“Is that Cassia?” the petite blonde asked in disbelief, staring straight at her. She dumped her things on the table in the middle of the room and planted her hands on her hips. “Are you doing alright, sweetness?”
“Yes,” Cassia said quickly. “Quite well, actually. I’m just here for Sorven. He’s getting his ankle checked out.”
“Gotcha. I heard you were living with the Rivekers.” Evelya smiled. “They’re a nice family. Most of them.” When Cassia tilted her head in confusion, not sure who among themcouldn’tbe called nice, Evelya shook her head with a sigh. “Mavek’s asdumb as a bucket of rocks, which you’ve probably noticed by now.”
“He’s not so bad,” Cassia said awkwardly, thinking guiltily back to all the times she’d heard Mavek sighing over the healer.
Evelya shrugged. “Anyways, it’s good to see you. I’m glad you stuck with them.”
“Me too,” Cassia said. “Um, here. I wasn’t sure if we’d run into you, but…” she dug a hand into her pocket and dragged out the pouch of coins. It was wrong to take Evelya’s charity when she had an income now.
“What’s that?” Evelya asked.
Cassia blinked. “You gave it to me? In case I needed it?”
“Oh!” Evelya sounded surprised, as if the money had really meant nothing to her. She took it with a shrug and stuffed it into the pocket of her dress.
“Evelya?” Cassia asked. “Could I get the cost for my visit?”
“You know it’s already paid. You don’t owe anything.”
“I know. But I’d still like to know. That’s not a problem, is it?”
“Of course not. You aren’t going anywhere?”
“Not right this second.”
“Let me check the records in a bit. I’ll get it before you leave.”
Twenty minutes later, when Sorven came out of the back with a grin on his face, Cassia quickly folded the paper Evelya had given her. She felt numb all the way through. Unsteady. Her head was spinning.
¤3,482.
Three thousand. Four hundred. And eighty-two splendors. Aevrin had paid that. For a stranger he might never see again, with no expectation of being paid back.
“Healer Stone said it was fine if I start doing some light field work, so long as I rest when I need to.Hey… you alright?” Sorven asked.
“Oh, I’m fine,” Cassia said, tucking the paper into her pocket. She forced a smile, which Sorven returned, and followed him out the door, which he insisted on holding.
“Mind if we swing by Chaerin’s place?”
“Chaerin?” Cassia asked, fumbling for Sath’s keys.
“The general store, Miss Cassia,” Sorven said in a dry voice that seemed to imply she didn’t knowanything.
“Oh. No, that’s fine. Is it close?”
“Yup, you can see it from here.” He pointed at the wide green storefront down the street.
She climbed up to the cart bench, her mind still spinning. ¤3,482. Whodidthat? She’d known it wouldn’t be cheap; healer’s fees never were, and she’d been in bad shape. But what if things soured between them and the weight of everything he’d done for her became a resentment on his end? She was already living in his family’s house, taking money from his Gramma. How much could she owe one man before the possibility of an even relationship went out the window?
And what if Aevrin was the kind of person who made big promises and then grew bored? She’d stayed with families like that before. More than once she’d been swept up in big hugs on arriving at a stranger’s doorstep, Rylan in tow, no clothes but the ones on their backs, and promisedyou’ve got a home with usandeverything’s fine nowandwe’ll love you like you’re our own.
It never lasted long. It burned out faster than the folks who never made those kind of promises in the first place. Cassia worried at her thumbnail as Sorven drove the cart, replaying the things Aevrin had said yesterday. How could he be so certain it was something special, once in a lifetime, when they’d barely known each other a few weeks? She was drawn to him too, but she didn’t have the confidence to blurt it out like he had.He seemed just like the type who would overcommit and then regret it. She knew he hadn’t lied to her; he wasn’t the kind. But people lied tothemselves, sometimes. Especially when lust got all mixed into it.
She didn’t think she was pregnant, and she’d know better in a few days when her period did or didn’t come, but suddenly how stupid they’d been was ringing an alarm bell in Cassia’s head. What would happen if hehadput a child in her? Because even if they became lovers, she’d bet Aevrin would come to his senses before long, six months at the latest, and realize he was stuck with a woman from a completely different background than his own. She wanted him desperately, but he’d realize they didn’t fit before much longer. She’d begun to suspect if you didn’t grow up with a nice, stable home, something went wrong inside you. She was missing something and she didn’t know what it even looked like, but he was bound to notice.
Sorven was carrying on a one sided conversation. It was easy to participate, even as distracted as she was. All Cassia had to do was occasionally throw in an ‘uh-huh’ or an ‘I see.’ They were at the general store before she knew it.
