Part 14:

Anna talked to Luke and he promised to give Angel a message then she hurried back out of town. The sheriff nearly followed her, but something stopped him. Instead he went to the hotel to see Erin, and remind himself of his responsibilities.

 

Josh and Sarah talked for a while then slipped quietly out the back, not telling anyone where they were going. They both knew it would cause problems if anyone found out where they were going.

 

Angel patted Katie’s back and let her cry. She knew most of the story already, and Katie filled in the gaps once she caught her breath and dried her eyes. Angel was surprised when she tacked on "And I can’t believe Justin is your brother. He’s nothing like you. He’s a liar and . . . and . . ."

Angel watched in amusement as Katie tried to figure out what she was feeling, and why she had thought to mention Justin when she was talking about her family. Other than giving her the chance she had needed to get away for a while, he wasn’t connected in any way to the situation. "Sugar, you’re almost fifteen, right?" Angel asked her out of the blue.

"Well, yeah . . . next month . . . why?"

Angel was lost in thought, a small smile on her lips. Katie was young, but not that young. It just might work out after all. Now she just had to get a hold of her brother.

Katie looked up quickly when she heard Luke’s surprised voice in the hallway. "Mr. Mayor . . . Miz Chasez! What? Why?"

"Hello, sir. I need to speak with your employer," Sarah said, voice strong and firm. The big man was so stunned at seeing her there that he simply nodded and pointed up the stairs. "Wait here, Josh," Sarah said when her husband started to follow her. "This is something I need to do alone."

The mayor sat down numbly as his wife went upstairs to see his mistress. Cassie was coming out of Beckie’s room when Sarah reached the top of the stairs. "Sarah!" she said in surprise. Then the two stood in an uncomfortable silence.

"How is she?" Sarah asked softly.

"Better than this morning."

Sarah nodded and walked past Cassie into the room. Beckie looked up and her mouth dropped open. She looked even worse than Sarah, if that were possible. Her eyes were red and swollen and her hair was a mess. She gave Sarah a tentative, watery smile. "I never thought I’d see you here again," Beckie said as Sarah sat in the chair by her bed.

"I know. But we’ve let this go on too long. We grew up together, Beckie. The four of us . . . me, you, Sarah, Cassie . . . we were inseparable. There have been so many times I’ve wished things had gone differently. And now . . . Katie--" Sarah broke down again. Beckie started crying too, and somehow their tears took them back to when they were just Beckie and Sarah, best friends. Cousins. Before either of them had ever set eyes on Joshua Chasez.

 

Cassie stopped at the foot of the stairs, tapping Josh on the shoulder and leading him to the kitchen, since she knew Angel and Katie were still in the parlor. "I’m sorry," he said softly, staring at the table.

"For what?"

"For everything I did . . . to all of you. Because of me, your family vowed never to speak to your sister again. I’ve hurt my wife over and over again because I can’t seem to stay away from her cousin. And you left because I caused so much pain between you and Sarah...and Sarah."

She couldn’t help it. She laughed. Then she looked at him. "Lance still doesn’t remember me does he?"

"I don’t think so. It’s been a long time. You’ve changed a lot, and the two of you were so young . . . maybe you should remind him."

"Maybe . . ."

The kitchen door opened and Katie stepped in, face white and eyes round. She couldn’t seem to speak. "KATIE!" Josh yelled, jumping out of his chair and pulling her into his arms. "Where have you been?"

"I’m sorry Papa . . . I just had to get out . . . I had to go away for a while . . . and Justin said I could go with him . . ."

"Did he hurt you? Are you all right? I’ll kill him . . ."

"No. I’m fine. Where’s Ma--, I mean . . . I don’t know what I mean."

"Upstairs," Cassie said. "I think they’d both like to see you. They need to see you, to explain." Katie nodded and left the kitchen, still numb with shock. Angel watched her go and went into the kitchen for a glass of water. Luke had given her a letter from Anna and she planned to read it once she got into her room.

[::-::Back::-::] [::-::Next::-::]