Chapter 2: Dear Sister

As a rookie P.I. at Tyler Investigations, Cassie was still in the learning stages but determined to advance in her career. A couple of weeks ago, the client, Jason Schmidt, hired them to keep an eye on his wife, Tricia. Jason believed Tricia was having an affair because he discovered sexy dresses and lingerie that she apparently never wore for him. He believed Tricia's alleged lover was Jack Brady, the karate instructor who taught their son, Chase.

For the past two weeks, Cassie had been attending the same karate classes as Chase but nothing unusual was happening there. Tricia was at every class, but there were no questionable interactions between her and Jack. Of course, Jason's suspicions were understandable where Jack Brady was concerned; Jack was exceptionally hot, but his hotness went unnoticed by Tricia. Cassie hadn't seen anything between the two that supported Jason's theory of an affair, but as far as Jason was concerned, Jack was the only possible candidate.

Tricia's recent announcement, that every Friday night would now be Moms' night out, sent her husband into panic mode, and he decided to pay the full retainer to step up the investigation.

Tonight, would be the first official Moms' night and the best chance to catch Tricia in the act.

Cassie entered the Apex Car Rental agency just after nine. As she approached the front counter, Sara looked up and greeted her with a smile. "Hey, big sister, what can I do for you?" Sara had been working at the agency for almost a year, the longest she'd ever stayed at one job.

Cassie leaned against the counter and grinned, holding out her credit card. "I need a comfortable vehicle with tinted windows. I'll be doing surveillance for a few days."

"Surveillance? Not tonight? I thought you and Greg were spending the evening together." Sara glared at Cassie as if passing the ultimate judgement.

Smacking the credit card against the counter, Cassie fought the urge to roll her eyes while trying not to let Sara's condescending tone and insensitivity piss her off. She had more important things to do than argue with Sara. "Greg and I are taking a rain check."

Shrugging her disinterest, Sara dropped the subject as her fingers raced across the keyboard. "Let me see what we have."

It wasn't unusual for Sara to blatantly disapprove of Cassie's career, but at least, she didn't proceed with a lecture. For some reason, Cassie's career concerned most of her loved ones, and they were all vocal about it which frustrated Cassie to no end. They didn't realize that being a private investigator wasn't at all like the movies, but it was still exhilarating, and she loved it.

Cassie's gaze flickered, catching an eyeful of her stellar looking sister. She tried not to openly stare, but it couldn't be helped; Sara's stunning, waist-length, raven hair flowed along her curvy but toned figure that filled out her drab grey uniform to perfection, and her huge, steely-blue eyes held a lively twinkle. Sara's incredibly charismatic personality enhanced her beauty, making it easy to adore her and impossible to hate her, but she had a noncommittal attitude and lived like a hummingbird, buzzing from one place to another. Envying her little sister wasn't something Cassie could help. Free spirits like Sara were born to be envied.

Catching her own reflection in the window, Cassie grimaced. In comparison to Sara, she looked like a waif. In many ways, they looked alike. The same huge eyes accentuated both their faces, but Cassie's eyes were brown. They were similar in height and weight, but Sara was well-endowed, and Cassie was not. In fact, Sara managed to outshine her older sister on every level.

The sound of keys clanging against each other drew Cassie's attention away from her reflection and back to Sara.

"You have a choice. A silver minivan or a gold minivan?" Sara smirked, shaking the keys some more. "That's all I have with tinted windows."

Cassie shrugged. "I'll take the gold one. Minivans make great cover vehicles."

"Excellent," Sara said, handing Cassie the rental agreement to sign.

"Thanks for getting me a vehicle on such short notice." After finishing the paperwork, Cassie grabbed the keys and headed for the door.

"No biggie. Drive safe," Sara said, "and don't forget brunch with Mom on Sunday. I work until noon, so brunch is at one."

"I'll be there," Cassie confirmed, waving over her shoulder. Whether it was breakfast, brunch, or dinner, every Sunday was spent with Mom. It was the one family tradition they all looked forward to.