She blinked, long thick lashes covering her eyes for a half a second.
“Would you tell her if I said don’t?” she finally asked.
Dash sighed deeply. “I don’t know, Cassie,” he told her seriously. “Secrets are big things. Little girls should always trust their mommas with their secrets. Even if they think it could get them in trouble.”
Cassie watched him silently. He could see her expression clearing, her eyes brightening a bit more than before.
“It’s a good secret,” she finally said. “A secret ‘bout momma.”
Now how could he resist? He grimaced. “Uhhh, Cassie, don’t tell tales on your momma,” he finally sighed. He was desperate to know anything she would tell.
She giggled lightly, knowingly.
“Momma might be angry with you, Dash,” she finally whispered, staring up at him with big, slate-blue eyes. “Be careful or she might yell at you. Momma doesn’t yell really loud, but boy, she can be scary when she does yell.”
Dash restrained his chuckle as relief poured through him. He wanted to know every soft inch of Elizabeth inside and out, but he didn’t want Cassie telling tales, either. This tale, he figured he could handle.
“What does she sound like when she yells?” he asked her, his voice just as soft as though it were actually secret. Hell, he knew she was pissed and getting madder by the second.
Cassie looked at the bathroom door. “Like she might take away the candy bars for a week.” Cassie nodded solemnly, but Dash could have sworn he saw laughter lurking in the little girl’s eyes. “You better be nice to her or she might not let you have any treats.”
Dash almost winced. Yep, he agreed with Cassie, that might be a bad thing. Unfortunately, he had yet to know what it was like to be really treated by Elizabeth.
“I’ll get my own candy bars,” he confided with a grin. “What would she do then?”
Cassie evidently hadn’t considered that angle.
“Oh.” Cassie pursed her lips, considering. “Would you get me one, too?” Her curls seemed to bounce around her face as she smiled up at him sweetly. Pure innocence. Or so she wanted him to think.
Dash snorted. Oh, she was a charmer all right.
“I don’t know. Messing with your momma over your candy bars might really get me in trouble.” He frowned as though thinking the matter over. “I might not want to chance that, Cassie.” The little girl obviously liked her candy bars. But she was also enjoying the game of learning how great an ally Dash would be.
He watched as she pulled at one of her curls thoughtfully. Her head tilted and he swore he could see her quick little mind working in those wide blue eyes.
“I could tell you how to get her unmad at you,” she finally confided sweetly. “I know the secret. Momma can’t resist.”
Now this might be interesting. Dash glanced over her. “You tell first. Then we’ll talk candy bars.”
Cassie rolled her eyes. “This information is worth a lot of candy bars, Dash.” She shook her head at him as though he disappointed her. She was obviously expecting so much more from him.
Dash wanted to laugh. He was surprised to realize how easily it was building in his chest. She was a tough little thing, for sure. He would have expected her to be huddled in fear, flinching at each sudden sound. Instead, she appeared to have completely forgotten about the day before.
“Hm,” he finally grunted, as though he might be reluctant to bargain. “What amount are we talking here?”
He hadn’t had much experience with kids, but Cassie made it real easy to find common ground with her.
“Well.” She scrunched her face up as she glanced back at the bathroom door before turning back to him with an innocent smile. “At least three chocolate bars. I really like chocolate, you know.”
Dash wiped his hand over his face, fighting his amusement. Damn. She was good. Her momma would kill him over three candy bars.
“Three, huh?” He sighed as though it could be a possibility. “How mad will your momma get over these three chocolate bars?”
She straightened the sleeve of her shirt. Ran her hand over the soft material again and then looked up at him with those angel’s eyes as though she had nothing more on her mind then making his life easier.
“Well, it would be controllable if you knew the secret to make her unmad.” She shrugged her pitifully thin shoulders negligently. “So, do we have a bargain here?”
Oh, she was good.