I’ve changed?”
Sarah stood up. “Oh Cassie, I—”
Cassie turned and fled quickly up the stairs two at a time and locked herself in the bathroom. She looked in the mirror. She had tears in her eyes. Madly she scrubbed at them with a towel and wetted her face with cold water. What did it matter what they thought anyways? She had changed. And little did they get, it was all for the better.
She opened the bathroom door and went to her bedroom. She stopped dead. John stood near her bed. He walked toward her. He looked over her face. She held her ground even though she wanted to turn and cover the face that they had been discussing.
“You heard us.”
“So?”
“It was thoughtless.”
“It was. Something I’d expect from you. From Sarah. Maybe even Luke. But don’t say you’re sorry to me. I know what you think of me.”
“You have no idea what I think of you.”
She laughed. “I know exactly what you think about me. And my looks are the least of it.”
“It’s your business how you want to look.”
She frowned. “You can’t possibly be apologizing to me can you?”
“Sarah can be thoughtless sometimes. She’s just so—”
“Perfect that she forgets some of us aren’t,” Cassie interrupted, anger in her tone. She paused taking a deep breath. “Look, I get it. I’m glad I’m not a threat to Sarah, it just makes my life easier.”
“And Luke was just…bullshitting.”
“I know. Luke doesn’t particularly upset me.”
“And I—”
“You didn’t say anything,” she finished for him. She raised an eyebrow at him. “Why is that? Why don’t you say anything?”
“I don’t feel a need to air my dirty laundry.”
“Even to your girlfriend? To your brother?”
“To anyone.”
“So some things about you haven’t changed have they? Look I appreciate you not saying anything about me. And forget it; they didn’t say anything that everyone else doesn’t already think.” With that she turned and walked over to the bed. “Goodnight.”
He stood there. “Why—”
She jerked her gaze to him. “Don’t. Don’t ask me why I look this way. Don’t start a conversation with me that would make you have to acknowledge you know me. You don’t want this to get personal, and neither do I.” She took in a breath and lowered her voice. “Just don’t for a second presume you understand anything about me.”
Chapter Six
Cassie sat alone in the kitchen the next morning drinking coffee when she heard steps. She tensed preparing to face John. Luke came in; he stopped short when he saw her. He blushed. She nearly choked on her coffee. Then he came forward and sat across from her.
“Cassie about last night—”
Cassie sighed. The last thing she wanted to start a Sunday morning with was discussing her homely status. “John already apologized, forget it.”
“No I won’t just forget it. I tried to go apologize last night but John wouldn’t hear of it. But the thing is I have no excuse.”
Cassie tried to shrug it off. Luke continued, “I shouldn’t have discussed you with Sarah.”
“I’m not a kid, what people say doesn’t really affect me anymore.”
“I like and respect you a hell of a lot more than I do Sarah. And I promise you nothing like that will come out of me again.”
Cassie looked at Luke. He was so handsome with his tousled, thick blonde hair, restless blue eyes and square chin. He was muscled and compact. Yet she felt nothing for him but a warming friendship. She didn’t feel even a spark of sexual attraction toward him.
Yet when John entered a room she physically reacted his presence in the tingling of every one of her nerve endings. Why? What was the chemical reaction that seemed to mix between her and John? The past should have killed their attraction to each other. But it hadn’t. At least for her.
“Please. Forget it. You’re forgiven.”
Cassie nearly laughed when Luke let out a breath and sat back in his chair with a smile.
After a moment,
Sarah stood up. “Oh Cassie, I—”
Cassie turned and fled quickly up the stairs two at a time and locked herself in the bathroom. She looked in the mirror. She had tears in her eyes. Madly she scrubbed at them with a towel and wetted her face with cold water. What did it matter what they thought anyways? She had changed. And little did they get, it was all for the better.
She opened the bathroom door and went to her bedroom. She stopped dead. John stood near her bed. He walked toward her. He looked over her face. She held her ground even though she wanted to turn and cover the face that they had been discussing.
“You heard us.”
“So?”
“It was thoughtless.”
“It was. Something I’d expect from you. From Sarah. Maybe even Luke. But don’t say you’re sorry to me. I know what you think of me.”
“You have no idea what I think of you.”
She laughed. “I know exactly what you think about me. And my looks are the least of it.”
“It’s your business how you want to look.”
She frowned. “You can’t possibly be apologizing to me can you?”
“Sarah can be thoughtless sometimes. She’s just so—”
“Perfect that she forgets some of us aren’t,” Cassie interrupted, anger in her tone. She paused taking a deep breath. “Look, I get it. I’m glad I’m not a threat to Sarah, it just makes my life easier.”
“And Luke was just…bullshitting.”
“I know. Luke doesn’t particularly upset me.”
“And I—”
“You didn’t say anything,” she finished for him. She raised an eyebrow at him. “Why is that? Why don’t you say anything?”
“I don’t feel a need to air my dirty laundry.”
“Even to your girlfriend? To your brother?”
“To anyone.”
“So some things about you haven’t changed have they? Look I appreciate you not saying anything about me. And forget it; they didn’t say anything that everyone else doesn’t already think.” With that she turned and walked over to the bed. “Goodnight.”
He stood there. “Why—”
She jerked her gaze to him. “Don’t. Don’t ask me why I look this way. Don’t start a conversation with me that would make you have to acknowledge you know me. You don’t want this to get personal, and neither do I.” She took in a breath and lowered her voice. “Just don’t for a second presume you understand anything about me.”
Chapter Six
Cassie sat alone in the kitchen the next morning drinking coffee when she heard steps. She tensed preparing to face John. Luke came in; he stopped short when he saw her. He blushed. She nearly choked on her coffee. Then he came forward and sat across from her.
“Cassie about last night—”
Cassie sighed. The last thing she wanted to start a Sunday morning with was discussing her homely status. “John already apologized, forget it.”
“No I won’t just forget it. I tried to go apologize last night but John wouldn’t hear of it. But the thing is I have no excuse.”
Cassie tried to shrug it off. Luke continued, “I shouldn’t have discussed you with Sarah.”
“I’m not a kid, what people say doesn’t really affect me anymore.”
“I like and respect you a hell of a lot more than I do Sarah. And I promise you nothing like that will come out of me again.”
Cassie looked at Luke. He was so handsome with his tousled, thick blonde hair, restless blue eyes and square chin. He was muscled and compact. Yet she felt nothing for him but a warming friendship. She didn’t feel even a spark of sexual attraction toward him.
Yet when John entered a room she physically reacted his presence in the tingling of every one of her nerve endings. Why? What was the chemical reaction that seemed to mix between her and John? The past should have killed their attraction to each other. But it hadn’t. At least for her.
“Please. Forget it. You’re forgiven.”
Cassie nearly laughed when Luke let out a breath and sat back in his chair with a smile.
After a moment,
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