Chapter Fourteen
Caroline
I squeeze my eyes shut in pain as I catch the sunrise slipping through Kate's basement window, sending a pounding through my skull.
It takes me a moment to realize where I am or how I got here.
The girls are still asleep, all scattered across the basement couch and carpet in blankets.
It feels like a high school sleepover all over again.
Quietly tip-toeing around the maze of sleeping girls, I sneak up the stairs to the kitchen and grab a glass.
Another pang of pain hits behind my eyes.
Goodness, I haven't been this hungover since college.
I press the glass to the refrigerator button and am greeted by Kate's golden retriever, Duke.
Well really, it's her fiancé Mike's dog but he's deployed at the moment.
“Hi buddy, good morning,” I give his big soft head a rub, as his tail aggressively fans behind him. “It's just you and the girls now. Did you miss us?” He gets overly excited and I have to hush him by grabbing the stuffed animal and sending him back to his dog bed with it in his mouth.
Slamming the rest of the water back, I place my glass in the sink and sit on the living room couch.
My mind is suddenly too awake to lay back down.
Retracing my steps from last night, I recall my steamy bathroom bar scene…
Did that really happen? Did I want it to happen? Did he think that meant something?
Gosh, I can not let this derail me. That moment of weakness was simply that and I sure hope he doesn't think it meant anything more.
I've got too much shit to clean up as it is, I can't pull him into my mess too.
I just gotta brush this under the rug, keep it to myself and act like it never happened.
I will never get my life back on track if I let old mistakes resurface from my past. I've gone down that path once and I won't do it again.
Breaking my train of thought and internal battle, Bree cracks open the basement door. Duke’s nails come tapping across the wood floor again to welcome her.
“Hey,” she whispers with a gentle, sleepy smile. Yawning, she asks, “What time is it?”
“About, 7:30” I cheerfully replied.
“Goodness, why are you awake?” she asked, her eyes still half closed.
“I could ask you the same thing”, I respond but follow it up with “I was thirstier than the Sahara Desert.”
“My internal clock doesn't let me sleep in anymore, no matter what,” Bree had gotten used to early morning nursing shifts at the hospital and her body had clearly adjusted to the schedule.
“Well, take a seat. Duke and I are just here enjoying the peace and quiet.” I pat the couch cushion next to me.
Ignoring my invitation, she patters over towards the kitchen. “Do you know where she keeps ibuprofen in here? My head is killing me.”
“I don't know, but when you find it please pass me some because same here.”
I pray no one brings up the man of my past from last night, much less saw us exit the same bathroom. But Bree isn’t one to pry. I enjoy our quiet catch up on the couch, as I don’t get much solo time with her anymore. But I still can’t focus because of my headache and nausea.
“I think I’m going to sneak out of here. I’ve got to get back to my parents, can you tell them all I said bye?” I decided to break free and avoid any further questioning. Besides, I desperately need an iced coffee.