Chapter 18
Eighteen
Cam
”She did what?” My mouth is hanging as I listen to Troy on the other end of the phone.
”Look she had reason, there”s no doubt in my mind that she wouldn”t have done it if Jenna didn”t call her out in a way that demanded an answer. She”s got a fuckin” knot on her head the size of an apple, be nice.” He sighs. ”I”ve had to listen to this lady rant and rave since she got here, believe me when I tell you, you got the better draw here.”
Oh, I can only imagine. Jenna has never been nice, and she”s never been quiet in her outrage. ”Alright, I”m finishing up over here at Dixie Plaza, then I”ll be heading to Cass”. Thanks for letting me know.” I hang up and shove an aggravated hand through my hair.
”I couldn”t help but hear.” Ashley says, her voice lower than it probably should be, but she”s also seen a shit ton of stuff tonight. ”Let Cass know if she needs something, to holler. I”ve got her if she needs support.”
I want to tell her that I”ll be the one to give her the support she needs, but I know that sometimes we do need our friends more than our partners, since we all serve a different purpose. ”I will, and I”m sure she appreciates it. You haven”t had a great night yourself.”
She blows out a breath. ”Yeah, seeing that car almost hit Ford”s daughter wasn”t what I expected for tonight. I”ll be seeing that when I close my eyes for a while.”
”If they bother you, please let us know. I”ll give you my card.” I reach into the pocket on my duty vest and pull one out for her.
”I will.”
”You”ve known Cass a long time, haven”t you?” I blurt out, not completely sure where this is going.
”Yeah, we do girls night a lot, and we both hang out with the same people, so while we aren”t the best of friends, we are definitely friendly. Why?”
”Why did she choose Brandon? What was the biggest thing for her to put herself into the situation for him to embarrass her like he”s done; like he continues to do?” I hate not immediately knowing the answer. I should.
She hooks her hands at her hips, and tilts her head back, glancing up at the sky. ”Cam, you are a good guy, but you are the blindest man I”ve ever met in my life. You”re observant for your job, but for everything else—you pay no attention to what”s going on around you. She chose Brandon because you”d never give her the time of day.”
”I never gave anyone the time of day,” I argue. ”I wasn”t ready, and I wasn”t in the mindset to do it. Fuck, I still have a lot of shit to overcome if we”re going to be completely honest here. I still have no idea what the fuck I”m doing.”
”Which is understandable, but she”s wanted to be with you for years, and eventually she got tired of waiting. You weren”t ready to change, none of us knew if you actually would or not, and at that point she”d wasted a good portion of her younger years. All of us convinced her it wasn”t worth it to keep putting all her eggs in one basket, and told her she needed to go out and have a good time. It was only supposed to be a few hours, and she wasn”t supposed to meet anyone, really.” She licks her lips and sighs. ”But she met Brandon, and he wasn”t you, but he was fun, and he gave her something to look forward to. In the beginning he was sweet, and he made her feel good about herself.” She shrugs. ”She loved him before we all saw what an asshole he really was.”
”So it”s always been me?” I question, letting the answer that I know is true wash over me. ”I”m both the fuck up and the one she wanted.”
”You can be both at the same time, Cam, but I don”t think anyone blames you. We were young, and I don”t think you were prepared to be the man she needed. Not back then. Now though? Now you know, and you”re capable. So now if you break her heart? I break your fuckin” face.”
Normally I wouldn”t take a threat seriously from someone who”s almost two feet shorter and a hundred pounds smaller than me. But Cassie”s friends go hard for her, and truthfully, it”s understandable. ”You do know how much I love my face,” I tease, giving her a grin. ”All joking aside, I do not want to break her heart, I don”t want to cause her pain, and for the first time ever, I want to be the person who doesn”t disappoint. I might have pushed her to Brandon, but I”m going to keep that whole damn family from ruining her if it”s the last thing I do.” I check my watch and see that it”s time to clock off. ”I gotta go, but thanks for the talk.”
Fifteen minutes later,I”m pulling into Cassie”s driveway again, taking those same porch steps two at a time. I knock, but only for politeness, before opening the door. ”Cass, are you okay?”
She”s lying on the couch, what looks to be a frozen bag of veggies on her head, covered up with a blanket. When she looks at me, her bottom lip quivers. ”I was until right now.” She pulls her lips tightly together.
”What”s wrong? What hurts?” I rush over, going in behind her on the couch, and taking her in my arms.
”My whole body does now that the adrenaline is gone, my head more than anything.” She sighs, sniffling. ”But, I”m pissed. So fucking pissed that she would threaten Mamaw”s car.”
”Cassie.” I run my hands up and down her arms. ”I hate to say this to you, but that car can be replaced.”
”It can”t,” she argues, her voice shrill. ”That was her pride and joy. She earned that walking up and down the street selling makeup and face products. It might”ve been a crappy MLM, but it was the only thing she could get back then. It fed me, Cam. It raised me as much as she did.”
I close my eyes, trying to figure out how I”m going to say this without hurting her. ”That wasn”t her pride and joy, Cass. You were. She did it all for you. You have to know that, and it”s understandable that your emotional attachment to the car is what it is. Having said that, please don”t put yourself in the situation you did tonight. You could”ve really been hurt. As it is you”re gonna have a shiner in the morning, and I”m still not convinced you shouldn”t go get checked out.”
She makes a noise in the back of her throat. ”I”m a nurse, Cam, if I thought I needed to be looked at, I”d have you take me in. I promise, I”m okay. Just tired, and emotionally done with people.”
I drop a kiss to the top of her head. ”If I draw you a bath, would you get in it? Because you”re going to be sore. Just the adrenaline will make you feel it tomorrow, and your knuckles look rough.”
”I will.” She answers softly. ”But only if you get in with me.”
”Deal.” I push her up slightly before reaching out and taking her hand in mine. ”You can sit on your bed as I get everything ready. No need to be here on this couch by yourself.”
”Thank you, Cam.”
”No need to thank me.” I might not be able to tell her how I feel yet, but I can damn well show her.