amazing discount. She wanted to turn around and add about twenty more items to her pile. As if Amy could read her mind, she giggled.

“I told you I get a great price. We’ll have to do more shopping after you land your dream job. Seriously, all you have to do is call me and I’ll be there. As you can see I love to shop, and it’s even better having someone to go with. I think this is the start of a wonderful friendship,” Amy said and surprised Cassie by giving her a hug.

“I’m starving after all this walking. Why don’t we grab a bite to eat before we head back to the offices? I think Lucas will be done by then. He’s taking me on a romantic drive to the coast tonight. I can hardly wait,” Amy said, once again dragging Cassie away.

They passed by a mother who had her hands full. She had a crying baby and a toddler, who was trying with all his might, to escape her. She looked frazzled and Cassie wanted to stop and help. The sight of the precious little one made her heart swell. She’d given up on the idea of having children a couple years ago. You had to be in a secure relationship and she just didn’t see that happening anytime soon. She didn’t have time to meet the right kind of guys, and she didn’t want to find her future husband in a bar. Most men there only wanted a woman for the night. She felt doomed to eternal singleness.

The girls ate their meal and finally made it back to the offices. Amy promised to call, before rushing off to Lucas’s floor. It was in the building beside Max’s. There was a skywalk connecting the buildings, so the girls had ridden to the floor together before Amy walked across to meet Lucas. Cassie wanted to see the spectacular view of the city sometime from the skywalk, with its floor to ceiling windows all along it. She knew the view at night would be glorious.

Some people didn’t like the hustle and bustle of a large city, but the longer she was in Seattle, the more she fell in love. There were quaint little coffee shops, beautiful scenery, plenty of shopping, and parks, and if you did want some peace and quiet it wasn’t far away. She still hadn’t gone on a ferry boat ride, which she promised herself she’d do soon. She couldn’t imagine ever getting bored in the beautiful Northwest.

“You’ve been gone a long time,” was the first thing she heard as she stepped into Max’s office.

“I ran into your cousin’s wife, Amy, and we had lunch and did some shopping. We had a wonderful time,” Cassie said, before she realized she didn’t need to explain herself to the man. He wasn’t her employer.

“Well, you missed out on some valuable training Cynthia was going to provide you. You aren’t acting like you want to go on this trip,” he stated.

“Of course I want to go on this trip. We were shopping for cold-weather clothes,” Cassie snapped. If he was going to act this way in Alaska she may have to bury him in an avalanche of snow, she thought with evil glee.

There was a long pause as he looked from her to the bags dangling from her fingers, then to his desk. She was getting tired of feeling like she was being called into the principal’s office.

“Did you and Amy have a nice afternoon?”

She felt like she was being interrogated. Was there something wrong with her going out with Amy? Maybe, he was a snob and thought she wasn’t respectable enough to spend the afternoon with the president of the company’s spouse. She wiped that thought from her mind the second she had it. She knew the Andersons weren’t snobby people. She just couldn’t figure out why he’d care if she spent time with Amy. It didn’t affect him in any way. Then, it hit her that he would figure she’d drilled Amy the entire time about him.

Amy had shared some information, but nothing that would reflect on him in a negative way, she actually liked Max. She said she hadn’t gotten to know him until his family moved back home to Seattle, but since the move the cousins were closer than ever. Family meant everything in their large group and they got together for any excuse they could find. Heck, they didn’t even need excuses. They just dropped in on each other whenever they could.

“Amy is fantastic. We plan on going out again,” she stated stubbornly. Let him try and forbid her from having a friend.

“Don’t get too cozy around my family, Cassie. You’re doing an interview about me, then you’ll be gone,” he said lazily like he didn’t care, but Cassie heard the threat behind the words. She felt like she was going to explode, she was so angry with him. After they got done with the Alaska trip she was certainly going to tell him what she really thought about his arrogance. For now, he had her, and he knew it.

“Don’t worry, Max. I’m not secretly trying to get close to your family, so that ultimately I can continue to trail you. You may believe the world thinks you’re irresistible, but all I’ve ever wanted from you was an interview. When I’m done with it we’ll part ways and you never have to look at my face again,” she reassured him. She hoped she’d been successful in keeping the anger from her tone. By the narrowing of his eyes, she thought she may need to try a little harder.

“Just as long as you don’t forget that,” he said in an almost seductive tone. She fought the shudder his voice invoked. He made her angry one moment, and burning with need the next.

Cassie took a deep breath, making sure her voice would be under control before she spoke again. She didn’t need their argument to escalate any further.

“Believe me, Max, I won’t be forgetting my place around you,” she said in a sugary sweet voice that made her sick. He looked at her suspiciously, but thankfully let the topic drop.