Chapter 20
“Aunt D!” Jake ran down the sidewalk to meet Drea and wrapped his arms around her waist.
God, she had missed him. She bent down and wrapped her arms around him, feeling his warmth against the cold. “Hey bud, you ready for Christmas?”
“Yes.” He jumped as he said it, and she wished she could bottle that kind of enthusiasm. Even when she was a kid, holidays had been tedious with her parents, not the fun they always seemed to show in movies.
“Hey, thanks for meeting us,” Sam said as she joined them, and wrapped her arm around Drea’s shoulders in a half-hug.
They stepped to the side so they weren’t blocking the sidewalk.
With only a few days left before Christmas, the stores were packed with people trying to finish their holiday shopping.
“Of course. So what’s the mission?” She rubbed her gloved hands together conspiratorially.
“First, I need to get a gift for the party. I was hoping you could help with that part. And then maybe you and Jake can hang out for a little bit while I have a chat with Santa?”
Jake’s eyebrows raised like he had just heard a secret, the goofy expression pulling a laugh from her.
She wished all of her relationships could be as easy as her and Jake’s.
They just got each other. She wasn’t sure if that meant she had the emotional maturity of a six-year-old, even though he was a precocious kid, but she supposed there were worse things.
“Sounds good. Who’d you get?”
Sam took Jake’s hand and headed for the first shop. “Cassie,” she called over her shoulder.
Drea’s steps faltered for a moment. Luckily Sam didn’t notice.
“I know gift exchanges can be fun and silly items, but Cassie’s done so much for me, for all of us, that I want to get her something special,” Sam said as they perused the first shop, which specialized in hand-printed cards and gifts.
“Since y’all have gotten close, I thought you might know what she likes. ”
Drea nodded, but didn’t know how to begin to address that can of worms.
The next place had humorous and New Orleans-inspired kitchen accessories and home goods. Jake grabbed two plastic crawfish and made them dance on the display table. Drea chuckled at his silliness.
Sam held a tea towel up to Drea that said “There’s probably cat fur on this.” “That’s kind of funny, right?”
Drea tilted her head from side to side. “Kind of, but I don’t think that’s the one.”
“You’re right. Looking for special, not funny.”
By the third shop, Jake was starting to get antsy and so was Drea.
Pine scent permeated the holiday-themed shop as a Christmas tree full of old-fashioned glass ornaments by the window caught her attention.
She eyed a couple of typical holiday-themed pieces until she saw it.
A vibrant blue, pink, and purple butterfly that reminded her of Cassie’s tattoo.
And since the tattoo had symbolized letting go of old dreams to let in new ones, something to celebrate the success of the company and Cassie’s integral role in that success seemed perfect.
She held it in her hands, admiring the craftsmanship.
Sam joined her. “That’s beautiful.”
Drea nodded. “This is the one.”
Sam watched her for a moment, then nodded. “Okay, perfect.”
Drea handed the ornament to Sam. “Mission accomplished. We are outta here.” She took Jake’s hand and they headed off in search of a sugar coma.
“So how do you know Renee?” Cassie yelled to Dasha, Janay’s date, over the EDM blasting through Rosie’s.
“Oh, we met at the gym. She’s friends with a friend of mine.”
Cassie nodded.
“Are you into step?”
“What?”
“Are you into step?” Cassie yelled louder.
She gestured at Janay who was standing beside Dasha, both of them dressed up from their date, Dasha in a skintight black dress that fit right in at the club and Janay in a white dress shirt with an open vest and black wide-leg pants. “Janay runs a step team.”
“Oh, no, I mean it’s cool, but I’m not really into sports.” Dasha sipped her amaretto sour through a straw and glanced around the room, looking bored.
This probably wasn’t the best idea. She could barely hear Dasha, and she was nervous about possibly running into Drea again.
Maybe she and Janay did need to expand their club scene.
But Rosie’s was the only dedicated queer club that focused on serving women, and she always felt out of place in straight clubs.
Cassie tried to make conversation with Dasha for a while longer as Janay kept being sidetracked by people coming to their table to talk to her. Then Janay excused Cassie and herself to get another round of drinks.
“So what do you think?” Janay asked as they waited in line at the bar.
“Yeah, I think she’s cool. Um, I just . . . do you have much in common?”
“Apparently not. Maybe I didn’t ask the right questions on our first date, but she seemed cool. But damn, you’re taking one for the team trying to get info out of her tonight.”
“Oh good, okay, phew. I was worried you didn’t see it.”
“It’s as clear as a train wreck.”
The group in front of them cleared out and they stepped to the bar.
“What can I get ya?” asked the bartender, an attractive androgynous person with a shaved head and cropped T-shirt hanging off one shoulder.
“Amaretto sour, a Pimm’s, and an iced tea,” Janay said.
“What are we going to do about Dasha?” Cassie asked.
“Let’s have our drinks and dance. Might as well enjoy the night since we’re here.”
Janay was right. After another round, Dasha seemed to be as bored with the lack of connection as Janay. She said good night and Cassie and Janay headed to the dance floor.
After a couple of songs, Cassie took a break to get some water.
But as she approached the bar, she saw Drea with a woman.
A different one from the other night, of course.
Cassie took the long way around, hoping Drea wouldn’t see her, but snuck a glance while she waited in line.
They were doing shots. Though the attractive brunette was flirting pretty heavily with her, Drea seemed kind of out of it.
As she watched, recognition hit deep in her gut at the glazed look in Drea’s eyes and the vacant grin.
She found Janay on the dance floor and pulled her aside. “Drea’s here; she’s drunk. Like, really drunk.”
Janay’s eyes widened. “Are you okay?”
Tears filled her eyes. “I can’t do this, J.”
Janay hugged her. “I know.” She pulled out her phone and tapped the screen a few times. “Come on, a car’s coming for ya.”
They grabbed their coats, and Janay walked her outside and waited for the car to arrive. Cassie turned to her, concern pulsing through her body. “Can you keep an eye on her? Make sure she gets home okay?”
Janay nodded. “I got you.”
Cassie hugged her tight. “Thank you.”
“Hey Drea.”
Drea turned toward the voice, taking in the woman standing next to her at the bar as a flicker of recognition hit. “Heeey, you’re, uh, Cassie’s friend.”
She nodded. “Janay.”
“Janay, right. How are ya?” Drea propped her elbow on the bar and leaned her cheek against her fist.
“Could we chat for a few minutes?”
Drea turned to Cammie or Kimmie or whatever her name was who was standing behind Drea with her hand on Drea’s shoulder. “Could you give us a few minutes?”
She shrugged and walked off.
Janay signaled to the bartender. “Could I get a coffee?” The bartender glanced at Drea and nodded.
“How are ya doing, Drea?”
Drea shrugged. “Oh, you know.”
“You know, Cassie’s my best friend.”
Drea nodded. “She’s the best.”
The bartender slid a mug of coffee her way.
Janay nodded at the drink. “Drink some of that, will ya?”
Drea grabbed the mug and took a sip, the caffeine warring with the alcohol subduing her. She wondered what Janay wanted. The way she was standing there with a serious look on her face made Drea feel like she was in trouble.
“I know y’all broke up, but you care about her, right?”
The question struck her as odd. “Of course.” She took another sip, feeling the need to be more clear-headed for this conversation, whatever it was.
“’Cause you’re kinda hurting my girl.”
Drea sat up straighter. “What? What are you talking about?” She tried to figure out what the hell Janay was hinting at despite her brain working a bit slower than normal, then glanced around. “She’s here?”
“She was.”
Drea continued to scan the room trying to find Cassie, a glimmer of hope at the idea of seeing her.
“She’s gone now.”
Drea exhaled, feeling smaller than before.
Janay continued. “I know things might be tough right now for both of you, but . . .” She gestured at the bar. “This is a little cruel, don’t you think?”
Drea stared at her, the confusion and growing anger sobering her up. “Seriously, what the hell are you talking about?”
They locked eyes for a long moment until something changed in Janay’s expression. “She didn’t tell you, did she?”
Fear and hesitation gripped Drea. “Tell me what?”
Janay took a deep breath and blew it out, staring at the ground as if trying to figure out what to do.
“Please, Janay. What is it?”
Janay met her eyes and nodded, then took a seat next to Drea. “What did Cassie tell you about her parents?”
Drea thought hard, trying to remember it all. “A lot about her mom and how supportive she was with ballet. And that her parents passed away when she was eleven. I assumed it was a car accident or something.”
Janay nodded. “It was. A single-car accident.”
Drea took a moment with the comment before understanding hit.
“Cassie’s dad was an abusive alcoholic. When I met her in college, she was in a bad place—feeling hopeless about her dancing career, drinking a lot, and still dealing with that loss. It took a while, but Molly and I helped her work through it.”
Fuck. How did she not know any of this? “I knew she didn’t drink, but we never talked about it.”
“She’s sober, Drea. And seeing you here tonight in this state. . .” She tilted her head at her. “You really hurt her. And you already broke her heart, so . . .”
Her entire body sagged at the weight of it all.
“I didn’t know.” She shook her head. “Fuck. I didn’t know.
” She had tried so hard to save Cassie from pain, not wanting to disappoint her or bring her any more sadness and, instead, she had ended up doing all those things and more.
She didn’t even need to be in a relationship to hurt people.
Now, merely being in their lives at all was enough.