Page 64 of Whispers of Redemption

CHAPTER 25

It had now been three days since their argument and almost a full day since Hugo had pulled Wade up short with his final piece of advice, “Tell Cassie how much you love her.”

Wade’s instinctual response had been vehement denial. But after their shift ended, and he sat alone in his apartment, he’d really thought about it. Sat with the idea. Tasted the words. And the more he thought about it, the more he recognized the truth of it. Hugo was right. He was in love with Cassie. Hopelessly in love with her. And now that he finally realized it, he desperately wanted to tell her.

But she was ignoring his calls.

So, he came up with a new plan. One that started with Ani. He called her up and apologized to her for what he’d done. He could tell she was still upset, but she forgave him easily.

“I know you were trying to help, Wade,” she said. “It’s just...” her voice trembled and trailed off.

“I wish I could take it back, Ani,” Wade said, truly regretful. “Unfortunately, the process is already in motion, and I haven’t been able to stop it.”

“Yeah, I get it.” Ani sighed in resignation. “And I was probably just being selfish. I wasn’t the only one suffering here.”

They lapsed into silence, and then he said hesitantly, “Look, I know I don’t have any right to ask, but I need a huge favor.”

When he told her what he wanted, Ani’s mood instantly transformed from dejection to elation. “Seriously? This is so awesome, Wade! You can totally count on me.”

They launched into a discussion of the details before finally disconnecting. Afterward, Wade sat for a long moment, silently hoping, praying, that Cassie would respond even half as favorably as her sister had.

**

Wade was nervous. He’d arrived fifteen minutes early and now sat in his car, fingers tapping out a staccato beat against the steering wheel. He took several deep, steadying breaths and picked up his cell phone for the hundredth time. He opened his notes app to review again all the things he wanted to say.

The crunch of tires on gravel of an approaching car made him look up, and he watched as Cassie’s blue-green Mustang rolled into the state park’s lot. Nearby was the trailhead for several of the park’s hiking paths.

Cassie parked closer to the trailhead and got out of her car. She reached back inside and a moment later, Angel hopped down, a fluffy ball of white attached to her pink leash. Cassie looked around as she shut the car door. She hadn’t noticed him. The late August day was hot without much breeze. She wore a white tank top, cut-off jean shorts, and ankle-high trail shoes in preparation for a hike in the woods. Her thick hair was pulled back into a high ponytail. It fell forward and masked her face from him as she bent down to tighten her laces.

He took another deep breath, then got out of his car and walked toward her. “Cassie?”

Her head shot up in surprise. She stood straight then, her brows drawing quickly together. “What are you doing here?”

Angel trotted over to him, tail wagging. He bent over and scratched her head, then stood and looked at Cassie. “Hoping you’ll talk to me.”

Her lips compressed and her gaze swept the parking lot again. “We don’t have anything to talk about,” she said. “Besides, I’m waiting for Ani. We’re going on a hike.”

“Ani’s not coming.”

“What?” Her gaze snapped back to him.

“Ani helped me set this up, so I could talk with you. I have some things I need to say, and you haven’t been returning my calls, so I—”

“Ani helped you?” Her green eyes were wide, incredulous.

“Yeah,” he took a small step closer to her. “I apologized to her, Cassie. And she forgave me.”

Cassie gave a snort and looked off into the distance for a moment, then she returned her gaze to his. “Well, good for you.” And without another word, she began moving off toward the trailhead, pulling Angel along. “I’m still going for a hike.”

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