Chapter Three
CASEY
“Greg is the best boss, and he seems confident I can figure out how he’s losing so much money and who’s responsible. I hope he’s right. I will say there are a couple of odd characters there.” Casey watched the multi-colored leaves take flight as they fell from the trees.
“I’m glad you’re enjoying your new job. And don’t worry. You’ll figure it out. You’re one of the smartest people I know,” Emily said as she turned into their new neighborhood.
“Thank you. But enough about work. I needed this shopping trip.” Casey turned and smiled at her twin.
Emily pulled into their driveway. “Definitely. Nothing beats a Saturday morning breakfast followed by looking for a fun outfit for a Saturday night date.”
“I’m so excited. Jason is gorgeous. I could get lost in those mesmerizing brown eyes.” Casey sighed.
“I’m so glad to see you happy and ready to date again. I was about to sign you up on one of those dating apps.” Emily leaned over and hugged Casey.
“I’m fine. I purposely took a break after everything with Dylan. Plus, I was taking time to decide what to do next for my career.”
“I get it. It’s just been a while.” Emily raised her shoulders.
Casey stooped to grab her shopping bags from the backseat. “We made quite a haul. Flawless timing with the sale they had going on.”
“It was so much fun.” Emily grinned, with her hands loaded from her bags in the back seat. “Speak of the Devil.”
At her sister’s change of tone, Casey pulled her head out of the car. “What did you say?”
Emily, eyes wide, shook her head and pointed towards the other townhouse’s driveway with her chin.
Casey turned slightly and looked over her shoulder. Then, she whipped her head back to stare at Emily before throwing herself into the back seat. Casey shoved her bags toward the still-open door where Emily stood, army-crawled across the seat, dropped onto the pavement, and curled into a tight ball by Emily’s feet. “Tell me when it’s safe to move,” she whispered.
“10-4, Rambo,” Emily murmured.
Casey smacked Emily’s ankle. “This is serious.”
“Obviously.” Emily looked down at her sister.
“Wipe that smile off your face and pay attention,” Casey said in frustration.
“Oh, I am definitely paying attention.” Emily giggled. “Okay. He’s looking at his phone, and his back is turned. You’re clear.”
Casey slowly duck-walked to the front of the car, doing her best to keep her bags from making noise. Peering around the bumper, she stared at a pair of well-worn cowboy boots. She dropped her gaze to the ground and groaned.
“Casey, what are you doing?” Dylan asked, his cell phone in hand and brow wrinkled. “Are you okay?”
“Yep. I’m fine. Just awesome. Looking for a lost earring. Yes, that’s it. I’m just searching for an earring.”
“And practicing maneuvers,” Emily murmured.
“Hi, Emily. Sorry, I didn’t hear what you said.” Dylan turned and smiled at her.
“Oh, I’m just helping her look, that’s all.” Emily grinned. “But, um, welcome home. We didn’t realize you were back.”
“Thanks. I just got in last night. I want to get settled this weekend, so I’m ready for work on Monday.”
Casey popped up like a spring. “Settled in? Here?”
“Are you sure you’re all right, Casey?” Dylan looked her up and down.
“Yep. Just dandy. I found the earring. All g-good,” she stuttered. “But here ?”
“Yes, here, in my house,” Dylan spoke slowly as if answering a two-year-old who didn’t quite understand what was happening.
“Your house?” Casey repeated.
Dylan turned to Emily. “Seriously, is she okay?”
Emily shook her head. “No, not really. I think she may have hit her head on the driveway or something.”
“If she’s hurt, then why are you laughing?”
“Sorry. I can’t help it. Everyone responds to surprises or shocks a little differently, I guess,” Emily sputtered.
“While this isn’t how I envisioned our reunion, let me take you in the house and get you both some water. Casey, let’s see if you need an icepack for your head.” Dylan reached for Casey’s bags.
Casey jerked away and fell backward in the flower bed.
Emily burst into hysterical laughter, doubling up over her shopping bags. She took a couple of long breaths, which calmed her to giggles. “Okay, I give. This is just not working. I’m sorry, Casey, but it must be done.”
Casey shook her head. “No. It mustn’t. I’m going in. It’s fine.”
“Obviously not, because you look like a turtle that’s landed upside down and can’t get up.” Emily chuckled. “Dylan, here’s the deal. We were not expecting you to be here. We thought this was a rental property, not your house. So, it took us by surprise, to say the least, to get back and find you moving in next door.”
“Okay. I can understand that. It was a short-term rental while I was in Ireland, but that’s the only time. This is my home—and I’m home.” Dylan gazed at Casey. “This is going to work out well. It’ll be easy for us to spend lots of time together. Here, can I help you up? Emily’s right about the upended turtle, Case.”
Casey stuck out one hand and let Dylan pull her up, hating how wonderful it felt to touch him again. “Thanks, but let go of my hand,” She glared when he didn’t immediately drop it. “There’s not going to be any spending time together. Or have you forgotten that you broke up with me the night before you left for Ireland?” Casey stood, her chin high, her eyes cold. She saw the hurt flash across his face as he dropped her hand.
Dylan stepped back and looked at the ground. “I don’t know what to say, Case.”
“Well, I do. I need to get ready for my date this evening. Goodbye.”
Emily shrugged at Dylan, quickly passing him as she went inside with Casey.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Emily deposited her bags on her bed before going to Casey’s room. “What the hell, Case?”
Casey turned to her twin, tears streaming.
“Oh, honey. Tell me what’s going on, please.” Emily hugged Casey and let her sob.
“I’m s-s-sorry,” Casey hiccupped onto Emily’s shoulder.
Emily led Casey to bed and urged her down. “It’s okay. Just let it out.”
When Casey leaned back, Emily handed her the tissues from the nightstand. “Thanks. I’m sorry. I was just so surprised, and he threw me.”
“That part I got from your evasive maneuvers in the driveway,” Emily smiled.
“I don’t know what came over me. It was like I went on automatic pilot or something.” Casey giggled while she still wiped away tears. “Apparently, my autopilot is programmed to be G.I. Jane.”
“I think you could’ve pulled it off if you hadn’t had ten crinkling bags clutched to your chest.”
“You’re right. It was the bags that gave me away. Thanks, sis. I needed to see the humor instead of the humiliation.” Casey hugged her sister.
“You’re very welcome. Now, would you please explain what is going on? You told everyone it was a mutual decision when you and Dylan broke up.”
Casey gazed at the ceiling and sighed. “Well, it was in that we both agreed that with how everything happened at Rachel and Colin’s wedding reception, we wouldn’t make it through his being away for so long.”
“Okay. But…”
Casey let herself fall back onto the bed. “But it’s not like I wanted it that way. Remember how excited I was thinking he would make some commitment before he left because we were so great together? We’d all been so busy getting ready for the wedding, and he and I hadn’t had a chance to talk, so I was sure it would happen at the reception.”
“Right. I remember that.” Emily stretched out and rolled onto her side, facing Casey.
“But Dylan never said anything and was all snuggly with his ex. And when I asked him why we hadn’t talked, he said he didn’t know how to do this ,” Casey said, making air quotes with her fingers. “So, I asked if he was avoiding the conversation about our future because he didn’t know how to have it or didn’t want to have it, and he couldn’t answer, which gave me the answer.” Casey felt the tears leaking out the sides of her eyes. “I ran off to the dressing room, and by the time I calmed down and came back out, I saw him kissing his ex for the second time that night.”
“Why didn’t you ever say anything?” Emily asked as she dabbed a tissue to the tears on Casey’s face.
“I was too hurt. I just wanted to forget about it and him.”
“What did Dylan say when you confronted him about his ex?”
“That even though they broke up, they had been friends since they were kids, went to the same schools, that kinda thing, so they were just old friends.”
“Okay. That’s reasonable…” Emily stopped at the look on Casey’s face. “It’s not reasonable?”
“Emily, think about it. It’s just like what we dealt with while we were in school. I got that identical feeling. I looked at the two of them, and they looked perfect together—two beautiful people with the same history, the same social circles, and the same snobby prep school. And there I was, right back to being the teacher’s kid in second-hand clothes, standing outside looking in. Keeping a 4.0 was the only thing I could do well back then, and nobody even gave me credit for it. It was always because I was a teacher’s kid, not because I was smart and earned it. Even some of the staff thought that. It didn’t matter what I did. I was never good enough and didn’t fit in.”
Emily shook her head. “So, what did you say to Dylan, Case?”
Casey closed her eyes, tears still tracking down her temples into her hair. “I told him I understood why he wanted her back, which explained why he couldn’t answer my question about wanting to be together and why he’d avoided discussing our future. And he said none of that was true, and if I was this crazy while we were in the same city, there was no way we could make it in completely different countries, and then he walked away. That was the last time we spoke until today.”
“Dang, no wonder you acted so nuts when you saw him. I can’t believe you never told me. I’m kinda hurt that you didn’t.”
“Emily, come on. You know me. Sometimes, it’s easier for me to close it up in a box and throw away the key. He had already determined he was done. I decided then and there I was too, and that was it.”
“So, are you saying he never texted or called or anything the entire time he was gone?”
Casey nodded. “And neither did I. Why bother?” A hand pushed at her shoulder. “Emily, why are you shoving me?” Casey opened one eye to glare at her.
“Because I know what you need to do. It’s the ideal redemption for all that and your nutty behavior this afternoon.”
Happy she was finally finished leaking, Casey rolled over, propped herself with her elbow, and smiled. “I’m listening.”