Page 8 of Undoing

“I’m sorry. But I won’t spend my… slowing down time worrying about this asshole. He’s probably harmless.”

“And if he’s not?” Cass asked, her gaze never wavering from Rebecca’s. Samantha probably seemed harmless at first, too. But if someone thought they could harm Rebecca while Cass had breath in her lungs, they were sorely mistaken.

“Ahem,” Eve cut in carefully. “May I just say there were no criminal records found for Buck McEnroe, either? Believe me, Cass, I understand your concern. I promise you we will keep an eye on the situation.”

“Fine,” Cass sulked.

Rebecca rolled her eyes but still held onto Cassidy’s hand. “Now that Cassidy approves, we’re going to go. Thank you for calling. I’m sorry I wasted your time with this.”

“You didn’t waste anyone’s time,” Lainey said. “Jules loves using Sumptor, Inc. equipment to do things like this. And mine and Eve’s lives have been so boring this past year. We could use the excitement.” Lainey’s sarcasm sparked a fit of laughter from her audience of three. “Get back to your night of relaxation, you two. Eve and I are going home to our kids. We’ll talk to you soon.”

Day one of ‘slowing down’ for Rebecca Cuinn-Giles. Rebecca blew her bangs out of her eyes, staring at her coffee cup in front of her. Cassidy had left a few minutes ago after promising to be home ‘as soon as humanly possible.’ Rebecca tapped her blunt fingernail on the cup.

“I should have eased into this slow down,” she said to herself. Rebecca had checked her schedule for the week, canceling more than fifteen consulting meetings. She didn’t like leaving those potential clients in a lurch, but Rebecca made sure to refer them to very capable business analysts. As for her friends’ new ventures, everything was on track at the moment. So, Rebecca had the entire day to herself.

The first thing she needed to do was get out of her pajamas. Rebecca smiled as she remembered putting them on last night. It was very rare for either of them to wear anything to bed. But since last night was for relaxation only, the only way they could be that close to each other and not end up making love was by putting a barrier between them. Even then, it was quite difficult to keep their hands from roaming.

Cassidy, however, was a perfect gentlewoman. She never once pressured Rebecca for more than a cuddle. Cassidy was kind, tender, and loving. When Rebecca was jolted awake by a nightmare — one she hadn’t had in so long — Cassidy was there to soothe Rebecca back to sleep. That nightmare, though. That was something Rebecca was going to have to call Aunt Wills about. She couldn’t allow this uneasiness she had felt since yesterday to get too deep.

“Later.” Rebecca got up and took her coffee cup to the sink to rinse it out. After a slight hesitation, she filled it with water. Unfortunately, with the nightmares came the headaches. Rebecca had woken up with one this morning, and if she planned on getting anything done today, that had to go. She opened the cabinet and grabbed the Tylenol. After downing a couple of tablets, Rebecca rolled her head on her shoulders to relieve some of the tension.

“I could really use a yoga class. And maybe to stop talking to myself.” She snickered at herself. “Five minutes into your slow down, you’re already going crazy.” Rebecca grabbed her phone off the table to send Ellie a quick text.

Hey! I will literally pay you $1000 to get back into teaching yoga — and $1000 more to maybe give me a few cooking lessons.

“One thing on my to-do list checked off,” Rebecca announced to… no one. Had she always had this much of a problem being alone? Was this what happened when you found someone who you loved and who loved you back? Time without them was lonely and ticked by so slowly?

Sweets, I will do all that for free. You and Cass come over tonight. You and I will stretch ourselves silly, and Cass and Hunter can sit out on the deck, drink beer, and talk about us in yoga pants. Then you can help me make a quick dinner, and we’ll have those two drooling for a different reason: two birds, one stone.

Rebecca laughed out loud. Ellie Vale was the most unassuming, sweetest person Rebecca had ever met. No one would suspect she also had a wicked sense of humor and a fierce protective streak.

I love you! :D Is five-thirty too early?

Rebecca made a mental note to call Cassidy later to ensure she could be home in time to go to the Vales.

Five-thirty is perfect. Hunter should be home fairly early tonight. We’ll see you then! And before you ask, don’t bring anything — just your yoga pants and appetite.

Well, that was easy. Rebecca sent Ellie a kissing emoji and then checked the time. She had seven hours to kill. First things first, get dressed.

Cass whistled a light tune to try and keep her focus on her work. The night before had been replaying repeatedly in her mind, curbing her creativity. Oh, the time with Rebecca was wonderful. After Eve’s call, they mutually agreed to let what happened yesterday go and enjoy the night. That’s precisely what Cass did. She put the fucker that disrespected her wife out of her mind.

They watched shows, Cass gave Rebecca a massage, kneading out the stiffness in Rebecca’s neck, and snuggled. It didn’t matter if they were on the couch, on the floor, or in bed… they snuggled. When it came time to sleep, Cass insisted they wear some form of pajamas. It was a no-sex kinda night, and Cass respected that. But having Rebecca’s naked body on hers would have made that incredibly difficult. The cute shorts and tight t-shirt didn’t do Cass many favors, either. But she managed to keep her hands to herself. Mostly.

When Becca fell asleep, that’s when Cass thought about McEnroe and how agitated Rebecca was. This douchebag had reminded Becca of Samantha. That was something Cass couldn’t forgive or forget. Yeah, she knew her wife wanted to leave it alone unless something else happened. But what if that something else meant harming Rebecca? The fuck if Cass would allow that. She had contemplated going to Eve behind Rebecca’s back but quickly vetoed that idea. Whatever happened, Cass would do it with her wife’s permission.

Cass’s resolve faltered when Rebecca was yanked out of a deep sleep, whimpering. The night terrors had stopped, and the past couple of years had been peaceful for Rebecca. She didn’t even flinch anymore when Cass touched the scars on her back. Was this guy so much like that bitch Samantha that Rebecca had reverted? Maybe it was a good time to call Aunt Wills. Cass was snapped out of her thoughts by the sound of Siri telling her Rebecca was calling. Cass answered immediately.

“Hey, babe! How’s… it going?”

“You were going to say retirement, weren’t you?” Rebecca teased.

“Nope.” Cass glanced around to make sure she was alone. “But if I do, will Mistress punish me?”

“Intensely.”

“So? How’s retirement?” Cass grinned at Rebecca’s exasperated oath on the other end. “I’m kidding with you, babe. What’s up?”

“Well, I’m learning I’m no longer good at being alone. I haven’t found anything to occupy my time yet, and I miss you.”

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