Kasey swallowed hard, not caring about the tears that were slipping down her cheeks as she said, “To this day, I can't stand to be around that particular cousin. He—he makes me physically ill. All I want to do is run as fast and as far away from him as I can.”
“That's understandable.”
“I don't know what was worse—the way my mother just brushed it off, or finding out that my father knew what had happened and did absolutely nothing about it.”
“I would have to say that both were equally atrocious.”
“I—I had a sister. She died in a car crash several years ago. Imagine how I felt when my father told me that not only had my cousin done that to me, he'd also done the same thing to my sister.”
Ashwin shook his head and reached over to take Kasey's hand. “I am SO sorry, sweetheart. I just can't imagine...”
“That's all in the past now, so I try not to think about it too much.”
“Is this cousin still alive?”
Kasey sighed. “Yes.”
“Does he live close by?”
“He lives close to my home town.”
Ashwin nodded as he began to formulate a plan in his mind, one that he had no intention of sharing with Kasey. He was smart enough to know that some things were better left unsaid, just as some things were better taken care of privately. And this was one of those things. He cleared his throat and casually asked, “What's his name?”
Kasey finally turned to give him a puzzled look. “Why do you want to know?”
Ashwin shrugged. “Just in case we ever come across him.”
“I doubt you will, but his name is Herbert. Most people call him Butch, though.”
Ashwin nodded as he filed that bit of info away in his mind, and he forced himself to sound casual as he inquired, “And you say he used to be a cop?”
“Yes.”
Ashwin nodded again and gave Kasey's hand a gentle squeeze. “I hope you know that none of what you just told me has any effect on my feelings for you, sweetheart.”
Kasey bit her lip, avoiding his gaze again as she softly said, “I'm glad.”
“Why would you think otherwise?”
“Because it's obvious that I have some serious baggage that the airline should have lost.”
Ashwin shrugged. “Everyone has 'baggage', sweetheart. We'll work through it together. How does that sound?”
Kasey nodded, too overcome with emotion to respond to his statement. She was surprised when Ashwin suddenly pulled into the parking lot of a gas station, but she said nothing as Ashwin got out of the car and came around to the passenger side. He opened the door and helped her out of the car, then wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on the top of her head as he murmured, “No matter what, sweetheart, we will work through everything together. OK?”
“But Ashwin, I am SO fucked up--”
“Shh,” he replied as he tightened his hold on her, his voice soft yet stern as he commanded, “Don't say that. You are NOT fucked up. If I thought you were, I would have never taken you to my mother's house, and I would NOT have invited you to move in with me. Do you understand?”
Kasey slowly nodded, savoring the warmth and comfort of his embrace as she shamelessly soaked the front of his shirt with her tears. No one had ever shown her such acceptance and love, and she closed her eyes as she sent up a silent prayer of thanks to whatever or whoever was in charge of such things for sending him to her. After several minutes of simply standing there in his embrace, she finally raised her head and softly stated, “I, um, need to pee.”
Ashwin smiled and shook his head before he dropped a gentle kiss to her lips, and several moments later he raised his head and helpfully inquired, “Do you want me to go in there with you?”
Kasey gave him a strange look before she hesitantly replied, “Um, no...why would I need you to go in there with me?”
“This is a gas station, sweetheart. You never know what kind of perverts are lingering around the bathroom.”
“I'm sure the bathroom is on the inside, Ashwin.”
“Oh, OK. In that case, then, I'll go buy us some Cherry Cokes while you use the bathroom. How's that?”
Kasey nodded as she headed for the entrance to the store, feeling definitely off-balance after their conversation in the car, as well as that kiss he'd just given her in the parking lot. She suddenly couldn't wait to get home, just to show him how much she loved him.
“So tell me more about your sister,” Ashwin casually requested as he maneuvered the car along the winding Blue Ridge Parkway. Kasey reluctantly turned from the breathtaking scenery and glanced at him, then sighed and linked her fingers together in her lap as she softly inquired, “What would you like to know?”
“Everything.”
Kasey sighed again and said, “My sister was ten years older than me. She told me one time that at one point, she had to break me from the habit of calling her 'Mama'. Since mom worked the night shift and dad worked the day shift, my sister took care of me. She'd get me up for school, see to it that I had breakfast, and looked after me. We fought, of course, but those times were few and far between.”
Ashwin nodded. “Go on.”
“At some point she became the 'black sheep' of the family, at least in my parents' eyes. She got involved with some unsavory people at school and got into all kinds of trouble, which effectively ended her plans for becoming a CPA. Instead she went to work in a textile mill and did that kind of work for years. She had two husbands and several live-in boyfriends, one of whom beat her so badly that she ended up in the hospital and he ended up in prison.”
“I see.”
Kasey sighed deeply and continued. “It wasn't until I was older that my sister and I actually became friends instead of just sisters. We were also neighbors, and sometimes I would walk down to her place to have coffee with her, talk, and watch TV. She loved to watch those old 'I Love Lucy' reruns.”
Ashwin chuckled and said, “Let me guess...I bet her favorite episode was the one of her and Ethel in the chocolate factory.”
Kasey smiled at the memory and said, “Yes...how'd you know?”
Ashwin chuckled again and replied, “Just a lucky guess, I guess.”
“She had gotten involved with this guy, and I, for one, thought that maybe, just maybe, this guy would finally be the guy who would treat her right instead of taking advantage of her or physically abusing her.” She glanced out the window and softly added, “That wasn't the case, though.”
“What happened?”
“Well, she'd met the guy locally, and they seemed to hit it off. Then she found out that he owned a horse ranch down in Florida. So when he took off and went back to Florida, it wasn't long before she headed to Florida as well. She and her first husband had remained close friends, and he offered her a place to stay while she was visiting. She managed to land a small job as a bartender. But--”
Ashwin glanced over at her, his concern obvious as he softly inquired, “But what, sweetheart?”
“My sister found out that not only did he have a horse ranch, he also had a wife.”
“I see.”
“My sister spent roughly twelve hours in the bar, trying to drink her heartache away. She decided to drive home. Needless to say, she never made it.”
Ashwin glanced over in time to see the tears spill onto Kasey's tightly-clenched hands, and his voice was hoarse with emotion as he murmured, “Kasey, sweetheart, I am SO sorry...”
Kasey quickly swiped at her damp cheeks and shrugged. “Yeah, so am I. I miss her like crazy, though, even after all these years.”
“What was her name?”
“Deborah. Everyone called her Debbie. My dad would call her Little Debbie, like the snack cakes. Or sometimes he'd call her Debbie Doodle.”
Ashwin smiled at Kasey's words before he inquired, “What was she like?”
“Oh, she was a little spitfire when she had to be. She was fiercely independent—she lived life on HER terms. She was also as sweet as sh
e could be.”
Ashwin laughed softly at her description and said, “She sounds like she was quite a character.”
“Oh, she was.”
“Did she ever tell you what your cousin had done to her?”
Kasey slowly shook her head. “No. I never knew about that until my father told me.”
“Did he show up for the funeral?”
Kasey sighed as she continued to gaze down at her tightly linked fingers. “I'm sure he did. I was too wrapped up in my grief to really notice, though.” She finally raised her head and added, “We got word on Monday that she'd been killed in a car accident. Since she was in Florida, she had to be embalmed before she could be sent back to South Carolina. From Monday until Thursday, I kept telling myself that some horrible mistake had been made, that at any minute she was going to come pulling into my parents' driveway wondering what all the fuss was about.” More tears silently splashed onto her hands as she added, “Come Thursday, that whole scenario was blown to bits when I finally had a chance to see her at the funeral home. The funeral director had done his best to fix her up, but she'd been so disfigured in the accident that only family members were allowed to see her. I remember leaning over the casket to hug her. Another cousin was there, and he had to pull me off of her.”
Ashwin reached over and placed his hand on top of hers, but he said nothing as Kasey continued, “I went back to see her at the funeral home, a few hours before the funeral. I felt I needed to see her alone before...well, you know. I had sent a huge arrangement of pink roses for the funeral. I plucked one out of the arrangement and placed it in her hands in the casket. She was buried with it still in her hands.”
Ashwin cleared his throat and softly stated, “I'm sure she knew how much you loved her, sweetheart, just as I'm sure she knows you sent the roses and put that one rose in her hands.”
Kasey sighed deeply and glanced out the window, not seeing the scenery as she re-lived the sorrow of losing her only sister. “I certainly hope so, Ashwin.”
“What are some of your happier memories of her?”
Kasey continued to stare out the window, but she gave a faint smile as she said, “We had gone to Myrtle Beach after my high school graduation. I convinced her to get on this ride at the amusement park. She had no idea what the ride was going to involve. The ride started off going in a circle before it flipped upside down and started spinning. While she was sitting behind me screaming, I was laughing my ass off.”
Ashwin chuckled and softly inquired, “Are there any more?”
“Oh, there are several. Probably too many to tell you about before we get home.” She glanced at the digital clock on the dashboard and added, “When WILL we be home?”
“In a few more hours.” He glanced over at her and grinned as he teased, “Why are you asking? Do you need to pee again?”
Kasey reached over and delivered a light slap to his arm before she replied, “Ha ha, very funny. For your information, the answer to that question is 'no'.”
“Are you sure?”
Kasey glanced out the window again before she said, “All I see are mountains and highway. I'm not going to pee in the woods, nor am I going to pee on the side of the road.”
“Why not?”
Kasey pinned him with an incredulous look. “I might get eaten by a bear.”
Ashwin laughed so hard that he had to wipe away tears, and he laughed even harder when he glanced over and saw that Kasey was sitting there with her arms folded, a petulant look on her face at his reaction to her statement. “What's so funny?”
Ashwin shook his head as he said, “YOU are.”
“Why am I funny?”
“I think getting eaten by a bear is the least of your worries if you're crouched on the side of the highway peeing.”
“Well, he might just be that hungry.”
Ashwin began laughing again, and several moments later Kasey inquired, “Now what are you laughing about?”
Ashwin shook his head again and said, “I was just thinking...if you're peeing, and a bear decided to eat you, then he'd be getting lucky, because he'd have something to eat AND drink.”
Kasey smacked him on the arm again as she said, “Eww! That was just...nasty!”
“I bet the bear wouldn't think so.”
“Look! A store!” Kasey exclaimed as she pointed to a small store just up ahead. Ashwin shook his head and pulled into the parking lot, then got out to stretch his legs as Kasey disappeared inside. He went inside and bought two Cherry Cokes, as well as a little surprise for Kasey. He was all smiles when she finally emerged from the bathroom, and he just couldn't resist as he leaned down and whispered in her ear, “Did you see any bears in there?”
“I'm going to turn into a bear if you don't stop with the bear jokes.”
Ashwin laughed at her and said, “Oh, I'm so scared...”
“You should be,” Kasey replied as she got into the car and took the Cherry Coke he offered. Ashwin simply shook his head and laughed at her as he cranked the car and headed for home.
CHAPTER 24
Ashwin and Kasey finally arrived at the Ocean Mist shortly after five p.m., and as Ashwin switched the car off he sighed and glanced over at Kasey, who had fallen asleep an hour earlier. He smiled as he leaned across the seat, and Kasey sighed softly as Ashwin gently kissed her awake. She smiled up at him and sat up a little straighter in the seat, then sleepily inquired, “Are we home?”
Ashwin nodded. “Yes, and I'm happy to say that neither one of us got eaten by any bears.”
Kasey laughed and shook her head before she got out of the car and languidly stretched, and as Ashwin glanced at his watch he casually inquired, “Would you like to have dinner in the hotel restaurant?”
“Sure.” She followed him into the lobby, where Holly was explaining something to the rather flustered-looking desk clerk. Holly glanced up and gasped when she saw who had just walked in, and she wasted no time in running over to Kasey before she threw her arms around her and squealed, “Kasey! It's so good to have you back!”
Kasey smiled and gave Holly a squeeze before she said, “It's good to BE back. How have you been?”
Holly shrugged. “Not as busy as it was during the summer. I figure we'll see a spike for the holidays, but in between those times, and after New Year's, it'll probably be pretty boring around here.”
Ashwin cleared his throat and politely inquired, “Are you still on duty, Holly, or are you free to join us for dinner in the restaurant?”
A slow smile spread across Holly's face at his invitation, and as she turned around she asked the clerk on duty, “Can you handle things from here?”
The young, fresh-faced girl behind the counter nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, ma'am!”
Holly smiled. “Good. I'll be in the restaurant if you need anything.” She turned back to Ashwin and Kasey, then linked her arms through theirs and added, “Let's go, I'm starving!”
“So how have the two of you been?” Holly inquired as she sat back in the booth and sipped her tea. Ashwin smiled and took a long pull of his beer before he replied, “We've been busy.”
Holly nodded and glanced at Kasey, then said, “You're looking well.”
Kasey smiled. “Thank you.”
“Must've been all of that fresh mountain air.”
Kasey's smile widened as she glanced up at Ashwin. “Yeah, something like that. At least I didn't get eaten by any bears.”
Ashwin suddenly coughed and choked on his beer, and Kasey's smile turned into a full-fledged grin as she picked up her glass and took a long swallow of her own drink, a delicious Sex on the Beach. She turned five different shades of red when Ashwin leaned down and roughly whispered in her ear, “You've been eaten by THIS bear. You'd be wise to remember that.”
Holly watched their exchange with amused interest before she casually inquired, “So, Kasey, are you planning to come back to work?”
“Eventually.”
“If you could come back the week before Tha
nksgiving, I'd be forever grateful.”
Kasey laughed and teased, “Has it been that bad without me?”
Holly simply shook her head and picked up her glass. “You have NO idea.”
“OK, then. Put me on the schedule for the week before Thanksgiving.”
Holly's face brightened at Kasey's words. “Really? Are you serious?”
“Yes.” She blushed again when Ashwin leaned down and murmured in her ear, “This bear's getting hungry again.”
“We just had dinner, Ashwin...”
Ashwin slid his fingers through Kasey's hair as he leaned down again and softly growled, “I'm not talking about food.”
“Um...OK.” She eyed his empty beer bottle and added, “How many of those have you had?”
Ashwin smiled. “Just one.”
Kasey raised an eyebrow before she turned her attention back to Holly and said, “Well, I think we're going to head upstairs and call it an evening. That's one heck of a drive from there to here.”
Holly nodded and left a tip on the table, then got to her feet and embraced Kasey warmly as she said, “I am SO glad everything worked out, sweetie.”
Kasey smiled. “So am I.”
Holly turned to smile at Ashwin. “Thank you for dinner.”
Ashwin gave Holly a pleasant smile and said, “You're quite welcome. You have a nice evening, Holly. We'll see you tomorrow.” He put his arm around Kasey's shoulder and led her out of the restaurant, and Holly simply sighed and shook her head as she watched the two of them disappear around the corner. If only she could find a man like that...
Kasey sighed as she sat down on Ashwin's sofa, but moments later she was crying brokenly as the events of the past month finally caught up with her. Ashwin frowned and sat down beside her, and as he gently rubbed her back he inquired, “What's wrong, sweetheart?”
Kasey gingerly dabbed at her eyes with the tissue he provided before she said, “It's been so long since I've been here...I guess I just didn't know if I'd ever get to see home again.”
Ashwin pulled her onto his lap and wrapped his arms around her as he murmured gentle reassurances in her ear, and when she finally calmed down she shook her head and mumbled, “I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do that.”
The Medicine Man, Book 2 Page 19