A/N: Sorry, guys, I know it's been forever since I've updated. I've been really swamped! :( But I think you'll feel better after you read this chapter. :) THanks once again for all of the wonderful reviews!! Happy reading!
Picking Up
Chapter Fourteen
Casey expected Derek to ambush her the next morning and demand to talk, but he did not. She talked with her mother until close to seven a.m., when George stumbled upstairs looking for her.
"Sorry, Case, I would love to keep talking," Nora said, "but I need to start getting ready for work." Casey nodded.
"No, it's fine. Thanks for everything, mom." Casey went upstairs to change. Derek came out of his room, glared at her, and shut himself in the bathroom. Bewildered, Casey threw on a pair of jeans and a blouse. When she came out of her room, the bathroom door was still shut.
Still confused, Casey went down the stairs and met George in the kitchen. She poured a cup of coffee and sat drinking it as George ate his breakfast.
"How's the job hunt going?" He asked her. She wrinkled her nose. "That good, huh?"
"I've had three interviews this week," Casey said in frustration. "What am I doing wrong?"
George shook his head. "You were stuck in a bad situation Casey, and you did what you had to do to get out. You did nothing wrong. You'll find something." He dumped his cereal bowl into the sink.
"I wish I could find something soon," Casey replied.
"I'll tell you what," George said, laying his hand on her shoulder. "I'll talk to my boss and see if we have anything available at our office. It won't be anything glamorous, but we might have a mail room position or something like that. It would at least get you a job at a law firm and then you can work your way up." Casey smiled wryly, although the idea did not sound very appealing to her.
"Thanks, George. I appreciate that." George nodded and left through the back door.
"You're seriously going to work for my dad?" She whipped around to see Derek standing in the doorway. "I thought you were going to leave again, you know, since you quit your job." The comment stung, but Casey held her ground, uncertain as to why Derek was attacking her.
"I never said I was leaving," she replied evenly. "Besides, where would I go?"
"I don't know," he snapped. "Anywhere but here. How about back to England? Or to New York with your dad?"
"I never said I was going to do that internship. My dad just offered in passing. But I don't want to go to New York. I want to stay here." Derek rolled his eyes.
"Oh, so now you want to stay?" He looked somewhere between furious and devastated. "Are you sure? I mean, New York's not that far away, but it could be a good place to hide when someone admits their feelings."
Casey stared at him, bewildered. "Derek, what are you talking about?"
"Forget it," he said, turning to leave. "I hope you and Noel live happily ever after." He stomped out of the room. Stunned, Casey dumped out her coffee mug and went to her room.
Casey figured it would take George a few days to find something, but he called her just after lunchtime.
"I have good news. Mr. Bresnuskovich mentioned that he wants to hire an office manager. Do you think you could do that?"
Casey squealed excitedly. "That would be perfect, George, thank you! When can I come for an interview?"
"He said he can meet with you today, if you're available," George told her.
"Definitely! What time should I be there?" Casey was already going through her closet, searching for an outfit.
"I think two o'clock should be a good time," he replied.
"I'll be there." Casey dressed as quickly as possible in her best clothes and pulled her hair back into a low bun. She hoped that Mr. Bresnuskovich wouldn't remember how she had accused him of being Derek prank-calling her with a fake accent and a fake name. How was I supposed to know? She demanded of herself. It's totally something Derek would do!
As she rushed down the stairs, her phone rang.
"Hey Noel!"
"Hey Casey," he replied. "Are you busy today? I thought maybe we could hang out."
"Oh, I can't, I'm on my way to a job interview."
"Well, how about tonight?" He asked. She shrugged.
"Tonight sounds fine," she told him.
"Great! I thought maybe we could rent a movie. Anything in particular you want to see?"
She tried to think about it but her head was full of thoughts about her interview. "Oh, I don't know," she replied distractedly. "Let me call you after the interview."
"Okay." She walked past Derek without a word. She had tried to talk to him a few times, but he hadn't said a single word to her since their encounter in the kitchen that morning. He glared at her but didn't speak as she walked out the door.
She fumed on her way to George's office. What was his problem? Shouldn't she be the angry one? She might be "dating" Noel in Derek's eyes, but Noel wasn't Derek's cousin! Yes, she was the one who had a right to be upset, not Derek.
By the time she reached the office, she had convinced herself into furious anger. Taking a deep breath, she said, "Stop thinking about Derek. You need to focus here. Go in there and rock this interview!" She smiled brightly at her own words of encouragement, marching into the building.
"Casey!" George said when he saw her coming down the hallway. "Come in here." He let her into his office. "I feel like I should warn you," he told her in a low voice, "Mr. Bresnuskovich is kind of, well, overbearing. I just don't want him to overwhelm you."
Casey shook her head. "Thanks, George, but I can handle it. I'll be fine." George shrugged.
"Well, good luck," he offered, and she thanked him. He showed her his boss's office and she tapped lightly on the door.
"Come in, come in!" A loud, booming voice filtered through the door and Casey pushed it open. Mr. Bresnuskovich, a large bald man with a stern face but kind eyes, sat behind his desk. He stood to shake her hand, which she did as firmly as possible considering her hands were half the size of his. Gesturing to one of the chairs, he said, "Take a seat, please." She sat and smiled at him expectantly.
"Miss McDonald, your stepfather has told me much about you." She continued smiling, hoping there were no embarrassing stories there. "I admit, I am impressed." She brightened.
"Thank you, sir." He waved his hand.
"I am looking for someone with good people skills, Miss McDonald, and someone who is very organized."
"I am both of those, sir," Casey replied.
"Yes, George told me that you organized his files." Casey cringed, wanting to kick George. Why would he mention that? "He was not happy at first, but he says that it has helped him immensely. I must agree." Casey straightened and beamed.
"I'm just happy to help," she told him. He nodded.
"Good. Because that is what I need. If you can organize my office as well as you did George's, then you have the job." She stared at him.
"Really?" He nodded. "Oh, thank you, Mr. Bresnuskovich! Thank you so much." He stood and came around the desk, his hand outstretched, but she was so ecstatic at finally finding a job that she hugged him. Embarrassed, she pulled back. "Sorry," she said quickly.
Mr. Bresnuskovich just smiled. "I'll see you at eight a.m. Monday morning," he said, and she nodded quickly, trying not to blush.
He let her out and she hurried down the hall to George's office. George was waiting anxiously inside. "How did it go?" He asked as soon as she walked in. She winced.
"I hugged him," she admitted, and George laughed. "It's not funny! He told me I can have the job and I got really excited… ugh. Anyway, he said I start Monday morning!"
"That's great, Casey!" George said happily. "Well, I have to get back to my briefs, but I'll see you at dinner?"
Casey shook her head. "I'm going to Noel's. But we could ride together Monday," she offered, and George nodded.
---
Casey walked through the front door twenty minutes later, dialing Noel. The house was empty, thankfully; Derek's car was gone, Nora was at work, Marti was at a friend's house, and Lizzie and Edwin were working.
"Hey, Casey!" He answered happily. "How was the interview?"
"Great!" She replied, as she ran up the stairs. "I start next week!"
"That's awesome! I'm really happy for you." She grinned, quickly changing her clothes.
"Thanks! Me, too." She pulled on her shoes. "Well, I'm leaving in a few minutes. I'll meet you at your place?" She asked as she reached the top landing.
"Sure," he replied. "See you in a bit." She had intended to head down to the kitchen, but someone else was coming up the stairs.
"Where are you going?" Derek demanded. She glared at him.
"To meet Noel, not that it's any of your business. Now I wish I'd left earlier."
He glared at her. "Yeah, well now I wish I hadn't come back."
"Join the club. Why are you here?" She said, trying hard and failing to keep the bite out of her voice.
"I forgot something," he replied shortly.
"Well, what a surprise," she said sarcastically. "Hopefully you can be so kind as to forget I'm here and leave me alone." She started to pass him by him.
"No problem."
"Good." He turned around, his eyes blazing.
"I just don't get it. How can you be mad at me?" He demanded, his voice rising. "None of this is my fault, Casey. You're the one who ran away. You're the one who stayed away for almost three years. Besides, you've got what's his name. I'm sure you would be very happy together."
"And I suppose you think you're just a saint? You're the one who couldn't stay away from Victoria!" She shot back. He paled. "Did you sleep with her?" She demanded. Derek didn't answer. "Figures."
"How do you know about that?"
"You don't deserve an answer." She turned away.
"What do you want me to say? We ran into each other at a party. God, Casey, she's practically your twin! I got drunk; I wasn't thinking clearly. Do you have any idea what I've been going through since you left?"
"Girls, apparently," she retorted over her shoulder. Immediately she regretted the words. Derek grabbed her arm and spun her around, pushing her against the wall. "Let go!" She snapped, trying to twist out of his grip, but he pinned her there, his face inches from hers.
"I didn't sleep for weeks," he bit out. "Lizzie gave me the silent treatment for months. Every time I looked at another girl, I saw you. I knew you weren't coming back, but somehow I just couldn't let go. I couldn't eat…"
He paused to take a breath and she opened her mouth, but closed it again as he went on, "It was hell, Casey. Pure. Hell. All I could think was, 'what did I do wrong? What could I have done to make her stay?' And then I realized: it wasn't me. It was you." By now, he had released her and was waving his arms in the air frantically. She took the opportunity to rub the now sore spot on her arm. "You would think that would make me feel better, but it didn't. Because I realized that there was nothing I could do. You weren't coming back, and there was nothing I could do about it!" He finished at a yell. Casey thanked heaven that the house was empty. "You have no idea what that's like," he growled, his voice low and dangerous as he grabbed her arm again, but his words sparked something in Casey, something that caused her to throw him off and point a finger at herself.
"I have no idea what that's like?" She shrieked, her voice squeaky and nearly hysterical. "I have NO idea what that's like?!" Derek backed up a step as she advanced on him. "Do YOU have any idea what I've been going through since I MET you?" She yelled, and Derek's eyes went wide. "Do you have any idea what it was like for ME, waiting and praying that you would realize what I've known since we were FIFTEEN?"
Something changed in Derek's expression. "Casey-"
She didn't give him a chance to finish. "Do you know what my first thought about you was? You know, when I thought you were RALPH?"
"This guy is an arrogant jerk?" Derek joked weakly. Casey ignored this.
"I thought, 'wow, my new stepbrother has REALLY HOT FRIENDS!'" She shouted the last three words. "I thought you were sexy. SEXY! And then I found out that you were actually going to be my new stepbrother! I was so embarrassed." She started to pace back and forth, not seeing the amused gaze on Derek's face. "All I wanted was for you to think I was as cool as you. I tried so hard to gain your approval, but the harder I tried, the more you seemed to hate me. And then there were those wonderful, amazing, agonizing moments when you seemed to actually respect me, maybe even care about me. And I would bask in those moments, Derek. Bask. And then they'd be gone, just like that, and you were back to hating me again."
"Casey, please-" he reached toward her, but she pulled away.
"Everything I did was to prove something to you," she said in a quiet voice, now looking directly at him. "Every thought was about you. Every dream…" she trailed off.
His expression was so tender that she hardly recognized him as the Derek she knew, or knew as of recently. She could feel his gaze burning her skin, and she started to blush. Those same familiar feelings bubbled in her stomach, rising into her throat, and suddenly, she felt like crying. She couldn't take it anymore.
"Just go away, Derek. I don't want to talk anymore," she whispered in a pained voice, staring at the floor. He touched her arm and she jerked back. "I mean it."
"Casey, please just listen to me. I'm sorry things turned out this way. I'm sorry I scared you away and I'm sorry that you stayed away so long. I'm sorry I made you think I hated you when it was all I could do to keep from kissing you. I'm sorry about Victoria." She continued to examine her feet. "If I say I'm sorry enough times will you at least look at me?" She shook her head, tears welling again.
"I'm sorry," she replied. "I'm sorry I ran away from you and I'm sorry I didn't come back for so long. I'm sorry I hurt you." Derek's fingertips were gentle as they touched her face, pulling her chin up to look at him. "If I say I'm sorry enough times, maybe I'll be able to look at you," she said, her voice cracking.
"Casey-" He never finished his sentence, because in a moment of desperation, a moment of insanity and desire and just plain recklessness, she kissed him.
She pulled away quickly, embarrassed and regretful. She turned to leave, unable to look him in the eyes, but he caught her arm and pulled her back around to him, crashing his lips against hers.
That made three total kisses for them, ever, but somehow it felt so right, so natural, that Casey forgot everything else. She forget everyone else, including her family, who could come home any minute, and Lindsey, who was waiting for Derek to pick her up, and Noel, who was waiting for Casey at his apartment.
Derek's hands went around her waist and pulled her closer. She slid her arms around his neck, letting her fingers tangle in his hair. The next thing she knew, they were moving, out of the hallway and into Derek's room. Derek kicked the door closed and slowly lowered her onto the bed.