I open the text and see a photo of Henley in a dress. The caption asks, Will this do?
I turn my phone over and run my hand through my hair, ruffling it on the top as I try to figure out what the fuck to do about this situation.
“Max, you’re scaring me.” Cassandra’s voice is charged with anxiety.
I flatten my hand on the table. “There’s nothing to be scared about…I just fucked up.”
“Fucked up how?” she presses, pulling her leg off my lap as if sensing what’s coming.
I can talk my way out of this. I can explain the situation and make her see reason. This doesn’t have to be a thing.
Turning to face Cassandra, I spread my legs out to straddle hers as I hit her with a serious look. “I invited Henley to be my plus-one at this charity event in Denver happening in a couple of weeks. This was before you and I started…banging it out.” That phrase suddenly feels painfully juvenile. “I’d completely forgotten about the event altogether, let alone the fact that I invited Henley.”
Cassandra blinks back at me curiously. “Who is she?”
“She’s…” Shit, how do I say this? “Someone I see in Aspen when I’m there.”
“Like a fuck buddy?” Cassandra asks what I can’t admit. I nod woodenly, and she huffs out a dry laugh. “For a guy who doesn’t do relationships, that’s scarily close to one.”
“Cozy,” I state.
“Don’t Cozy me,” she snaps petulantly. “Did you invite her after you kissed me?”
My brow furrows. “I might have.”
She licks her lips and nods, her jaw taut with irritation. “It’s fine…you two should go.”
“I don’t want to go.” My tone is sharper than I intended, but I’m irritated by her cold, calculated stare. That’s not how Cassandra is with me. Ever. “I’m on the board, so I have to go.”
“Who’s watching Everly?” She smiles at me, and it’s so fucking fake, it makes me feel ill inside.
I sigh heavily. “She’ll stay the night with my parents.”
“Great,” she replies crisply. “I can cover the rest of the time if you want to make a weekend out of it. It’s no problem.”
She moves to get up and stumbles, so I stand and brace my hands on her waist, feeling her body shudder at my touch. And not the good kind of shudder. “Cassandra, what are you doing?”
“Nothing, Max,” she peals in a saccharinely sweet tone, squirming out of my embrace. “I’m just going home…er…back to the tiny house. I shouldn’t be in here anymore anyway. It’s the weekend.”
My chest puffs out as I stare down at her. “Don’t do that.”
“I’m not doing anything.” She laughs, hobbling away from me. “We banged it out, and we’re good to get back to our lives. I’m going out with Dakota tonight anyway, so this works out just fine.”
My hands turn to fists at my sides. “You’re going out?”
“I made plans with her earlier this week.” She shrugs dismissively.
My teeth crack inside my mouth. This is the first time that Cassandra acting her age has irritated me this much. Haven’t we moved past that point by now? My voice is gravelly when I ask, “Seriously? That’s how it’s going to be?”
She stops at the sliding glass door and turns to look at me with an annoying shrug. “Max…we both knew what this was. I don’t know why we’re acting like this wasn’t a part of the plan.” She opens the door and heads outside, and for the first time, I don’t stare at her ass as she walks away.
I stare at the floor.
Pissed the fuck off.
“Dad, what’s the matter?” Everly says, flopping down on the sofa beside me. I shake my head and turn to look at my kid whose blue eyes are wide and worried about me.
It’s Sunday night, and she’s fresh out of the shower. Her blond hair is still damp and soaking the top of her summer vibes night shirt.
My daughter just caught me staring out the back slider like a stalker, looking for any sign of life from Cassandra instead of reading the damn book that’s open in my hands. I’ve been unstealthily staring at her tiny house since she left yesterday and never returned.
Her lights are on, so she came home at some point this evening, but I don’t know when. A part of me wants to march down there after Everly goes to bed and demand to talk about what happened yesterday. But another part of me, the louder part, has been trying to figure out what the hell to do about this situation.