Page 77 of Undoing

Rebecca’s brows shot up, and she struggled not to laugh. “That… was a lot. But I can assure you, I’m really here.”

“Yeah, well, that’s something dream Rebecca would say.”

“Dream Rebecca,” Rebecca repeated merrily. Now she was glad she decided to surprise Cass. This little scene would never have happened otherwise. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed Cass lightly on the cheek, shocking them both. “I, um, I thought pinching you would be too harsh.”

Cass touched her cheek in awe. “You’re really here,” she said, then her eyes grew wide. “Did you remember something?”

Rebecca hated having to burst Cass’s bubble. “No. But I,” she hesitated.

Her confidence was unpredictable. One minute, Rebecca thought this was the best idea she’d ever had. The next, she feared it would be too much for Cass, and she’d turn her away. Who needed this kind of burden in their life? She loves you. While it was still hard for Rebecca to believe someone besides Aunt Wills truly loved her, she held onto those words, allowing them to fuel her confidence once more.

“I thought maybe immersing myself in the life I don’t remember would help. Does that make sense? I don’t want to inconvenience you,” Rebecca continued quickly. “And if this is a bad idea, please just tell me…”

“Becca? There’s nothing I want more than for you to be here.”

Rebecca blew out a breath of relief. “Good.” She dug a bottle of pills out of her front pocket. “I’m supposed to give you these because I can’t be trusted to take them myself, apparently.”

Still dumbfounded, Cass took Rebecca’s medication and absently stuffed it in her pocket. “I’m sorry. I should stop staring, I know, but I’m just so… surprised you’re here.”

“That was the point,” Rebecca grinned. “I wanted to pull a Cass and just show up. That was probably a stupid idea.”

“No, no. It was the best idea!” Cass laughed. “I was headed to the shower before I heard you at the door. Then I would have gotten ready to show up at Aunt Wills’s.”

“Beat you to it,” Rebecca teased.

“You sure did.” Cass shook herself out of her idiocy. Rebecca was going to turn around and walk out of there if Cass didn’t stop acting like a fool. “C’mon. I’ll, uh, put this stuff away in a bit. Maybe after you’ve gotten settled.” She heard the muffled shake of pills in her pocket. “Do you need one of these, or can I put them away?”

“Definitely put them away for now.”

Cass nodded. “I trust you to tell me if you need them, Becca.” She emphasized her words by tossing the pills onto the entryway table. Obviously, Cass would get them later and put them in the medicine cabinet, but she wanted to do something symbolic to show Rebecca that she meant what she said. “Would you like a tour or…?”

Yes. But no. Fuck, why was she so nervous? Rebecca smiled warmly, knowing it was a little less self-assured than she’d prefer. “Could we sit down for a bit first? Maybe we could figure out how all of this is going to work.”

“Of course.” Cass would agree to anything as long as it meant Rebecca was home.

“Forgive the mess,” Cass said, setting Rebecca’s stuff to the side and trying to clear a spot on the couch for her. “Maid’s day off.”

Rebecca inhaled sharply. Something about Cass’s words tickled the back of her brain.

“Becca, are you okay?” Cass closed the distance between them in two strides, firmly holding Rebecca’s upper arms to steady her. “Do you need the pain pills?”

Rebecca shook her head. “It’s not a headache. It’s more like…” She frowned, trying to find the right words. “Deja vu. I feel like I’ve done this before, but I can’t…” She waved her hands around her head. “The feeling is there, but not the images.”

“Hmm. Maybe being here is helping already,” Cass grinned. “Here, have a seat.”

“Is that my favorite pillow?” Rebecca asked, eyeing the bedding Cass had just tossed off the couch.

“Heh, yeah. It, uh, keeps me company down here.”

“So, you sleep down here? Why? Do you not have a bedroom?”

“Yeah, we do have a bedroom. But it’s too hard to sleep in there without you,” Cass said, winced, and realized she needed to be more careful with her words. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.”

“No, please. I prefer honesty—even awkward honesty,” Rebecca laughed nervously. “Speaking of awkward honesty…” She took a breath and hoped what she was about to say wouldn’t hurt Cass’s feelings. “I really do want to try and take complete advantage of being here to help bring my memory back. However, I’m, um, not ready for intimacy yet.”

Cass had never heard Rebecca sound so meek. It broke her heart. “Becca, I have never and would never force you to do anything you weren’t ready for. I’m perfectly fine with staying right here on the couch while you take the bedroom.”

“No, I couldn’t… this is your house, Cass.”

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