Page 151 of As the Rain Falls
“Cassandra, I don’t care if you’re keeping my dog for longer than a day or two. You’re living next door.” I wet my lips, hiding my hands in my pockets. “I trust you with him as long as he comes back to me at some point.”
Pepé is stillmydog, after all.
“So, what is this about?” She takes a step forward, and I motion towards the railing.
“Can I trust you?” I ask again. “I just need to know you won’t lie or keep something from me.”
I need to be certain of it.She can’t lie to me. At least, not about my sister.It’s the one deal breaker I didn’t even know existed between us until now.
“What kind of question is that?” Cassandra wets her lips, fixing the glossy edge of them with her fingers. “Of course, you can.”
Her eyes lock with mine.
My heart skips a beat.
You know this girl; she won’t lie to you.
You like her.
I exhale sharply, pushing the thought away, and take the folded paper from my front pocket. Cassandra frowns, unfolding the sketch carefully. I watch her trace the doodles with her gaze, but there’s hardly any recognition on her face.
“This is a drawing that looks a lot like one of Lucia’s sketches. See the planets? That’s her trademark because she was obsessed with space.” I swallow hard. “Someone commissioned a jewelry box with engravings drawn by her. It seemed weird that a random person had this lying around when my sister was so… oddly possessive about her stuff.”
“Okay.” She listens attentively, her green eyes clouded with confusion.
“When I checked to see who placed the commission, your address was on it,” I explain.
Cassandra’s frown deepens. Her eyelashes flutter back to me. “Beckett, I’m sorry, but I really don’t know what you’re talking about.”
And then it hits me.
She doesn’t know that I work with Well incarpentry.She knows about the farm. I’ve told Antony about being an apprentice. His mom probably knows it too, because Well must have mentioned it to her. But nobody else does, preciselybecauseI don’t like to brag.Not even to Cassandra.
“You—” I cut my speech short, feeling my chest tighten. “You don’t recognize any of these?”
She shakes her head. “I didn’t even know Lucia could draw, Beckett. We really weren’t that close, your sister and I, remember? I’ve told you that before.”
“Are you sure?” I press, my eyes flicking back to the paper now. “The commission was meant as a birthday gift.”
“Well, my birthday is coming up in December.” She hands me the paper again. “But I don’t buy gifts for myself, you know.”
I clear my throat, feeling light-headed. “Your birthday?”
It takes Cassandra another second to respond.
“December 25th, yes.” She tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear. I notice how my hands are shaking. She notices,too, because she places her hand over mine. “Maybe someone ordered it as a prank?”
“And put your address on the order?” I scoff. “The thing is paid in full, Cassandra. Do you know how often that ever happens in a small town like ours?”
“Well, I… I don’t live alone in that house,” her voice drops, as if she’s afraid to say it out loud. “Maybe my dad commissioned it, or…”
My gaze flickers to her face. Her skin has gone pale, her breath hitching.
“He said he…” she trails off, lost in thought. “But he wouldn’t.”
I lean closer. “He?”
A spell breaks.
