(Then/Now) Cassie: I Fucked Up

November 2008

"Oh come on," Savannah wheedled.  I regarded my cousin with disdain.  I didn't really care for Savannah, but now that she was going to school in Denver, she seemed to pop up whenever she needed something.

"No, Savannah.  My dad keeps inventory."  If she thought that I was seriously going to sneak her into my dad's restaurant in the middle of the night so she could steal some booze from his storeroom, she was out of her fucking mind.

"It's fine, I have some empties.  I'll fill them up with water.  I only drink clear liquor anyway," she reported.  "He won't even notice for months if we take the right bottles.  Don't be a pansy."

I didn't really care what kind of liquor she drank.  We were both 20, and apparently the latest boy she'd been sleeping with--who had, of course, also been buying her booze--had decided she was too high maintenance for his tastes and had taken his I.D. and credit card (and the rest of him, but that was apparently easily enough to replace) away.

"Go away," I said, holding open the door to my tiny apartment.  It was a studio (which Savannah disapproved of completely), but I was paying my tuition and my rent on my own, and I was proud of that.

"You are so lame," Savannah replied, but she flounced out the door.  I closed it tightly behind her and looked at the clock.  Shit, Savannah had distracted me for too long, I needed to get ready for work.

I pulled into the parking lot of my dad's restaurant, which I'd been working at since I was 15, and parked my car.  My watch read 4:49, which meant that I had one minute to get inside and clock in  before bar time said I was late.  I grabbed my stuff and booked it inside, clocking in seconds after the clock had changed to 5:00.  Stupid bar time.

We were dead that night, and I had my sidework done and was out by 9:30.  I also hadn't made shit for tips.  Oh well.  Tomorrow--Friday--would be better for sure.

I had a message on my phone, and I rolled my eyes when I listened to it.  It was Savannah, continuing to bug me about getting her in so she could take some alcohol.  I deleted it and didn't call back.  I didn't understand why she couldn't just find a new 21+ toy to play with.

Over the next week, though, Savannah badgered me to my breaking point.  I finally agreed to let her in for one bottle.  My dad made a ridiculous profit on alcohol anyway.  And hopefully after that she would let it be.

We went at 3am on a Saturday.  I pulled my car up behind the restaurant.  I had to go in the front door to disarm the security system, but Savannah insisted on waiting for me to open the kitchen door for her.   As I unlocked the front door, I looked automatically up at the camera like I always did, and I realized why.  "Bitch," I muttered.  I could think of a million ways to explain away my presence though, if my dad looked at the tapes for some reason.  And hopefully, like Savannah said, he wouldn't even realize his alcohol had been tampered with until months later, so he wouldn't put two and two together.  Hopefully.

My stomach roiled and clenched with nerves and I botched my first attempt at disarming the alarm.  "Shit, shit, shit!" I muttered to myself.  I quickly put in the correct numbers as the warning beeps grew louder and closer together, signaling that I was running out of time.  When it chirped and quieted, I briefly shut my eyes as I breathed out in relief.

Why am I doing this? I wondered to myself.  I was seriously questioning my own sanity, but it was too late now.  I walked quickly through the dark restaurant and flipped on the kitchen light--the only one that wouldn't be seen from outside.  Then I hurried to the kitchen door and pushed it open.  Savannah stepped in, looking as cool and collected as she always did.  "I was starting to think you wussed out and left me here alone," she sniffed.

I rolled my eyes and led the way to the store room where my dad kept the extra alcohol.  I unlocked it quickly and pushed the door open.  Savannah tried to slip past me but I put an arm up, blocking her.  "No way," I said.  "I know how this stuff is organized.  Give me your bottle and I'll make the swap."   She sighed and handed me the Ketel One bottle and I quickly found the case of Ketel One and pulled out one bottle and stuck hers in.

"Here," I said bitterly, handing it to her.  "Go straight out the kitchen door and don't touch anything else.  I'm turning the light off."  She took out her cell phone to illuminate the way.  I waited until she was at the door and flipped it off.  I heard the door open and I made my way back to the front.  I was insanely nervous again, and I peeked out into the parking lot before I emerged.  I locked the door quickly and walked around to the back.  Savannah was already sitting in the car.  I glanced at the kitchen door, then started the car and drove home.

"Never, ever again," I reiterated as Savannah and I got out of my car in front of my apartment building.

"You are such a drag," she replied.  "Thanks though!"  I waited until she was in her car, then I headed into my apartment.  I was shaking from the adrenaline of what I had just done, and I was so tired.  It was nearly 4 am by this point.  I pulled off my clothes and fell into bed, tossing and turning for nearly an hour before I finally fell asleep.

I was awakened rudely by my phone ringing loudly.  I fumbled for it before I realized it was still in the pocket of my jeans, which were across the room.  I squinted at the clock and saw it was only a little after 7.  The ringing stopped, and I decided I'd take care of it when I got up.  I rolled over and started to try to go back to sleep, but my phone rang again.  Swearing, I stumbled out of bed and fished it out, then answered.

"Cassandra."  My mom's voice was tight and anxious sounding.

"Yeah?"

"Your father's restaurant is on fire."  I was silent, trying to wrap my brain around those words.  "Cassandra?"

"Mom, don't call me that," I replied pointlessly.  "On fire?"

"On fire," she reported.  "The fire department is there now trying to put it out.  Your father is down there."

Suddenly, panic jolted me.  I would clearly be on tape, entering and exiting the restaurant at 3 in the morning.  Would they blame me?  "I...wow.  D-do they know how it...started?"  The words weren't coming out the way I wanted them to.

"Of course they don't," my mom snapped, and I could tell she was losing her patience.  "It's still burning."

"What can I do?"

"Nothing, right now," she replied, and her voice was kinder.  "I'll keep you posted, I just wanted you to know.  I didn't want you to get up and turn on the news and hear about it that way."  Like I watch the news on Saturday mornings.

We said goodbye and hung up, and I immediately dialed Savannah's number.  It went right to voicemail.  I cursed and left her a curt message demanding she call me back as soon as she got up.  I didn't even bother laying back down.  Instead, I got up and made myself some coffee.  I sat down with it, but was only able to sit for a few minutes.  I didn't know what to do.  I decided to go for a run.

I'm not a runner, but running is what people do when they're stressed, right?  Well, I'm not sure how it helps.  All it did was make me sweaty, sore, and out of breath.  I got back and took a shower.  I was checking my phone over and over but Savannah hadn't called back yet.  Finally, I got in my car and drove to her apartment.

I slipped into the controlled access building with someone else and ran up the 6 flights of stairs to her apartment.  I pounded on her door for nearly a minute straight until she finally opened it.

"What the hell, Cassie?" she demanded.

"My dad's restaurant is on FIRE!" I practically shrieked, shoving my way into her apartment.

"I know," she replied.

I stopped dead in my tracks and turned.  "What do you mean, you know?" I asked.

"It's all over the news, don't look at me like that."

"Well what am I supposed to do?  My face is all over the security footage."

Savannah shrugged.  "It'll probably be destroyed in the fire."

"And if it's not?" I demanded.

"Your dad won't ever believe that you arsoned his restaurant," she said dismissively.  It was clear she wasn't at all worried.  I couldn't stay here with her, she was pissing me off.

After I left, I decided to drive to the restaurant.  When I got there, I realized Savannah was most likely right that there would be nothing left of the security tapes.  The restaurant was still on fire.  Firemen were everywhere.  I had to park several parking lots over.  I sat and watched the firemen fight the blaze for nearly an hour.  It didn't seem like they were making any progress.  I felt absolutely sick.  Regardless of how they determined the fire was started, my dad's restaurant was destroyed.

My mom finally called me the next day.  "It's out," she reported.  "It's gone.  They'll tear down what's left."

"Do they have an idea how it happened?" I asked meekly.  I was exhausted.  I hadn't slept.  I still felt vaguely like I was going to throw up.

"They think it was arson," my mom replied, and my worst fear was confirmed.  I sat down hard on the floor.

"Shit," I muttered.

"Cassandra," my mom warned, but it was a very lackluster warning.

"Is there anything left?" I asked desperately.  "The security tapes?  Can they see who was there?"

"The tapes didn't make it." I breathed a sigh of relief and said a silent prayer of thanks.  I realized my mom was still talking.  "Which is unfortunate.  Since it's arson, the insurance won't pay unless we can prove who did it.  Your father and I just lost a lot of money."


*****

Now

I sat in the conference room in Brody's office suite and looked at Liv, willing her to be sympathetic.  Instead, she just looked confused.  I don't blame her.  She thought I was coming here to explain what was going on, and I had just told her a story from nearly 7 years ago.  I was planning on telling them what was going on, but the story was necessary.

"Okay, and?" Brody asked.  Even from here I could see the set of his jaw.  I looked at James, who nodded reassuringly.

"In June, Savannah and I were forced together for my brother's birthday dinner.  I mentioned that I had a new neighbor," I looked pointedly at Liv, "and she was suddenly really interested.  She told me she wanted to know more about you, but didn't want me to tell you I knew her.  It was fine at first.  We had a few conversations, I fed her a little info, she mostly left me alone.  When I realized she was scheming, I said no more."  I looked desperately at Liv, whose expression morphed briefly from confused to angry before she smoothed it into a placid, expressionless mask.  Her therapist face.  "I was getting to know you, and I liked you.  And I didn't want to be in the middle of her feud."

"But you kept telling her things anyway," Liv said.  "That's how she knew about my dinner with John.  That's how she knows about James and Jordan.  You just kept telling her.  Plus, you took that job to spy on us!  And what does your story about the fire have to do with any of this?  Because I'm starting to feel like you're wasting some more of my time, and I'm not very happy about it."  Brody laid a hand on her leg, but she brushed it off.  She was working hard to keep her face unreadable, but she was clearly furious.  I couldn't blame her.

"I'm getting to that," I replied patiently.  I took another deep breath and James bumped my knee with his under the table.  "When I told her I didn't want to do it anymore, she showed me that she had pictures of me in the restaurant the night it burned down.  She had taken them on her phone, and they sucked, but it was clearly me.  And they were date stamped on the phone.  I don't know where she'd been keeping that stupid old thing, or why, but she had it.  She said she'd tell my dad."

Liv's expression didn't change, but a muscle in Brody's tightly clenched jaw twitched.  I was worried about his teeth.  "I couldn't bear for my dad to know I had been in the restaurant that night.  I still don't know if Savannah set me up or if it was a big coincidence, but my dad lost the most profitable of his establishments that night.  He would be devastated to think I had something to do with it."

Liv and Brody remained silent so I continued.  "I was desperately trying to figure out a way out of it by the time she started asking me to stir up some rumors about Brody doing illegal business.  I was trying to avoid you, so I wouldn't have much to say to her.  She told me this was the last thing she wanted from me.  When everything backfired and you supported Brody and the rumors didn't take, Savannah told me to just get out of the way.  That's why I went to my parents' house.  I just needed to get out of here and be somewhere where I couldn't do any more damage."

"So why are you telling us this now?" Liv asked, her tone bitter.

"Because I heard about what she did this weekend.  Enough is enough."

Liv snorted and rolled her eyes.  I had never seen her this angry.  Brody put his hand back on her leg and this time she allowed it to stay.  "So what do you want from us now?" Brody asked.

"Nothing," I replied honestly.  "I wanted you guys to know the truth.  I want to apologize.  I'm so incredibly sorry.  I fucked up.  I fucked up really, really badly, and I regret every second of it.  I don't expect you to accept it, or to forgive me.  I just want you to know.  I told my dad everything, too.  He called her dad and he flew out this morning to collect her and take her back to California.  I don't know what they're going to do, but I'm pretty sure she's done gallivanting around with my uncle's credit card."

I tried hard not to shrink under Liv's glare.  Brody nodded though.  "Thank you," he said, surprising me.  Apparently it surprised Liv too, because she gave him a funny look.  "I appreciate you telling us this, but now you need to leave.  And I think it would probably be best if you didn't contact either of us unless we contact you first."

"That's fair," I agreed.

"It doesn't fucking matter if it's fair," Liv snapped.

"Liv--" Brody started.

"No!" she interrupted.  "She doesn't get to come in here and talk about "fair" after the shit she's done."

"I get it," I said softly.  "I deserved that."

Liv looked about ready to throw something at me.  "It's time for you to go," Brody said.  He motioned to the door and James and I stood.  He walked us silently to the door of the suite and held it open.  I heard the lock click behind us.

"Well," James said.  "Now what?"

I shook my head.  "I have no idea."




 

Cabin Fever Part 2

I woke up to yelling.  I rolled over and saw Brody wasn't in bed anymore.  I pulled on a pair of pants and a sweatshirt and walked out of the room to see what was going on.

"You guys are such hypocritical fucking assholes!" I heard Savannah shriek as I got closer to the living room.  I heard Kendra's voice but couldn't make out what she said.  "Shut up, Kendra!  You're the worst of them all!"

I walked into the living room and saw Savannah standing in the middle of the room, looking rather disheveled.  Brody was standing a few feet away with Kevin, and Kendra was there too. 

"Oh look, if it isn't little miss fucking sunshine herself!" Savannah yelled, as I walked into the room.  "Sorry, princess, did I wake you up?"  Brody gave me a hard look, clearly intended to get me to keep my mouth shut.  I leaned against the wall and stared over Savannah's shoulder.

"I don't even know why you think she's so fucking great," Savannah said loudly, now talking to Brody.  "I got you sent to Miami to help you.  And what do you do?  Come back and ruin all my hard work!  She didn't even care that you were gone!  She barely waited until your plane took off before she was dating someone else.  She's a whore."

I was getting angry now, and I fidgeted as I tried to keep my mouth shut.

"Stop," Brody said calmly.  "You need to go.  You can't be here.  If you need it, Kevin will drive you down to town in your car."

Savannah continued her tirade, ignoring Brody.  She turned towards me again.  "You don't actually think he's faithful to you, do you?"  I clenched my fists, trying to ignore her words.  I couldn't bring myself to leave the room, though looking back, I wished I would have.  "All those phone calls...the long hours at the office.  He could be doing anything.  Lord knows he can't stick with one person for long.  There have probably been at least a dozen other women.  I hope you guys are using condoms.  You should probably go get--"

"Enough!" Brody snapped.  "Savannah, let's go."

"Though," she continued, "I guess that probably doesn't bother you, what with how fast you moved right on to James.  Are you still fucking him?"  I ground my teeth together, willing myself to keep my mouth shut and not make it worse.  "You know, if you wanted to fuck two guys at the same time, you should have chosen James.  Then you could have had him and Jordan."

At that, I lost any illusion of control that I had and lunged at Savannah.  I got close enough to hit her and cocked my fist back, but Brody was faster and wrapped his arm around my waist, yanking me back right as my fist flew towards Savannah's face.  I felt the heat from her skin on my knuckles but didn't actually connect with anything but the air in front of her face.  I tried to push forward again but Brody was dragging me backwards, and Kevin had Savannah by the arms.  I struggled against Brody's grip, bound and determined to punch Savannah in the face, like I should have done a long time ago.

"Come on, Liv, it's not worth it," Brody tried to reason with me.  I had held my anger at her in for too long though, and I was determined to get my hands on her.  I twisted violently and actually slipped out of his grip, only to be grabbed by Alex, who had just come into the room--summoned, I'm sure, by the sounds of chaos.  I was almost out of his hands too when Brody wrapped his arms around me, pinning me against his chest with my arms at my side.  "Jesus, Olivia, knock it off and walk out of this room with me."  I continued to struggle weakly but could barely move.  "She's not even in here anymore," he snapped.  I stopped wiggling and squirming and tried to take a deep breath.  It ended up as more of a series of short, ragged inhalations, and I blew it out hard.  "If I let go of you, are you going to walk out of here with me?" he asked, and the calm was back in his voice. 

"Yes," I muttered bitterly.  He let go of me slowly then gently took my arm and steered me back in the direction of the bedroom.  When he got me inside it, he shut the door and leaned against it, regarding me carefully.  I stomped over to the bathroom door and slammed my heel against the doorframe hard enough to make the door tremble on its hinges.  I did it again.  And again.  And one more time, before I slumped onto the floor and put my head on my knees.

Brody approached me tentatively, then slid down next to me.  He pulled me against him and I laid my head on his chest and tried to match my quick, shallow breaths to his to slow them down.  "I fucking hate her," I growled.  "How does she even know about any of that?"

"I don't know," Brody said softly.  "But it was a really shitty thing for her to say.  Especially if she actually knows what happened."  He stroked my hair and I started to calm down.

"I hate her," I said again.  "I hope she drives her car off the side of the goddamned mountain."

Brody chuckled, and I sat up quickly, glaring at him.  "I'm sorry," he said quickly.  "I didn't mean to laugh.  It's just...you're so little, but it was like trying to contain a hungry Tasmanian devil with my bare hands.  The cartoon one, not a real one."    I smiled a little at that.

Suddenly, his face changed and he looked anxious.  "Liv," he started hesitantly.  "What she said?  About other women?  You know-"

I cut him off.  "She's full of shit," I said.  "I mean, yeah, you've had about a million chances if you wanted to do something, but I don't have any reason to think that you have."  His eyes searched my face, as if he didn't quite believe that I believed that.  "Brody," I said, taking his hand.  "You've never done anything to make me not trust you."

He nodded and hugged me.  "Okay, good.  Because I'd never do that to you.  Or to anyone.  I'd run some illegal business ventures before I'd cheat."

"I know," I said, entwining my fingers in his hair.  We were still sitting like that when someone knocked on the door.  We untangled ourselves as Brody called for whoever it was to come in.  It was Kevin.

"She's gone," he said, looking slightly uneasy.  "I don't think she's planning on coming back.  She had a few choice words for me, then she said she hopes you all burn in hell and took off.  So..."

I couldn't help it, I started laughing.  How dramatic of her.  (Says the girl who required two grown men to stop her from pulverizing someone just minutes ago...)  Kevin and Brody just stared at me in surprise, which made me laugh harder.

"You good?" Kevin asked Brody.

"We're good, thanks," Brody replied.  Kevin backed quickly out of the room and shut the door, and I was now laying on the floor, gasping between laughter.  "What the hell am I supposed to do with you?" Brody asked me, looking down at me.  He was smiling, and chuckled as I rolled onto my side, trying to stop my laughter, wiping furiously at the tears rolling down my cheeks.  "You go from seriously pissed to laughing hysterically in 15 minutes.  I don't get you."

I sat up, sucking in a deep breath.  I made the mistake of making eye contact with Brody, and then I was cracking up again.  This time, he started laughing too.  When we finally calmed down, he stood, pulled me to my feet, and asked if I was hungry.

I shook my head, and he gasped in mock surprise.  "I think I promised you something that we didn't get to last night," I said, smiling deviously.  The adrenaline wasn't quite gone and I needed an outlet.  I backed him up until the bed hit the backs of his legs.

"I really don't understand you today," he said, shaking his head.  I arched one eyebrow at him.  "But I'm not complaining," he continued hurriedly.  I pushed him backwards and he sat down on the bed, then laid back as I straddled him.

"I guess we'd better make this quick," I muttered, leaning down to kiss him.

30 minutes later we emerged to find everyone up and in the kitchen.  Kevin eyed me skeptically as we walked in, as if he wasn't sure if I was sane or not.  I smiled back, fighting the urge to start laughing just to freak him out. Lauren stood from her spot at the kitchen table when we walked into the kitchen.  "Are you okay?" she asked me immediately.  Kinsley turned from the stove, where she seemed to be making some breakfast.

I blushed, finally feeling ashamed of myeslf.  "I'm fine, I just let my anger get the best of me for a second."  Brody snorted.  "Okay, more than a second," I amended.  Lauren didn't even look close to convinced.  The look on her face almost got me laughing again, and I had to bite my lip to keep it in.

Kinsley turned and said, "Most everyone has eaten, but I thought you guys might want something when you joined us."  I surveyed the stove and saw eggs, hash browns, sausage, and bacon.

"You're the best, Kins," I said, grabbing a plate.  I wished they would all stop staring at me like I was crazy. Brody and I both got food and sat down to eat.

"You're overdoing your cheer," Lauren observed.  I glared at her.  "That's better!"

"Can we talk about something else?" I asked.  Lauren relented and let me change the subject, and she sat and chatted with us while we ate.

But as the day went on, I couldn't stop wondering about how Savannah knew all the things she knew.  It started to really drag my mood down, and by late morning I decided I needed to get away from everyone for a little while.  I faked a yawn and announced that I was going to take a nap.  Once I got to our bedroom, I climbed under the blankets and laid there, racking my brain to try to figure out what was going on.  First Cassie, now Savannah.  I yawned for real, and thought I'd maybe close my eyes just for a couple minutes.

I was half asleep when I heard the door open.  A few seconds later, Brody climbed into bed next to me and slid up behind me, wrapping his arm around my waist.  I rolled over to face him and wrapped my arms around him as I pressed my face into his chest.

"What's on your mind?" he asked me, one hand lazily traveling up and down the length of my spine.

"Nothing," I replied, my voice muffled.  "Just sleepy."

"Liar," he declared.  "You only do this when you're upset."

"Do what?" I asked, confused.

"Lay like this."

I pulled back slightly so I could look at him.  "Really?" I asked.  He nodded.  "Huh. You're observant."

"So what's bothering you?" he pressed gently. 

"I'm just trying to figure out how Savannah knows so much.  She hasn't been around, and she definitely wasn't around when everything happened with James, and Jordan."  I shuddered as I said his name, and Brody's arms tightened around me immediately.  "It's really bugging me that she seems to know so much.  She's always known more than she should."  I thought back to how she had "seen" me leaving the restaurant with John, way back when Brody and I first started dating, even though she was at happy hour that night.

"It's really weird," Brody agreed, one hand slipping beneath the hem of my shirt and absently massaging my lower back.  "It's been on my mind too."

"Maybe Lauren mentioned something to Kendra, and she told her?  I don't know if Kendra is even still talking to Savannah," I considered out loud.

"You could ask her.  Lauren, I mean," Brody suggested.

I nodded, my face still against Brody's chest.  "I will...but maybe when we get back.  I don't want to ruin the rest of today by obsessing over this the whole time.  Between Savannah and Cassie I'm really tired of worrying about what other people are doing." 

"Are you actually tired?" he asked.  I nodded again.  "Sleep for a little while," he suggested.  "Everyone is just kind of hanging out on the deck for now.  I thought we could take a short hike after lunch and then head back."  Brody rolled onto his back, pulling me with him.  I shifted so I was laying against him with my head on his chest.  I sighed and relaxed against him as his hand went to the side of my face and fingers trailed around my ear and down my jaw.

I must have dozed off because when I woke up, the light in the room had changed.  Brody's hand was still and resting on the crook of my neck.  I shifted slightly and Brody stirred.  "Sorry," I said softly.  "I have to move."  My neck was stiff from being in the same awkward position for however long I'd been napping.  I lifted Brody's arm that was around me and rolled under it onto my back.  "What time is it?" I asked.  I was groggy and felt disoriented.

Brody groaned.  A few seconds later he said, "12:15."

I laughed.  I felt like I had been sleeping all day, not just an hour.  When we finally dragged ourselves out of bed, we discovered that someone had already made lunch.  "That's two meals you've slept through the preparation of," Lauren grumbled.

"I'll clean up," I promised.  And I did, after we ate.  I shooed away everyone that tried to help.  After I was finished, Brody, Alex, Kinsley, Damien, and I went for a short hike.  Lauren, Kendra, and Christian stayed behind.  We only hiked for about an hour and a half, since we needed to head back soon, but it was nice to get out.

When we got back, we all got our stuff together, straightened everything up, and filtered out of the cabin towards our vehicles in the drive.  I was tossing my bag into the back seat when Brody walked up.  "Do you want to drive, or do you want me to?" he asked.

I gave him a weird look.  "Well, won't we both be driving?"

"Alex is driving mine.  I want to ride with you.  Are you good driving, or do you want me to?"

"What if I don't want you to ride with me?" I teased, but I was already tossing my keys to him, relieved to not have to drive back.

"Not a very fun or relaxing weekend for you," Brody observed as we drove away from the cabin.  "I'm sorry."

I shrugged.  "At least we have our trip coming up."

He grinned and glanced at me.  "One week.  Well, one week and some hours.  I'm excited."

"Me too," I agreed. "After the last few weeks, I think it's well deserved."

We rode in silence for several minutes.  Eventually Brody said, "I'm almost regretting not letting you hit Savannah today."

His statement was so random that I laughed.  "She deserved it," I said.

"She did.  You would have hurt your hand though.  You need some work on your form."  He smirked at me, taking his eyes off the road for a brief second before turning his attention back fully to driving.

"Maybe you can teach me, since you solve all your problems by beating the shit out of your poor punching bag," I retorted.

"I could if you wanted," he replied seriously.  "Then next time you have a shot at Savannah, I promise I'll let you hit her."


Monday and Tuesday passed uneventfully, and I was more and more relieved with every day that brought us closer to our trip.  I was seriously looking forward to having a week on the beach with Brody.  In order to have in everything ready for him to be gone for a week, he was working crazy long hours this week, and on Wednesday, I stopped by his office after work with dinner for him.  I had stayed late at work as well, and it was nearly 8 by the time I texted him to let him know I was on my way up.

"Are you going to stay and eat with me?" he asked after he greeted me at the door to their office suite.

"I can if you have time," I replied.  "But if it means you won't be home until midnight, I'd rather just let you get your stuff done."

He grinned, then kissed my cheek.  "I'll be home by 10 either way, I think," he replied.  "I'm pretty tired tonight."  I decided to stay and we settled in his office with our dinner.

As we talked about our days, my phone rang.  I grabbed it and looked at the display.  It was James.  I pushed "decline" and tossed it aside.  I had barely picked my food back up when it rang again.  I sighed and hit the volume button to silence it.  Then it rang one more time.  "Maybe you should just answer it," Brody suggested.

I rolled my eyes as I answered.  I barely got my "hello?" out when James interrupted and said, "Liv, you and Cassie need to talk."

"Why?" I replied irritably.

"You just do.  She has some things she needs to tell you.  I need you to trust me--you're going to want to hear it.  Please just talk to her.  She's at my house, will you come over?  Or we can come to you.  Whatever you're  comfortable with."

_________________________________________

I swear I didn't plan all these cliffhangers.  But the next post is going to be from Cassie's perspective, so it makes sense to cut off here!  I will very likely post the next one before Sunday, but it's not written yet, so I'm not entirely sure when.  I'll post it when it's finished though, because I don't want to torture anyone too long. 

What Are You Suggesting?

"You'll never guess what just happened!" Lauren exclaimed, throwing herself dramatically into a chair.  I raised my eyebrows curiously, because "dramatic" (which had never been her style) has been more and more normal since she started dating Alex, so I assumed it had something to do with him.  She looked at me expectantly, and I realized she was actually waiting for me to guess.

"If I'll never guess, you should probably just tell me," I replied.  It was Monday evening, and Lauren had just gotten home from work.  I had ordered pizza (two nights in a row, what's better?) in anticipation for our roommate night, and Lauren had been in charge of getting the wine, but I didn't see any.

She rolled her eyes at my refusal to play along and said, "I'm pretty sure Alex just almost said 'I love you' to me."

I cocked my head.  "You're...pretty sure that Alex just almost told you he loved you?"  She nodded furiously.  "And this is a bad thing?"  I couldn't quite tell.

"Of course it's a bad thing!" she exploded.  "What good can come of it?  You know what happens after people say they love each other!"

"They kiss?"

She narrowed her eyes at me.  "You're impossible.  I don't do this shit to you when you're being dramatic.  Do I?"

"You do, actually," I confirmed.

"Oh."  She looked puzzled and was silent for a moment, then she said, "Well you should have told me how fucking annoying it is.  Because it's annoying."

"It is!" I agreed.  "So I won't do it anymore if you won't.  Do you love him?"

She blinked at me, and she didn't say anything for a long time.  I was becoming mildly concerned that perhaps she was having an absent seizure when she finally said, "I don't know."

"Well, then I can see why you're worried about it," I said.

"Right!  Because what do I say if he does?" she asked.

I shrugged.  She glared.  "I'm sorry!" I said.  "I have no idea.  I wouldn't know what to say either.  I'd probably say it back or change the subject, but I'm not sure either of those is a good idea.  And don't say 'thank you'."

"Wow, thanks for all your help," she snapped, rolling her eyes.  "I forgot the wine in my car."  She stood and stomped out of the house, and I stifled a laugh.  Lauren had thought my boy problems were ridiculous for so long, it was nice to see that she wasn't immune to it!

When she returned with two bottles of wine in her hands, she looked much less annoyed.  She also didn't want to talk about Alex maybe almost saying he loved her. "Let's talk about everyone hanging out this weekend," she suggested instead.

"Good idea.  Do we want to go out?"

"I'm in the mood for Cards Against Humanity," Lauren declared.   We made some plans, deciding to have people over to our house on Saturday.  The pizza guy came while we were sending texts out letting people know.  After we invited everyone, we settled onto the couch with our wine, pizza, and Real Housewives.

"You know," Lauren mused, as I poured the last of a bottle of wine into her glass, "I'm pretty sure I actually see less of you now than I did when I wasn't living with you."

"I think that's true," I agreed.  "I think it's because we haven't been doing as many things together as a group now that everyone is coupled up."  When I had moved here, the only people in this group that were attached to anyone were Kendra and Christian.  Now we all were.  It was kind of crazy to think about. 

We briefly debated opening another bottle of wine, but decided against it.  We just talked, with the TV on in the background.  We could always find something to talk about, and that's what I loved most about us.

I was washing the wine glasses before I went up to bed when my phone rang.  Lauren brought it in from the living room and said, "It's Brody." 

"Can you answer it?" I asked, putting the second glass in the drainer to dry and grabbing a towel for my hands.  Lauren chatted with Brody while I finished drying my hands, then she handed the phone to me.  "Hello?"

"Something weird happened," he started.  That made me nervous right away. 

"What?" I asked anxiously.

"Well, it's not that weird.  But I finally went through my mail from when I was in Miami, and I got a sympathy card from Savannah." 

"From Savannah?" I exclaimed.  Lauren looked at me strangely.  "But...how did she even know?"

"That was my question," Brody said. 

"I wonder if Kendra still talks to her?" I asked.  Out of the corner of my eye I saw Lauren shake her head.  "Okay, Lauren says no.  That's really weird." 

I put my hand over the bottom of the phone and filled Lauren in quickly.  "What the fuck?" she whispered.  "So strange."  I nodded and said goodnight, then walked upstairs, still on the phone.  "Well besides that, how was your day?" I asked.

"Long," he replied.  "I didn't sleep well again, so I'm exhausted."   It was true, he had tossed and turned all night.  We talked for a few more minutes and then hung up so he could try to get some sleep.


The week seemed to take forever, and I didn't see much of Brody.  He was furiously trying to get caught up at work.  He spent the night a couple times but he really just came over, slept, and got up and went to work. 

In fact, he was at the office Saturday afternoon as Lauren and I prepared to have people over.  We decided to go all out, and had put together an entire spread with a taco bar, chips and queso, guac, and salsa, sangria, and tres leches cake. 

Kinsley and Cassie showed up just in time to help us put stuff out.  "Are James and Damien coming?" I asked. 

"James is working, but he said he might stop by later," Cassie replied.  Kinsley said that Damien was having dinner with his family, then heading over.  Kendra and Christian arrived next, then Alex, and finally Brody got there. 

"Hi," he greeted me, kissing me.  "I'm going to go change."  He went upstairs and came back in jeans and a hoodie.  He looked exhausted but still laughed and shoved Alex lightly into the wall when Alex gave him a hard time about not being around much.

Everyone got food and we ate before we pulled out Cards Against Humanity.  We played for nearly two hours.  About an hour and a half into it, Damien showed up.  Shortly after we finished, James knocked. 

I didn't miss the brief glare Brody shot his way before he turned back to the stack of cards he was putting in the box.  I gave him a pointed look and he sighed and said, "I know, I'll be nice."  I nodded and hugged James, directing him to the insane amounts of food that was left.  I stood in the kitchen and we caught up a little, since I hadn't really seen him since he had investigated my grandparents for me. 

"So, have you talked to them since you met them?" he asked curiously.

I nodded.  "I've talked to Nadine a couple of times, and I talked to Sarah once too.  It's still kind of weird, but they're nice people."

Brody had walked up while we were talking and he slid his arm around me.  "Thank you for helping Liv get some more information on them," he said in a friendly tone.  "I know it meant a lot to her."  I smiled at him. 

"I was glad to help," James said warily.  I could tell he wasn't sure what to make of Brody's politeness. 

Brody grinned at him, then turned to me and said, "I got a call.  I need to run in to the office, but it should be quick.  I thought I had everything I needed here, but I forgot some paperwork."

"Okay," I replied.  I  kissed him and he took off.

"He's still doing that shit, huh?" James observed. 

I shook my head.  "He's only on call certain weeks now, so it's way better.  This is his on call week."

"Don't you ever wonder what he spends all that time at the office doing?"  I hadn't noticed Cassie come into the kitchen, but her tone was innocent and curious.

I furrowed my brow.  "No, I don't.  I imagine he's working.  That's generally what people do at the office," I snapped.  James gave her a weird look.

She held up her hands in surrender and said, "Sorry, I'm just saying.  He has a lot of people in and out, sometimes it seems weird." 

"Cassie, what exactly are you suggesting?" James asked.  His tone held a hint of warning in it, and he was giving her a hard look. 

"I'm not suggesting anything!" she protested.  "Just wondering."  With that, she tugged James back into the living room, leaving me alone in the kitchen to continue to wonder what she was suggesting.

(Now) Savannah: The Apology

"Seriously?" I asked Kendra, rolling my eyes at her and huffing out a frustrated breath.  I was beyond irritated that she had just asked me if I'd be able to leave Olivia and Brody alone at the wedding.  "What do you think I am, an immature child?"

"Sometimes, yes," Kendra replied evenly.  "It's my wedding, Savannah.  The last thing I need is a scene.  And if you're the cause of it, how will that look?  You're a bridesmaid."

"No one there cares about me anyway," I muttered.  I sounded like a snotty, spoiled brat, but I didn't even care.

Kendra rolled her eyes.  "You should try apologizing then."

I'd had just about enough of this.  "Apologizing for what?  I didn't know that everything would happen."

She just looked at me pointedly.  It was clear she didn't believe that at all.  I glared back at her.  Kendra was supposed to be one of my best friends, but now I didn't even get invited over when she had people at her house, because Brody and Olivia got their stupid little feelings hurt.

"Look," Kendra said, her voice a bit gentler now, "They're happy now.  If you could just apologize and stay out of their relationship, maybe people would be okay with you coming back and hanging out sometimes." 

"Whatever, I'll think about it," I responded, before changing the subject.  And I did think about it.  I thought about how sorry I wasn't.  It's not my fault their budding relationship couldn't survive a short trip to Miami.  And anyway, it didn't seem like Olivia had even been too broken up about it.  She certainly didn't waste any time moving on, from what I heard.

But, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I was pretty miserable since the happy couple had gotten back together and that fucking stupid bitch Allie had ratted me out.  (She was going to pay for that, by the way.)  I no longer had Allie, and I couldn't hang out with Kendra most of the time.  No one else really liked me in that stupid little group, but they tolerated me at least, and it was worth it to see Brody.

So a week later, I walked into the bar where they were all doing their stupid happy hour and scanned the tables.  I spotted Kendra and walked over.  I needed to tell her that I wasn't able to get the Friday of the rehearsal dinner off.  she already knew I probably couldn't, so I could have just called her, but I needed an excuse to run into Olivia and Brody.  I cringed inwardly at the thought of them thinking that I wanted to apologize to them, but that was what manipulation was all about....letting other people think they have the upper hand.

I sat down and filled Kendra in, and we chatted for a few minutes.  I said hi to Alex and Lauren and Christian, but neither Olivia nor Brody were there.  I waited for close to 15 minutes but then I couldn't stick around any longer without looking suspicious.  I walked out, irritated that I had wasted my time.

***

I hate weddings.  But this wedding was giving me an excuse to stare at Brody in a tux, so it was probably the best wedding I've ever been to.  I frowned when I saw Olivia, Lauren, Kinsley, and some guy walk over towards him.   I felt a huge stab of jealousy when I watched Brody's eyes travel appreciatively up and down Olivia's body, and a second stab when he kissed her, briefly but tenderly.

My teeth ground on their own as I watched them.  Everything about their body language screamed that they were in love, from the way she leaned in to beam up at him to his hand resting lightly on her hip, where it had been since the second she was within his reach.  It was a vaguely possessive gesture, as if he was worried that everyone else would appreciate her dress as much as he seemed to (it was actually a really great dress, but she ruined it with her cheap-looking shoes). 

"Savannah!"  I turned, snapping out of my jealous daze.  Kendra's sister, Nikki, was looking at me impatiently.  "We need to go.  What are you even looking at?"

"Nothing important," I muttered, following after her.

The wedding was nice enough, but it was hard to pay attention standing in the stupidly uncomfortable shoes that Kendra made us wear.  I guess some people can't afford to pay a lot for shoes, but I think it's worth it so you don't feel like you're standing on broken glass after 15 minutes.  But of course, no one asked me.

I was seated at a table with a bunch of acquaintances from college, and dinner was painfully boring and uncomfortable.   I humored one of the guys who was blatantly hitting on me, because it helped me pass the time.  The whole time, I kept one eye on the table that contained Brody and Olivia.  I was irritated with myself for caring so much, but I thought maybe I could catch them at a good time and throw out my apology.

My chance came when I saw them walk out onto the patio together, a couple hours after dinner.  I hastily excused myself from...Chris?  Craig?  I can't even remember.  Anyway, I stepped quickly out onto the patio behind them, rehearsing my apology in my head.

Liv was hostile right off the bat, which surprised me.  I honestly didn't think she had it in her.  It threw off my plan, which left me a little irritated.  But I was even more surprised by Brody's response.  Even though his voice was calm, I could tell he was pissed and didn't want anything to do with my apology.

I got annoyed really quickly at their united self-righteous insistence that I was out to ruin people's lives, one unsuspecting victim at a time.  Could they be any more dramatic?  It was almost as bad as listening to Mother rant about how the poor people are responsible for all the bad things in the world. I lost my cool pretty quickly, and I knew this wasn't going to work.  So when Brody told me to leave, I was happy to.

I nearly ran over one of Kendra's cousins or something, and then I walked right into Chris/Craig/whoever as I came back in.  He nearly spilled his drink but quickly recovered to walk with me towards the bar.  I patronized him for about one and a half more drinks, and then I left abruptly for the dance floor.  I danced with some of the other wedding party members, and then everything after that is a little bit blurry.

I woke up in my hotel room, still in my bridesmaid dress.  My head was sore from sleeping on the bobby pins that were shoved into my scalp.  As I sat up, I realized I even still had one stupid, uncomfortable shoe on.  I shook it off and quickly laid back down.  The last time I had been this hungover was at Brody's cabin over the 4th of July weekend.

I looked at the clock, and saw that it was only a little after 8.  I needed to be down at brunch at 10.  I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to piece together the night.  I remembered talking to Brody and Olivia, then dancing.  I remembered dancing with Kendra's brother, Nick...  The rest of the night came rushing back to me as soon as I remembered dancing with, and trying to kiss, Nick.  I groaned to myself.  Maybe I'd skip brunch.

I went back to sleep, but woke up to my phone trilling shrilly a bit later.  I dug it out of my clutch and answered.  "I don't care how awful you feel, don't even think about skipping brunch," came Kendra's sister's voice.

"I doubt anyone actually wants me there," I croaked.

"That's probably true," she agreed, "But you'll be there anyway."  Then she hung up.  Bossy bitch.  I hauled myself out of bed and into the shower.  After fighting the urge to throw up, and then to pass out, I managed to get clean.  I pulled on some clothes and choked down some aspirin and half a bottle of water.

I stuck to myself and kept my head down during brunch.  I didn't eat much and as soon as it was socially acceptable, I went up to my room to pack my stuff up so I could get the hell out of here.  I was just about to leave when someone knocked on my door.

I pulled it open and saw Kendra standing there.  Thinking fast, I smiled and said, "Happy first full day of being a married lady!"

She glared and me and shouldered her way into the room, shoving the door shut behind her.  Shit.  "What in the fuck is your problem?" she snapped.  I forced myself to keep my face neutral.  Kendra hardly ever swore.

"Umm...." I offered weakly.

"Yeah.  I'd be speechless too if I were you.  You said you could behave.  And then you went and caused conflict with Olivia and Brody, tried to kiss my brother, and threw up all over the floor.  So fucking classy, Savannah."

"You're the one that told me I should apologize to Olivia and Brody!" I protested.

Kendra just stared at me for several seconds.  "Are you serious?  I didn't mean at my wedding.  And it didn't seem like a very effective apology."  She paused, waiting for me to defend myself.  But if there's one thing I learned growing up with Mother, it's when to keep my mouth shut.  This was a good time for that.  Eventually Kendra sighed.  "Everyone else is right.  I just kept giving you the benefit of the doubt but I'm done.  This friendship is done, Savannah.  The first thing you should have done when you opened that door was apologize, but all you can do is try to blame it on me."  And with that, she turned and walked out.

I sat down on the bed, fighting the urge to spit a nasty name after her.  I considered her final words.  Apologizing hadn't even occurred to me.  I thought about that for a couple minutes.  For some people, apologizing was an automatic thing.  But in my world, it just didn't happen.  Growing up in my home, apologizing seemed more like a sign of weakness than something you were supposed to do.  I thought a little longer, and realized that the only person I could think of ever apologizing to me was Brody.  And I had been so caught off guard when he had done it, so long ago, that I had reacted with hostility.

I sighed and grabbed my bag.  I wasn't fully convinced that Kendra was done with me.  She just needed a break.  In the meantime, maybe I can let Allie apologize for ratting me out.  Keep your enemies closer, right? 

Long Overdue

It was nice to wake up because the sun was shining my eyes, and not because Brody's phone was ringing.  I shifted and adjusted the blanket, and Brody's arm snaked around my waist, pulling me close.  "Morning, beautiful," he murmured sleepily into my hair.  "Let's stay here."

"Forever?" I asked.  "Okay, sold."

"Well, yeah, that too, but I meant today.  Let's stay one more night."

I rolled over to face him.  "But what about work tomorrow?" I asked him, confused.  "I thought you weren't going to take tomorrow off."

"I'm not," he said with a shrug.  "I can go in in the afternoon after we get back.  We can explore town today, maybe drive into the park a little.  We can leave after breakfast tomorrow so you still have time to job search and I can go into work for a little while at least.  I'll turn my phone on long enough to send an email letting them know when I'll be in, but after brunch today I'll be all yours."  I realized this was his way of making up for all the time he'd spent interrupting our dates for work the past couple weeks, and I appreciated it.

I smiled.  "Okay!  Let's do it."  He rolled over and grabbed the room phone.  He called down to the front desk and requested to keep our room for one more night.  A couple minutes later, he hung up.

"It's ours until tomorrow," he reported.  "What time is brunch?"  Christian's parents were hosting a day-after brunch this morning at 10.  I told him that, and glanced at the clock.  It was almost 9.   "Why don't you go ahead and shower.  I'll send my emails while you're in the shower."

We walked out of the elevator a couple minutes before 10.  Lauren waved us over.  She looked at me curiously.  "I heard you and Savannah got into it last night," she whispered.

"Good news travels fast," I said, rolling my eyes.  I filled her in on the details.  She shook her head.

"What a clueless bitch," she said.  "I hate her."

"Join the club, it's not terribly exclusive."

Lauren grinned wickedly at me.  "So, after you guys left, she got shitshow drunk, tried to make out with Kendra's brother, and then threw up all over the floor outside the bathroom.  It was ridiculous.  I think Kendra was mostly unaware, but Christian had to have Kendra's brother and sister practically carry Savannah out."

I stared at her, then laughed.  "I shouldn't laugh, because that's awful for Christian and Kendra, but she really is a disaster, huh?"  Lauren nodded. 

A very rough looking Savannah stayed away from us during brunch, and it was actually quite pleasant.  After brunch, Lauren, Alex, Damien, and Kinsley were heading out.  We said goodbye and spent the rest of the morning exploring the downtown area.  We had a light, late lunch at a cafe, then drove into Rocky Mountain National Park.  We pulled up to an overlook and got out.  Brody put his arm around my waist as we looked out over a beautiful valley.

"Are you going home for Thanksgiving?" he asked suddenly.

I shook my head.  "No, I wasn't planning on going home until Christmas," I replied.

"What are you going to do?" he asked.

"I hadn't really thought about it.  I guess just enjoy a four day weekend, maybe eat a turkey sandwich." I shrugged.

"Come with me then," he said.  "I'm going to my mom's house.  She doesn't really do a traditional dinner like you're probably used to, but there will be plenty of food."

"Oh," I said, surprised.  "I don't want to impose."  I wasn't sure what to say.  I didn't love the idea of celebrating Thanksgiving alone at my house, but it was less than two weeks away and I had no other plans.  And I was really curious to meet Brody's family.  I know he had one sister and one brother, plus the sister that had been killed in the accident, and that his parents were divorced and his dad was an asshole, but other than that, he really didn't talk about them much.  Then again, I tended to completely bomb my first impression when meeting the parents, and the thought of meeting Brody's entire family for the first time on a holiday was a little terrifying.

"Don't be ridiculous.  My mom will be over the moon to have a new person to feed.  And she always makes enough to feed the entire city, so it's not like she'll even have to make extra food.  I don't want you to be alone on Thanksgiving."  He tightened his arms around me as a breeze blew through and I shivered.

"Okay," I agreed.  "I'd like that."

He smiled.  "I love you Liv, and my family will too."

"I love you too, and I sure hope so!" I replied.

We spent the rest of the day driving through the park, looking for wildlife.  My life was pretty much made when we spotted a moose laying in the snow.  It was long dark by the time we made it back into town.  We found a place to get dinner and were soon heading back to the hotel.  I changed into sweatpants and curled up against Brody, who was sitting on the bed, leaning against the headboard.

"Thank you," I said softly.

"For what?" he asked, wrapping an arm around me and stroking my shoulder.

"For today.  It was perfect.  It was so nice to spend the day with you without interruptions, and it means a lot to me."

"It was nice," he agreed.  "We should probably do it more often."  I looked up at him and made a face.  He laughed.  "I know, I know," he said.  "I'll make it happen."  I yawned and rested my head back against his chest.  He ran his fingers through my hair and I closed my eyes.  My hand slid under the hem of his shirt and rested against the hard muscles there.  I yawned again.  "It's only 10," he teased.

"I know, but you've kept me up late the last two nights," I replied.

"I've kept you up late?  Well, if that's the problem, don't let me stop you from getting your beauty rest tonight," he said with a laugh.  I dragged myself off the bed and brushed my teeth and washed my face.  When I came out of the bathroom, Brody was searching through his bag.   I made myself comfortable while he brushed his teeth, and was almost asleep by the time he came out.  He slid into bed next to me and his fingers found my back.  They slid back and forth over my spine a few times before stilling, resting lightly on my lower back.

When I woke up, his hand was still on me, but now it was draped across my forearm.  I smiled.  Rarely did I ever wake up with him without him touching me somehow.  I wondered if he did it unconsciously in his sleep.  His fingers twitched as I pulled my arm away to roll onto my side.  He looked so young while he was sleeping.  Not that he was old, by any means.  But even his 30 to my 26 was a bigger age difference than I had ever dated.

I slid quietly out of bed, grabbed clothes, and went into the bathroom.  When I came out showered, dressed, and made up, Brody wasn't there.  For a second, I thought he had tried to sneak out for a work call, but then I saw his phone laying in his bag.  When he came back in with coffee for both of us from downstairs, I felt guilty for even thinking  he was off breaking his promise.  So far, he'd been nothing but amazing in every other way, so if a few phone calls during dinner was the price to pay for that, it shouldn't piss me off so much.  When did I become so needy?

Brody asked me to find somewhere to eat breakfast while he showered, so after I packed up my stuff, I flopped in the chair and searched Yelp on my phone.  I found a few good options, wondering how people found places to eat before smartphones and Yelp and Urban Spoon.  But when Brody came out of the bathroom wearing only a towel around his hips, I quickly forgot about breakfast. 

"How much time do we have before checkout?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

Brody grinned and looked behind him at the clock.  "Two hours, but if we take that long, we'll need to change breakfast to lunch."

"The faster you lose that towel, the better chance of us being out of here in time for breakfast," I responded.

"You have way more clothing on than me," he pointed out as he stepped over to me.  With one hand he pulled me to my feet, and with the other he pushed his towel to the floor. 

An hour later we were walking out to the car, checked out and ready to leave.  We ate a delicious, leisurely breakfast at a little restaurant in town before starting the drive back to the city.  The drive went quickly, and before I knew, we had pulled up in front of my townhouse.  Brody parked and grabbed my bag out of the back.  He set it down inside after I had unlocked my door.

He pulled me into a tight hug.  I hugged him back, resting my head against his chest.  "When do I get to see you again?" he asked.

"Dinner on Wednesday?" I suggested.

"I guess I can wait that long," he responded with a smile.  "Can I spend the night after?  It'll be easier than going all the way home that night and all the way back into town in the morning for work."  I nodded.  "Alright, I guess I should get to work before the place burns down.  I had a really great weekend.  I love you."  He kissed me and when he pulled back I told him I loved him and he left.

I spent the rest of the day doing laundry and writing cover letters.  I applied for 5 jobs and felt pretty productive by the time I threw a frozen pizza in the oven for dinner.   As I was getting ready for bed, my phone vibrated.  The text was from Brody and said, "Miss you already.  Sleep well, beautiful."  

Wedding Bells and False Apologies

I woke early the next morning to the sound of Brody's phone ringing.  I groaned and squinted at the clock.  6:19.  Ugh.  Next to me, Brody rolled out of bed, yanked on a pair of shorts, and answered the phone.  He moved quietly out into the hallway. 

I drifted back into sleep, but woke when I felt Brody slip back into bed next to me.  I looked at the clock again.  Nearly 7.  Quite the phone call.  He laid next to me and put his arm around my waist.  "Sorry," he whispered into my hair.  I didn't say anything, but I leaned back into him.

I had just fallen back asleep when his phone rang again.  "Shit," he muttered, getting up and walking out the door with it.  Now I was irritated.  It was 7:30 in the morning, on a Saturday when he was supposed to be off, and he'd already taken two calls.  He had promised me no phone calls this weekend.  I was awake at this point and I laid there waiting for him to come back, stewing.  The longer he took, the more irritated I got.

When he came back in almost 30 minutes later, I was fuming.  I got up and rifled through my overnight bag, then pulled on shorts and a t-shirt.  "Liv, I'm really sorry," Brody said.  I just stalked into the bathroom.  I washed my face and brushed my teeth, hoping I'd feel calmer when I was done.  I didn't.

I came back out, avoiding his gaze.  I walked over to the desk and grabbed my phone from where it was charging and started scrolling absently through.  "You know, for a therapist, you're pretty awful at telling people how you're feeling," he said shortly.  I whipped around to look at him.  It was absolutely true, but it still stung to have it brandished like a weapon at me.  He saw my face and his angry glare softened.  "I'm sorry," he said, a little more gently.  "But if you're pissed at me, just tell me you're pissed at me."

"I'm not pissed at you," I snapped back.  He raised his eyebrows and gave me a skeptical look.  "I'm not," I insisted.  "I'm really fucking irritated, but I'm not pissed. If I were pissed, I wouldn't be standing here talking to you."

"Okay," he said, then nodded for me to go on.

"You promised me that there would be no work this weekend.  And you've already been on the phone for over an hour!  It's barely 8 in the morning.  This sucks."  I punctuated the words with a heavy sigh.  I was still standing by the desk, and I realized I was gripping the top of the desk chair so hard my hand hurt.  I let go and gently flexed my fingers.

"You're right," he replied.  "I'm sorry.  I did promise you no work, and I haven't kept that promise.  I'm still trying to get a handle on running this company by myself, and you're suffering for it."  He was right.  I couldn't remember a lunch or dinner that hadn't been interrupted by his phone in the last two weeks.  It rang unfathomably late at night and early in the morning.  And he answered every call.  Most of me knew that that was the price for dating someone who owned his own business, but the rest of me was really tired of it already.  I had tried to be patient with it, because I knew Brody was working his ass off and was seriously shorthanded, but apparently I had let it build up too long. 

I continued to glare at him, but I felt my anger fading.  "After I got off that last call, I called Pete.  He's going to take care of anything else that comes up this weekend," Brody assured me.  Now it was my turn to give him a skeptical look.  "Look," he said, holding up his phone.  He depressed the power button and held it until the phone turned off.  Then he held it out to me.  "All yours."   I looked at the phone for a minute but then shook my head.

"I believe you," I said, my shoulders dropping as my tensed muscles relaxed.

He smiled and tossed the phone into his bag.  "Good," he replied, walking over to me.  He wrapped his arms around me and I let him pull me against his chest.

"Sorry I was a jerk," I said, my voice muffled.

"I'm sorry too," he replied.  "And I promise I will work on balancing things better."  He pushed his hand through my hair, massaging my scalp at the base of my skull.  I sighed against his chest as his hand moved lower, kneading the tense muscles in my neck.   "Why don't we blow off breakfast?" he suggested.  We had made plans the night before to eat with some of the others in the lodge's restaurant.  "We can order room service and eat here."

"I like that idea," I said.  We looked at the room service menu and Brody called in our order.

After he hung up, he looked at me and said, "They said about 40 minutes."

"Hmmm," I responded, grinning.  "We can do a lot of making up in 40 minutes!"

"You are unbelievable," he said, looking surprised.  "I don't know if I've ever met a woman I can't keep up with.  You might be the one."

"Don't worry," I said, pushing him back on the bed. "I'll do all the work this time."

We finished "making up" just a few minutes before breakfast arrived, so Brody had to scramble to pull on a pair of shorts and answer the door.  I'm sure the female employee delivering our food didn't mind his lack of a shirt though; I wouldn't have. 

We ate our breakfast and were lazy in bed until Brody had to get ready for pictures.  Since he was just an usher, they weren't making him be there for all the picture time, but did want him there for some.  I continued to lay in bed reading while he showered and shaved and got dressed.  I got up and plucked a loose thread from the back of his jacket as he adjusted his bow tie.  "I really hate these things," he complained.

"But you look so hot," I protested.  He looked at his watch and turned and kissed me quickly.

"Gotta go," he said.  "I'll see you for the ceremony."

After he left, I showered and got ready slowly.  As much as it sucked arguing with him, I was glad we had talked.  I wish I could have just told him my feelings about his job and the phone calls sooner, but he was right--I sucked at that stuff.  I was just pinning the last piece of hair in place when my phone vibrated with a text from Kinsley letting me know that she, Damien, and Lauren were there.  I felt a sudden surge of anxiety about seeing Damien.  I hadn't seen him since James and I stopped seeing each other, and I was certain it would be weird.

I texted back that I would be right down.  I took one last look at myself in the mirror, and satisfied, I grabbed my wristlet, shoved my phone and the room key in, and headed for the elevator.  I spotted them right away when the elevator opened and walked over. 

"Look at you, hot stuff!" Kinsley exclaimed, hugging me.

"You actually clean up quite nicely too," I said back with a grin.  I greeted Lauren and turned to Damien.  "Hi," I said shyly.  To my relief, he smiled broadly back.

"Hey, how have you been?" he asked.  I told him I had been good and asked him the same.  We made small talk as we walked over to the room where the ceremony was to be held.  As we approached, Kinsley touched my arm.  I looked in the direction she motioned and saw Savannah.  I frowned, but before I could say anything, Lauren interrupted.

"Wow, Brody and Alex do the tux thing quite well, huh?"  Alex was the other usher.  I looked over near the door of the room and grinned.  We walked over towards them.

Brody saw me and raised his eyebrows.  He kissed me on the cheek and then said, "Wow, you look amazing."  His eyes traveled appreciatively over my dress, down my legs, and back up until he met my eyes.  His green eyes sparkled as he leaned towards me and kissed me again, lightly on the lips.  He then turned to Damien.  "How's it going?" he asked, extending his hand.  Damien shook it and returned the greeting.

Brody led our small group to seats inside a huge, gorgeous room.  He promised that he and Alex would join us before the ceremony and walked back to the door.  The room had high, vaulted ceilings and a large stone fireplace sat directly in front of us, between two giant picture windows overlooking the same view we had from our room.

The wedding ceremony was beautiful, and timed perfectly so the sun set over the mountains as they were saying their vows.  After, we all moved to the next room, a perfectly decorated ballroom, for the reception.  Kendra had been kind enough to not seat Savannah with us, and I spotted her at a table on the other side of the ballroom, sitting with people that I assumed were her and Kendra's friends from college.  I wondered if she was as awful around them as she was around us.  Or if any of them actually liked her. 

After eating, dancing, and drinking a little too much, I found myself a feeling a bit lightheaded.  I walked back to the table, where Brody, Damien, Alex, Lauren, and Kendra's brother were all sitting at the moment.   "I'm going out on the patio for a little fresh air," I said to Brody.  "Do you want to come?"  He nodded and stood up.  He grabbed his jacket and walked towards the door with me.  Alex and Lauren didn't even look up from whatever conversation they were having.

It was freezing outside, and I was grateful when Brody draped his jacket over my shoulders and wrapped his arms around me.  I leaned back into him and stared out at the mountains.  He kissed the top of my head.  Neither of us heard the door to the patio open, but we both turned when we heard heels clicking towards us.

"Hi," Savannah said, tentatively.

"What do you want?" I spat.  I had no desire to have a conversation with her.

"To apologize," she said.

I snorted.  "I don't want to hear it," I replied, turning away.  Brody squeezed my shoulder as Savannah walked closer.  He still hadn't said anything.

"Seriously, I'm really sorry.  I didn't mean...well, I didn't mean for everything to happen," she said lamely.

"Really, Savannah?" Brody asked.  His voice was quiet, but I recognized the controlled anger in his words.  "You didn't mean for someone to get fired?  You didn't mean for me to waste two months of my life cleaning up the mess in Miami?  You didn't mean to potentially end me and Olivia's relationship?"

She didn't say anything for several seconds.  I was still facing away from her, not interested in anything she had to say.  I pulled Brody's jacket tighter around me as the wind picked up again.  "Well, shit happens," she said coldly.  Seriously?  I thought she came to apologize.

I whirled back around.  "Shit like that doesn't just happen, Savannah," I said, spitting her name out like a curse.  "Shit like that happens when you start fucking around with people's lives."

Now she was angry too.  "Fucking around with people's lives?  Oh please.  You must have an awfully high opinion of me to think I'm capable of controlling the lives of at least 3 people.  Grow up.  Sometimes people make moves that make things happen. Sometimes those things are bad.  That's the way the world works."

I took a step towards her.  Brody put a hand on my arm and whispered something to me, but I was completely focused on Savannah.  "You have a seriously fucked up view of the world if you think that that's the way it actually works."  My hands clenched into fists at my sides as I seethed.  Brody put both hands on my shoulders and squeezed them gently.

"Get out of here," he said to Savannah.  His voice was still quiet, but I could tell the anger was starting to bubble up more.  "We're not interested in your half-assed apologies and even if we were, this isn't the place."  She rolled her eyes, and I clenched my teeth, determined not to feed into her anymore.

"Whatever, you guys enjoy each other while it lasts," she said.  She tossed her hair and strode back into the reception room.  

"I fucking hate her," I hissed.  Brody rubbed my arms and sighed.

"I know," he said.  "She's unbelievable."

"I need to walk," I declared.  He took my hand and we walked along the path around the lodge.  I walked fast, the clicking of my heels ringing out on the concrete.

"Slow down, if you break an ankle and we have to spend the night in the ER, you won't be able to show me those other ways we can use my bow tie," he said with a smirk.

"Oh?  I thought I've worn you out this weekend," I said back, starting to relax.

He shrugged.  "I've had some time to recover.  And that dress is amazing, even covered with my jacket.  I'm not sure I heard any of the wedding ceremony because I was too busy staring at your legs."

"Well then, why are we wasting time out here?" I pulled him towards the door to the hotel.   We stopped back at the reception so I could grab my purse and to say goodnight, and then we booked it up to our room.

"So," he said with a mischievous grin, dangling his untied bow tie in front of me.  "Tell me how to make this useful." 

(Then) Brody

Denver

I was happy to go back to Denver and leave Miami behind.  When my dad had told me a former associate had contacted him about setting up shop in Denver, I volunteered immediately.  My dad sent me off with barely a wave or second glance.  Working for him had been trying, especially in the beginning, before I got into the habit of agreeing with him to his face and then doing whatever I had been planning behind his back.  He never even noticed, and happily took credit for all my hard work.

The worst was his insistence that we have dinner together weekly.  It wasn't long before he started bringing women with him.  They were generally closer to my age than his.  At least he could get women to actually go out to dinner with him, though. 

Anyway, I busted my ass for two solid months before leaving for Denver, getting things set up remotely.  I flew back and forth a few times too.  My dad came with me once I had narrowed potential office buildings down to three options.  He picked one, wrote the check, delegated office space, and was on his way back to the airport in less than two hours.  I did everything else, from hiring the decorators to picking out furniture to interviewing people.  I was only taking a handful of people from Miami with me, so we'd have the heavy task of training a whole new staff.

Once I was in Denver, I worked non-stop for 3 months.  6 or 7 days a week, at least 12 hours a day.  I lost myself in it, enjoying watching the branch rise from the ground.  Finally, things were taking off on their own, and I could start working a more normal schedule.  Our people were trained, and the clients were trickling in.

I was having some drinks with my coworkers one night when I ran into Dan.  I recognized him right away, even though I hadn't seen him since 8th grade.  We sat down and caught up a little, and he invited me out that weekend.  I agreed.  I hadn't seen anyone but coworkers and my mom since I moved up here.

That weekend, he took me out with some guys we knew from when I lived here, and some that I didn't know.  They were a hard-partying group, rivaling my Miami friends.  It had been months since I got laid, and it was easy to take women home when you could tell them ran your own company (a bit liberal, but I did run the company here) and could pick up the entire bar tab without batting an eye.  I didn't even have to rely on my old fall back of "My dad used to be an NFL cornerback."  Apparently, old habits are hard to break. 

When my dad flew up several months later to chew me out in person, I was irritated and spent a couple more months running around town, doing whatever the hell I wanted.  But one Friday morning, when I struggled to drag myself out of bed after a particularly hellish bender the night before, I realized that as much as it pained me to admit, he was right.  If I wanted to be successful, to buy a house, and to be an adult, I needed to act like one.

I started avoiding Dan's calls, and I called Kevin and invited him to come over and watch a game with me.  We reconnected and I started hanging out with him more.  His friends, who I had previously thought boring, were actually pretty cool.

One night, shortly after I bought my house, we were watching a Broncos game at a sports bar when a pretty blonde walked up and said hi to Kevin.  He turned to introduce her to me, but she interrupted him, beaming at me.  "Hi," she said.  "I'm Savannah."

"Brody," I replied, smiling back at her.  Savannah ended up sitting down with us and watching the game for awhile.  She was surprisingly knowledgeable about football, which I found attractive.  When she bought us a round of beers, I was sold.  Her friends left awhile later, and we invited her to stay with us.  She took us up on it.

When the game was over, she asked for a ride home.  After a short discussion, we realized her place was on my way, so I took her.   When I pulled up in front of her apartment building, she smiled at me and asked if I wanted to come in.  I briefly considered saying no, but she seemed so laid back, and she was pretty.  How do you say no to that?

The sex was nothing special, but Savannah was enthusiastic at least.  She didn't seem upset when I got up and left awhile after either.

The sex was better the second time, a couple weeks later.  We had run into each other again and one thing led to another.  I hadn't been expecting a repeat performance, and I didn't want her to think I wanted anything more, but it all just kind of happened.

When she sought me out a week later, inviting me to the bar to hang out with her and some friends, I said no.  I didn't want to give the impression that I wanted this to be anything more than occasional, casual sex.  I wasn't even totally sold on wanting occasional, casual sex with her, to be honest.  And anyway, I already had plans with Kevin and his friends.

My plans with Kevin and his friends happened to take me to the same place that Savannah was with her friends.  Seriously, could this city get any smaller?  We ended up combining our groups, and I struck up conversation with Savannah's friend Alex.  He was from the area and had gone to the school that would have been my high school's rival, if we had stayed here long enough for me to attend high school.  We ended up exchanging numbers and making plans to get the guys all together for some football.

I politely refused when Savannah asked for a ride home.  She pouted, but I plead fatigue and early morning workout plans.  She rolled her eyes and flounced away.

Our football game was a success, and I started hanging out with Alex more.  I still saw Kevin, but I was splitting my time between his group of friends and Alex's and Savannah's.  Occasionally we all got together, and everyone got along really well.  Kevin got along especially well with one of Savannah's friends, Kinsley.  I think they were hooking up for awhile, but Kevin never mentioned it.  Savannah and I fooled around a couple more times.  She never pushed for more, and the sex got better every time, so why not?

I was having a get together at my place when Alex pulled me aside.  "You know that Savannah wants to date you, right?" he asked me quietly.

"She does?" I asked, dumbfounded.

Alex stared at me.  "You don't already know that?  She talks about you non-stop.  I thought you knew."

"She's never said anything," I said, shaking my head.  "She's always just asked me for a ride home, then invited me in.  She doesn't say a word when I leave.  I had no idea."  I shoved my hand through my hair, feeling like the world's biggest asshole.

"Well, I'd be careful if I were you," he warned.  "She doesn't take rejection well."  His grimace that accompanied that statement made me wonder if he knew from experience.  I thanked him for the head's up and returned to playing host.

Since my house was so far out of town, some of the people that came over stayed the night.  Savannah was one of them, and when I showed her to the guest room, she frowned.  She stepped closer to me and put her hand on my arm, then turned her doe eyes up to mine.  "I was thinking maybe I could spend the night with you," she said.

"I don't think that's a good idea," I said, turning her gently towards the door of the guest room.  "Goodnight, Savannah."  I walked away before she could protest.  I was worried she'd follow, but luckily she didn't.

I avoided her calls that week.  When I went to happy hour on Thursday, which was becoming a weekly tradition, she intercepted me on my way from the door to the bar.  "Can we talk?" she asked.

"Can I get a drink first?" I replied, stalling.

"I'd rather you didn't, can we go outside?"  Sighing, I followed her outside, having a pretty good idea what was coming.

"Look, Savannah--" I started, ready to beat her to the punch and apologize for misreading the situation.

"No, you look," she snapped back.  "What kind of girl do you think I am?"  Was that a trick question?  Inviting someone in and jumping on him after knowing him for a mere couple of hours sends a pretty strong message.  Luckily, she saved me from having to answer that by continuing.  "I was under the impression that this was going somewhere.  You made me look like such an idiot last weekend!"

"Savannah, I'm sorry, I really am," I said sincerely.  "I had no idea that you wanted a relationship.  I thought that we were both cool with just hooking up.  I didn't mean to hurt you or embarrass you."  This was my first time apologizing to a woman since high school, and it was weird.  It also wasn't received well.

"You had no idea," she scoffed.  "Of course you didn't.  How convenient for you!  Tell me, Brody, do you know many girls that are 'cool with just hooking up'?"  She paused, staring me down, apparently expecting an answer to this question.

"Well, actually I do," I said.  Bad move.  She glared at me.  Then she stomped her foot.  She actually, legitimately stomped her foot.  "I mean," I said quickly, trying to recover, "I used to, anyway."

She laughed, a high pitched, sort of creepy sound completely unlike her normal laugh.  "I'd heard about you, but I thought things would be different now that you were hanging out with different people.  Guess not."

"Savannah, I'm sorry.  I don't know what else to say.  I'm actually really confused because you've never said a word about wanting more than sex, and every other girl that's ever invited me in within hours of meeting me has never wanted more than that.  I misread the situation, and I feel really terrible."

"So, you think I'm a slut?" she asked, challenging me.

I'd had enough.  "No, I don't.  I don't think of women that enjoy sex, even casual sex, as 'sluts'.  I'm not doing this anymore," I said, throwing up my hands.  "I'm really sorry.  I'm not interested in dating you.  I don't know what else to say, so if you're finished, I'm going to go inside and have a drink."  She started to open her mouth, and I cut her off.  "Actually, even if you're not finished, I'm going to go inside and have a drink."  I turned and walked towards the door.  I stopped and looked back at her.  "I am really, really sorry though," I insisted.  She didn't respond. 

She came back in while I was at the bar.  She stopped at the table for a minute, then stormed back out.  I approached the table cautiously, sitting down by Alex.  "Dude," he said, looking at me carefully.  "What did you do to her?"

"I apologized," I said wryly.

"Looks like you did a good job," he said with a laugh.  "Told you she doesn't take rejection well."

"Yeah, and that was an understatement," I replied.

Alex shook his head.  "Don't stop coming now that she went crazy."

"I won't," I promised.  "She'll get over it, right?"

He made a face.  "I hope so," he said, not sounding at all convinced. 

Busted

Oh how I wish I could have given this to you guys sooner as a bonus. Unfortunately I am totally out of extra posts until Thanksgiving, haha. But here it is a few hours earlier than usual at least!

ETA: actually, after a random inspiration, I lied. Consider this a bonus and come back in the morning (Wednesday at 6am CST) for the next post!
__________________________

I didn't sleep well Monday night.  Jordan and Savannah took turns haunting my dreams, and I woke up drenched in cold sweat twice before I just got out of bed around 4 in the morning.  Tuesday night was similar, but I did get a little more sleep.

I was working on paperwork in my office on Wednesday when Leigh, the person who runs our desk and the business office, popped her head in.  "Someone's here for you," she said.

"I'm not expecting a client," I said, confused.

"He's not a client," she said with a small smile.  "And he's really cute."  Oh shit.  Which one?  I followed her up front and saw Brody leaning against the wall in the corner.  I had avoided two calls from him yesterday.  Looks like I couldn't avoid this.  I squared my shoulders and walked over.

"Liv," he said quietly, almost desperately.  "Please have lunch with me."  His eyes pleaded with me.  I stalled, trying to think of a good reason to decline.  I just needed some space from both him and James. When nothing came to me, I nodded.

"I have 50 minutes," I said, looking up at the clock on the wall.  I told Leigh I was taking my lunch and she smiled conspiratorially and told me to have fun.

We walked to the coffee shop across the street where we'd gone for lunch the first time, months ago.  I ordered a sandwich and tea and we sat.  "Lauren told you?" I asked, finally.

"She did," he said with a slight edge to his voice, "but I wish you would have told me."

"Don't," I responded.  "It doesn't change anything."  His face didn't change, but I saw the tick of his jaw tightening.

"Liv, come on.  It changes everything.  Are you going to let her do this?"  His voice was steady, but I could see his pulse in his neck.

"Me?  Am I going to let her?  As far as I'm concerned, you already let her do this." My voice was strained and I gripped the edges of my chair to keep my arms from shaking. This wasn't how I wanted this conversation to go, but it was so much easier to just be mad at him than to admit to him that I was confused and feeling pressured.

"Why are you pushing me away so hard?" Brody shot back.  "That kiss on Saturday felt right.  And I know you thought so too, or you wouldn't have left in such a hurry, and you wouldn't be acting like this now."

"Stop," I said, struggling to keep my voice at a volume appropriate for public.  "I'm not doing this right now.  I can't.  If you want to talk about Savannah and what she did, then let's do that.  But I can't talk about us right now." I looked away, swallowing hard around the lump in my throat.

He looked like he wanted to continue, but he relented.  He leaned back in his chair.

"What are you going to do?" I asked, once I had sucked in enough air to steady my voice.  "About Savannah, I mean."

"Lauren is taking care of her," he replied.  He didn't say anything else about it, and I didn't push it.  I just nodded and took a bite of my sandwich.  I swallowed hard and pushed it away.  I wasn't hungry anymore.

"I need to go back," I said.  We walked silently back to my office.  Outside the building, I turned to him.  "Why did you come here today?" I asked.

"I came to show you that I meant it when I said I would jump through hoops for you," he said grimly.  He leaned down and let his lips brush gently against my cheek before he walked away, leaving me standing in the middle of the sidewalk staring after him, my cheek on fire. 

On Thursday, Lauren texted me mid-morning.  "I know you're going to try to skip happy hour, but you have to come.  Brody won't be there," she wrote.  I groaned, cursing her for knowing me too well.  I had been planning to go straight home and ignore calls and texts.  I was getting good at that.  Brody had tried calling me again Wednesday after work, and I sent it straight to voicemail. 

I ended up going to happy hour.  I almost turned around and walked right back out when I saw Savannah.  Lauren saw me though, and dashed over to me before I could.  My pulse was throbbing in my ears and I was itching to put my fist through Savannah's pretty face. 

"Don't worry," Lauren said soothingly.  "I have a plan."  I gave her a funny look, but she just led me over to the table.  We sat down and Savannah skillfully avoided my glare.

15 minutes later, Lauren began talking loudly to Savannah.  "So Savannah, you must be so excited about Nate!" she exclaimed.

"Nate?" Savannah asked, but the blood was draining from her face.

"Yeah, Nate Pearson.  I know you must be happy that Brody is giving him a chance."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Savannah snapped.

"That's funny," Lauren said sweetly, "since I know you must feel awful that he got fired.  He was really doing well for himself working for Mr. Adler in Miami.  I know you didn't mean to get him in trouble.  How do you know him?"

Savannah was completely white by this point.  Everyone at our table was staring at Lauren or Savannah.  She didn't say anything.

"Anyways," Lauren barreled on, "I think it's just great that Brody is hiring him to work at his company.  Don't you?"

"He is?" Savannah asked, panic in her voice.  I watched as face changed from white to pink.

"So you do know who I'm talking about!" Lauren said with a sweet smile.  "I would hope so, since you're the reason he got fired."

"Hey, can you back up and tell the class what's going on?" Alex interrupted.

"I'd love to," Lauren said, her face changing from sweet to steely.  Savannah looked like she was hoping the ground would open up and swallow her.  "Remember how Brody had to go down to Miami because some upper management level person got fired for sending inappropriate emails?"  Alex nodded.  "Well, he sent those emails because Savannah tracked him down and manipulated him into it.  She wanted him to get fired so Brody would have to go to Miami."  She stopped and looked around, triumphant.  Savannah was gaping at her, her face red as a tomato.  Kendra was looking from Lauren to Savannah to me.

"That is a lie!" Savannah exclaimed.

"Would you like to see the texts?" Lauren asked.  She turned to me.  Allie had forwarded the texts to me. 

"Texts?" Savannah sputtered, before I could pull my phone out.  And then it dawned on her which texts Lauren meant.  "That bitch," she muttered.

"You are a seriously crazy person," Alex declared.  "You're lucky Olivia hasn't knocked you out."  At that, all the eyes at the table turned to me.

"The thought had crossed my mind," I said, as nonchalantly as possible.

Savannah looked around.  "Whatever."  Then she looked straight at Lauren.  "Should I say hi to Quinn for you?"

Lauren laughed hard.  "Part of your big plan, huh?  I don't care about him.  Go say whatever you want to him.  Just go."

Savannah looked around one more time, then stood up and strode out.  No flouncing this time.