Page 50 of Hard To Love

Chapter Seventeen

Walkingthrough the front door of my apartment, my body practically collided with Cassie as she was grabbing her keys off the counter.

A natural smile lit up her face. “I’m meeting Liam tonight. Don’t wait up.”

“Well, hello, to you too.” I laughed, rounding the corner.

“Sorry,” She glanced at her watch. “I was supposed to be at his place over an hour ago.”

I made my way into the kitchen. “So, what does this mean for the two of you?” My curiosity was definitely now piqued.

She worried her bottom lip between her teeth and I couldn’t help the smirk that played on my lips. “It means we talked and we both decided to give whatever this is a real shot.” She paused with her keys in her hand, “Being with Mark, made me realize how much I really do care about Liam.” Her eyes drifted across the apartment with a look of sadness flickering in them, “I know that sounds twisted, but when I realized I almost fucked it up, it forced me to admit how much he really did mean to me.”

My hip rested up against the wall and I cocked my head to the side. “And what about Mark?”

She rolled her eyes, “I told him we were over and to never call me again. Then I blocked his number from my phone.”

Pride surged inside of me. I knew first-hand that Mark had always been her weakness. I was glad to hear that she had finally gotten the closure to move on once and for all.

“I’m so happy for you. I really hope this works out. Not because he’s Chase’s friend and I think he’s a great guy, but because you deserve to find a man who will make you happy.”

She backed away towards the door then pointed her finger at me in warning. “Again,” she stressed, “I’m taking things slow, so don’t go getting ahead of yourself there.” She slanted her eyes at me. “I mean it.” She smiled while trying to sound serious.

I was sure she could hear my laughter follow her out in the hall as she exited the apartment. She was so full of shit. This was going to be fun.

After making a quick bite to eat, I changed into comfortable clothes, and pulled my laptop out to do some research for work. My head rested against the back of my bed, as my thoughts wandered leaving me unable to concentrate. Chase had called me earlier to let me know that we would be seeing each other Saturday morning instead of when he got back into town Friday afternoon. His father was hosting a Labor Day party, which he explained was more like a business dinner. My cell phone vibrated next to me, alerting me that I had a new text message from the man himself.

Hey beautiful, miss you like crazy. How was your day?

I wanted to tell him I spent my day wondering why weren’t going to see each other until Saturday morning, and that his lame attempt to say don’t let the word ‘party’ fool you, did nothing to ease my thoughts. But, I didn’t want to be that girl, the one who questioned everything he said and did. So, instead, I told him:

My day was boring, How’s Atlanta? And I miss you too!

Well, they don’t call it Hot-Lanta for nothing. I’ve been stuck in Buckhead commuter traffic for almost as many hours as I have been in meetings. Anything exciting happen while I’ve been away?

My eyes lifted to the ceiling as my thoughts travelled back to my conversation with Cassie.

I think Cassie and Liam are trying to figure things out. She’s with him right now as a matter of fact.

You wouldn’t by chance be playing matchmaker, would you?

Never, and would it be so bad if I wanted my best friend to be as happy as we are?

God I sounded so cheesy, but the truth was he did make me happy. As soon as that reminder popped into my head, I forced myself to cling to that feeling and tried not to focus on being so disappointed that he didn’t invite me to go to some stupid party with him.

Glad to hear I make you happy. Can’t wait to see you on Saturday. Got to go, make sure you dream of me tonight.

It always made me smile when he said that to me.

Always! Xoxo

Waking up the next morning my body felt a little more rested. My steps faltered when I noticed Cassie exiting her bedroom with a shit-eating grin on her face. Making my way over to the coffee maker, I poured us both a cup. “Somebody looks awfully cheerful today.” I said bringing my steaming mug up to my lips.

Her smile widened as she sat down at the breakfast bar. I slid her cup of Joe over and leaned in with my hands under my chin. “Well, are you going to give me the scoop or just force me to pull out each and every detail?”

She blew into her steaming coffee before taking a sip, “We talked, a lot… and you were right, we were both too stubborn to admit that we both wanted the same thing. And, we agreed to not date other people.”

I couldn’t help but grin. “I think that’s awesome.”

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