9

[C]

From the beginning we were always going to fail

We were the next thing that the world could not wait to tear down

Off balance in our own minds

Off balance in the ways we looked to everybody else

Bright Tonight, Lyrics by Garbage

I woke up alone, and was glad Ethan and Regina had finally gone home. They needed their rest too, and nothing could be done while I was out of it. With a stretch of my arms, I looked around and wondered what time it was. In a matter of minutes, Sam showed up and gave me a silent hug. "Thank God," she said after a long embrace. "Why didn't you wait for me to help Ethan?"

"He didn't have much time."

She nodded and sank down into the chair near my bed. "He wasn't the only one."

I raised my brows. "I don't understand what happened. One second I was floating over my body, and the next I was slammed back into myself."

Sam sighed. "It was Regina's doing."

"Dare I ask how?"

My cousin's laughed uncomfortably. "You don't want to know. Just be thankful she was here to help."

Words could not express how grateful I was. "I screwed up, Sam. I thought I could do it all myself, and just suck it away like a vacuum."

Her smile spoke volumes as she took my hand. "It's never that simple, Cass, but look how it's turned out. You saved Ethan's life, and Regina saved yours. If that's not a reason to celebrate, I don't know what is."

I tried but failed to blink back tears. "Any chance they'll spring me loose in the morning?"

Sam handed me a tissue. "A good chance, yes."

"That should give us plenty of time to play before the wedding."

She rubbed her hands together in glee. "I can't wait. It'll be so much fun to glamour us both up."

"Remember, no Shirley Manson raccoon eyes."

Sam was a huge Garbage fan, and seemed to think that everyone should emulate Shirley's overly kohled eyes. "Are you sure? Because they're all the rage right now."

"Sure they are." I'd always gone light on the makeup, even now at age 33. I had porcelain skin, always wore sunscreen, and never forgot to wear a hat when I was working around the farm. Even so, I had a bridge of freckles dotting my nose and cheeks like wayward constellations, despite all my efforts to fade them with lemon juice and other useless remedies.

Sam merely laughed at my sarcasm and said, "You should get some rest, and I'll see you here bright and early."

"Not too early," I warned, because we both knew I was not a morning person, despite a lifestyle that forced me to keep early hours.

Her only response was a laugh and a wave before she disappeared into the endless parade of nurses and doctors rushing past my door. I watched TV for awhile until a Charmed rerun put me to sleep. When I woke hours later, Sabrina the Teenage Witch was talking to her fake cat. I figured the Goddess was laughing at me from above and finally switched off the TV for the night.


[A]

Sam called me late and said Cassie was coming home in the morning. I gave a silent whoop of relief and said, "That's great news. Does she need a ride?"

"I've got it covered, but thanks for the offer. Maybe you can give her a lift to the wedding."

I would like that very much. "What time?"

"She has to be at Regina's house for 4."

"Great. I'll swing by around 3:30."

As soon as I hung up, I wondered if I was rushing things. Maybe Cassie didn't want me hanging around, and maybe I'd imagined the way her eyes had lit up upon seeing me yesterday. But then I mentally ordered myself to stop it, and I got back to cleaning up for the night. My Dad was wiping off tables and I was finishing up at the bar.

"Are you escorting her?" he asked as we locked all the doors and windows.

"Sort of."

My Dad smiled. "C'mon, son. You can do better than that."

I tossed my towel into the pile of dirty laundry. "OK, I owe her a debt of gratitude for saving you, so I said I'd take her."

This time he laughed. "Wow, you're grateful. That's the height of romance if you ask me."

"I know, right?" I didn't really want to have this conversation - with him or anyone else.

"I saw the way you looked at her, Adam."

What, did the whole world know? Was it news at 11 for the Chance Harbor crowd? Because I was heartily sick of people and their good intentions, no matter how well meaning. "So what? Cassie lives 3000 miles away and in a few days, she'll be gone."

His brow wrinkled in concern. "And you'll let her slip away...again?"

My jaw tightened with tension. "She's not here for me, Dad."

"Are you sure, son? Because I saw the way she risked her life, and I doubt she did it for me."

This was getting too complicated. "Why not? You two have always gotten along."

He made a face. "That's not exactly true."

I knew the whole story about how her dark magic had nearly killed him. "That was a long time ago. And we're different people now."

"Sounds like an excuse," he said, his blue eyes twinkling with humor.

My sigh nearly rattled the window blinds "Don't you get it? It's like we're teenagers again. My hands sweat and my tongue ties itself in knots when she comes around."

He made his exit with a shit-eating grin over one shoulder. "Now that's more like it. I say, bring it on."