Taking Chase (20 page)
“Oh honey, I don’t know what to say.” Matt sat down and watched Cassie as she fought back tears. He was so angry at Shane he held his hands together between his knees to keep from shaking. The man found this woman who loved him so much, who’d never do anything so bad, and he might have just thrown it all away.
“I appreciate you coming over, Matt but I think my sister needs to be alone right now.” Brian stood and went to the door.
Matt looked back at Cassie. “He loves you, Cassie. He tries to pretend like what Sandra did didn’t hurt him that bad, but it wrecked him. He couldn’t trust anyone for years. I’m not saying he was right, but I want you to try and understand why he jumped to conclusions the way he did.” He went to the door. “We’ll see you tomorrow night at dinner then.”
“Oh no you won’t.” He sighed. “Cassie, don’t. Please don’t shut him out. You’re good for him and he’s good for you.”
“I can see how good he is for her. Accusing her of being a whore on her doorstep, making her cry. Fabulous.” Brian crossed his arms over his chest.
“It was wrong, I’m not saying it wasn’t. But my brother loves her. He’s a good man and he deserves a second chance. Everybody makes mistakes, Cassie.”
“Yes, and they always tell you they’re sorry after they hurt you. Until they do it again. There’s always an excuse. I’m not her anymore. I won’t go back to being her.”
Matt realized the depth of Shane’s mistake then but didn’t say anything further about it. “I’m next door if you need me. No matter what is going on between you two, I’m your friend. Okay?” He moved to hug her and she let him.
“Thank you, Matt.” “Please don’t judge my brother too harshly, Brian.” Matt raised his hand in a wave and left, hearing the locks click into place behind him.
Shane sat on the bottom step. “What the fuck is wrong with you, Shane?”
Shane shook his head, Matt saw tears shining in his eyes. “Oh shit. I hurt her so badly. It’s just…when I saw her there it made me think of Sandra. I forgot who she was for a moment. I spoke before I thought and oh, her face.” Shane rested his forehead on his knees and Matt knelt there, touching his brother’s arm.
“I know why you overreacted, Shane. I understand.” “I may have lost her forever.”
Matt took a deep breath. “I hope not. But. I’m sorry to say this, Shane but you attacked her and falsely accused her and your shit with Sandra pushed her buttons. Both of your emotional shit hit in the same place at the same time. She’s really upset and her brother is pissed off.”
“And the ex has been seen?”
“She didn’t tell me much. She came home from work and saw me out front. Told me her brother was on the way and that she wanted us all to meet him and for him to meet us. Then she told me the brother had said the ex had been seen. She didn’t know more than that and I came over to her place to watch over her.”
“I need to go to her, work this out.” Shane stood.
“Don’t. Shane, not right now. Her brother is really angry and protective. She’s a mess. Call her, leave a message. Go to her stall tomorrow. Let her know you’re here but don’t rush up on her. Give her some space. She’s scared right now that you’re like her ex. Hurt her and say you’re sorry and hurt her again.”
“Fuck. I’m an idiot.”
Matt hugged his brother. “No you’re not. You’ve been one in the past but you got scared tonight and reacted before thinking. You love her and you hurt her. But you’re not her ex.”
Looking back over his shoulder at her door, Shane let Matt drag him over to his apartment where he called and left her a message. “Carly, what is going on, honey?” Brian sat next to her on the couch, brushing a hand over her hair. “I thought this guy was the one.” Cassie had successfully fought away her tears and now just felt numb. “I thought he was too, Brian.” “Who’s Sandra?” She told him the story of Shane’s ex-fiancée who he’d found cheating with his best friend.
“So he saw you with me and he must have flashed back on that. He’s already left you a phone message apologizing. He sounded sincere. What do you think?”
“I’m afraid, Brian. He’s probably the most sincere person I’ve ever met. But I don’t know if I can trust my own perceptions these days and I’m afraid if I take him back that it’ll be like with Terry.”
“I understand. Well, I don’t, but I trust your feelings here. I don’t know this guy well enough to say. Why don’t you give it some time to see how he acts in the coming days? Because I’d hate to see you write him off if he’s the one for you. But I’d hate to see you take him back and end up with another asshole.”
She put her head on his shoulder and sighed. “Tell me about Terry.” Brian did. He told her about how her ex had been sighted in San Francisco three times before dropping out of sight again. All the more troubling was that one person claimed Terry tried to get her to use her state job access to search information about Cassie.
“We don’t have any reason to think he knows you’ve changed your name or that you’re here. But I think you should be aware at all times. I can’t see that you should move away from Petal. You’re building a life here and that’s important.”
Lying in bed that night, Cassie stared at the ceiling and felt the emptiness next to her in bed. She’d gotten used to Shane’s body there at night. Reaching out and touching him. Knowing she was safe and loved. And that was gone and her heart felt empty. Everything felt empty as she tried to figure out what the hell to do.
Chapter Thirteen
Brian stayed in Petal over the next several days to visit and keep in contact with the investigators on Terry’s trail. Still, Cassie tried to keep to a schedule.
Shane had come to her table at the Sunday market but she asked him to go. It hurt just seeing him.
He left messages on her voice mail every morning to tell her he loved her and every night to say goodnight. Her feelings were all over the map. She loved him. No doubt about that. Every time she saw him walk by the front of the book store, every time she heard his voice or found a note he left for her on her car, she missed him more than she had before.
Loving Shane and being with him had filled up her life. Not in an onerous way like being with Terry had been. Being with Shane hadn’t weighed on her. It had been good, right. She felt like she’d belonged to something instead of to someone.
But it would hurt less to lose him now than to take him back and fall into the same traps she’d done before and lose herself in the process. She’d rather be alone than live in fear ever again.
Polly Chase parked her car on Main and got out for the short walk to Paperbacks and More. “Damn kids. I tell you, if you want something done…” she mumbled as she patted her hair into place and absentmindedly waved at someone who’d called out a hello.
She walked into the store and zeroed in on Cassie. Her heart ached for the girl her son loved so much. Men! “Hello, Polly.” Cassie smiled wanly.
Polly pulled Cassie into a hug and held her upper arms as she gave her a long up and down. “Honey, you look like hell. When you gonna forgive Shane so you can both get some sleep?”
“Polly, I appreciate you checking in on me, I really do. But this thing between your son and I is not only private but complicated.”
“Oh that’s a pretty way to tell an old woman to mind her business. I like you, honey.” Polly chuckled as she sat in the chair behind the counter. “But I’m a nosy old woman, it’s a perk of getting old. You can be annoying and people just call you
eccentric
.” Polly laughed at that. “Anyway, I know Shane messed up. I know what he did and how he reacted must have made you wonder if he’d be like your wretched sonabitch ex. But you and I both know after a day or two, that’s not the case. My son is a good man and that bitch gave him, how do you kids say,
issues
or baggage. I’m not excusing his actions, you best believe I tore a strip off him a mile wide and his father has too. But no one is punishing him harder than he is himself.”
eccentric
.” Polly laughed at that. “Anyway, I know Shane messed up. I know what he did and how he reacted must have made you wonder if he’d be like your wretched sonabitch ex. But you and I both know after a day or two, that’s not the case. My son is a good man and that bitch gave him, how do you kids say,
issues
or baggage. I’m not excusing his actions, you best believe I tore a strip off him a mile wide and his father has too. But no one is punishing him harder than he is himself.”
Polly leaned in, peering intently at Cassie. “You’ve made mistakes before in your life. I know part of that is what makes you hesitate now. But also, can’t you see your way to giving my boy another chance? Let’s face it, you two are going to fight. A lot. There’s enough chemistry between the two of you to make an old woman sweat.”
Cassie blushed crimson and looked at the paperback in her hands to keep from looking at Polly.
“You two have chemistry and heat but you’re both stubborn, headstrong people. Lord knows this won’t be your last fight. But you can fight with your man and know it’s going to be all right the next day. Edward is the kind of man that butter wouldn’t melt. I like that. It suits me. But Shane isn’t that man. He’s got my disposition. We’re a tad hot headed. We love fierce. Shane loves you and I know you love him.”
Polly hopped down from the chair, grabbing the bag she’d put near the register stand. “Two things. This has a cherry and a peach cobbler. Eat them both, you look pale. The second thing is I already think of you as my daughter-in-law so I love you too. Please give Shane another chance, for both your sakes. Oh, okay a third thing. You call Matty or Marc or me and Edward if you feel spooked, all right? We worry.”
With that she thrust the bag at Cassie, hugged her again and clickclacked out of the store. From there she headed over to the police station.
“Shane Edward Chase! You hold up right there, boy.” Polly thundered as she stormed down the hall toward where he stood with the county prosecutor.
“Mrs. Chase, ma’am.” The prosecutor, a boy she babysat many a time, bowed and got the hell out of there.
“Coward,” Shane muttered and then waved his mother into his office. “Have a seat, let me get some soda because I can see from the look of you this will be a long lecture.”
With narrowed eyes, Polly sat as she glared at her eldest’s impertinence. “You look here, boy, I brought you into this world, I will not hesitate to take your dumb ass right out of it.”
Shane laughed as he handed her a soda. “Of course, Momma, I’m sorry. I imagine this is about Cassie and I know, it’s my fault and I’m trying to get her to talk to me. I told you that yesterday and the day before and before that too.”
“I just went to see her, girl looks like she hasn’t slept in a week. She’s on the fence about you. But she loves you. She must ‘cause I didn’t let her get a word in edgewise.” Pleased with herself, Polly chuckled again. “I made a good case for you, I hope. You know you and her are gonna butt heads a lot, right? Makes it more interesting in the bedroom I imagine.”
Shane winced and got a sour look. “I don’t want to have that line of conversation with you, Momma.”
Polly waved him away. “Pshaw. Boy, you’ll have any line of conversation with me I tell you to. Your daddy and I have four children, you think we don’t have some chemistry ourselves? Now listen here, you’ve got to let her know that you love her and won’t hurt her, even though you’ll be fighting with her regular-like. And don’t deny it, you two are just that way. But Maggie and I made her some cobbler and you know how your sweetie loves cobbler. Sweeten her up a bit hopefully.”
Standing she raised the soda. “Thank you, Shane. You’ve turned out to be quite a decent man. I’m pretty proud of myself for not tossing your butt in the lake all the times I wanted to when you were a kid.”
Shane grinned and kissed her cheek. “You’re the best, Momma.” “Yeah, yeah. Boy, you better work on this girl harder because if she’s not at dinner on Sunday you’re eating a tuna sandwich.” With a last wave, she headed out while he chuckled. Brian walked out of the apartment and saw Shane talking with his brother. Making his mind up, he stalked over to them. Shane looked up and saw him approach and nodded. “I’ve wanted to talk to you for a few days now. Clear the air.”
“I’m going to speak now. You have no idea what my sister told me every time I spoke to her. About how wonderful you were, how gentle and kind and loving you were. How you chased away her demons and made her feel not only protected but capable of protecting herself. She was so proud of you, proud of herself for finding a man who was worthy of her.” Brian looked him up and down.
“And so I get this information about that fucking bastard surfacing, trying to find her and I think I can come here, meet you. Instead, I get to listen to her cry every night. You tell me, Shane Chase, why the hell you think you’re worthy of my sister.”
Shane took a deep breath. “You don’t know me so I can see why you’d be suspicious. It must have been hard to watch your sister go through what she did. I love her. Cassie means everything to me. You don’t know what it was like…what I was like before. She changed me.” He shrugged.
“I fucked up. I’m sorry. I have this old stuff and seeing her brought it to the surface. I was wrong. I’ve told her that. I made a mistake. I want to make it up to her. I’m not that bastard. I’m nothing like him. You can be mad at the person you love and not try to kill them. I don’t know how to communicate that to her. But I’m going to keep trying until she listens to me.
“And I want to protect her. Yeah, yeah, I know she doesn’t want that. But I love her and I’ll be damned if that freak gets another shot at her. I’m trying to respect her need to do things herself. I want her to learn to shoot a weapon and take self defense courses.”
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