I sighed with relief, paid for my things, and headed to my car. Once I was seated behind the wheel, I opened up the Pepto and took a long pull from it. I chased that with a sip of sprite and a couple of saltines. My stomach wasn’t a happy camper, and I didn’t want to risk driving until it had settled a bit first.
I leaned my head against the headrest and closed my eyes, breathing deeply through each clench of my stomach.
“Don’t throw up, Cadence,” I told myself. “Keep this down and you can go home and rest.”
A knock tapped on my window.
I sighed and settled my gaze on Cassidy’s smiling face. She waved at me. I flashed a thin-lipped smile and rolled down my window.
“What can I do for you, Cassidy?” I asked.
“Okay, I know you said you don’t feel well, but if you give me just a few minutes—enough to say what I need—I will get out of your hair and never bother you again,” she said.
I groaned.
“I made a promise to Guy, and I can’t leave until I make good on it,” she added.
“You came all this way for a promise?” I asked.
She shrugged. “That and Guy needed some things to keep him occupied.”
I frowned. I didn’t want to listen to what she had to say. I would have rather pulled out my own teeth. But another thought occurred to me and I wondered if maybe this was the closure I needed. Once this was done and over with, I could finally move on with my life.
My eyes met Cassidy’s and I nodded. “Okay. Climb in.”
She nodded and half-ran to the other side of my car. Once she was in and situated, I started the car and turned on the heat. “Thank you for this.”
“Eh, this is a necessary evil,” I said.
She chuckled. “Yeah. I guess you’re right.”
“So, what did you need to tell me?” I asked.
“Probably what you already know I’m going to say,” she said. “But I’m going to say it anyway.”
“I’m listening,” I said.
“Guy and I truly aren’t a thing. I’m sort of turned off by men and have been for quite some time. My best friend is married to his best friend. She had begged me for months to date Guy so we could all go on double dates. I gave in during a momentary lapse of judgment.”
I nodded. “Uh-huh.”
It was as I had suspected. She was talking to me on his behalf, trying to convince me I had everything all wrong, to begin with.
“We truly are only friends,” she added. “Good friends, and that’s where the line is drawn. But Guy, like most men, are stupid and make some of the dumbest mistakes the world has ever known.”
I laughed. I have no idea why, but I did. “That’s so true.”
“You don’t have to give him a second chance,” she said. “I’m not going to ask that of you. But I did promise to tell you the truth, and I did.”
“Thank you,” I said. “I appreciate your taking the time to talk to me.”
“Hey what are friends for?” she asked.
“Friends?” I asked raising an eyebrow.
She nodded. “Yeah. Why not?”
I shrugged. “Alrighty...”