She hadn’t been sleeping much, and when she did drift off, she’d only wake up a few minutes later after dreaming about Erica. She’d been ill-tempered toward Danny, Barb, and her mother, but it was almost as if she couldn’t help herself. Anything they said to her seemed to rub her the wrong way, and if they mentioned Erica, forget about it.
How the hell had Erica gotten so completely under her skin in such a short period of time? No one had ever been able to make her think twice about them, and there’d been plenty of women who’d tried. Gordy lifted his head and gave her chin a quick swipe of his tongue. She kissed him on the snout and rubbed behind his ear.
“Maybe I just need to get laid,” she said to the ceiling. Maybe it could be that simple, but she had no desire to drive to Buffalo or Rochester, and there sure as hell wasn’t anywhere local the lesbians hung out at. In fact, there were people who would deny right to her face that any lesbians lived in this town. She chuckled before taking a swig of her beer. It was mindboggling how people were able to only see what they chose to see. She could tell someone she was a lesbian, and they’d insist she was wrong. “Because there aren’t any of those people around here.”
Gordy chuffed and rubbed his nose against her leg as if he were laughing at what she’d said. God, she really did need to get out more. If she thought the dog was communicating with her, how far behind could crazy town be?
She jumped when there was a loud banging at the door. She pushed Gordy off the couch when he started barking and ran to the kitchen to put her beer back in the fridge. After shoving a piece of spearmint gum in her mouth, she hurried to answer the door.
“I’m leaving now,” Danny told her. “You’re going to keep an eye on Rance for me, right?”
“Absolutely,” she said with a smile. She grabbed her coat and followed him up the path. “But you’ll only be gone for a few minutes, and he never wakes up while you’re gone.”
“But if he did, someone needs to be there, not to mention the fact Barb would kill me if she found out I left him alone for any longer than it took me to walk to your place and back.”
“And you wonder why I’m not interested in a long-term relationship,” she mumbled. She ran right into his back when he stopped abruptly. She took a step back and he turned to face her, looking more pissed off than she’d ever seen him before.
“You do know it’s just a figure of speech, right? She wouldn’t really kill me.”
“Yeah, I know, but it really isn’t the point.”
“Then what is, Cass? I’ve tried to be the laid-back little brother, but I can’t deal with you like this anymore. You’ve been itching for a fight for three weeks now. I’m at the end of my rope with you, so tell me, Cassidy, what is the point?”
She stared at him. She knew her mouth was hanging open, but she couldn’t help it. He’d never pushed her back like this, and she didn’t know how to deal with it. Part of her felt bad for having backed him far enough into a corner to make him fight back, but she wasn’t herself lately. Everything she did felt wrong, and she didn’t know why. And now Danny was accusing her of trying to pick a fight. If that was what he wanted, she’d give it to him.
“You’re tied down. You can’t do anything without your wife’s permission, Daniel. That’s my point. I don’t want any part of it.”
“Because I can’t go with you tomorrow?” he asked, his tone full of incredulity. “The world doesn’t revolve around you, Cass, and it’s about time you realized it. Yes, I do things she tells me to do, and she does things I tell her to do. It’s a partnership, and we work together. We are not like Mom and Dad, and if you’d pull your head out of your ass long enough to look at the world around you, you’d see most marriages aren’t like theirs.”
Cass pushed past him and continued up the path to the house. Her pulse was pounding so loudly in her ears she didn’t hear him stomping up behind her. She almost lost her footing when he grabbed her by the arm and forced her to turn around.
“Get your hands off me unless you want to end up in the hospital,” she said through clenched teeth. He let go and backed away, obviously sensing she meant what she was saying. She wouldn’t have hurt him, at least she didn’t think she would, but she felt like what she imagined a cornered dog might feel like, and her instinct was to fight. “Go to the damn post office so I can get on with my evening.”
It was his turn to push past her, but as soon as he was far enough away, he sent one last verbal jab at her.
“I sure as hell hope your evening plans include getting laid, because I’ve about had enough of this shit for one lifetime.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Erica was almost done with her shift when she saw Danny walking into the lobby. She waved him over, and he began tossing packages on the counter from the hand truck he’d used to haul them in from the car.
“How are you today?” she asked as she began weighing them to make sure they carried the correct postage. She felt as if she was wasting her time, because he’d never been wrong yet, but it was procedure.
“Shitty, if you want to know the truth.”
Erica just looked at him, not knowing how to respond. After a moment, he waved a hand in the air between them and smiled. It didn’t look genuine to her, but she wasn’t about to say anything about it.
“Cass and I had a fight.”
Erica nodded slowly, still not quite sure what to say. He didn’t seem to notice her lack of participation in the conversation though.
“We came this close,” he said, holding his thumb and forefinger mere millimeters apart, “to using our fists. Well, she did, anyway. I would never hit a woman, no matter what.”
“Good to know,” Erica said.
“I’m sorry. You don’t need to listen to me bitch about my sister.” Danny leaned on the counter and let out a breath before pasting the obviously fake smile on his face again. “How are you doing?”
“Fine.”
It was a lie, but she wasn’t about to tell him she missed Cass. Missed having her come in to ship packages, missed having her come by the house. And she sure as hell wasn’t going to tell him how much she missed kissing her. Nope, not going there.
“Cass misses you.” Danny looked surprised at his own words, and Erica tried not to laugh when he looked around to see if anybody else was in earshot.
“I doubt it,” Erica said with a slow shake of her head.
“She does,” he said, and for some reason she believed him. Or maybe she just desperately wanted it to be true, so it was easier to believe him than not. “She’s miserable. She’s trying to pick a fight with me anytime I say something to her.”
“And what would make you think it has anything to do with me?”
“She took the game console to Kyle one night, and I’m pretty sure you two haven’t spoken to each other since. Am I right?” He waited until she finally nodded her response before continuing. “I’ve never seen her like this. I mean, like, ever. And she comes up with the lamest excuses for not being able to come here to ship packages.”
“She knows I get off at two thirty. All she’d have to do is come in after I’m gone if she wants to avoid seeing me so much. Or she could always go to a different office.” Erica realized she was handling the packages a little too roughly and took a deep breath in an attempt to center herself.
“Why would she want to avoid you?” Danny asked, and her finger stopped on its way to the keyboard so she could print out his receipt so he’d have proof the boxes were actually shipped. “I mean, just think about it for a second. What possible reason could she have to avoid you?”
Erica handed him the receipt and placed her hands on the counter in front of her. She felt something deep down inside she hadn’t experienced in far too long. Hope. But no, Danny had to be wrong. He obviously didn’t know how they’d ended things the night in question. Cass must have lied to him and told him everything had gone swimmingly. Otherwise he wouldn’t be asking her that question. Erica wasn’t going to push Cas
s to see her again based on Danny’s observations, because she’d always hated needy people, and she refused to become one. She looked up at him, not knowing quite what to say, and his next words caught her off guard.
“Is Kyle free on Saturday?”
“As far as I know, why?”
“I have to stay home with the baby, so I can’t help Cass clean out the units she’s probably going to buy at auction tomorrow.”
“Why doesn’t she just call and ask?”
“Apparently, since I’m the one who’s not showing up for work, it’s my job to find someone to take my place.”
Erica nodded again and took the packages to the back as she tried to form a response in her head. She wasn’t sure she could manage it without being snarky. It hurt that Cass hadn’t bothered to call over the past few weeks, and she tried not to let anyone see it bothered her to have Danny shipping their packages every day. Did he really think she hadn’t noticed? Why was Cass trying so hard to avoid her? They’d agreed to be friends, so why was there so much distance between them now? When she returned to the counter, Danny was still there, obviously waiting for her response. It was time to put an end to this.
“Tell her if she wants Kyle’s help, she’ll have to call me and talk about it.”
Danny’s smile was genuine now, and he looked like a man who’d had a huge weight lifted off his shoulders. He clasped her hand and brought it to his lips for a quick kiss.
“Thank you,” he said. He squeezed her hand before he let go. “You have no idea how much I wanted to hear those words. I think I probably would have told her that even if you hadn’t said it, but this makes it so much better. Thank you.”
Erica watched, dumbfounded, as he turned and practically ran out of the building. She heard a noise behind her and turned to see Trish approaching from the back.
“What was all that about?”
“Cassidy Holmes,” Erica answered.
“Really?” Trish looked surprised. “Are you two serious?”
“No,” Erica forced a laugh and shook her head. “We’re just friends.”
“Sure you are. Then why would her brother be kissing your hand and falling all over himself thanking you for wanting her to call you?”
“How long were you listening?”
“Long enough.”
“We’re just friends,” Erica said again. “Unfortunately.”
“We’re going to have to go for a drink some night so you can tell me all about it.” Trish laughed when Erica gave her a shocked look. “What? My husband spends way too much time on the road. I need to live vicariously through others. And right now, that means you.”
*
Erica kept looking at her cell phone all evening, wondering if Cass had called and she’d somehow missed it. After what seemed like the fiftieth time, Kyle looked at her in frustration.
“What the hell is wrong with you tonight?”
“Nothing,” she said, shaking her head and trying to concentrate on the television show they were watching. She hadn’t wanted to like The Walking Dead, but Kyle managed to talk her into watching the first couple of episodes on Netflix. Binge watching, he’d called it. She had to admit it sucked her in, and now she was probably more into it than he was.
“Bull,” he said. “Why do you keep looking at your phone?”
“What are you doing on Saturday?”
“Nothing.” He pressed the pause button on the remote and turned in his seat to face her. “Why? Does this have to do with Mom and Dad?”
“What? No,” she said. “God, no.”
“And it has nothing to do with you and the guardianship thing?”
“No, it’s got absolutely nothing to do with that.” She looked at her phone again and then slammed it against her leg, cursing herself for waiting to get a call she knew probably wasn’t coming. “Cass might need your help cleaning out some storage units.”
“Cool. Does this mean you two are talking again?”
“Not exactly.” She shook her head. “Danny was in today to ship some packages and he mentioned it. I told him to have her call me.”
“Why aren’t you talking? You never told me what happened.” Kyle watched her, an expectant look on his face. “I mean, one minute you’re on the couch kissing, and the next you aren’t even talking to her.”
“I did tell you, Kyle. We want different things out of life.”
“Yeah, I know, and I get it, but you said you were going to be friends, but now obviously you aren’t. I feel a little strange helping her when you guys aren’t even talking.”
“Don’t feel strange, Kyle, all right? She helped you when you needed it, and she’s a good person. Don’t feel guilty for helping her. She and I will work things out, okay?” Erica wasn’t sure she believed what she was saying, so how could she expect Kyle to?
Much to her surprise, he seemed to take what she said for the truth because he nodded and turned back to the TV as he pushed the button to start the show again. Erica sighed in defeat when she looked one last time at her phone. She tossed it onto the table and settled in to watch some zombies get killed. A few seconds later, the phone rang, and Erica instantly felt as though the air was sucked out of the room. She grabbed for it, but the letdown she experienced at seeing the name Lila instead of the name she was hoping for was palpable. Kyle paused the show again as she stood and walked into the kitchen.
“Hi, Lila,” she said, trying to inject some of her usual cheerfulness into her voice.
“Hey, sweetie,” came the reply.
“It’s good to hear your voice,” Erica said after a moment.
“Yours too. Have you talked to Cassidy yet?”
“No.” Erica fought against the lump forming in her throat. She glanced over her shoulder at Kyle, who was visibly trying to listen without being obvious. She smiled but decided he didn’t need to hear her talking about Cass. “We’re doing pretty well. Thank you though. I’ve enrolled Kyle in school here, and I’m working on gaining guardianship.”
She went into her bedroom and they talked for the next hour, and Erica told her everything she was feeling about Cass. Erica went to bed feeling a little more optimistic than she had earlier in the evening. True, Cass hadn’t called, but at least she had someone to talk to about it.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Cass cursed under her breath as she put a lock on her third unit of the day. She’d promised herself she wouldn’t bid on anything that looked like it would be too much for her to move on her own. And now, here she was with three units, and every one of them full of furniture. She looked at her watch and saw it was only noon. She was going to have to call Erica sometime and ask if Kyle would be able to help her the next day.
She’d been pissed when Danny came home the previous day and told her what Erica had said. She’d spent the evening drinking and watching The Walking Dead on DVD for the umpteenth time, but never once thought about picking up the phone. No, that wasn’t entirely true, she reminded herself. After her fifth beer, she’d started to call Erica, but reason prevailed when she realized drunk dialing was never a good idea.
She was paying for those beers today. She blamed the hangover for her lapse of judgment in the units she was bidding on. Maybe deep down she wanted to have to call Erica, but on the surface, she balked at the idea. It was childish, she knew, to be avoiding her at all costs, but Erica certainly could have made the effort to get in touch with her too.
“Flying solo again?”
Cass turned to see Rodney behind her, and she grimaced outwardly. She hadn’t seen him since she’d been rude to him, and while she still felt bad about it, she no longer cared. If he was going to be an ass to her today, he was going to bite off more than he could chew. It wasn’t like this facility to allow latecomers access to the auction, but she supposed he knew someone who worked there.
“I’m not in the mood today.”
“And that’s different than normal how?”
“Look, I’m not—”
“Chill out, Holmes, Jesus,” he said. “I’m not here to bother you. I just wanted to say hello and to let you know there are no hard feelings, all right?”
Cass nodded once before turning away and going to join the bidders at the next unit. She knew she should apologize for lashing out, but damn it, she couldn’t help it. It seemed as if everyone in the entire universe was getting on her last nerve.
There was nothing else worth bidding on, so she let all the gawkers fight over the remaining units. When they were done, Cass walked to her truck and pulled her phone out of her pocket, dreading the call she was being forced to make. Her palms were actually sweating, in spite of the chilly temperature, and her pulse was pounding. It was after three now, so she knew Erica would be done with work, but she hesitated in hitting the call button.
She slammed the door of the truck closed so she could enjoy what little heat the sun was providing in the cab and tried to think things out rationally. They had agreed to be friends, right? Then why hadn’t Erica bothered to call? Erica was probably wondering the same thing about her, but Cass shook her head. She couldn’t allow those thoughts to muddy her mind any more than it already was.
She pushed the call button before she could talk herself out of it again, and held her breath waiting to see if Erica would answer, or if she would ignore the call and let it go to voicemail. On the fourth ring, Cass was about to disconnect when she heard Erica’s voice.
“Cass?” she said, sounding like she was out of breath.
“Hey, are you busy?” Cass asked. It was strange, but just hearing Erica’s voice seemed to center her. She felt calmer than she had in what seemed like years.
“No, I was just cleaning out Willie’s litter box,” she said, then chuckled. “Sorry. I guess you didn’t need to know that.”
“Probably not,” Cass answered, smiling to herself as she felt her pulse slow. This was starting out well. At least Erica wasn’t being pissy with her.
“So, did you need something?”
“I don’t want to be that friend. You know, the one who only calls when they need something from you.” Cass winced inwardly, because it was exactly why she was calling.
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