“And you keep all this from him?” Cassandra felt stunned, not so much that her mother kept secrets, but that she had such fun ones to hide.
“Of course. It’s all a part of my job of being happy while presenting the ladylike image that’s so important to supporting your father’s career. And don’t you forget, this information is classified, young lady, and disseminated only on a need-to-know basis.”
Cassandra laughed until tears trickled down her cheeks.
Her mother, watching with a bright smile, reached over to tuck a curl behind her ear, letting her fingers smooth her daughter’s cheek as she did.
Smiling, Cassandra was pretty sure this was the closest, the happiest, she’d ever been with her mother.
“Why didn’t you ever share any of this with me before?” she asked.
“You never wanted to h
