Her eyes flash. “But don’t think I won’t be watching your every move until then.”
A chortle clips my throat. “I have no doubt.” One of the reasons why Cassie and I got along so well back in the day is because we’re both feisty.
“I wanna hear all about what you’ve been up to since high school … and how you managed to steal my brother away from Zoe.” Her gaze flicks over me. “You do look fabulous, by the way, but you still look like yourself. I don’t know how in the world my brother could be dense enough not to recognize you. Did he not put two and two together when he saw you playing the drums?”
I giggle. “No, he didn’t. I was amused and a little peeved at first, but then I decided to just roll with it. Of course, I didn’t realize that the two of us would get involved.” I shrug. “Maybe he won’t want me anymore when he realizes I’m the geeky girl with coke-bottle glasses who had a crush on him.”
“I dunno about that. He seems pretty smitten.”
“Really?” A large smile stretches over my mouth. That’s music to my ears, especially coming from Cassie.
She chuckles and gives me a shove. “Good to know you’re not still geeking out over him.”
“Oh, I’m geeking,” I admit. “Big time.” I might as well call a spade a spade.
“What happened to the glasses? Did you get LASIK surgery?”
“No, I wear contacts now.”
A sly smile tugs at her lips as we get on the elevator. “How did Zoe take the news about you and Seth? Not too well, I’m assuming.” She pushes the button to go to the first floor, and the door closes.
“Actually, he hasn’t told her yet.”
She whips around so fast that she has to grasp the handle on the wall to keep from falling as the elevator descends. “What?”
“He didn’t want to break the news to her over the phone, especially with the party coming up this weekend. So he’s waiting until after the benefit.”
She looks at me like I have two heads. “You and my brother are both whacked—both of you too chicken to have a simple conversation.” She shakes her head in disgust.
We cross through the lobby and go out the glass doors. I follow Cassie to her car. When we get on the road, she asks, “Does it not bother you to be with Seth when he hasn’t officially broken things off with Zoe?”
My tongue darts over my dry lips. What I’d give for a drink of water right now. I’m so parched. “Yeah, it bothers me … but I can’t beat him up too badly considering that I haven’t told him the truth about me.” I’m so deep in the problem I’ve created that I don’t know how I’ll ever get out.”
“So how did you and Seth fall for each other?”
“As he said, we’ve been spending the past few days together—rehearsing.”
She trills out a wicked chortle. “Is that all you’ve been doing?”
I shove her arm, causing the car to weave.
“Watch it,” she barks.
A dart of fright streaks through me. I should’ve been more cognizant of the icy road. “Oops, sorry.”
Throwing me a censuring look, she tightens her hold on the steering wheel and focuses on the road. A few seconds later, she says, “spill it.”
I take in a breath. “We might’ve kissed a couple of times.”
“Might’ve?” Her tone is rolled in amusement.
“Okay, we have … obviously. I mean, we’re together.” This conversation is reminiscent of so many of the ones we used to have. It’s easy to fall back into a comfortable rhythm with Cassie. There was a time when she knew me better than almost anyone.
She belts out a guffaw and then snorts. Laughter gurgles out of her, to the point where her shoulders shake, and tears leak from her eyes.
“What?” I ask, mildly offended by her behavior.
“Who would’ve thought?” she muses. “My older brother and my former friend … after all that drama of him standing you up at the Sadie Hawkins dance. I thought you were gonna hate him forever.”
