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“Trust me, this isn’t the entire family.” Jason caught her look and smiled. “We don’t have to go in if you don’t want to, but I promise they’re going to love you. And I think you should meet my grandmother.”
Cassie’s stomach twisted. “Any particular reason?”
She was stalling, and Jason knew it. “It’ll be easier for her to explain.”
Cassie blew out a breath and steeled herself. “Okay.”
Jason pushed his door open but looked back at her before he got out. “If anyone should be nervous here, it’s me. Kiki warned me she’d tell you all the worst stories.”
“Oh, yeah, because I’m sure you were such a bad kid.”
His eyes twinkled. “I got into some shenanigans here and there.”
Cassie let her response die on her lips. They were already inside the front gate, up the steps, and through the door, and her nerves hit her all at once. She let Jason lead the way through the living room to the kitchen while she smoothed down her shirt and tried to take slow, even breaths.
Three women occupied the room. Two of them sat at the table drinking tea. They looked like sisters, with shoulder-length hair that fell in waves around their faces. One of them wore rings on every finger. The third woman wore a head wrap and looked older than the other two. She was taking cookies out of the oven. The smell was divine.
Jason walked up to the woman sitting closest to the doorway and kissed her on the cheek. “Mama.” He turned to the one with all the rings and kissed her, too. “Auntie Kay.”
“Jay, what are you doin’ back so soon?” The older woman hadn’t turned around yet. Her voice was deep and rich. Her words came slowly, like she had all the time in the world to sit and talk with you. “I thought you were out with that young lady from the museum. Figured you wouldn’t be back ‘til mornin’.”
“That’s actually why I’m here.” Jason gestured for Cassie to step out of the shadow of the doorway and into the light of the kitchen. Auntie Kay was the first to notice her. She set her teacup down and pinched her eyebrows together. “Granny, this is Cassie Quinn.”
Jason’s mother and grandmother turned at the same time. The smiles fell from their faces the second they laid eyes on her. There was a beat of silence, and Cassie considered bolting for the door. Her heart would’ve been pounding like a jackhammer if it hadn’t given up and stopped altogether.
“Oh, honey.” Granny crossed the room and took Cassie’s hands in her own. “You poor thing.”
It was Cassie’s worst nightmare. She could save face and lock her emotions up when she had to, but the moment someone saw through her, the tears started flowing. Jason’s grandmother had looked deep into her soul and saw more than Cassie wanted to admit.
Auntie Kay grabbed a box of tissues and handed it to Cassie, who took one and dabbed her eyes. “I’m sorry. I don’t know why I’m crying.”
“It’s okay, you let it out.” Granny steered Cassie to the last open seat and sat her down. Before she knew it, there was a cup of tea and a plate of cookies in front of her. “You take your time, honey.”
The three women in the room turned to Jason and leveled him with an identical glare. The force of it made him take a step back. He held up his hands. “What’d I do?”
“You tell me,” Granny scowled.
“Tell you what?”
Cassie bit into a chocolate chip cookie and instantly felt more at ease. She washed it down with a sip of tea and then turned to Jason’s mom. “Please don’t be mad at him. He’s had kind of a strange night.”
“Strange how?” she asked.
Cassie looked to Jason, who rubbed a hand across the back of his neck. “Well, it started with a trip to the graveyard with this strange woman,” he said, like that should be explanation enough. With three faces still blinking up at him, he sighed. “I think Cassie might be kind of like you.”
The woman with all the rings on her fingers laid a gentle hand on Cassie’s arm. “My name is Kianna, but you can call me Auntie Kay.” When she gestured to her sister, the jewels sparkled in the light. “This is Tanesha, but—”
“—you can call me Mama T.”
Auntie Kay gestured to their mother. “And that’s Granny Mabel.”
“It’s nice to meet you all.” Cassie meant it, even if she still felt like crawling into a hole and never coming out. “Thank you for the cookies.”
“You’re welcome, honey.” Granny Mabel put a gentle hand on her shoulder. “You’re strong. You can handle whatever you’re going through. You remember that.”
“Granny, do you know someone named Sabine Delacroix?”
Three heads turned to face Jason. Mama T was the first one to speak. “She was the woman in the graveyard?”
