Chapter 16 – Cassie
Grant was going on about stock exchanges and something about oil prices I didn’t really understand, but I would sit and listen to him talk for hours if it meant I got to watch Jace stare at him as if he’d just asked me to marry him.
Grant was not my type, but Jace had jealousy written all over his face, and I was loving every second of it.
Choosing not to take the high road, I used Grant’s chattiness to my advantage. The more he talked, the more I leaned into him, our shoulders touching, my laugh getting just loud enough for Jace to pick it up.
If looks could kill, Grant would be dead, but Jace would’ve been dead first from the look I gave him when he walked through doors of the venue earlier.
For Colt’s and Ellie’s sake, I was willing to play nice and walk down the aisle with Jace tomorrow, but today wasn’t tomorrow, so I had just under twenty-four hours to antagonize him as much as I saw fit. If he couldn’t take the heat, he could get the hell out of my kitchen—again.
As Grant continued talking, I leaned in, laughing and placing my hand on his lap. Jace definitely knew where my hand landed based on the angle of my arm.
Fire blazed behind Jace’s eyes. I smiled sweetly at him from across the table as if I had no idea what was upsetting him.
Take that, motherfucker.
“So Grant, tell me… What are you doing after this rehearsal dinner?” I asked, taking another sip of my red wine.
“Nothing really. I need to go home and catch up on some work,” he said.
“Have you ever been to the Twisted Spur?” I asked louder than I’d asked the first question.
“Just once when I first turned twenty-one. I don’t go out much. Work and home, work and home, ya know?”
“I actually do relate to that,” I whispered, remembering last weekend in Jace’s truck, when he told me I needed to take a break and make more time for myself. Back when I thought he actually cared about me. Back when I was coming around to the idea that he might be a good guy after all.
Some kind of wishful thinking that was.
Part of me wanted to invite Grant out after this rehearsal dinner—maybe go to the Twisted Spur, have a few drinks, say yes when Grant invited me back to his place—and use him to get over Jace.
But the other part was exhausted. I felt like I’d been riding an emotional roller coaster since last weekend—hesitation, happiness, vulnerability, and sexual tension on the climb to the top.
Then came the drop—disappointment, hurt, and pain rushing at me full force.
And now, the ride had screeched to a stop.
I was sitting the closest I’d been to Jace since that day in my kitchen, the rush of the roller coaster over.
It was time to get off and move on to the next ride, making a mental note to never get back on this one because it scared me too much.
I guess some lessons are harder to learn than others.
As the night continued, I went back and forth between flirting with Grant, peeking at Jace to make sure he was watching, and sipping my emotional-support glass of red wine.
I was on my fourth glass, maybe fifth—who was counting? My words were starting to get lost, and so were my emotions—exactly what I wanted. Who needed feelings? Most of them sucked anyway.
The dinner was coming to an end, people started to tell Ellie and Colt goodbye, a different couple leaving every few minutes.
The sun had gone down long ago, and the stars were out, shining through the clear glass windows, giving the entire dinner a soft yellow glow.
A picture-perfect night on the outside, yet nothing but turmoil for me on the inside.
“Would you like to go out for a nightcap?” Grant asked, too predictably.
“I’d love that,” I said, accepting his invitation a little louder than necessary.
I could tell Grant’s question had caught Jace’s attention because he sat up straighter now, eyeing him. A few seconds later, a shoe hit mine under the table. I widened my eyes at Jace. He smiled sweetly at me, just like I had earlier in the night.
I was tempted to kick him somewhere other than his leg.
Somewhere that would have him rolling on the floor.
But the angel on my shoulder reminded me tonight was about Colt and Ellie, not Jace and me.
Making a scene would be rude, and I’d look like a bad friend.
But the devil on my other shoulder whispered an eye for an eye.
My heart for his balls.
I was leaning more toward the devil as the seconds ticked by. Frustrated that I’d probably take the high road, I excused myself from the table, needing a minute away from Jace and his stupidly hot cowboy face.
I headed toward the back of the venue, remembering there was a small area off the main ballroom with large floor-to-ceiling windows where I could get some fresh air. I really wanted a cigarette and I wasn’t even a smoker.
Rounding the corner, I found the small private area easily and plopped down on the bench. I sat and drew in a deep breath. It was the first moment all night that I didn’t feel like I’d been holding in the anticipation of what was to come.
Leaning back against the wall, I noticed how heavy my arms and legs were starting to feel. I closed my eyes, but the world felt like it was spinning faster than normal, so I sat up straight, hoping it would stop.
My phone buzzed in my hand.
Mom.
A call from her this late at night was almost never good. I glanced at the clock on the wall—nine thirty.
“Hello?” I answered hesitantly.
“Cassie? I need your help. I was getting a ride from a guy from work, but he got mad and kicked me out halfway to my house. Can you give me a ride back to my place? I really don’t want to walk that far in the cold,” she pleaded.
This was code, meaning they were probably arguing over drugs when he kicked her out of the car. At this point in my life, I could read between the lines.
“Where are you?” I asked, pinching the bridge of my nose, releasing a deep breath.
“Great Falls,” she said. “Downtown near the railroad tracks.”
She was at least a thirty-minute drive away and in a terrible part of Great Falls.
“Yes, but I can’t be there for about a half hour. Can you find a bus stop to sit at or something until I get there?”
“I’ll try, but please hurry, honey. Its dark and sketchy out here.”
Exactly why you shouldn’t be driving around with random men this late at night, Mom.
I stood up, trying to mentally prepare myself for the night ahead with my mom—picking her up, getting her home, seeing her disaster of an apartment. There was no telling what I’d find lying around her place. Probably drugs, the occasional needle, and guaranteed filth.
As I walked down the narrow corridor back to the main wedding hall, Jace rounded the corner, a look of relief on his face when he spotted me. Weird, because the look on my face was annoyance.
I rolled my eyes. “Not now, Jace. I don’t have time for more of your bullshit. I have to go pick up my mom,” I said, almost begging him to leave me alone.
“I just wanted to come check on you. I noticed you’d been gone for a bit.”
“I’m fine, not that I’m yours to worry about,” I said, my tone sharp. “What makes you think I’m not okay?”
“You were on your seventh glass of wine before you walked away,” he said, calling me out. “And you almost stumbled over your own feet at least three times.”
“Is a girl not allowed to have a good time?”
“Sure you are, but is a guy not allowed to check on someone he cares about?” he shot back.
“Oh, spare me the dramatics. After what you did, you’re lucky I didn’t kick you in the balls under that table. I wanted to, but I was afraid I’d hit your broken foot. I’m not sure why I give a shit anyway. It’s not like you give a damn about what you break of mine.”
Like my heart, I thought.
“My foot is broken because of you, remember?”
He stared at me for a moment, waiting for a response. I was too exhausted to even think of one.
“I know you don’t want to talk to me right now, Cass, but I still care about you.”
I rolled my eyes. “You have a hell of a way of showing it.” I looked down at the ground because the waterworks were going to start any minute.
“Cassie, I’m serious.” He forced my chin up so I couldn’t look away. “I fucked up. I fucked up bad. I know that. I can’t undo it, but I’ll do whatever it takes to fix it. I don’t care how long it takes.” His voice cracked on the last sentence. “I ran because of me, not because of you.”
“You can’t fix this, Jace.” My voice was cold.
“You can’t fix any of it. You built me up just to tear me down.
Congratulations, you won. You got exactly what you wanted.
So don’t expect anything from me. I’m over it.
Now if you don’t mind, I have to go find my mom who just got kicked out of a car in the middle of Great Falls by some dude she barely knows. I have bigger fish to fry right now.”
Jace grabbed my arm—hard.
“You are not driving anywhere after you’ve had this much to drink. You are absolutely not fit to drive. I’ll drive you.”
“The hell you will. I’d rather pay for an Uber,” I said, scoffing at his offer.
Jace chuckled. “There are no Ubers in Silver Creek, Cassie.”
I’m not sure why, but his chuckle pissed me off even more.
“Then I’ll ask literally anyone else to drive me, because I don’t want to see your face right now.”
It hurts too much.
“Don’t be stupid, Cassie. Let me drive you.”
“You’re one to talk about stupid actions,” I huffed, taking a step forward but almost immediately losing my balance. Grabbing me by the arm, Jace caught me, giving me an I-told-you-so look.
Even if I was a little tipsy, I was still conscious enough to know that if I wanted to make it to my mom in one piece tonight, I had no choice but to let him help me.
The universe was playing a cruel joke on me. I was sure of it.