Page 45 of Undoing

“Did you do it because of… me?”

“Of course I did. You’re my family. However, to ease your mind, I only moved here a few years ago. Now sit here so I can wash your hair.” Willamena scooted a shower chair closer to Rebecca, chuckling at the face Rebecca made at it. “Stop being so stubborn. If you want me to wash your hair, you have to sit.”

“I’m not an invalid.”

“We’re not going to argue about what you can and can’t do, Rebecca.”

Rebecca rolled her eyes, mumbling something about her aunt being mean. But she sat and allowed herself to appreciate her aunt’s help, especially when her headache dissipated as Aunt Wills massaged the shampoo in her hair.

“Can I stay with you, Aunt Wills?”

Willamena paused her careful scrubbing. “If that’s what you want, yes.” Cass would be devastated, but Willamena hoped she would understand Rebecca’s dilemma. With any luck, Rebecca would regain her memory before too much damage was done to Cass’s heart.

Cass walked into the dimly lit bar, scrunching her nose up at the depressing odor wafting through the air. She hadn’t been here in years but didn’t remember it being this… dreary. Perhaps it was just her own dismal attitude being thrown back at her. Whatever the case, it was the perfect atmosphere for Cass.

“Shit! Look who the cat dragged in!” The bartender slapped the bar with her towel, smiling like a lunatic.

Cass slid onto a barstool. “Mickey.” Cass couldn’t believe Mickey was still here behind the bar. Back in the day, all Mick would talk about was opening her own bar and getting out from under Nadia, the bar’s owner. Of course, back then, being under Nadia wasn’t the worst thing in the world. That was way before Cass knew the wonders of Rebecca Cuinn.

Mickey grabbed a glass and cheap whiskey. “Your face looks like you need a stiff drink or two. If you’re gonna be drinkin’ your sorrows away, best to go with the cheap stuff.”

Cass clenched her jaws. “Still playing therapist, eh, Mick? I can’t imagine that’s gotten better over the years.”

Mickey shrugged. “Never know. You spend years behind a bar getting the ladies drunk, and you hear all the drama.”

You probably caused most of the drama by giving the pretty ladies free drinks. “Not here for the cheap stuff,” Cass muttered.

“‘Kay. What can I get ya?”

Cass frowned. It was on the tip of her tongue to say a shot of Fireball, but she stopped short. It reminded her of the first day she met Rebecca. God, her wife would be so disappointed in Cass if she could see her now. Even so, Cass couldn’t go home to an empty house and couldn’t go back to the hospital to the woman she loved because the confusion on Rebecca’s face was too difficult to bear. So, she was here.

“Club soda.”

Mickey scoffed. “Seriously? You used to laugh at the dipshits that came in here and ordered a pussy drink.”

Cass merely raised a brow, staring at Mickey until she got her club soda. Thankfully, Cass’s poor attitude kept her from having to engage in small talk with Mickey. The last thing she wanted to do was talk about the fucking past.

“Well, well, look who’s back. If it isn’t Cassanova.” The good-looking brunette sauntered to the bar, too close for Cass’s comfort. “I never thought I’d see you again after hearing you got married. Guess the honeymoon is over.”

Cass was wrong. This was the last thing she wanted. “You don’t know what you’re talking about, Nadia. I just want to be left alone.”

Nadia nodded at Mickey, and the bartender left them alone. She perched herself on a stool next to Cass. “You look upset. Most people end up alone in a bar in the middle of the day because things are bad. Girl trouble?”

Nadia tilted her head in question, but it didn’t affect Cass as when Rebecca did it. Cass sipped her club soda, scooting away from Nadia to the opposite edge of her stool, putting one foot on the floor as though she would have to make a break for it at any given moment.

“No,” Cass said simply.

“Come on, Cass. We were friends once.”

Nadia touched Cass’s arm, and Cass jerked away like she’d been burned. “Is that what we were?” Cass thought back to the handful of times she and Nadia were together. There wasn’t much talking. Perhaps that’s why they didn’t last very long. Neither were interested in getting to know just how compatible they really were.

“It certainly wasn’t for you.”

Cass took another sip, wishing she could feel the burn of whiskey sliding down her throat. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be. You were always upfront with what you were looking for. I wasn’t delusional enough to think we could be more. In fact, I was surprised when I heard you had gotten married. I didn’t think that was your thing. Rebecca, right?”

Cass’s chest tightened at the mention of Rebecca’s name. “Yes. And it wasn’t my thing until I met Rebecca. Now, I can’t imagine my life without her.”

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