All the Right Moves(53)

Her heart felt as if it were breaking into tiny pieces. Maybe it was all her fault. She treated him like an invalid, and that was what he’d become. If she’d been stronger...

“Come on,” Lisa said, making Cassie jump. “Let’s get back to work. We have orders to fill.”

With as much dignity as she could muster, she followed Lisa, making an effort to meet people’s eyes, to smile, even though she had to blink back tears.

Once she was by the sink, she picked up the towel John had thrown. It killed her that Tommy had gone to the pool room. The old Tommy would have set aside his pride and taken care of business. Not even considering that he’d ignored her, he shouldn’t have turned his back on the bar or his customers.

The anger she’d felt for days, hell, for weeks, came surging up again, but she tamped it down as she looked at the first person who caught her attention. “Need a refill on that gin and tonic?”

It was as if she’d pressed the start button. Bless them, the bikers, the mechanics, the folks from the hospital, all the people who’d become more than customers, started talking. Loudly. Filling the room with sound helped, and for once she was grateful that one of the boys fed a handful of quarters to the jukebox.

“Hey. You.” Lisa popped up again. Right next to her.

“Quit doing that.”

“I really didn’t bring you back here to work. Go get your damn textbook and get out of here.”

“I can’t.”

“Yes,” Lisa said, folding her arms over her chest. “You can. And you will. Tommy brought this on himself. He’s gonna have to figure a way out of it. By himself.”

Cassie opened her mouth to protest, but Lisa’s eyes were like flint.

“He needs to fix this, Cass. Go home. Study. And when you see that man of yours, you give him a big sloppy kiss for me. I swear,” she said, swiping her forehead with the back of her hand, “I nearly swooned when he stood up for you like that.”

“I could have handled it,” Cassie said.

Lisa’s mouth dropped open a bit. “You stubborn... Yeah, you could have. The point is, you didn’t have to. Because you had someone on your side for a change.”

“It’s not like that—”

“I give up on the both of you. Go home, Cassie. I’ve got the bar, and if I have to kick your brother’s butt all the way across the building, I will.”

Cassie didn’t doubt her. About Tommy. What she’d said about John? That, she’d have to think about.

* * *

JOHN CHECKED HIS WATCH again, wishing he’d brought something to drink with him. He shifted on the step that led up to Cassie’s front door, waiting as the warm night ticked away.

She’d probably stay at the bar to finish out the shift. Tommy was too drunk to work, and besides, after that display, the idiot had probably walked out. Leaving his sister to hold down the fort. Again.

John’s anger rose once more, as it had ever since he’d honored Cassie’s wishes and taken his leave. It had been incredibly difficult. He wasn’t in the habit of walking out on such an unstable scene, and especially abandoning the woman he’d come to like so much.

John got to his feet and started pacing. Again. He didn’t care if she did stay till closing, he wasn’t going anywhere until he saw for himself that Cassie was doing okay. And he needed to tell her that he was sorry. He should have left the first time she asked him to.

She’d done what was necessary for the bar and for herself. She’d even done him a favor. Getting into a physical altercation with her brother would have cost everyone.

He’d known right away that Cassie was smart. She reminded him of the best pilots. Steady as a rock, aware of all the contingencies and she didn’t get thrown by surprises. He smiled thinking about her at the party. Maybe she hadn’t been dressed like the officers’ wives he’d grown used to, but she’d been classy as hell in her own way.

Besides, who said things had to stay the same? Maybe during his mother’s generation, the officers’ wives were expected to dress a certain way, be willing to socialize with the right people at a moment’s notice. But now, his friends’ wives were far more independent. Although, they all kind of hung around with each other, didn’t they?

But the basic principal was to maintain a level of conduct that honored the fundamental values of serving one’s country. He had no argument with that. The fact that he was an officer of the U.S. Air Force was never far from his mind, even when he was waffling about his future. He’d be proud to take Cassie to any event. In fact, he’d like to see her all dressed up. She’d be a knockout.