Heavenstone 01 - The Heavenstone Secrets

beautiful pearl necklace and matching pearl earrings made it seem as if Mother had been resurrected.
    Before I could say anything, however, Daddy came in, and the expression on his face said it all. He stood there stunned.
    “Cassie,” he said. “For a moment … my God, you look beautiful, as beautiful as your mother.”
    The expression
She was exploding with happiness
had never fit anyone as well as it did Cassie at that moment.
    “Thank you, Daddy,” she replied.
    “I’m jealous of Porter,” he said, smiling. It was a real Daddy smile from before Mother’s passing.
    “You don’t have to be,” Cassie said. “You don’t ever have to be jealous of anyone when it comes to me.”
    “I know, honey.” He hugged her and kissed her cheek. Then he looked at me. “Your sister’s something, huh, Semantha?”
    “Yes, Daddy.”
    “Semantha has been working on your dinner,Daddy,” Cassie told him. “She’s making you a rack of lamb.”
    “Is she? Well, I actually have something of an appetite tonight,” he said. “Seeing you in this dress, Cassie, stirred the old juices. I’ll be down in a little while, Semantha.” He started away. “Oh. Have a good time, Cassie.”
    “Thank you, Daddy.” She watched him go up and then turned to me.“Remember, now, he’s very fragile. Be careful of what you say to him. Mention nothing about Mrs. Underwood or anything that could add to his tension and burden, okay?”
    “Yes, Cassie.”
    “I’m depending on you to take care of him.”
    “I will, Cassie. I promise.”
    “Good. Good. I’ll stop by your room when I return and give you a report, just the way you gave one to me when you went out with that … what’s his name.”
    “Kent?”
    “Right.”
    She hugged me just as the doorbell sounded.
    “That’s Porter. Come. You can say hello,” she said, fixing my hair and straightening my blouse. She took my hand. “I want him to see that both of the Heavenstone sisters are beautiful, Semantha.”
    Suddenly, she had become my older sister again and not some guardian ogre.
    When she opened the door, I thought I was looking at what Daddy surely had looked like when he was younger. Porter Andrew Hall was my father’s height and had a similar build, but he also had stunningblack opal eyes, what Mother used to call jewels in a face. He had ebony hair as well, and the contrast with his almost caramel complexion was as striking as his eyes. I thought he was one of the handsomest men I had ever seen, and that included movie stars. His strong, firm mouth and straight, perfect nose completed a face that would make the Greek gods jealous. When he smiled, everything came to life in that face, as if there was some little magic lantern inside him. I actually felt a tingle beneath my breasts and knew that I was blushing. He was looking so intently at me.
    “So, this is Semantha,” he said, before Cassie could introduce us.
    “This is Semantha,” Cassie replied.
    “Your sister has told me all about you, Semantha. I used to think she was so arrogant, that she thought she was above everyone and wasn’t interested in anyone else, but she’s put you on a pretty high pedestal. She never stops talking about you.”
    I looked at Cassie. Never would I have imagined her bragging about me. What could she brag about? I wasn’t Miss Popularity when I was at the public school, and my grades, as I had constantly been reminded, were average at best. I had no real musical talent and had struggled with the piano lessons when I’d had them and the dance lessons as well. I didn’t think I looked especially beautiful. Now, I could cook and bake almost as well as Cassie. I kept the house as clean as she could, but to make me the center of her conversation? It was quite a surprise to hear it.
    “Never mind all that now, Porter,” she said. “Let’s just go.”

    “I’d love to see the house.”
    “Some other time. It’s not ready for visitors. Be sure you look after Daddy,” she told me.
    Porter hesitated, still smiling at me. Then he winked and said, “Wish me luck, Sam.”
    I almost lost my breath.“How did you know to call me Sam?”
    “Cassie told me. How else?” he said. He winked again and turned as Cassie closed the door between us.
    I stood there as if I expected it would open again and Porter would be there to say one more thing. It didn’t, and I soon turned away and returned to the kitchen. A little more than a half-hour later, Daddy came down to