Chapter 15 Dallas #2
“He is rather attractive,” she admitted.
“Whoah!” Cassie said. “I thought you were all about Greg?” she said with feigned mockery.
“Stop it!” Carry replied with a genuine smile. “Billy is a good friend,” she replied but her smile belied something more.
“What’s that?” Wendy pounced.
“What’s what?” Carry shot back in deflection.
“That smile,” Katie countered. “There’s an attraction there!”
“Well,” she said trying to conceal how caught off guard she was. “He’s a very attractive man,” she admitted slowly, her voice lingering on in a seductive tone. “And he knows how to listen to a woman.”
“OMG!” Cassie declared. “You’re attracted to Billy.”
“He’s attractive,” she admitted. “But I’m already taken by Greg,” she retorted, straightening up and becoming very serious.
“Got you!” Cassie declared and held up her hands toward both Wendy and Katie. “We’ll support you, but we need to know if you have any chance of being distracted by Billy while you try to win Greg back.”
“Yeah,” Wendy said with a glance toward the kitchen. “If you want to pivot toward Billy, we can do that too. I mean Greg really doesn’t deserve you after what he’s just done.”
“No doubt,” Katie added. “That kissing of Veronica at supper in Houston was too much. And what he did with her tonight. He’s crossed the line.”
Carry leaned back into the couch, drawing her knees up to her chest. “I’m not sure what is going on.” She looked at Cassie with pleading eyes. “He was going to ask me to marry him while I was still at Pimico.”
“WHAT!” Cassie nearly screamed. “Why didn’t you tell us?!” she demanded.
“Because I walked out on him before he could say anything,” she admitted and held her knees tighter. “I hurt him this time, so he couldn’t hurt me.”
“So,” Cassie began. “Maybe the kiss was his way of paying you back for rejecting him?”
“Not for rejecting him,” Carry said very slowly letting her legs lower back down as she sat forward. “For not trusting him to have my back or to protect my heart.”
“Carry,” Wendy said with slight excitement in her voice.
“You are playing the love game on an entirely different level than any of us.” She looked to Cassie, then Katie, glanced to the kitchen then back to Carry.
“You are much more dangerous than I would have taken you for.” Katie gave a knowing glance at Wendy, and Cassie caught it, but knew not to react.
“I’m not playing any games,” Carry slightly protested. “I’ve not had the easiest life, and after losing Grandma Grace, I don’t want to be alone.”
“Carry,” Cassie quickly jumped in by turning and giving her a hug.
“We’ve got you. You know that mom wants you to rejoin the family.
We can always go back home that way,” she offered then holding her close and whispering in her right ear away from the others: “But we need to find an exit, and soon or we’re both dead.
Wendy’s got something planned and I don’t know what it is. ”
“Go back home?” Carry eeked out in such a soft voice they could barely hear her. “How can I go back to a home that I never had,” she softly complained.
“We’ll make it home,” Wendy assured her as Aarie and Billy came back in.
“Where’s home?” Billy asked quietly.
“Back in Kansas City, of course,” Katie replied brightly. “We might only have an apartment now, but maybe we could all rent a house.”
“Having a house is a big responsibility,” Billy said. He looked down at Carry and could see she was in turmoil inside. “But it also can bring stability and a sense of belonging that grounds you. It gives you that safety net that allows you to attempt something riskier.”
“That sounds wonderful,” Carry admitted and picked up her drink.
“It’s almost too good to be true.” She sipped long on the straw, taking half the drink in at once.
“Kind of like this drink.” The girls laughed together, each taking long drinks from their glasses.
“This here, is wonderful too,” Carry added.
“We’re really becoming like a family. It’s like I actually have sisters,” she said then looked at Cassie.
“Not just a cousin, but rather a sister by choice rather than by blood.” She hugged Cassie tightly then whispered in her left ear out of the others view: “I’ll contact Keith, and we’ll start planning something.
I think I understand now why Grandma Grace wanted out of the family. It’s far too dangerous to be part of.”
“We are sisters for life!” Cassie declared “Just like Wendy and I and Katie. We’ll have to talk to mom when we get back to Kansas City,” she said then gave Wendy a wink. “We’ll all be glad to finally be home where we belong.”
“Are you serious, Carry?” Wendy said, almost flustered.
Carry pulled back from Cassie then looked directly at Wendy.
“It’s what I’ve always wanted,” she said softly.
“Family.” She got up and moved over to Wendy and leaned down and hugged her tight.
“I always wanted to have a sister, and now,” she said as she released and turned to Katie.
“I have three!” she declared as she leaned down to hug Katie.
“I couldn’t ask for more than this. I’ve got family, friends,” she added looking at Aarie and Billy, “and a great job. We have that photo shoot in the afternoon tomorrow, and like James mentioned, the morning meeting at breakfast. If you don’t mind, I’d like to head to bed. ”
“That actually sounds like a good idea,” Billy replied. “I’d be honored to escort you back to your room.”
“Thanks Billy,” Carry brightly replied. “I think I’ll take you up on your offer. Goodnight girls,” she said as she moved over to Billy’s right side. “I’m ready if you are.” Billy looked at her with a broad smile and a tilt of his cap. “Lead on!”