A girl had stopped Cassie and was showing her something on her cell phone while her friends waited nearby, laughing as they watched. Cassie seemed unfazed as she sauntered away from the girl, but once she met my eyes, hers changed completely. If looks could kill, Cassie would have incinerated me.
“What was that?” I asked when she got to our table.
She was practically vibrating with emotion when she dropped into one the chair across from her. “That was a picture of some chick walking into Jack’s hotel room.” She swallowed bravely before swiping at her eyes. “And then another one of him closing the door behind her. Did I mention the smile plastered all over his face?”
“No way.” I shook my head, not believing for a second that my brother would cheat on Cassie.
“Yes, way. Fuck. I’m such an idiot.”
I put my hands on top of Cassie’s and squeezed. “Maybe they’re old?”
“What are you talking about?” she asked as she yanked her hands away.
“There are a lot of pictures of Jack and other girls out there, Cass. Maybe they’re old?” I shrugged, offering the only explanation I could think of in the moment.
There had always been pictures of Jack circulating around campus, so it made sense to me that maybe these pictures weren’t recent. Maybe the girls were just trying to get a rise out of Cassie, jealous that Jack liked her and not them.
“Jack wouldn’t do that to you,” Melissa said to reassure Cassie, and I nodded in complete agreement.
“I wouldn’t go that far,” she choked out, her tone ice cold.
Melissa frowned. “Why would you say that?”
“Because Cassie knows my brother.” I glanced at Melissa before looking back at Cassie. “And she’s waiting for him to screw up because he keeps telling her he’s bound to.”
“Well, for the record, I want it noted that I don’t believe it,” Melissa said with confidence. “Not for one second.”
I wanted to hug her, but settled for giving her a small smile. “I don’t either.”
“Well, it was definitely Jack in those pictures,” Cassie said, her voice tight. “And the shirt he was wearing was packed in his bag. I saw it the other night.”
She tried to fight the tears threatening to fall, but lost. When one dropped to her cheek, she jumped up from the table and sprinted away.
Melissa stood up just as quickly. “I’d better go see if she’s okay.”
“I don’t think he’d do anything, Meli. Honestly.”
“I don’t either.” She rested her hand on my shoulder before jogging off to the ladies’ room after Cassie.
I waited for the girls to come back to our table, too upset to finish my lunch. A few people gave me curious glances as they walked past while I pushed the meatballs around, watching them get cold.
Melissa came back a few minutes later. Alone.
“No Cassie?” I asked as she sat down next to me.
“I pissed her off. She thinks I’m taking Jack’s side, but I just don’t think he’d do that to her. I saw them together before he left, Dean. He’s crazy about her.”
“He’s in love with her.”
“See? And Jack Fucking Carter doesn’t just fall in love all willy-nilly,” she said as if trying to convince me.
I sighed. “My brother doesn’t fall in love at all. Sure, he’s been an idiot in the past, we all know that, but he’s trying his damnedest to be good enough for her.”
Her concerned blue eyes bore into mine. “So, what are we going to do?”
“I don’t know,” I said with a shrug. “She’s your best friend. Go fix her.”
Drama, Party of One
Later that afternoon, my laptop was propped up on my bed as I lay next to it. Jack’s baseball game was scheduled to stream live through a website I’d found, and I was checking the connection, making sure I could get it to work before his game started. I was psyched to be able to follow his game while he was away, and I knew Gramps would be too.
My cell phone beeped.
Jack: Is Cassie okay?
Dean: Why? What’s up?
I’d responded right back but was noncommittal, not wanting to tell him about all the drama that had ensued while he was away. The last thing Jack needed was for his focus to be divided. If he knew Cassie was upset, he’d do whatever he had to in order to make it right.
But he needed to concentrate on baseball, and his game later tonight, and it was my job to protect him from this other shit until the time was right.
And the time was definitely not right.
Jack: She won’t answer my calls, or return any of my texts. I’m starting to freak the fuck out.
Dean: I don’t know what to tell you.
Jack: Tell me what the fuck’s going on, Dean. How about that?
I started to type a response, but apparently took too long trying to formulate an answer that would settle him. My phone rang in my hand, and it was Jack.
“What’s up?” I said, trying to keep my voice light.
“Dean. What the fuck is going on there? I’ve called Cassie and sent her a dozen texts. She hasn’t responded to any of them, or picked up my calls. What the hell is happening over there?”
I bit the inside of my cheek as I attempted to lie. “I don’t know. Maybe she’s just busy?”
“Too busy to answer a single text? No, I don’t buy it. Did you see her today?”