by J. M. Witt
Waiting for her to come down, I resorted to eating cereal. Her cupboards were bare. Cereal, milk, popcorn and frozen meals were about all she had in the house. That was no way for her to be eating. As I rinsed out my bowl I heard her come down the stairs. I still wasn’t sure if she really slept with me on the couch last night or if it was my imagination and I didn’t know if I should bring it up or not.
She glanced at me before saying, “Shower’s free if you want it.”
A shower sounded great. “Okay. Can you take me back up to the hospital? I want to check in on mom and my truck’s there.”
“Yup, it’s no problem.”
“I can call Smith.”
“James, it’s not a problem. I’d like to visit your mom, if that’s ok.”
“Of course. She’d love to see you.”
~<>~<>~<>~
We pulled into the parking garage and began walking into the hospital. Mom was propped up in bed and Dad wasn’t there at that moment. “I have a visitor for you.”
She tried looking around me and when she spotted Cassidy her face lit up. “Cassidy, my dear.” She reached her arms out to her and Cassidy hugged her. “You’ve been a stranger the last couple weeks. How’s your brother?”
I left them to chat and went in search of my father. After looking for some time I called him. He said he was headed back up and wanted to meet me in the small waiting room by the elevators. I paced the floor waiting for his arrival. When he stepped out of the elevator he motioned me to sit down. My stomach was already churning.
“Mom will be coming home tomorrow or Monday.”
“Do they know what’s going on? Are her kidneys functioning?”
He just looked at me and his eyes grew glassy. “I’m working on getting hospice and I’ll hire some nurses to care for her at home.”
“Hospice? But…” I couldn’t finish the sentence.
“It’s what she wants. She doesn’t want to die in these walls. And I agree with her.” He squeezed my knee as the fucking tears threatened to fill my eyes. My throat and chest began to ache.
“How long?”
“One never really knows with these things. It could be a few days or a few weeks, maybe longer.” I nodded my head, afraid to speak.
“Everything okay?” Cassidy walked over and kept a few feet back, trying not to intrude. “She’s sleeping, but asked for you.”
“Thank you.” I got up and brushed past her with no other comment.
I sat with Mom for almost an hour as she drifted in and out of sleep. “Honey, you can go. It’s ok. I’ll be home in a few days.”
“But…”
“Don’t but me. Go spend some quality time with that wonderful girl of yours.” I sighed, closing my eyes. “James? What’s going on?”
“I’m losing her.”
“Don’t be foolish. I just talked to her and that girl is head over heels devoted to you.”
“I’m not so sure.”
“Jackson James Benedict the third. Stop feeling sorry for yourself. We all die. Everything comes to an end. Get over it.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of.”
“Jimmy, this life is short. Don’t let her go just because you’re afraid to lose her.”
“She wants things I can’t give her.”
“Like what? She’s not superficial.”
“Not things. She asked me to move in with her. I told her that we weren’t ready for that.”
“Is that all. What are waiting for? You’re father and I are old-fashioned, but you’re grown now. Move in with her.”
“It’s not just that.” She scowled at me. “She found out that I served in the Army and is asking questions. I can’t answer those questions mom. It’s too much.”
She sighed and eyed me carefully. “Why did you keep it from her? It’s natural for her to be curious. She just wants to know you. It’s a sign of love. If she didn’t care, she wouldn’t ask.”
I knew she was right. I had to figure out a way to open up to her.
“Jimmy, do you know?”
“Know what?”
“Is she it?”
Was she it? What a loaded question.
“Don’t worry. You’ll know when the time is right.” She rested her head and closed her eyes. I had to let her rest.
Cassidy was sitting with my Dad when I returned to the lobby. I gave him a hug and he headed back to her room and Cassidy and I got on the elevator. We walked in silence out of the hospital and I took a risk and enclosed her hand in mine. It took her a second before she intertwined her fingers in mine. We reached her car and stood behind it as I stared at her. How long had it been since I kissed her? Way too long.
I moved in an inch at a time, waiting for her reaction. She shifted nervously as I kissed her forehead and moved my lips to her cheek. “I’ve missed you.”
“Me too.” A small shudder ran through her and her hands came up to rest on my chest.
Barely touching, I grazed my lips across hers causing her to whimper. I couldn’t hold back any longer and pressed my mouth to hers. My hand traveled her back and into her hair as the other drifted down her side. She lost her balance as I pushed her up against the back of her car, but I kept her from falling. She tasted like heaven as I sucked on her tongue.
“James.” She pulled her head back and clung tightly to my neck. “We have to talk.”
Groaning, “I know. Later.”
“Now.”
My phone started ringing and I knew I had to answer it. “Shit.” I pulled my phone out as she wiped her mouth and straightened her clothes. I had a meeting with Melissa that I had forgotten about. If I wanted Melissa to help us bring down Dan, I couldn’t afford to piss her off. “Cassidy, I have a meeting I have to get to. Will you meet me at the penthouse?”
“What meeting?” She drilled her eyes into me and knew instantly when I didn’t respond. “With her? The hell you do. I’m coming with you.”
“Cassidy, I can’t afford to piss her off. I need her help.”
“TELL ME! Right now. You have to trust me or we’re done. This involves me and I have a right to know.”
I paced in a circle, tugging my hand through my hair so roughly that I had to pull it back up. FUCK. She was right. “Get in the car and I’ll tell you on the way there.”
“What about your truck?”
“Fuck it. I’ll get it later.”
We got in the car, she started it, but didn’t move it out of park. Turning the radio way down, she demanded, “Spill it.”
“Dan and Melissa were an item in high school. Hell, they may still be an item. I don’t know and I don’t really care. Melissa is probably the only person Dan will open up to. Melissa has agreed to help find out his involvement, if any, in Holly and Sam’s deaths, your mothers and the incident at your office a few weeks back.”
She sat quietly and I knew she was processing my words. “Why?”
“Why what?”
“Why would she help you? She doesn’t like me. She’s made it perfectly clear that she thinks you belong to her. What’s in it for her?”
“There’s nothing in it for her.” That wasn’t entirely true. We had agreed to a room at the hotel, but Cassidy didn’t need to know that. It would just piss her off more.
“I don’t trust her. There’s more to it.”
“You’re giving her too much credit.” She was shaking her head, looking out the window. “Cassidy. I don’t want her. I want you.” She turned her head and looked over my face.
“I don’t understand why you couldn’t tell me this.”
“Because it’s pretty clear that when it comes to Melissa your claws come out.”
“She showed hers first.”
“Cassidy. Please let it go.”
“I still don’t trust her. She’s up to no good.” We sat in silence for a moment before she pulled out of the parking spot and headed to my office. “I’m going to the meeting. I’ll stay in the lobby, but you’re not keeping this a secret f
rom me anymore.”
“Okay. Just let me handle her.”
“Then handle her. She’s a viper.” I chuckled at her comment. What was it with women? They were worse than men were when it came to staking their claim.
Chapter 13 ~Awkward
~ JAMES ~
We got to the office and made our way up to my floor through the back elevator. I then called down to the lobby knowing Melissa was probably down there waiting. Cassidy walked to my office and pulled out a bottle of water from my mini fridge.
“Why don’t you stay here and I’ll move the meeting to the conference room.” She’d be more comfortable in my office anyways.
“Fine with me. Feel free to close the door.” I laughed at that and she gave me a wicked smile in return.
As I closed my office door I heard the elevator ding and waited for Melissa to get out. When she saw me she plastered that big, fake grin onto her face and pranced toward me. I internally groaned and chastised myself for all those times I took her to bed, repeatedly.
“James.” She went to hug me and instead I turned and headed toward the conference room.
“This way.” She asked why we weren’t meeting in my office and I just ignored her. I sat down at the conference table and waited for her to do the same. “So, any update?”
“Missed you too.”
“Melissa, stop the bullshit.”
She sighed. “Fine. I don’t know for certain, but he claims he was having a jam session the night Cassidy was attacked. I haven’t met any of the guys from this new band, so I’m not positive.”
“Okay. Anything else.”
“He’s keeping me at arm’s length. I’m working on it.” I began to wonder if Cassidy was right. Did Melissa have her own agenda?
We talked a little bit longer as I poked and prodded for more information. My phone chimed and I checked the text message.
Five more minutes or I’m
coming in. ~Cass
I chuckled at that, knowing that she most certainly would. “Alright. Thanks for coming over and for the update. I’ll be in touch.” I stood up and she followed suit. Walking toward the door, I held it open for her. She brushed past me and tried rubbing up against me. Cassidy was right. She was a viper. Placing my hand on the small of her back, I directed her out of the office with a little more force than necessary.
As we walked past my office, Cassidy opened the door and poked her head out. Let it begin. Melissa stopped and looked at Cassidy, then back to me. “Well, that explains a lot. I didn’t realize you had a babysitter.”
“Melissa.” My tone was warning her and I hoped Cassidy too. I wasn’t in the mood to deal with their cat fight.
A sardonic smile spread across Cassidy’s face as she simply glared at Melissa and waved goodbye to her. She went back into my office and closed the door. I was proud of her and thankful. I wouldn’t have blamed her for lashing out at Melissa. Of course there was still a chance that she’d lash out at me, if Melissa didn’t do it first. I walked to the elevator and pressed the down button.
“Time to go Melissa.”
She took her time walking to me and I turned my head, rolling my eyes at her. When the doors opened, Paul was standing in front of me. Baffled, I looked to him.
“Hey, didn’t think you’d be here. I forgot the blueprints yesterday. They still in your office?”
“Yeah, they should be on my desk.”
“Hey, there Paul.” If she was trying to make me jealous, she was delusional. I didn’t know if there was anything going on between her and Paul and didn’t give a flying fuck.
“Melissa was just headed out. If you hurry you can ride down to the lobby with her.”
Paul and Melissa exchanged a look before he said, “Hang on doll. I’ll be right back.”
He jogged the short distance to my office and went through the closed door. I guess he was going to meet Cassidy. I was fine with it and it was about time they met. Groaning, I knew I should properly introduce them. “Stay here.” I left Melissa by the elevator doors and walked to my office.
When I walked in I was struck with confusion. Paul was standing disturbingly close to Cassidy. They were talking intimately and my blood instantly boiled. What the fuck was he doing and why was she letting it happen?
“You mind stepping the fuck away from her.” Both their heads abruptly turned toward me, like they’d been caught.
“Well this just got really awkward.” Paul was trying to make light of the situation and I couldn’t figure out why. Paul looked to me and then back to Cassidy. “She’s your fiery redhead?” He turned away and walked toward the desk. “Fuck me.” I don’t think he knew I heard the last part.
Cassidy seemed paralyzed, like she’d just been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. “Someone better tell me what the fuck is going on.”
“Tell you? I’d like to know too.” She couldn’t be serious.
“Apparently the world is smaller than we thought.” Paul had the blueprints in his hand and stood off to the side between Cassidy and me.
“Paul is an old Army buddy of Cal’s who recently moved back to town. But how do you know James, Paul?” She looked to Paul and seemed just as confused as I was until she spotted the blueprints in his hand, but she remained silent.
“Jesus Christ.”
Paul chimed in, “James is an old Army buddy of mine too. I met him when I was stationed elsewhere, after…”
“Fucking hell.”
“He’s working for me and HE should remember that.” After what? I’d find out later. I walked to Cassidy and put my arm around her, staking my claim. “Paul, this is Cassidy. My girlfriend.”
He smiled at Cassidy before looking to me. “You’re a lucky guy. She’s a treasure.”
“Well, this just got interesting.” All three of us jerked our heads toward my office door where Melissa stood. “You coming Paul?”
“Yea. I need some air.”
I watched him leave, waited for the sound of the elevator doors closing before I walked to my office door and closed it. “What the hell was that?”
“Excuse me? I could ask you the same thing?”
“How do you know Paul?”
She scoffed, “I told you, he was an Army buddy of Cal’s.”
“That doesn’t explain how you know him.”
“Oh my, God. Chill out. I didn’t even know he was back in town. Last night was the first time I saw him since he’s been back.”
“What do you mean last night?”
“Cal’s welcome home party. He was there. Apparently he and Cal ran into each other weeks ago and have been staying in touch. They were really close in the Army.”
“Apparently Calvin wasn’t the only one he was close to.” I watched her face as the blush spread across her cheeks. “God dammit. What are the fucking odds?”
“James, you’re over reacting. Yes, we were close. Ten years ago.” She walked toward me and tried putting her hands on me. “It was just a summer romance. Nothing more. I was young and naive.” I looked to her, examining her eyes. “Please don’t make this more than it is.”
“I’m sorry. I’m so stressed and seeing him standing so close to you set me off.”
“You don’t say?” She was mocking me now. “Let it go. I’m hungry. Let’s go get something to eat, it can be carry out for all I care.” She grabbed my shirt and tugged on it. “Please.”
“Okay. You win. This time.” As we walked out of my office building we discussed what to get to eat. “Thai sounds good. There’s that little joint by your place.”
“That’s perfect.” She smiled brightly at me and squeezed my hand as we left.
I called the Thai place as she drove. Once we were back to her place, she changed clothes and then joined me in the kitchen as I put the Thai on plates for us.
“What do you want to drink?” She was opening the fridge and turned her head to me, waiting for my answer.
“Water’s fine. If you could stick one of my beers
in the freezer to give it a few minutes to chill.”
“K.”
After we ate, she was on the couch flipping through Netflix. She put on a movie that I had never heard of and I tried paying attention to it, but I was distracted by her. It’d been too long since we were intimate. It was killing me to be so close to her, yet so far. I knew her well enough to know she wouldn’t make the first move.
“I’m going to go change. If I’m not back in five minutes, send a search party.”
She chuckled, saying, “Will do.”
~ CASSIDY ~
I watched as he headed upstairs and turned my eyes back to the TV. The last twenty-four hours had been a complete whirlwind, especially that day.
When I found him at the hospital, sitting in the freezing cold, lips blue and asleep, I thought he was dead. We hadn’t gotten back to my place till after three in the morning. I’d tossed and turned for over an hour, unable to sleep. I had finally said ‘screw it’ and made my way downstairs. He appeared to be sound asleep, if he wasn’t I didn’t know any better, and I decided to curl up next to him. He murmured my name and I asked him to just let me hold him. When I woke a few hours later he was sound asleep. I had made my way upstairs to take a shower, not prepared for what might come if he woke up with me still on top of him.
Later at the hospital, talking to his mother was a relief. I filled her in on Calvin and she listened intently as I rambled on.
“Is something else bothering you, dear?” I looked to her, determined to not fill her in on the status, or lack thereof, between her son and I. “I know he can be difficult. He’s stubborn as a mule. He wants to do everything on his own terms, at his own pace, and no one is going to tell him otherwise.”
I snorted, “That sounds about right. Problem is that I can be the same way.”
“You two will figure it out. I’m confident of it.”
She started to doze off and after pulling the blanket up around her I left her room and found James and his father talking in the lobby. He brushed past me with nary a word and went to her room. I plopped down in the chair closest to me and tried to put on a smile when I realized J.J. was staring at me.