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mind.” He shot a small look in Maddie’s direction. “I think we have some things to discuss.”
    “And we can discuss them later,” Cassidy said. “Let’s all have dinner. Together. Let’s all have dinner together. It sounds like fun.”
    Nick knew what she was doing. She was delaying the inevitable. He had no idea what she hoped to accomplish with the maneuver, but he did know if he put up a fight it would result in a scene. “Yeah. Let’s all have dinner together. This is exactly how I saw this night going.”
     
    “SO, what was it like to die?” Cassidy shot the first arrow, and it was aimed directly at Maddie’s heart. “Did you see your mother?”
    “What the … ?” Nick was frustrated.
    “Oh, I’m sorry,” Cassidy said, her voice full of faux contrition. “Is that hard for you to think about?”
    Since Maddie had seen her mother, the question was more annoying than anything else. “I don’t think I really died,” Maddie said. “I lost consciousness.”
    “I heard Nick had to perform CPR.”
    “I did,” Nick said, irritated. “She wasn’t breathing when I pulled her out of the water. She wasn’t dead, though. The water was frigid. It slowed her body functions down.”
    “Oh, well, that sounds exciting,” Cassidy said, nonplussed. “Did you see anything when you lost consciousness?”
    Maddie shook her head. “I … .”
    “She doesn’t want to talk about it,” Nick snapped. “Leave her alone.”
    “I thought we were just having polite dinner conversation,” Cassidy said, feigning innocence. “I’m sorry. Let’s talk about something else. What did you and Nick do as kids?”
    Maddie’s face was a mask of concern, so Nick answered.
    “We played in the woods.”
    “What did you play?”
    “Lots of things,” Nick said.
    “Cops and robbers,” Maddie supplied, a hint of a smile on her face.
    “Cops and robbers,” Nick agreed, finding solace in the smile. “We also played war and would lob pine cones at each other.”
    “I remember when you guys used to watch that crocodile man show,” Maude said. “The one who always said ‘crikey.’”
    “Steve Irwin,” Nick said, laughing. “Yeah, we got kind of rambunctious after watching that show. It was impossible not to.”
    “We went down to the lake and you wrestled turtles for me,” Maddie teased.
    “They were fearsome beasts,” Nick said, holding up his hand and displaying a small scar as proof. “They’re vicious biters.”
    “Oh, you two and the turtles,” Maude said. “Maddie tried to keep the first ten you caught for her, but they were too much work. Finally, Olivia convinced Maddie that catch-and-release was the best method for enjoyment.”
    “Then I started finding cats for her,” Nick said, smirking.
    “Yes. We had three of them before Olivia put her foot down,” Maude said.
    “Maddie loved animals,” Nick said.
    “I still do,” Maddie said. “I’ve been thinking of getting a dog.”
    “No dogs,” Maude said. “They slobber all over you.”
    “Then I’m going to get a cat,” Maddie warned. “The house is too lonely with just the two of us.”
    “Can’t you get a goldfish?”
    “No.”
    “Why not?” Maude challenged.
    “You can’t cuddle up with a goldfish.”
    “They also don’t shed,” Maude pointed out.
    While Nick was charmed with the interplay, Cassidy was anything but. “So, did you guys have sleepovers?”
    Nick shifted in his chair. “What does that matter?”
    “Well, you guys are of the opposite sex. Did your mother allow Maddie to spend the night at your house?”
    “She did,” Nick said. “I spent the night at Maddie’s all the time, too.”
    “How long did that last?”
    Nick met Cassidy’s challenging gaze. “Until Maddie left for college.”
    Cassidy snorted. “Her mother let you sleep in the same room with her when you were teenagers?”
    “We slept in the window seat,” Nick corrected. “I don’t see why that’s an issue.”
    “It’s just …