Taking a Gamble

Chapter One

Cassidy Holmes sat at her small kitchen table, her oversized coffee mug nestled between her hands, and stared out the window. The dark snow clouds were keeping the rising sun at bay, and she sighed. Gordy, her two-year-old golden retriever, echoed her sentiments.

I love the winter, but this year’s been too much even for me, Gordy, she told him. She smiled when his ears perked up and he tilted his head in his best I’m trying really hard to understand what you’re saying expression. She felt bad for him. He loved bounding through the snow and making tunnels, but he was getting tired of it too. They were on pace to break the record for the coldest February in over sixty years. And the snow. God, she was sick of having to use the snow blower what seemed like every day just to keep a clear path to her brother’s house only seventy-five yards from her front porch.

After giving the dog a good scratch behind his ear, she took her mug to the sink before heading to the front door of her cabin. This was what she absolutely hated the most. Having to bundle up in snow pants, boots, gloves, hat, and jacket just to be able to take Gordy out to do his business.

The wind chill had been brutal most days of the month, and there was a part of her that was happy the storage auction business had all but halted for the winter. There were days she’d have gladly told her brother, Danny, to go fuck himself if there had been any auctions scheduled. She was seriously considering it today as a matter of fact. But Danny and his wife, Barb, were expecting their first child any day now, and she figured he was feeling the pressure to get a real job. She had a feeling their days of doing what they both loved were dwindling fast.

Cass and Danny had been willed the property they lived on, a non-working farm close to the county line, when their father died two years ago. She’d been living in the cabin for more than a decade, but it was originally built for her grandmother who refused to live there. She knew Cass’s father only constructed the place so he could control her, as he did everyone else in his life. To say Cass felt no sorrow at his passing was putting it mildly.

The cabin stood on a plot of land that had held a small barn for housing horses when the farm was thriving, that had been long before her father purchased it. When her parents bought the place, they restructured the land and sold off part of the acreage to local farmers who wanted the fields to raise their crops. Other sections of the land were being rented for the same purpose, and the money they now received for that was split three ways between herself, Danny, and their mother, Sara.

She glanced around the interior of the cabin after Gordy was done outside and felt a contentment she didn’t usually allow herself. It was a large open space with a staircase leading to a loft, where her bedroom was, from the far side of the room next to the kitchen. This was home. And at least this space didn’t hold any bad memories of her childhood, unlike the main house where Danny and Barb lived. Cass had been more than happy to let them have the house while she gladly stayed in the cabin. She had everything she needed right here. Running water, an indoor toilet, and a place to sleep. What else could she ask for? The fact the property had been completely paid off before her father died was a bonus. Cass was able to live on the property for just the cost of half the yearly taxes.

She felt her phone vibrate against her hip and fought to get her hand inside her snow pants to retrieve it before she missed the call. Of course it was Danny. Who else would it be at the ass-crack of dawn?

I’m not lying when I tell you there’s a big part of me hoping today’s auctions have been cancelled, she said.

No such luck, he answered with a laugh. Although the first location is down to one unit, so I say we skip it and just head to the second facility. That’ll give us a little extra time to get there in case the roads are a total mess. And maybe we can get there before the rest of the caravan, because it’s a bitch trying to park the truck even when there aren’t six-foot-high snow drifts.

Sounds good. I’ll be there in a few. Cass hung up and went to the fridge to get the big bottle of water she always took with her. When she turned to head back to the door, she almost tripped over Gordy. She crouched down and looked him in the eye. You’re going to be a good boy while Mommy’s out working today, right? I can’t afford to buy new pillows every time I leave you alone.

He cocked his head to the side as though he understood her. She’d gotten him from a shelter where his owners had abandoned him because he had separation anxiety. He’d been better since she realized if she left the television or the radio on while she was gone he didn’t seem to be as stressed out. They’d started to find their groove before the auctions stopped back in November. She hoped he hadn’t regressed since she’d been home with him so much over the winter.

She smiled at the memory of the mess she’d walked in on the first time she’d left him alone. She liked to sleep with a lot of pillows on her bed, and he’d ripped every single one of them apart. There’d been stuffing and feathers strewn all over the cabin. The pillow shredding incident happened almost a year ago, and she was still finding the stray feather every once in a while. Needless to say, it had been the last time she used feather pillows.

Cass patted him on the head and kissed his snout before heading out to make her way to the main house. Barb was waiting in the doorway for her, a big cup of coffee in her hand and a smile on her face. Cass took the coffee and kissed her on the cheek.

If you weren’t straight, I’d marry you in a heartbeat, Cass said with a grin.

Liar, Barb answered with a laugh. She took Cass’s hand and placed it on her belly. Your nephew’s been kicking up a storm since three o’clock this morning.

Cass looked at her in wonder as she felt a little foot bounce against her hand. It was amazing to think a tiny human life was growing inside there. Cass was just happy it was someone else. She had no desire to procreate. In fact, small children scared the hell out of her. She was still trying to figure out how to tell Barb her built-in babysitter wasn’t going to do much good if she was hiding in the closet every time the baby cried.

Where’s my brother? she asked before ushering Barb inside. Standing in the cold couldn’t be good for her in her condition, right?

He’s in the shower. Barb led her into the kitchen and motioned for her to have a seat. Are pancakes all right for breakfast?

You don’t have to feed me. The response was merely habit for Cass. Barb made pancakes almost every morning, and Cass was usually there to eat them.

Please. If I don’t, who will? Of course, if you’d find a nice woman to settle down with, maybe I wouldn’t have to worry about whether or not you’re eating.

Pancakes are fine. Cass didn’t want to go there. She folded her arms across her chest, her way of telling the world to go away. Her heart ached at the thought of how her mother had given up her dreams to marry her father in order to raise her and Danny. There was no way she was going to make the same mistake. Settling down wasn’t part of her agenda. Never had been and never would be.

Have you heard from her lately? Barb asked, seeming to read her mind.

She called the other night from Okinawa. Cass was happy her mother was finally able to do the things she wanted to do, instead of what her husband told her—or forced her—to do. She’d always wanted to travel, and she was making the most of life now that she was in her fifties. Cass wanted to enjoy life while she was still young, not when she might be too old or too frail to do it later on.

Danny had been furious when they’d found out their father left everything to them, and nothing for their mother. But their mother had been ecstatic to not get the property upon his death. She’d hated it there. Cass always thought she belonged in the city, not in the middle of nowhere otherwise known as western New York. And now she was. Traveling all over the world and visiting every city she possibly could. Although Cass was fairly certain she was going to settle down in Japan. She seemed to be completely enthralled with the place.

She seems happy? Barb asked as she put a plate in front of Cass and sat across from her. The breath she sucked in as she winced in obvious pain worried Cass.

What’s wrong? she asked, rushing to kneel beside her, one hand on Barb’s knee. Barb covered her hand with her own and breathed in through her nose.

This little bugger kicks hard, she said with a forced laugh.

Bullshit, Cass stood and looked over her shoulder for Danny. Where the hell was he? She’d heard the water shut off ten minutes ago. You’re having a contraction, aren’t you?

No. The way Barb clutched the table so hard her knuckles turned white was all Cass needed to let her know Barb was lying.

Jesus, you’re due any day. Does Danny know? How far apart are they?

Calm down, Cass. It’s not a contraction, and I’m hardly due any day. He isn’t supposed to come for three more weeks. Barb closed her eyes, and Cass watched as she tried to control her breathing. Have you forgotten I’m a doctor?

A general surgeon is hardly an OB/GYN, Barb.

You worry too much. There’s plenty of time before he makes his debut into the world.

Like father, like son. I’m guessing Danny never told you he was born an entire month early. Cass didn’t know what the hell to do. She headed for the living room but stopped and looked back at Barb. Don’t move. I’m going to find him.

She ran up the stairs and barged right into the master bedroom without knocking. She turned her back quickly when she saw Danny standing there in nothing but his birthday suit. He let out a yell and covered himself with his hands before she registered what she was seeing.

Christ, Cass, don’t you know how to knock?

Like I haven’t seen you naked before.

Yeah, when I was like six. What the hell are you doing here?

Your wife is in labor.

Now?

Yes, now, Cass said, exasperated. She turned around to face him, hoping she’d given him enough time to at least get his underwear on. She breathed a sigh of relief to see him zipping up his pants. That was a visual she never wanted to see again. You need to get her to the hospital.

But we have auctions to go to.

Are you serious? You think an auction’s more important than your first child being born? You aren’t going anywhere but with your wife to the hospital. Finish getting dressed, for God’s sake.

Cass hung around just long enough to make sure they got out of the driveway safely before getting in the box truck and heading for Buffalo.

Chapter Two

Hey, Cassidy!

Cass ignored the man calling her name. Rodney gave her a serious case of the creeps. She and Danny joked about how he probably only showered once a year. Religiously. It was bad enough dealing with his snide remarks when Danny was there with her, but today she’d have to handle him alone. She hoped she’d be able to refrain from punching him right in the nose the first time he made a lewd comment.

She made her way inside the office to register for a number and thanked the clerk when he handed it over to her. Once back outside, she scanned the crowd quickly but didn’t see Rodney. She took a deep breath and relaxed slightly. But then the stench reached her nostrils and she turned to see him standing behind her, his grin revealing the gaps in his yellow teeth.

Where’s your brother today?

His wife is having a baby so I’m on my own today.

He’s letting you do this on your own? He’s a braver man than me.

What the hell is that supposed to mean? she asked, knowing she shouldn’t let him get to her, but damn, he was nasty.

Calm down, honey. He laughed, which only pissed her off more. I know how women are, that’s all. You’re liable to see a pretty handbag or a nice piece of furniture and overbid.

Because I look like the type to drool over a pretty handbag, right?

You’re a woman, ain’t you?

Your powers of deduction are astounding, Rodney. She started to walk away but turned back to him, unable to help herself. She lowered her voice so the woman a few feet away from them with a small child couldn’t hear her. Stay the fuck away from me, do you understand? Just because I’m a woman doesn’t mean I like frilly things. I do, however, like the women who like frilly things.

She was satisfied by the bewildered look on his face, and she couldn’t help the laugh at his expense. No doubt it would take him a while to fully realize what she’d just told him. She prayed he’d leave her alone while he tried to figure it out.

She moved a few feet away from him and took in the crowd of people before her. It used to be only a handful of bidders before those damn television shows made everyone think they could get rich buying storage units at auction. The truth was, you were more likely to lose money than make much of a profit, but every once in a great while you’d find a unit that paid off big. It was why she continued to do it. Taking a gamble was necessary sometimes in her line of work.

The trick was knowing what to look for. Some bidders liked to bid on what they couldn’t see, but she and Danny stuck to the idea of only bidding on what you could see. That didn’t always mean you could actually see something of value. It meant if the units were clean—neatly packed and full of obviously well taken care of items—they would probably bid on it. On the other hand, if it looked like things were just thrown in there in a hurry, they weren’t too interested.

Rodney bothering you again?

Cass turned to see an older couple walking up to her. Tom and Maggie were good people. They’d befriended her and Danny a couple of years prior when she and Danny had helped them clean out a particularly bad unit. It had been literally full of garbage. Junk mail, old prescription bottles, and clothes that had definitely seen better days. What little furniture there had been was broken and not worth trying to repair.

Hey, Tom, it’s good to see you again, she said as she hugged him briefly before turning to his wife and doing the same. Maggie, you look as beautiful as ever.

As do you, Maggie replied with a slight blush to her cheeks.

Where’s Danny? Tom asked. He usually keeps Rodney in line.

Barb went into labor this morning, Cass explained. But if push came to shove, I’m sure I could handle Rodney on my own.

I have no doubt. Tom laughed as he looked over at the man in question. He shook his head in disgust and turned back to them. Tell Danny congratulations for us.

Will do. Cass saw the auctioneer heading for the gate, and the crowd moved forward in anticipation. Cass had hoped the influx of people curious to see how the whole process worked would thin out over time, but it didn’t seem to be happening. For the most part they were only there to observe, but there were always a few intent on driving up the prices.

Cass hung back as the first unit was opened. She preferred to let everyone else look first so she could hear what comments were being made. You never knew when someone else might see something you didn’t. Rodney was notorious for pointing out things to his business partner other people failed to notice.

The first three lockers were crap, as far as Cass could tell, and they’d gone for way too much money. The fourth one held a little promise though. There was an antique dining room set she was sure most of the bidders present had no desire to move. But if the people who owned it had money for a set so obviously expensive and well kept, then she was sure they had other things of value in there. Yes, the furniture was big, and most definitely heavy, but there was real potential in this unit.

She set an amount of seven hundred dollars for the unit, figuring she’d be able to get at least that much only for what she could see. She just hoped she was right about nobody wanting to deal with it. And she trusted Danny would be available to help her clean it all out by the end of the week.

The auctioneer was looking for a starting bid of five hundred, but nobody was biting. She saw a few people shaking their heads and turning away. When he dropped all the way down to one hundred, Cass gave him a nod. She felt her heartrate speed up when somebody raised their hand for one fifty. She’d never seen this particular guy before, but he obviously had more money than brains based on how much he’d paid for the first unit. Cass nodded again for two hundred.

Three hundred! Rodney yelled just as the bidding was about to close. He gave her a wink and a smile that made her skin crawl.

Four hundred, Cass said calmly. Mr. More-dollars-than-sense shook his head, looking for all the world like she was hurting his feelings by bidding against him. Cass hoped nobody else would jump in and Rodney would think she might drop the unit on him if he tried to raise it much further. She knew there was no way in hell he was going to move all the furniture on his own since his partner wasn’t there either.

Cass grinned to herself when the bidding ended there, and she went to place