Mourning Becomes Cassandra Read Online Free PDF Page A

more sugar in her empty coffee cup. “Uh huh, but I don’t think James is my type. I mean, he seems very nice and all, but a little tame.”
    Even as she spoke her eyes were drawn out the bay window, and I followed her gaze. From my seat I could just see half of Daniel’s back. He was in what must be his favorite spot, lounging on the deck reading the newspaper.
    Joanie and I exchanged looks of dismay.
    “Well…” Joanie drawled, “I’m sure you’ll find someone less tame and more unsuitable to like, Phyl. In any case, since Roy is unemployed and I think I’ll want to see him more than he can afford, I have a brand-new idea for our brand-new household.”
    Now Phyl and I exchanged amused glances.
    “What now?” I asked. “Cough it up.”
    To our surprise, Joanie leaned over and banged on the window pane. “Daniel! Could you come in a second? I want to run something by you.”
    I could see Phyl hold her breath as we waited for him. After some moments he came in the back door and threw his folded newspaper on the counter, running his hands through his tousled blond hair and nodding briefly at me. “What, Joanie?”
    She slung an arm around him and cuddled. Joanie has always been very demonstrative physically, something I think her many fiancés enjoyed. Nor did her brother seem to mind, and he put his arm on her shoulders. They really were amazingly good-looking together. “Okay, Daniel,” she said, “I’ve got this great idea for our house that can involve you or not involve you, but I’d love for it to involve you.”
    “Oh, for Chrissake, Joanie. Are you planning some kind of tent revival in the backyard? The answer is no.”
    “No, stupid. It doesn’t even necessarily involve church—”
    “‘Necessarily’?” he echoed warily. “I thought that’s all you girls did. Speaking of which, why are you all sitting around, instead of getting your butts to church on a Sunday morning?”
    “Phyl and I will go later,” Joanie explained impatiently. “And Cass has already been.”
    Daniel glanced at the clock and whistled. “I guess the grass won’t grow under your feet.”
    Over me, more like, I thought.
    He dropped a wink at me. “And didn’t you say your name was Cathy?”
    “Cass. It’s Cass—short for Cassandra,” I replied, a little flustered by the wink.
    “I was just thinking,” Joanie began again, thumping on Daniel’s chest to get his attention, “wouldn’t it be cool if, once a week—say Thursdays, since that’s one of my days to cook—we had some kind of standing open house here. We could each invite one or two guests for dinner, with advance notice, of course. It’d be the one night of the week when we all tried to be home together to eat and hang out. It could be potluck, but you and your guests could be freeloaders, if you want.”
    “Whoa, whoa, whoa.” He backed out of her encircling arm. “No way am I hosting the weekly church picnic, and what makes you think I want to hang out with you and your friends—no offense—” He grimaced in the direction of Phyl and me.
    “None taken,” whispered Phyl.
    “I’m not talking about a church picnic,” Joanie retorted, her voice getting that little annoyed edge I recognized. “I’m talking about having one night a week for friends and family and community, and showing a little hospitality! I wouldn’t even necessarily invite a church person, and neither would Phyl or Cass—”
    “This is Joanie’s idea,” Phyl breathed.
    Joanie shot her a scathing look but plowed on. “And you and your friends or girlfriends or co-workers wouldn’t even need to come, but I wish you would. Come on, Daniel, it’ll be fun! Just say we can host it and try to come. If you hate it you can just get a plate of food and go hide at your place.”
    He threw up his hands in surrender and gave her a loud kiss on the cheek. “Fine. We’ll try it once. One or two guests each, max. This is going to be a crazy week at work, so what time do I