Two years later.
"OOooo! Is that the latest issue of Hello?" squeed Blonde 1.
Casey smiled to herself as the two blonde girls beside her bonded over a magazine despite the fact they had clearly never met before. She wasn't normally an eavesdropper, or at least that's what she told herself, but it was too tempting when it was this sort of gossip.
"Yes. It's got a massive section on break-ups. Apparently, every one is breaking up at the moment." Blonde 2 said.
"Really? Like who?" Blonde 1 again.
"Well, the biggest news as you know is that Derek is single again."
"Yeah! I saw that! Ha! I never liked that Angela girl. She always seemed a little...false, ya know. And I don't just mean her breasts…although I'm fairly sure they're straight out of a catalogue."
They are. Thought Casey burying her head in her own "home and garden" magazine. She once made me squeeze them. Casey shuddered at the memory.
"So any word on who he's hooked up with now? Guys like him are never single for long."
You can say that again. The brunette beside them snickered. She kept an ear half open to the conversation because whilst she didn't believe a word that was published in the gossip magazines, it was always amusing to hear what they were saying about Derek and the people she knew so well.
Of course the bit about him breaking up with Angela was true. Casey sighed. They never lasted long with Derek. He might not sleep around, but he was definitely what was laughingly called a serial monogamist.
"It says here that he is claiming to be on a break from dating. Apparently, the last season, winning the league title for the second time and everything left him needing decent R&R. He's off to some private island in the Caribbean. Poor thing. I bet he could do with a really good massage. I'm great at those. You know…hot oil, low lights. Maybe I should send his agent my card."
Casey coughed to herself to hide a laugh.
"So no love interest then?" The other blonde asked.
"Well just the usual. That brunette he's always seen with and a couple of faux-celebs who want in on the milch cow."
"Are there more sightings of him and that girl again then?"
"Not this week. But you know how it goes. There are lots of pictures of them together for a while and then she disappears again. And the pictures are never close to, so no one can see who she is."
"She's been there through all the girlfriends though so she can't be anybody. She's probably just support staff or something. And she's brunette. He only goes for blondes." She noted, fingering her own yellow locks.
Casey rolled her eyes and then she was pulled from her amusement by the appearance of her hair stylist at her side.
"Hi Casey! How are you? What are we doing today?"
"Hi Amanda! I need a bit of a trim and a tidy. I'm off on my vacation tomorrow."
"Lucky you! Going anywhere nice?"
"Yes actually. The Caribbean."
He was swimming when she arrived. This wasn't the first time she had been to the private villa he occasionally rented to get away from it all so she knew her way down from the upper terrace to the large infinity pool below. But she paused a moment, surveying the blue sky and sea, and the white sand of the beach along the coast. Then she let her eyes fall on her step-brother's form below. For a guy who spent so much of the year around ice, he had a remarkably sun-kissed body – not tanned as such but definitely not pale.
"You wanna come down here and ogle me. You'll get a better view?" Derek called up to her and she started from her daydream and noted he was now floating on his back looking up at her.
"In your dreams, wiseass!" She called back.
"Nah! Definitely in yours."
By the time she made it down the steps to the poolside he was pulling himself out of the water. Casey eyed him warily.
"What?" He asked innocently.
"Last time I came any where near the side of this pool while you were here I ended up in the pool fully clothed." She said, sliding off the tailored jacket that matched her tailored shorts. She placed it on a lounger nearby along with her purse.
"Don't come near me fully clothed then." He smirked. He took a step towards her, towelling his hair off as he went, and she took a step backwards.
"Oh come on Casey. I was only going to say hello."
She snorted. "I know better than to trust you." She stated firmly. He grinned and threw his wet towel at her.
"Ew! Der-ek!" She protested. He laughed and ran at her, picking her up and leaping with both of them into the pool. They hit the water with an almighty splash. A short time later, Casey emerged spitting water.
"You moron! I could have had my passport or my phone on me."
Derek shook his wet hair again. "Well if you have, honey, I've no idea where you're keeping them."
"Next time I'm going to vacation with Edwin." She threatened.
Derek snorted. "The last time he went on vacation was to Iceland and the fucking volcano erupted." He swam towards the side and hauled himself out for a second time. Casey followed suit, emerging from the water looking very wet indeed. Derek's eyes widened and he threw her a towel.
"Here. Your need is greater than mine." He said. Casey looked down at her clothes and realised the white sleeveless shirt was now see-thru.
"Great. Just what I need."
"Aw! Come on Casey. It was just a little fun. You work too hard, loosen up. We got great weather, good fun, plenty to drink..." He glanced at her shirt pointedly. "…fantastic views. Not forgetting amazing company."
"I'm going to change." She said huffily. Derek grinned at her retreating back.
"Me too, but I'll send someone in to you with a drink. What would you like?"
"Some of Anna's local orange juice would be nice." She called back, and he knew he was already forgiven.
"So…Angela…" Casey said as they walked down to the beach in the warm evening air. Derek was wearing a pair of men's Capri pants and a ridiculously bright Bermuda shirt. He had his arm around her shoulder and she had wrapped her own arm around his waist.
"Inevitable."
"What was the final straw?" Casey asked her hair and her white cotton dress getting teased by a slight breeze.
Derek shrugged. "She wanted me to pay for her next trip under the surgeon's knife."
"And you weren't interested?"
"She was fake enough as it was. Grabbing her chest was like picking up one of Robbie's little plastic soccer balls."
He expected a "ew! Der-ek!" But she surprised him.
"I know." Casey said simply.
Derek choked. "What?"
"She made me squeeze them one time." Casey explained.
Derek turned a funny colour and it was a while before he spoke.
"My ex-girlfriend had you squeeze her tits?"
"Yes. We were waiting for you to get out the shower so that we could all go to dinner and she grabbed my hand and put it on her chest, saying "here…this is what a decent pair feels like." I think I threw up a little."
"Why?"
"Because I'm not that way inclined Derek and even if I was, there would be some thing insanely wrong about being in that situation with my step-brother's girlfriend."
"No. I meant why did she say that to you?"
"Heaven knows, D. She wasn't exactly the most stable of people."
"Oh I don't know. She wasn't as bad as Grace."
"Derek, no one on the planet could be as bad as Grace. You certainly know how to pick them. You know, after the run of women you've put us through over the past two years (over the past eight years even), I'm almost at the point of telling you to just poke anything in a skirt and screw relationships."
"You're starting to sound like me."
She sighed dramatically. "That's because I spend too much time with you."
Derek frowned. "I only saw you six times last year."
"Yeah and I'm starting to think it was maybe six times too much."
He looked away. "You serious?" He asked carefully.
Casey sighed. "No." His body relaxed against hers. "But honestly Derek, can't you be a bit more discriminating. I mean I know they are nice enough girls, but a brain cell or two wouldn't go amiss. Someone I could have a decent conversation with."
Derek looked at her in shock. "You talk to one of my girlfriends? God help us! You'd tell them all sorts of stuff I'd rather they didn't know."
"But Derek…"
"But nothing. I'm not ready to settle down. When I'm ready to settle down maybe I'll find someone Casey-approved. Just be grateful I'm not a hockey-whore."
"You're still only using them for their bodies, Derek."
"And they aren't using me?"
She frowned. "I know. I just…we're not getting any younger and I know you want children."
"Thanks Casey. I'm in my mid-twenties, hardly past it. I've got time for kids."
"Yes but not with every girl on this side of Canada."
His whole demeanour changed.
"I don't screw around, Casey. I'm very careful. There won't be an accidental Venturi."
His eyes were hard as he spoke and Casey found herself dropping her gaze. "Sorry."
Derek's eyes softened. "Anyway. A better question would be when did you last get laid?"
"Der-ek!" Casey blushed. She didn't want to answer this question. He would laugh at her answer because they were poles apart in that department. It never occurred to her that he would also be relieved; that her virginity mattered to him in ways it shouldn't.
"What happened to the last loser?" He asked. "I can't remember his name." (Which was a lie, because he remember the name of everyone Casey dated: name, date of birth, social security number…psychological profile…)
"Work took over." Casey stated. "Can we just drop this?"
"No. What do you mean "work took over"?"
Casey tried to look casual but she couldn't tell him the truth, namely that she had dumped the guy because she suddenly realised that she was dating someone who looked like Derek – although the official excuse she had used was that her job was getting busy and she was juggling her writing and her day job without time for a relationship.
He looked like Derek, but he wasn't Derek. Too many times she expected him to behave like Derek and when he didn't…he went.
"I'm not discussing this with you, Derek, because it's none of your business."
"And my sex life is your business?"
"I didn't say that…I…oh forget it!"
She looked upset and he immediately regretted pushing her.
"Sorry." He murmured kissing her temple and then in an effort to distract he went on.
"I've got news."
"Oh." She said sulkily.
"I'm coming to stay with you next month."
Casey turned to face him, complete shock on her face. "Stay with me?"
"Yeah…if you're around. I need to come to Toronto and I thought…"
"Yes!" She said before he could ask.
"And I thought maybe I could shack up with you for a few nights, you know rampant mind-blowing sex…"
Casey elbowed him. "Ass-hole."
He opened his mouth to say something definitely perverse.
"Don't even think about it Venturi." She warned.
"So I can come and stay with you?" he asked.
"In my spare room." She insisted secretly pleased because he had never come to visit her since they had lived apart.
"Of course. Where else would I sleep?"
"Why are you coming to Toronto?" She asked after they'd grinned at each other.
"That's the other piece of good news." Derek said. "I'm house hunting."
"You're what?"
"House hunting. I've decided to buy a proper house rather than rent. My endorsements have grown so big that I'm struggling to spend the income and my accountant tells me I need to invest in property. I'm buying a little apartment in Vancouver to last me during the season so I'm near the team, but I thought I'd buy a decent home in Toronto."
"Why Toronto?" Casey asked.
"It's near the family…but not too near."
"It's very near me though." She pointed out. "The same city in fact."
"Really? I hadn't noticed." He lied.