Page 66 of Cajuns. Love. Curves.

I just shrug because I’m chewing.

“Oh yeah, you started PT here today,” Remy says. “Isn’t that with Kelli Foster?”

I can hear the teasing in his voice and I want to reach across the table and choke him, but Ava seems like a really nice girl and killing my brother would make her cry. Probably my mama too, so I keep my hands to myself. I do send him a nice glare though.

“You remember her from high school, don’t you, big brother?” Remy asks. “She was in my grade.”

“I don’t think your brother wants to talk about it,” Ava whispers.

“Yes, why don’t we let Wade eat in peace, then we can all visit out by the pool,” Dad suggests.

“Great idea,” Cassie says. “I’ll keep him company and y’all go on outside.” She kisses Nick briefly. “I’ll be out in a few.” He nods, then stands and leaves the room.

“Dammit, Mr. Biggles,” he grumbles from the entryway.

I chuckle and nearly choke on my next bite.

“Shame on you,” Cassie says, but she’s smiling so I know she doesn’t even mean it.

“Whatever. You’d be playing as the cat if you’d thought of it first.”

“Okay, they’re gone, now spill.”

“Spill what precisely?” I ask. I butter myself another piece of my mama’s famous cornbread and shove a big bite in my mouth.

“Kelli. How was it seeing her again after all this time?”

“I’m not talking about this. I thought I made that abundantly clear, or does only Ava understand me now?”

“I get that you don’t want to talk about this with Remy, but this is me.”

“So?”

“So?” She actually looks offended. “I know you better than you think I do. And I know how hard that shit was about the Sadie Hawkins dance. I know you felt bad about it.”

“Of course, I felt bad about how that played out.” I lift a shoulder in a shrug. “That doesn’t mean anything.”

“So you didn’t like her? Is that what you’re saying?”

“No. I liked her. She was a good kid. A whiz at French. I couldn’t have played that entire last season if it hadn’t been for her.”

Cassie laughs. “That’s not what I meant. And I think you know that.”

I just arch an eyebrow because I don’t want to talk about this.

“You liked her, liked her. I was stuck at the library while she tutored you, waiting for you to give me a ride home. I watched you with her.”

“So?”

“You watched her like Mr. Biggles watches the crabs that go in Mama’s gumbo.”

I sit there for several breaths just staring at my sister wondering if she’s always been this damn perceptive. “What if I did want her, Cassie? It sure as fuck doesn’t mean anything now. Because according to how my first session of therapy went with her, it’s abundantly clear that she still hates me.”

chapterthirty-one

Kelli

I've been working on Wade for two weeks now. And by working I mean mostly hiding in my office while I have a tech monitor his exercises because frankly, I'm afraid to put my hands on him.

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