Page 33 of Shattered Veil

Or taking an interest in me.

I ushered the thought away as soon as it had occurred.

“Actually interested. Took some community college accounting classes.”

I smiled. “Oh.”

Cassie looked at me pointedly. “Do you think just because I’m a stripper, I’m completely uneducated?”

“Of course not,” I replied as quickly as I could. “I’m aware that you’re a smart girl, Cas.”

Her subtle reaction spoke volumes. She was already glowing due to the time of day, the vivid pinks and oranges of sundown casting an ethereal hue across her tanned face, but when she registered my words, she appeared to light up from within. Her eyes pinched at the corners, her cheeks swelled as she seemed to be attempting to contain a broad grin, and I was certain that I saw her bite her lower lip as she cast her eyes to the ground. It was more than enough to give me the urge to say the words all over again. Instead, I looked down at the screw in my hand, placed it in the allotted pre-drilled hole that would secure the final slat of the bench seat to the armrest, and twisted my fingers to ensure it stayed in place.

Cassie silently extended her hand toward me to give me the appropriate Allen wrench, and I took it from her without even glancing her way.

“So,” I began to slowly crank the screw into place, “do you just enjoy dancing for a living, then?”

“It’s not so bad,” she returned. “Schedule’s been a little chaotic lately, but it’ll come around.”

“Chaotic? How?”

“Some of the girls went MIA.”

“MIA?”

“Missing in action?” she explained the acronym with an uptick of her voice.

“I know what MIA means,” I chuckled. “I mean, why?”

She casually replied, “I dunno. They’re all flighty—it’s not an uncommon occurrence for new dancers to miss a shift or skip off. Employee turnaround is…high in this industry.”

I nodded. “Gotcha.”

“Anyway. All our shifts got moved around…like I said…chaotic, but it’ll come around. They’ll hire more girls.”

I asked, “So…you don’t want to do anything with what you’ve studied?” Cassie hesitated, and I added quickly, “And I mean that in the least judgmental way possible.”

I glanced to see her raised brow lower at my latter sentence.

“I would. Whatever an associate’s degree in business administration could get me would pay far less than my current job, though.”

“Right, right,” I murmured. “Finished with school, then?”

She didn’t respond immediately, and when I shifted my focus to her, she shrugged.

“Tried to get into a four-year school at first. Shit’s expensive. May go back for more classes, I’m not sure.”

The wood squeaked as I continued to tighten the screw, and I nodded. “Is that why you decided on the associate’s instead of a bachelor’s degree? The cost?”

Her happiness waned. “Ah, no. I couldn’t get into any of the universities near me.” I felt my forehead pinch in confusion, and she clarified, “Back in North Carolina. South of Wilmington.”

I was well aware that she and Liam had grown up in North Carolina, coincidentally near where Claire and Zoey had lived—though they had never crossed paths with Liam or Cassie until they all resided in Salem. I was aware that he had moved here when he was eighteen and that Claire and Zoey had come along over a year ago. And though I had less intel about her, I was aware that Cassie was new here, having arrived sometime in the early summer of this year.

“I know where you’re from,” I replied. “You couldn’t get in?” Cassie shook her head, and I questioned, “Can I ask why?” Her lips pursed together, and I quickly stated, “You can say no, I just—”

“I didn’t graduate high school. I got my GED, but it threw a wrench in any acceptances since I didn’t have a diploma or any significant high school experience.”

I stopped cranking the Allen wrench. “Oh. You dropped out?”

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