After he left, Casey and Jacqueline stood in the living room, anawkward silence between them. Casey had sensed something was going on withJacqueline and had invited her on the walk hoping to get her to open up.Instead, they’d walked mostly in silence, save the occasional comment on howthe neighborhood had changed, which only seemed to make Jacqueline moresubdued.
Casey picked up her purse. “I should probably go, too.”
“Thanks—for everything.” Jacqueline glanced toward the hallwayleading to Teddy’s room.
“Let him sleep, Jacq,” Casey said over her shoulder as she headedfor the door.
“How did you know?”
She paused with her hand on the knob. “Because you were the sameway with Sean when he was sick—always waking him up just to check on him.”
Jacqueline lowered her eyes to the floor. “Dad thinks I treat himlike a child. Maybe he’s right.”
“He’s okay, you know.” She didn’t want to venture too far intoJacqueline and Teddy’s father/daughter relationship—that was no longer herplace. But even after eight years, the lines always blurred a bit for Casey.She’d never stopped caring about Jacqueline—loving her, even, in some ways. Shejust couldn’t be unhappy anymore. And when she’d finally gotten the nerve toask Jacqueline to go—she had gone. That might have been what hurt the most.
“Has he said something?”
Casey sighed and set her purse on the floor by the door. Shecrossed to Jacqueline, took her hand, and pulled her down onto the couch. “No.But you’re killing yourself to make sure he’s watched so closely. He’s beenbetter since the soreness from that last fall abated. I mean, I still think hegets confused easily and that does need monitoring, but he’s not as fragileas—”
“I don’t know how to do this.” Jacqueline’s brows drew togetherover suddenly wet eyes.
“I know, sweetheart.” She wanted to pull her into her arms again,but she didn’t think Jacqueline would allow it. She did seem to tolerate thehand-holding, and when Casey gave hers a little squeeze, she felt the answeringpressure from Jacqueline.
“Everything’s just such a mess right now.” Jacqueline’s fingersmoved lightly over the inside of Casey’s wrist, and she wondered if the caresswas intentional. “I don’t want you to sell the house.”
“Jacq—”
“I know. It’s selfish of me. I’m sorry. The house is yours. But apart of me felt like as long as you lived there, I still had a connection toit—and to my memories there.”
“I have to live my life.”
“I know. And you should.” Jacqueline slipped her hand free, andCasey folded hers in her lap. “You and Nina should make a home of your own.Wherever you choose.”
“I’m not trying to hurt you.”
“I’m not hurt.” A note of petulance echoed in Jacqueline’s words,but then she took a breath as if resetting her tone. “I truly do want you to behappy.”
Casey believed her. “And I want you to, as well.” She knew shewas about to cross a line, but Sean’s words still lingered. Jacqueline seemedopen—vulnerable—and she wasn’t sure when they would next be in a place whenJacqueline would hear her again. “It’s okay to get attached. You don’t have toalways keep it casual.”
Jacqueline flushed and looked away guiltily. Casey hadn’t thoughtJacqueline had been celibate all this time. But she got an uncomfortablefeeling in her stomach when she thought about Jacqueline behaving as Sean hadimplied she did. Part of her hated that Jacqueline wasn’t still the sweet,somewhat shy woman who had first taken her to dinner twenty-one years ago.
At that moment, Jacqueline’s phone vibrated and lit up with atext notification. Since she’d left it on the coffee table earlier, she wouldhave to stretch across Casey to get it. Automatically, Casey grabbed it andpassed it to her. She hadn’t meant to look at the screen, but her eyes fellthere almost on their own. She saw the name “Marti” and the words “last night”before Jacqueline pulled it away.
Jacqueline unlocked the screen, read it, then tucked it in herpocket.
“Marti?” Casey asked before she could stop herself.
“A friend in Atlanta.”
“A friend you saw last night?”
Jacqueline didn’t answer.
“Did you have plans to see her before or after you called andasked me to check on Teddy because you couldn’t make it home?” She didn’t wantto know. She didn’t want to hear about what Jacqueline had been doing whileNina was leaving Casey because she didn’t want to share her with Teddy.
“It’s not what you think—”
“Before or after?” Casey repeated, her words as tight as the knotin her throat.
“Before.”
“Seriously?” She shot off the couch, unable to watch the guiltovertaking every feature of Jacqueline’s beautiful face.
“Casey, I can explain.”
“I’d love to hear it.” It seemed like someone else spewed thewords. Surely not Casey. Because she most definitely did not want to hearwhatever Jacqueline was about to say. “I can’t wait to find out how you justifythis one to yourself.”
“I—um—I actually—”
“Yes?”
“Shit. Give me a minute.”
“Sure. You need some time to come up with a suitable lie?”
“No, I—”
“I don’t even want to know.” Casey grabbed her purse and wrenchedopen the front door. As she left, she muttered, “Here I was thinking you’dchanged. I’m such an idiot. And you’re the same selfish—”
“I’m selfish?”Jacqueline followed her out of the house, but Casey ignored her, intent only ongetting to her car and leaving. “I’m selfish for wanting to take care of myfamily? For trying to be everything to everyone?”
Casey spun around and came face-to-face with Jacqueline. “Justhow exactly does you screwing some woman while I’m here looking after your father add up toyou taking care of your family?”
Jacqueline gasped and fell back a step, as if Casey had actuallystruck her.
“I can’t—” Casey turned back and quickly covered the distance toher car. “I can’t do this now.”
“Casey.” Jacqueline took a step toward her, but when Casey pausedin the open door to her car, she froze.
“I’ll check on him next week while you’re gone because I said Iwould. But after that, you’re on your own.”
Chapter Ten
“This was a wasted trip,” Jacqueline muttered as she restedher elbow on the table in front of her and braced her forehead against herpalm. She’d been in Knoxville for two days and had determined that she couldhave completed this investigation over the phone.
She’d arrived in
