night
desperate to find him. I started walking to the back lot where our
tree was. He’d carved our initials into that tree a couple nights
prior. It was very childish, yet romantic. When I was far enough
from the house, I began calling his name. Nothing. Maybe he was in
the barn. When I made it to the barn, the moon full in the sky,
illuminated his figure standing in the hay loft opening. I was so
relieved to have found him.
There was a tap on my
window. Ryan. I turned off my car and stepped out as he asked, “Is
everything ok Mrs. Benedict?”
“ Please don’t call me
that. You can call me Cassidy.” He nodded. “I’m ok.”
“ If you need anything,
please let me know.”
“ Thank you.” I walked up
my steps and straight up to my room.
The next morning when I was
going through my mail I found a letter with a return address that
made my heart sink. It was from the gallery Holly had worked at. I
opened it and found that they were selling all of her artwork in a
few weeks. I was livid. Sara had assured me that they didn’t have
any of her art and Cal and I had thought that odd. Holly loved to
paint and draw. I had a few small pieces of hers, but couldn’t
believe there wasn’t more. Sara had blatantly lied to me and now
they were going to benefit from it. And there was nothing I could
do about it.
The next couple of days
came and went. Cecily was present less and less as Melissa and I
took over. Melissa and I were eating lunch in my office together
that Wednesday. I could tell she wanted to say something, I just
wasn’t sure what it was.
“ Cassidy, can we talk
woman to woman?”
I gazed up at her and
realized her eyes weren’t blue, they were brown. Colored contacts?
I wasn’t sure I wanted to hear what she had to say. But if we were
going to be business partners, we needed to be able to get along. I
nodded my consent. She got up from her spot and closed my door
before sitting back down.
“ I wanted you to know the
truth. I have a lot of demons and I always looked to James as the
person who could vanquish them. After my attack, I realized that
only I can do that.” She stopped, as if waiting to make sure I was
still with her before she continued. “James and I haven’t slept
together in nearly two years. I know you may not believe me, but
it’s true. Not that I didn’t try.”
I wanted to believe her,
but still wasn’t sure if I should. “That doesn’t explain why you’re
living with him.”
“ He was trying to protect
me. He keeps those he cherishes close to him.” I must’ve paled
because she immediately tried retracting her statement. “That’s not
what I meant.”
“ It’s ok. He’s made it
clear that he doesn’t cherish me. He couldn’t get far enough away
from me.” I pushed my lunch away, unable to eat anymore.
“ Cassidy, he
cherishes you above anyone else and that scares him to death. I’ve known
him almost my entire life. That’s why I acted the way I did at the
auction. You changed the ballgame and I knew he’d never be mine
again, not with you in the picture.” I sat staring at nothing as I
listened to her words. “I was jealous, envious, whatever you want
to call it. You sunk my battleship.”
I chuckled at that. “I
don’t know about that.”
“ I originally plotted with
Dan to get you away from James. I had no idea he would take things
so far.”
I wasn’t really surprised
by that admission. We had all figured that was the case. We sat in
silence for a little while before she apologized about the day I
had found her in the penthouse in nothing but a towel.
“ You should know that I
moved out that day.” That made me happy to hear. “I’m sorry about
the baby. I…”
I cut her off, “It’s not
your fault. I should’ve told him sooner. Maybe things would be
different.”
“ He was devastated,
Cassidy. He wanted that baby.”
“ I did too.” I was about
to say more when there was a knock on my office door. Sighing,
“Thank you, Melissa.
desperate to find him. I started walking to the back lot where our
tree was. He’d carved our initials into that tree a couple nights
prior. It was very childish, yet romantic. When I was far enough
from the house, I began calling his name. Nothing. Maybe he was in
the barn. When I made it to the barn, the moon full in the sky,
illuminated his figure standing in the hay loft opening. I was so
relieved to have found him.
There was a tap on my
window. Ryan. I turned off my car and stepped out as he asked, “Is
everything ok Mrs. Benedict?”
“ Please don’t call me
that. You can call me Cassidy.” He nodded. “I’m ok.”
“ If you need anything,
please let me know.”
“ Thank you.” I walked up
my steps and straight up to my room.
The next morning when I was
going through my mail I found a letter with a return address that
made my heart sink. It was from the gallery Holly had worked at. I
opened it and found that they were selling all of her artwork in a
few weeks. I was livid. Sara had assured me that they didn’t have
any of her art and Cal and I had thought that odd. Holly loved to
paint and draw. I had a few small pieces of hers, but couldn’t
believe there wasn’t more. Sara had blatantly lied to me and now
they were going to benefit from it. And there was nothing I could
do about it.
The next couple of days
came and went. Cecily was present less and less as Melissa and I
took over. Melissa and I were eating lunch in my office together
that Wednesday. I could tell she wanted to say something, I just
wasn’t sure what it was.
“ Cassidy, can we talk
woman to woman?”
I gazed up at her and
realized her eyes weren’t blue, they were brown. Colored contacts?
I wasn’t sure I wanted to hear what she had to say. But if we were
going to be business partners, we needed to be able to get along. I
nodded my consent. She got up from her spot and closed my door
before sitting back down.
“ I wanted you to know the
truth. I have a lot of demons and I always looked to James as the
person who could vanquish them. After my attack, I realized that
only I can do that.” She stopped, as if waiting to make sure I was
still with her before she continued. “James and I haven’t slept
together in nearly two years. I know you may not believe me, but
it’s true. Not that I didn’t try.”
I wanted to believe her,
but still wasn’t sure if I should. “That doesn’t explain why you’re
living with him.”
“ He was trying to protect
me. He keeps those he cherishes close to him.” I must’ve paled
because she immediately tried retracting her statement. “That’s not
what I meant.”
“ It’s ok. He’s made it
clear that he doesn’t cherish me. He couldn’t get far enough away
from me.” I pushed my lunch away, unable to eat anymore.
“ Cassidy, he
cherishes you above anyone else and that scares him to death. I’ve known
him almost my entire life. That’s why I acted the way I did at the
auction. You changed the ballgame and I knew he’d never be mine
again, not with you in the picture.” I sat staring at nothing as I
listened to her words. “I was jealous, envious, whatever you want
to call it. You sunk my battleship.”
I chuckled at that. “I
don’t know about that.”
“ I originally plotted with
Dan to get you away from James. I had no idea he would take things
so far.”
I wasn’t really surprised
by that admission. We had all figured that was the case. We sat in
silence for a little while before she apologized about the day I
had found her in the penthouse in nothing but a towel.
“ You should know that I
moved out that day.” That made me happy to hear. “I’m sorry about
the baby. I…”
I cut her off, “It’s not
your fault. I should’ve told him sooner. Maybe things would be
different.”
“ He was devastated,
Cassidy. He wanted that baby.”
“ I did too.” I was about
to say more when there was a knock on my office door. Sighing,
“Thank you, Melissa.
Similar Books
