Betrayed By Him (Book Two in Paradise Mountains Series)

12. Dinner at Mom's

    Dinner had gone surprisingly well. Cassie was surprised to see her mother so cheerful, so… her mother.

    She had remained quiet throughout dinner, speaking only when someone asked her something, which did not occur frequently. Her mother was happily listening to his story, which had happened during his many travels, and she was more occupied in playing with her food and fork, than in paying attention.

    “Cassie, pay attention.” Her mother snapped.

    “I am.” She muttered, although it was clear that her head was anywhere but there. The adults resumed the chatter and Cassie excused herself as soon as humanly possible without being rude.

    She cleaned up the kitchen, leaving all the chitchat for her mother, and waltzing to her room before someone could call her. She much preferred math than socializing in any day of the week.

    Hours later, she had done all her homework and was on her bed, reading a book with mild interest, when she started hearing some sounds. At first, she tried to concentrate harder and ignoring the sounds, but the when the moans crossed the thins walls, she snapped out of it and realized what her mother was doing.

    For the first time since she could remember, her mother was having s*x. She was moving on from her father, and Cassie was divided between loyalty to him and happiness for her mother. A new boyfriend surely meant that she was moving forward. She was bypassing all those depressive feelings that came from her father’s sudden absence and was moving on with her life. Maybe that was indeed a new page.

    But did it have to be with him?

    Cassie was well aware of the way he sometimes looked at her and made her feel uncomfortable. She was almost seventeen years old, of course she knew what s*x was, but what she truly hated were those veiled eyes he threw once in a while in her direction.

    The moans next room were almost reaching scream status and Cassie rummaged through her drawer until she found her Ipod. With her music blasting through the headphones, she laid back and appreciated the music. She was so far in her head that when someone touched her shoulder, she imediatly jerked awake, her heart beating furiously in her chest.

    It was him.

    “Did I scary you? Sorry, I just wanted to say goodbye.”

    “My mom…”

    “She’s asleep. She won’t wake up anytime soon, she’s… tired.”

    Silence stretched and she cleared her throat softly.

    “Well then… goodnight.”

    He studied her expression, his own blank and unreadable. Even knowing that it was rude of her, she put on her headphones again and increased the sound of music. She just wanted him out of there. So, when he slightly touched her arm, she jumped again in a startle.

    “Is everything ok at school?”

    There was concern in his voice and she felt sick. Worse than his presence at her home was his insistence. And now he was in her room, near her bed. Then she realized he was still waiting for an answer and followed his eyes to her wrist. The sleeve of her sweater had gone slightly up, showing a cut with a few days. Luckily it was almost healed and could pass on for an accident.

    “Yeah, why?”

    “You do know that you can count on me if something goes down the drain, right?”

    Of course, she didn’t know. She barely knew the guy and now he wanted to be her new best friend? What was next, doing toenails together?

    She was being unfair, she knew. He was making her mother happy and that ought to count for something. She knew that she was blaming him for not being her father, and that was truly unfair. For her, for her mother and mostly for him. No one could replace her father. No one.

    “Thank you.”

    It was all she managed to say, but his eyes were still boring into hers. It was a gaze so forceful that she found herself squirming under his scrutiny. Whatever he saw in her irises made him smile softly. And then, with a final nod, he was gone.