Chapter Twelve
Casey woke up during the night and immediately knew Simon was not in bed with her. She looked over her shoulder to see the empty bed.
She couldn’t stop the tears that ran down her face. She let herself go until she had no more tears, and the tension in her gut loosened enough for her to fall asleep again.
When she woke the next morning, Simon still wasn’t in bed. That told her she was doing the right thing by leaving. She dressed and made her way out to the kitchen and was surprised to see him at the stove.
“Oh, I thought you were gone,” she said.
Simon turned toward her. “No. I wanted to have breakfast with you. I was going to bring it into bed.”
Her eyes widened. No one had ever done anything so nice for her, and it was extra special since it was the last day she would see him.
“That’s really sweet. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Do I get a good-morning kiss?” he asked.
Casey walked to him, raised her face, and puckered. He smiled down at her before pressing his lips to hers. It only lasted a second.
“Why don’t you set the table and get us glasses of juice?” he said.
Casey had just finished pouring when Simon placed a plate in front of her. Oh, yum. If it was her choice, she would have French toast and bacon at every breakfast. They had had it once before, and she commented that it was her favorite.
She took a few bites. “So, where did you sleep last night?”
He looked surprised and opened his mouth, but she interrupted him.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.”
Now, he looked mad. “It absolutely is your business. What is going on?”
“Nothing. I guess I’m tired.”
“I know it’s more than that, and I will get it out of you,” he warned.
Casey nodded and took a small bite. When it got stuck in her throat, she took a gulp of her orange juice to force it down.
Simon finished and took his plate to the sink, and she quickly followed. They cleaned the kitchen together.
“Go brush your teeth and get the things you’re bringing today. I’ll drop you at Kaleb’s again.”
Casey hadn’t thought about her suitcase. She quickly brushed and then stuffed an outfit and a few toiletries in a bag. She shoved Booboo in, so his head peeked out the top. She figured she could get the rest of her things later. She raced to meet him at the elevator.
“Slow down, Baby.”
She nodded. She leaned against him as the elevator went down. When Simon pulled his car into traffic, he reached for her hand.
He looked at her when they stopped at a stop sign. “Do you know what today is?”
Casey thought about it for a minute and then shook her head. “No.”
“We have a meeting with a doctor this afternoon to take the stitches out. How did you forget that?”
“I actually forgot about them. They don’t itch anymore, and I try not to look at myself in the mirror.”
He didn’t seem to like that response.
“Baby, they’re not ugly. I know it’s different with girls, but I don’t see them. I see you.”
She squeezed his hand the rest of the way there. They didn’t say anything in the elevator on the way to Kaleb’s office. He stopped her outside the door.
“I’ll be here to pick you up at three-thirty,” he said. “Have fun with your friends.” He kissed her forehead and then nudged her into the office. “Here’s my girl, Kaleb.”
Kaleb looked up from his desk and grinned. “We’re glad you’re here, young lady. Aleena and a few others are already making a schedule for the day.”
“Thank you,” Casey said. She turned and waved at Simon. She tried not to think about the fact that it would be the last time she would see him. Before she got tears in her eyes, she walked into the other room that was attached to Kaleb’s.
“Oh, no,” Brylee said, coming and hugging her tightly. The other two came in for a group hug. “I wish you would talk to him.”
The four separated, and Aleena handed her some tissues.
“He called my daddy last night and asked me if I knew what was going on,” Brylee said.
“We pinky-promised,” Riley reminded her.
“I know. I didn’t say a thing.”
“When is Nia going to be here?” Casey asked.
“In an hour. We said we were going to Kinley’s daddy’s to eat brunch,” Aleena whispered.
Casey’s tension grew as the minutes ticked by. She was surprised Aleena’s daddy let the group leave without a chaperone.
They made it to the basement and found Nia and Sienna waiting in a small SUV.
The girls crawled in.
“Where did you get the car, Nia?”
Nia snorted and looked at Sienna. “I didn’t have to. Sienna seems to know how to get anything we need.”
Sienna rolled her eyes. “Bite me.”
“What’s the address?” Nia asked.
They punched it in, and the map came right up. Nia was careful driving through the city.
“You drive really well,” Casey said. “I’m always scared.”
“You drove here by yourself, didn’t you?” Riley asked.
Casey nodded. “Yes. But I didn’t enjoy it.”
“At least you can drive,” Aleena said. “Nia tried to teach Hanna how to drive, and we ended up in a field.”
Casey smiled. She could absolutely see herself doing something like that if she didn’t concentrate. That’s why she usually ended up with a headache because her body was tense the whole time, especially her shoulders.
The closer they got to her aunt’s and the farther away she got from Simon, her stomach tightened painfully. As they drove down her aunt’s street, she started to get nauseous.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Brylee asked. “I know that man loves you.”
Casey stared at her as they pulled up to the house. It was an old Victorian in need of a paint job. The porch and front door resemble a large mouth, with the door being the tongue. God, what was she doing?