The walls of the store started closing in on me. Cassie must have seen it on my face, because she grabbed the cart and turnedin the opposite direction of Sally Anne. “Let’s get the hell out of here,” she said, pushing the cart forward.
I kept my head low, the shame rising in me as we walked away. I had worked so hard to get past the person I was two years ago. To change myself in every way—for the better.
But here I was, facing the reality of what happened when everyone got to stand there and judge me for my past mistakes. Family was one thing, they knew the real me. They believed in me and my ability to change.
But complete strangers were something else. They judged without understanding the real person behind the mistakes—someone who was just fighting to make it through one more day.
Cassie looked at me as we hopped back into my truck, my head hung low. “Jace, you know that was bullshit back there. Sally Anne was just trying to get under your skin. Don’t let her win,” she begged, knowing what was on the line for me. “Fuck her.”
She tried to get me to look her in the eyes—but I couldn’t.
“Jace, look at me,” she demanded. “Who gives a shit what some random strangers think about you? You know the truth. You know how hard you climbed to get here. Look at your arm, Jace. Look at the mountains. You climbed them. You reached that peak. No one else has to know that but you. If you’re proud of yourself, then no one else’s opinions should matter,” she said, her voice aching with emotion. I could tell she meant every word, but it was still hard to believe.
Chapter 35 – Cassie
Jace stayed silent the entire way back to the cabin. I tried to convince him to forget what Sally Anne had said back at the store, but I knew how hard he’d fought to overcome his demons. Her words cut deep—raging bitch or not.
After unloading the groceries, Jace disappeared into his room and shut the door. I sat on the couch for a few minutes, unsure what to do. Give him space? Or march in there and make him look in the mirror, see what I saw—that he was a badass, through and through.
After a bit of debating, I decided to check on him, make sure he wasn’t spiraling. But before I could stand, my phone buzzed, a Florida number flashing across the screen. My stomach twisted.Something might be wrong with Mom.
“Hello?” I said, my voice shaky.
“Hi, this is Marcy at Seaside Recovery,” the receptionist said cheerfully. “I’m calling to let you know that your mother’s account has been paid in full.”
My hand froze around the phone. “Wait, what?” I whispered, my mind spinning. “I—I didn’t… I haven’t paid anything yet,” I said, confused. “Can you tell me how the account was paid in full?”
After a short pause on the other end, Marcy spoke again. “Well, uh… it looks like it came through as a wire transfer.” Her voice wavered slightly. I could tell she was as confused as I was. After all, I was the responsible party on the account, I should know where the payments were coming from.
“Can you tell me whose name was on the wire transfer?”
“According to our records, the sender was McKinley Ranch, LLC. The wire transfer was initiated three days ago,” she said.
My chest tightened, and heat rushed to my face. “Jace…?” I muttered.
“I called to let you know the transfer cleared this morning. Everything’s taken care of, Miss. Blake. I’ll call if we have any more questions concerning your mom’s account,” she said before ending the call.
I hung up and bolted from the couch, adrenaline fueling my steps. “JACE!” I shouted as I ran down the hallway, my voice bouncing off the cabin walls.
His bedroom door was still closed. I tried the handle, but it wouldn’t budge—it was locked. Panic and anger mixed in my chest. “Jace! What the hell? Unlock the door,” I said, wiggling the handle some more.
After a few moments, footsteps approached, the lock clicked, and Jace opened the door.
“Cassie, I need to be alone right now, please,” he said, his voice barely audible.
“First, you’re gonna tell me why you paid my mom’s rehab bill,” I said, choosing to ignore how much his words hurt me. He looked up, surprised I had figured out what he did.
“It just felt like the right thing to do. I didn’t want you worrying about her and the bill. Being part owner of the farm leaves me with a comfortable amount of money. Enough to save for a rainy day, so I paid the bill. What’s wrong with doing a good deed?”
His brush-off hurt more than I expected. He acted like I was just some girl he’d been talking to, someone he could ignore until his shitty day passed. If we were going to be the real deal then he had to learn to let me in––and tell me about things like paying my mom’s rehab bills.
“I don’t need your help, Jace. This cozy little cabin thing we’ve got going on––it might not last forever. You know it, I know it. If I’ve learned anything in life, it’s not to rely on anyone—ever,” I said, my voice cracking.
“Cassie… I didn’t do it to make you depend on me. I did it because I wanted to. Because I care about you.”
“Well, icing me out isn’t the way to show me you care. I came back here to check on you, and you had the door locked. Why can’t you just tell me how you’re feeling, how I can help you? I care about you, Jace. Let me be there for you when you need someone.”
Jace’s phone buzzed in his pocket, pulling his attention from our conversation. He fished it out and frowned at the screen, frozen in place. I moved closer, standing next to him so I could see. Liam had sent him a text with a link to a video someone had posted on social media—a recording of our entire conversation at the grocery store earlier, including the part when Sally Anne mentioned Jace’s rehab. The number of comments under the video climbed by the second.
