The Forgotten Night Read Online Free PDF Page B

memory loss.”
    “You can’t remember what happened last night?”
    Andrew shook his head and narrowed his gaze. “Do you know something, Rog?”
    Roger paused for a long moment, then shook his head. “No. Miss Ashley Kingston was here just a few minutes ago. She wanted to talk to you. I told her you were in the kitchen with Miss Rachel.”
    “Huh, she didn’t come in. Do you know if she’s left?”
    “I believe so, sir, I saw her step out just a few moments ago.”
    “Good. Thanks, Rog.” Andrew walked up the stairs to his bedroom.
    A horrible thought struck him. What if it was Ashley who had been with him last night? What if she helped Cassidy take him upstairs? What if he had kissed her in front of Cassidy? No, he wouldn’t have done that. Plus, Cassidy never allowed Ashley to help her, not the previous years and surely not this year.
    It couldn’t possibly have been Ashley, but if it was not her, then who?
     
    * * *
     
    On New Year’s Eve, Cassidy stood in front of her mirror, looking at her reflection. She was wearing a simple black and grey A-line dress that went down to her knees, with a velvet black sash wrapped around her waist. Her hair hung down over her shoulders and the necklace—Andrew’s necklace—hung around her neck as it always had since the first day he gave it to her on the first Christmas they’d spent together.
    Cassidy had heard guests arriving at her house awhile back, but had known Andrew wouldn’t show up that early. She had been fussing in her room for the past hour, wondering if she looked all right, wondering if that night last week had really happened. She had hoped to hear from him sometime this week and the fact that she hadn’t made her really nervous. She had somehow managed to convince herself that he had been waiting until tonight and meant to make some really romantic gesture.
    She opened her door and slowly made her way down the main staircase. “Rose, have you seen Andy or Rach?” she asked her family's housekeeper. When Cassidy was younger, Rose had watched her when her parents were off on business.
    “No, Cassidy. I haven’t seen them arrive yet.”
    “Thanks anyway.” Cassidy walked into one of the rooms that had been converted into a bar for the party. She moved through the crowd to the bar and ordered a shot of tequila. Cassidy lifted the shot glass to her mouth and swallowed it quickly. She waited a few minutes and then ordered another.
    “Getting started early, I see,” Andrew said from behind her.
    The anxiety she’d been trying to subdue came flooding back and she gave him a reluctant smile. “Nerves.”
    Andrew studied her a moment longer before extending his hand. “Rach is in the other room.”
    Cassidy placed her hand in his and couldn’t help but flash back to the events at the Christmas Party. She closed her eyes and absentmindedly followed Andrew, but opened them when he squeezed her hand.
    “Dreaming?” he asked softly.
    She grinned sheepishly. “Perhaps.”
    “Cass! There you are. I knew he’d find you,” Rachel said, walking up to them. “We have a couple of hours before midnight. Let’s get this party started.”
    “Come on,” Cassidy said and led the way upstairs into her bedroom suite. Andrew collapsed on the small sofa that sat in front of the large flat screen TV. Traditionally at her parent’s New Year’s Eve parties they would go up to Cassidy’s room and watch a movie or play some sort of game. Most of the guests were friends of their parents, and once they put in an appearance, they much preferred each other’s company.
    “What are we watching this time, kids?” Andrew asked.
    “I was thinking about The Italian Job ,” Rachel said.
    “Sounds good to me,” Cassidy said and walked to her shelf, pulling the DVD out and placing the disk into her machine.
    Rachel took her usual spot in the sofa chair while Cassidy sat down next to Andrew like she always had. However, this year it felt different. She wanted