Butterflies in Honey (Growing Pains #3)(15)

“I can sympathize,” Krista said, thankful that Cassie was trying to ease the blow. “But I want to shower and check in with Tory before I run off to have fun.”

“You suck. Okay, let’s meet downtown. I’ll call you.” They walked past the kitchen. Cassie pushed Sean out of the way so she could get to the fridge.

“Sean, I’ll be back here tomorrow morning. Do you want to surf with me?” Krista asked in a friendly tone as she gathered her stuff.

Sean leaned against the counter and looked at her with hostile eyes. “I can’t tomorrow. Sorry.”

Krista froze for a beat as she was picking up her bag. She recovered quickly, hiding the sting behind a smile. She shrugged, acting completely unconcerned. “No problem. Alright, Cass, see you later.”

Krista didn’t hear Cassie’s response. She walked out of the door as the tears came. She didn’t know Sean anymore. He wasn’t the same man she’d left. He didn’t love the world around him like he used to. He didn’t find humor in the little things, or treat the world like a stage. It was like he just dealt with life now. He’d lost his spark. At least with her.

~*~*~*~

Cassie waited for the door to close, then she waited to get herself under control. Sean sank onto a barstool at the counter in the kitchen, his shoulders hunched.

“So…you totally f**ked that up,” Cassie said as calmly as she could manage.

“Language,” Sean said without looking up.

“Are you blind Sean? She still likes you! It’s obvious!”

“As friends, Cass.”

“Sean…” Cassie gripped the counter to prevent herself from saying something ugly. When she was mostly under control again, she said, “I feel like I am in the middle of a divorce. Again. Only this time I want the parents to stay together, Sean. But Krista probably thinks I am trying to let her down easy from you being a pile of shit to her! She probably thinks…”

Sean stood up, anger flashing. His whole body was taut, trying to keep the anger in check. Cassie, very rarely ever seeing Sean angry around her, and only probably twice in her life seeing him angry at her, fell silent.

“Cassie,” Sean said through clenched teeth. “Don’t bring Krista up to me again. Is that clear? She has moved on. She has found someone else. She has found a man that treats her well and takes care of her. Let her be happy, and leave me alone. If you are so desperate to match-make, work on your own life, and leave mine alone.”

“But what if she were single?” Cassie asked quickly, not wanting to see Sean mad, but less desirous to see him in pain, which is what she’d been witnessing since Krista left the first time.

Sean stopped on his way to his room, his back still turned toward his sister. “If she was single—”

“Is single, I meant. If she dumps her man.”

Sean turned to look at Cassie. “What, by phone in the next couple days? Right.”

“Just—what if she sees you, decides she still likes you, goes back, sees her man, realizes he’s not all that, and—”

Sean turned and started to walk away again.

“Sean!” Cassie yelled. “If she dumps her man, will you try for her?”

Sean stopped again. Just to get his sister off his back he said, “Sure, Cass. If she suddenly decides that the man she has been with for the last year doesn’t live up to my broken down, problem-riddled, high-maintenance, pathetic excuse of a life, then yes, I will ask her out. Happy?”

“Yes,” Cassie exhaled. As Sean turned the corner she yelled, “I will hold you to it!”

Chapter Five

Cassie and Krista did some shopping in the late afternoon. They both bought way too much. Everything seemed to fit and look great, though, so it was almost painful to put it back. Cassie reasoned that Krista was so busy she never got to spend her salary. Krista in turn reasoned that Cassie needed to stop looking so frumpy. It obviously didn’t take much convincing for either of them.

They went back to Krista’s hotel for lunch since she planned to expense it. When their sandwiches arrived, Cassie took a bite, then asked, “So who is this handsome guy you’re seeing?”

“Did Sean tell you that?”

“No, Kate.”

“Oh. Yeah, he’s a really nice guy. He’s good to me.”

“Can’t ask for more than that.”

“Yeah,” Krista said, trying to sound chipper.

Cassie nodded, looking down at her fries. They passed some time in silence before Cassie said, “So tell me about your glamorous life! I haven’t talked to you in years!”

Krista laughed sadly. “Glamorous life, huh? How often do you talk to Kate and Jasmine?”

“I see them regularly. I need friends and they need to be force-fed shots. We are perfect for each other.” Cassie laughed.

That started a string of stories between the two of them. Cassie told Krista about her, Kate, and Jasmine’s escapades, and Krista told Cassie about her travel stories. Krista could fill a book with the dumb things she did. She was actually worried that Marcus was keeping a book!

After lunch, they walked to the train and headed to the Mission to meet Kate and Jasmine. They chose a dive bar and started slow. Kate and Jasmine wore jeans and shirts, no makeup. Cassie and Krista wore some of their new clothes and were all dolled up. It was a funny contrast.