The song on the radio brought a smile to her lips and somehow managed to block out the chaos of rush hour. Cadence Kennedy, known to her family as simply, Cady, sighed and shut her eyes for one blissful moment. They burned like the sun on a hot day and
felt as coarse as sand—not the pleasant kind either, but the kind that got in the corner of your eyes and stayed there despite any attempt to get it out. Sadly, Cady was used to this feeling. The amount of time she spent staring at a computer screen
coupled with too many late nights were the perfect recipe for a miserable day.
She rubbed her eyes and caught a whiff of stale, canned air from her sleeve. Great. Airport smells seemed to linger in her nose long after she got home. All she wanted right now was a hot shower and a nap. She glanced at the clock and mentally counted
down how much time she'd have to relax and try to feel human again before meeting Owen tonight.
Her eyes flew open. She looked at the clock radio on the dash again and then at her watch, and cursed. It couldn't be that late already! At the rate traffic was moving, plus the errands she still had to run, she wouldn't get home until well past the time
Owen said he would pick her up.
The unexpected trill of her cell phone made her jump. She reached for her purse and searched inside for the annoying object. It took several seconds before she finally located her phone. She tossed the bag onto the passenger seat with a huff. Honestly,
the thing must be bigger on the inside because there was no logical reason why she lost so many things to it. She'd once put a whole bag of Cheetos in her purse while rushing out the door and didn't find it again until several days later.
She hurriedly swiped the screen and answered the call.
"Hello, this is Cadence."
"Cady! Sweetheart, how was your trip?" Her father's warm voice greeted her. She smiled. He could brighten any day.
"It was great. Aunt Genevieve was perfectly perfect, as usual. It looks like this year's project is going to have a lot of donors."
"Has she told you what it is yet?" She could almost hear her father's wry smile over the phone. She blew out a breath.
"No. You'd think she held the nation's security in her hands, she so secretive. I think she gets a kick out of watching everyone squirm in suspense."
"Not to mention all the applause she gets when she finally does announce it." He chuckled.
"Exactly." Cady saw her exit ahead and turned on her blinker, waiting to get in the other lane.
"So, do you and Owen have fun plans tonight?" He asked.
"I'm not sure. We'll probably end up just doing something simple. He hasn't said anything yet." She glanced at the time again and cursed under her breath. "Hey Dad, can I call you back tonight? I've got to let Owen know I'm going to be back later than
I thought."
"Sure thing. Love you Cupcake."
Cady smiled. "Love you too. Bye!" She hung up with a beep and then pressed the button to activate the voice command.
"Call Owen Foster." She said clearly.
"Calling Owen Foster." The computerized voice replied before dialing. As it rang, she eased her car into the "exit only" lane as traffic began to move a little faster.
"Hello?" Came the sleepy voice of her boyfriend.
"Hey babe. Did I wake you?"
"No." The call cut out a bit and she heard what sounded like someone getting out of bed.
"Liar." She laughed. He chuckled a little in response, but even that sounded forced. He yawned.
"Are you home yet? Are we still good to go out tonight?"
"That's actually why I'm calling. My flight got delayed so now I'm stuck in traffic and I still need to go to the dry cleaner's, the store, and pick up Gemma from rehearsal." She sighed. "We might have to reschedule."
"No way. I haven't seen you in two weeks. It's cruel to deprive you of my awesomeness for that long." She laughed, like he knew she would. He paused. "What if I pick up Gemma? That would cut off some time, wouldn't it?" His worlds seemed to slur together.
"Are you sure? You sound pretty tired."
"Nah, I'm fine. I'll jump in the shower real quick. That should wake me up some more."
"Okay. In that case, we should be good." She teased.
"Ha-ha, very funny." He said. "See you soon."
"See you soon." She agreed. "Love you."
"Yeah, yeah." He quipped. She chuckled and hung up.
Forty minutes and two claim tickets later, she parked in the grocery store lot and rushed inside. She quickly collected the things that Mrs. Reynolds, their housekeeper, had asked her to pick up, plus a couple of other things she knew Gemma would like
but Mrs. Reynolds would disapprove of. Since their mother died four years ago, the nurturing woman had taken the girls in like amother hen. She was very… motherly, providing them with everything she could, from concern to their well-being to
entirely new eating habits. The girls loved her, she was practically family, but that didn't stop them from smuggling in "contraband" food items into the pantry every chance they got.
Soon enough, her list was marked off and her cart was full, so she made her way to the checkout lines. After picking one that already had a few people in line, Cady's gaze wandered over the displays nearby. It hadn't been a full minute when the woman
in front of her tried to get her attention.
"I'm so sorry dear, but aren't you one of the Kennedy girls?" Cady inwardly grimaced but then smiled politely.
"Yes, I am." The woman gave her a sympathetic smile.
"May I say, dear, how sorry I am for your loss? Your mother was a wonderful woman." Cady smiled and nodded her head slightly.
"Thank you, she was." She subtly tried to shift her gaze away from the woman. She ignored her efforts and continued.
"I was sorry to hear about your boyfriend as well. He seemed like such a charming young man."
Cady shook her head in confusion.
"I'm sorry, what?"
The woman held up the magazine she had been reading. It was one of the standard celebrity gossip columns that basically every grocery store carried. Cady often tried not to pay attention to them, but this one had a picture of Owen on the cover—with a
girl she had never seen before. The headline was bolded: Trouble in Paradise? Longtime Beau of Corporate Heiress seen with a New Hottie!
Cady's mouth dropped open in shock. She tried to find words, but her voice had disappeared. She cleared her throat and put what she hoped was an amused smile on her face.
"Oh," she waved it off, "you know what those tabloids are like—they'll use anything they think is a story, even if it's not true."
The woman laughed nervously. "Of course, silly of me. I usually don't believe much of what they say anyway."
Thankfully, the cashier called the woman forward to the counter. Cady was stunned. Sure, it looked like Owen, but was it actually him? What had happened while she'd been away?
The woman left and Cady took her place, standing silently, then quickly paying for her groceries and leaving the store.
The sun blazed in the sky, despite the late hour in the day. Cady barely noticed the summer heat as she moved her purchases into the car and returned her cart. After a moment inside the car, she felt stifled and quickly turned it on and rolled down the
windows. She felt some of the heat escape. Her stomach was in knots. She felt like she might throw up. How could her day have changed so suddenly?
She resignedly put the gear in reverse, any excitement for the evening gone. The shrill tone of her phone once again broke into her thoughts. She didn't recognize the number and answered cautiously.
"Hello?"
"Hello, I'm calling for Cadence Kennedy?"
"This is she."
"Ms. Kennedy, my name is Rebecca, I'm calling from County Hospital. Earlier this evening, your sister was in a car accident and was brought to the emergency room. Our records have you listed as an emergency contact."
Cady felt her blood run cold. Her hand flew to cover her mouth and, for the second time that day, she couldn't speak.
"Ms. Kennedy?" Rebecca's calm voice brought her back to reality.
"Y-Yes. I'm here." She cleared her throat.
"Would you be able to come down to the hospital? We have some paperwork that we'd like you to fill out."
Cady felt numb.
"Of course. I'll be there as soon as I can."