mentioned she saw you here. Sorry, I did not realize you were staying at the hotel.”
With a heavy sigh, Cassie shrugged. “I’ve been told to wait here for an answer, but as with any military proceedings, answers are slow in coming.” She glanced at her Timex. “And minutes are falling off the clock. I just hope they don’t write me up for returning to the base late.”
“It is so odd to think of you in the Army.”
She smiled. “Being raised by a single mom, I had to get creative with education and career choices. I went into the Army hoping for a nice, fat GI Bill after I got out.”
“But you’re still in.”
She gave another shrug. “I got to travel, they taught me skills I couldn’t have acquired out there, and…” A pair of rich brown eyes flashed across her memory banks. She didn’t want to admit she’d stayed in to be near Sal, though she’d PCSed far away from him.
“What was his name again?” Kiew’s almond eyes were wise to the unspoken words as she leaned forward and touched Cassie’s wrist. “He must have been quite handsome to distract you so much.”
“Quite.” He’d fit neatly into that “devastatingly handsome” category of her sister’s Harlequin novels. Salvatore Russo had been more handsome and charming than any man she’d met before. When he took an interest in her, she’d felt certain her wildest dreams had come true. And for six months, they did.
“What was that?”
Cassie blinked, looking at her beautiful friend. “What?”
“You’re sad now. What happened with this mystery man?”
It’d be easy to rehash this story. To mope over the loss, the way her life had shattered. But something stronger and more important struck Cassie—Kiew was awful chatty today. Yesterday she’d been tightly controlled and tight-lipped. Now she laughed and teased.
“What about you?” Cassie said, shifting the attention back to the woman who’d had everything back then. “What about that power player you left with yesterday?”
Kiew’s smile faded. “He is not important.”
Daniel Jin, partner of Takkar Corp., not important?
She squeezed Cassie’s hand. “Tell me more of your life.”
Cassie moved with the flow. “There is not much to say.”
“What happened with this man? Tell me.”
With a sigh, Cassie shook her head. “I fell madly in love with him—”
“And did he fall in love with you?”
That was the outranking question. “I… I think so.”
“But?”
“Things changed. I did something really stupid and…” She couldn’t voice the truth. Not to her sweet friend. Not to a friend who thought so highly of her. “He hasn’t forgiven me, and honestly, he has every right to hate me.”
“I cannot believe you would do anything so terrible,” Kiew said. “And you still love this man?”
“I never stopped.” Heaviness doused her again. She wanted to shift this conversation. “What about you? You are a corporate powerhouse, yourself. I can tell by the way they treat you here—and you have an assistant?”
Kiew inclined her head, exposing a red welt near her shoulder. “Some things… they take over your life, even when you do not want them to.”
Concern for her friend bloomed through Cassie. Her mind bounced to the last conversation they’d had. This had eerily similar earmarks to what her mom went through with Adam. “Kiew, what’s going on?”
Her friend frowned. “What do you mean?”
“You’ve changed—a lot.”
Kiew laughed. But it was a nervous one. “You have, too.”
“Yes, but you seem… afraid.”
Kiew’s expression snapped back into that cold, unfeeling mask. “I should go.”
Catching her friend’s arm, Cassie smiled. “Please. Don’t.”
Composed and stony faced, Kiew lowered herself to her seat.
“I pushed too much, and I’m sorry.” Cassie removed her hand when Kiew cast a surreptitious glance around the restaurant to be sure they hadn’t drawn attention. “So,” she said, as she lifted her
With a heavy sigh, Cassie shrugged. “I’ve been told to wait here for an answer, but as with any military proceedings, answers are slow in coming.” She glanced at her Timex. “And minutes are falling off the clock. I just hope they don’t write me up for returning to the base late.”
“It is so odd to think of you in the Army.”
She smiled. “Being raised by a single mom, I had to get creative with education and career choices. I went into the Army hoping for a nice, fat GI Bill after I got out.”
“But you’re still in.”
She gave another shrug. “I got to travel, they taught me skills I couldn’t have acquired out there, and…” A pair of rich brown eyes flashed across her memory banks. She didn’t want to admit she’d stayed in to be near Sal, though she’d PCSed far away from him.
“What was his name again?” Kiew’s almond eyes were wise to the unspoken words as she leaned forward and touched Cassie’s wrist. “He must have been quite handsome to distract you so much.”
“Quite.” He’d fit neatly into that “devastatingly handsome” category of her sister’s Harlequin novels. Salvatore Russo had been more handsome and charming than any man she’d met before. When he took an interest in her, she’d felt certain her wildest dreams had come true. And for six months, they did.
“What was that?”
Cassie blinked, looking at her beautiful friend. “What?”
“You’re sad now. What happened with this mystery man?”
It’d be easy to rehash this story. To mope over the loss, the way her life had shattered. But something stronger and more important struck Cassie—Kiew was awful chatty today. Yesterday she’d been tightly controlled and tight-lipped. Now she laughed and teased.
“What about you?” Cassie said, shifting the attention back to the woman who’d had everything back then. “What about that power player you left with yesterday?”
Kiew’s smile faded. “He is not important.”
Daniel Jin, partner of Takkar Corp., not important?
She squeezed Cassie’s hand. “Tell me more of your life.”
Cassie moved with the flow. “There is not much to say.”
“What happened with this man? Tell me.”
With a sigh, Cassie shook her head. “I fell madly in love with him—”
“And did he fall in love with you?”
That was the outranking question. “I… I think so.”
“But?”
“Things changed. I did something really stupid and…” She couldn’t voice the truth. Not to her sweet friend. Not to a friend who thought so highly of her. “He hasn’t forgiven me, and honestly, he has every right to hate me.”
“I cannot believe you would do anything so terrible,” Kiew said. “And you still love this man?”
“I never stopped.” Heaviness doused her again. She wanted to shift this conversation. “What about you? You are a corporate powerhouse, yourself. I can tell by the way they treat you here—and you have an assistant?”
Kiew inclined her head, exposing a red welt near her shoulder. “Some things… they take over your life, even when you do not want them to.”
Concern for her friend bloomed through Cassie. Her mind bounced to the last conversation they’d had. This had eerily similar earmarks to what her mom went through with Adam. “Kiew, what’s going on?”
Her friend frowned. “What do you mean?”
“You’ve changed—a lot.”
Kiew laughed. But it was a nervous one. “You have, too.”
“Yes, but you seem… afraid.”
Kiew’s expression snapped back into that cold, unfeeling mask. “I should go.”
Catching her friend’s arm, Cassie smiled. “Please. Don’t.”
Composed and stony faced, Kiew lowered herself to her seat.
“I pushed too much, and I’m sorry.” Cassie removed her hand when Kiew cast a surreptitious glance around the restaurant to be sure they hadn’t drawn attention. “So,” she said, as she lifted her
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