Cassie (2 page)

“For a few years.”

“I wonder why she never mentioned you.”

I shrugged. “She probably
did but you weren’t listening.”

“Good point,” he said. “I hardly ever listen to my sister.”

“That makes two of us.”

He chuckled. “Do you like Scott?”

“I love him.”
              “She picked a good one.”

“I’m glad she found him. She deserved to find someone special.”

“Yeah she did.”

I smiled at him.

“I love her—sometimes.”

“My brother is the same way. He acts like I’m a pain in his ass but he loves me to death. When my last boyfriend broke up with me, he went postal.”

“Why did he break up with you?”

My heart fell. I hated discussing this. “He left me for someone else.” I couldn’t believe I told him that. It just flew out of my mouth.

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“We were living together so it was hard. I’ll never make that same mistake.”

“How long ago was this?”

“A while ago,” I said vaguely. “I think the Yankees are
gonna win.” I wanted to change the subject.

“They better,” he said. “I got a lot riding on this.”

“How much did you bet?”

He took a drink of his beer.
“Just some extra change.”

We watched the game together. I was surprised he didn’t go back and sit with his friends. It was comfortable sitting next to him. Since he was Janet’s brother, I knew he was a good guy. I could tell he was just by ta
lking to him. Why wasn’t my date been like this? Easy and natural? Why did we have to talk about the scent of gas? I sighed when I thought about it.

“Don’t think about it,” he said.

“What?”

“Your date.”

I smiled. “How’d you know?”

“I can just tell,” he said. “Can I buy you another drink?”

“I shouldn’t,” I said quickly. “I have to walk home, and I don’t want to end up in a gutter.”

“I’ll make sure you get there safely,” he said.

I ordered another. “I’m only trusting you because you’re Janet’s brother.”

“That doesn’t mean anything,” he said with a laugh. “She’ll be the first one to tell you that.”

“Somehow I doubt it.” I drank my scotch and felt my mind buzz. I was glad I took the edge off. My mind was about to collapse on itself. When the game was over, the Yankees were the victors.

Tony danced in place, shaking his hips even though there was no music.

“Nice moves,” I said with a laugh.

“You like that?”

I nodded. “Definitely.”

“I know what the ladies like.”

“I’m sure you do.”

Scott approached us and clapped Tony on the shoulder. “Congratulations.”

“Thanks,” Tony said. “Just don’t tell my sister.”

“You’re lucky I keep your secret.” He turned to me. “Can I walk you home, Cassie? I don’t mean to be annoying, but I noticed you drank a lot.”

“You’re so sweet, Scott.”

Tony looked at me. “I don’t mind walking Cassie. Scott, you should get home to my sister.”

Scott looked at me. “Is that okay?”

“Yeah,” I said. “We’ll be fine.”

“Okay,” Scott said. “I’ll see you later.”

“Bye,” we both said.

“Are you ready?” Tony asked.

“Yep.”

He threw the cash down for both of our drinks.

“I can pay for my own,” I said.

“Don’t worry about it,” he said as he walked out.

When we reached the street I looked at him. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” he said. “So where do you live?”

“A few blocks east.”

“Let’s go.”

We walked side by side down the sidewalk. Tony had his hands in his jeans.

“Where do you work?” he asked.

“Castle magazine
.”

“What do you do?”

“I’m a fashion designer.”

“Cool,” he said.

I rolled my eyes. “I know you think it’s lame.”

He smiled. “I don’t think that at all.”

“I like it a lot,” I said. “It’s always something I’ve been interested in.”

“I think you should d
o what you love. Not doing it would be stupid.”

“And what do you do?”

“I’m a sports analyst.”

“And what is that?”

“I advise people on sporting events and teams.”

“I still don’t understand what that is,” I said honestly.

“It’s complicated...”

We arrived at my building and took the stairs to my floor. When I walked up, I wondered if he was look
ing at me ass. I wanted to check but I didn’t want to make it obvious. When we reached my apartment, my heart fell. Tyler was leaning against my door. I stopped immediately.

“What’s wrong?” Tony asked.

“Uh, nothing.”

He stared at me. “I can see it in your eyes.”

I nodded down the hallway. “That’s the guy I had the date with.”

Tony looked. “Why is he here?”

“I don’t fucking know,” I whispered. I crossed my arms over my chest. I never had a guy just show up to my place like that. A part of me was scared. This guy was so weird. Imagine what he had in mind.

Tony looked into my eyes, seeing the fear. “I’ll take care of him.”

“No,” I said quickly. “Don’t worry about it. I’m fine, really.”

Tony walked toward Tyler.

I sighed and waited.

Tony stopped and looked at him. “What the fuck are you doing?”

Tyler flinched at the hostility. “I’m waiting for someone...”

“My girlfriend lives here.”

“Your girlfriend?” he asked.

Tony’s eyes widened in anger.
“Are you stalking my girlfriend?”

“No, I’m waiting for Cassie.”

“That’s my girlfriend,” he snapped.

“Oh…”

“Now get the fuck away from here. If I ever see you again, I’ll beat the fucking shit out of you.” He pushed him against the wall, making his glasses fall on the ground.

Tyler looked scared. “I’m sorry…”

“You should be, fucking asshole.” He put his foot over the glasses.

“Please don’t,” Tyler said. “I’m practically blind without them.”

“You’ll be literally blind if I ever see your face again.”

“Okay,” he whispered.

Tony stepped back and let Tyler get away. He walked down the hallway and took the stairs at the end. I breathed a sigh of relief when he was gone.

Tony came back to me. “He won’t bother you again.”

“Thank you,” I said.

He smiled. “You’re welcome.”

“I’m not a coward,” I said. “I just panicked for a second.”

“I didn’t think you were,” he said. “I know it can be scary for a single girl in the city.”

I walked to my door and he followed behind me. I grabbed my keys from my purse and held them in my grasp. I felt awkward for a moment, unsure what to do. When I looked at Tony, I saw the green eyes that I immediately felt drawn to. He was a sweet guy, cool and easy to get along with. And he was so good-looking and charming. I can’t believe Janet never mentioned him before.

“Cassie, I think you’re really cool,” Tony said. “I would love to
take you out sometime.”

My heart fluttered.

Tony stared at me. “Are you free tomorrow?”

“Uh…”

He cringed. “I got rejected just like your date.”

“No,” I said quickly. “I just—you’re my best friend’s brother.”

“So?”

“Well, I have to talk to her first.”

He sighed. “It’s just a date. I didn’t ask you to marry me.”

“But it’s still rude not to mention it.”

“How about we go on a date first then go from there. There’s no point in asking her permission if you don’t even like me. Who knows? I might be as weird as that guy I just chased off.”

I laughed. “I find that very unlikely.”

He shrugged. “You never know. Who cares about my sister?”

“Okay,” I said with a smile.

“Great,” he said. “I’ll pick you up tomorrow at six. Is that good?”

I nodded.

“And you like hockey, right?”

“I love hockey.”

“You’re already the perfect woman,” he said. “Make sure you wear something warm.”

“Are you taking me to a game?”

“It’s a surprise.” He winked.

“I guess you could be taking me skiing…”

He laughed. “I’ll see you then.”

“Okay.”

Tony turned away. “Goodnight.”

“Tony?”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you for walking me home
and taking out the trash.”

He smiled.
“Anytime, Cassie.”

2

At work the next morning, I was arranging the dresses in the fitting room when Orlando walked in.

“Her Majesty is coming,” he said with a smile. He kept his back straight as he walked and smiled brightly, showing his dazzling teeth. His vest was tight around his torso and his slack
s were thin. “You ready for this, girl?” he said as he waved his hand.

I smiled. “I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.”

Orland kissed me on the cheek. “You’ll be fine, babe.”

“I hope so.” I checked the seams on the dress and returned it to the rack. “How w
as your night?”

Orlando smiled. “Steward and I went out to dinner.”

“That sounds nice.”

“It was really nice when we got home.”

I laughed. “I bet it was.” Orland was one of the many gay men that worked for the magazine. He and I just clicked immediately. Whenever I saw him at work, my day was better. He was the best girlfriend ever, only he was a boy. He gave me a lot of great tips that I incorporated into my work.

“So how’d that date go?”

I rolled my eyes. “You don’t even want to know.”

He hopped on his toes. “Spill it, lady.”

“He was a total weirdo.”

Orland cringed.
“That bad?”

“I couldn’t get out of there fast enough. And when I got home, he was waiting by my door. Thankfully
, Tony took care of it.”

“Who’s Tony?”

“Oh,” I said. “My friend’s brother. He walked me home.”

Orlando smiled. “What’s he like?”

I blushed. “He’s very sweet.”

“Maybe you should go out with him instead.”

“Actually, we are going out tonight.”

He clapped. “Something good always comes out of bad situations.”

“I suppose,” I said with a sigh.

“Why the long face?” he asked.

“Well, it’s my best friend’s brother.”

“Your point?”

“I feel guilty not telling her.”

“Don’t,” he said. “Test out the car before you buy it. Let him buy you dinner then test out his skills in the bedroom. If he sucks, you don’t have to tell her about it at all.”

I shook my head. “I’m not sleeping with him on the first date.”

He shrugged. “It would save you a lot of time.”

“We’re going to a hockey game.”

“Wow,” Orlando said. “This guy is super straight.”

I laughed. “I guess you could say that.”

“But that’s not very romantic,” he said as he shook his head.

“I like hockey,” I said. “I don’t mind. And I don’t want it to be too serious anyway. It’s just more relaxing this way.”

“Then take him back to your place and do the deed.”

“Orlando!”

“What?” he said with a smile. “I slept with Steward on the first date and now we live together.”

“And you slept with ten other guys on the first date before you found him.”

“Imagine how much time I would have wasted if I didn’t speed up the process,” he said with a wink.

I shook my head then arranged the dressed on the rack.

Gloria came into the room. “What am I wearing?” She was standing in her underwear and bra,
not self-conscious about being half naked. All the models were used to the exposure.

“Here,” I said as I handed it to her. “The heels are in the dressing room.”

“Thanks.” She walked inside the changing room. Her body was so thin. Her ribs were noticeable on her sides, and her arms were thin and lanky. I knew I was fairly petite but I wasn’t even that small. But I liked the way my body was. And I loved food.

Orlando stared at me. “Maybe you should hit the runway.”

“What?”

“You’re such a pretty girl,” he said as he lifted my chin.

I rolled my eyes. “I belong behind the curtain. I love eating chili dogs and French fries way too much.”

“And you still look great,” he said. “Maybe you should think about it.”

“I’ll stick to designing.”

“Whatever,” he said.

Winnie came in and grabbed the other dress. “This is nice,” she said as she looked at it.

“Thank you.”

She walked into the changing room while Orlando and I waited.

The two girls came out and appraised themselves in the mirror. I walked over with my tape measurer and my pins. The fabric clung to their bodies perfectly. Nothing seemed out of place. My work was done.

Pia, the chief editor of the magazine, came inside with her assistant behind her. She wore a black dress with designer heels. A scarf was around her neck and she wore dangling earrings. Her face was stoic and hard to decipher. No one ever knew what she was thinking. I held my breath as she walked inside. She didn’t look at me once.

Pia came to Gloria and examined the dress. She walked completely
around her, feeling the fabric in her fingers and testing the quality of the zipper. Then she moved to Winnie and did the same thing. She pulled her glasses off and thought for a long moment. Orlando kept glancing at me, waiting for the verdict.

“No.”

My heart fell. “No?”

Pia shook her head.
“Just no.”

I took a deep breath, remaining calm. “What changes would you like me to make?”

“Make something that isn’t hideous,” she snapped. She stormed out while her assistant followed close behind her.

“Yikes,” Gloria said.

“We’re so sorry,” Winnie said.

“It’s not your fault,” I said.

Orlando patted my shoulder. “You’ll get it right next time.”

I sighed. “She doesn’t give me any feedback. I can’t read her mind.”

“Nobody can, babe,” Orlando said.

Gloria looked at herself in the mirror. “Well, I really like it.”

“You can keep it,” I said. “I’m obviously not going to be using it.”

The models walked back into the changing rooms and pulled off the dresses. They handed them to me before they left.

I kept my emotions under the surface but they were raging. I was hurt. I worked so many hours on these gowns and Pia pretty much spit on them. It was always a hit and miss with her. And when she did like my work, I received no praise, just a simple nod. I felt unappreciated and undervalued.

Orlando caught
the look. “Don’t let it get you down.”

“I’m just frustrated. I know I’m a good designer. If I had my own business, I know I would flourish.”

“Then do it,” he said.

I shook my head. “I don’t have the money to start it up. I’m stuck here.”

“You can’t save your money?”

“I barely make it by as it is.”

“I’m sorry, dear.”

“Yeah…”

“At least you have a date tonight with a hot guy.”

I sighed. “That’s true.”

“Do you think that other guy is gay?” he asked.

“I don’t know…I didn’t think about it.”

“That might explain why he’s so odd. He feels out of place and he’s trying to blend in. Who is he?”

“His name is Tyler. He works for IT.”

He nodded. “Maybe I can help.”

I laughed. “You’re going to take him out of the closet?”

“Girl, I’m going to push him out of it.”

I smiled. “You’re very controlling, Orlando.”

“Steward says he likes it.”

“I bet.” I pushed the cart against the wall then gathered my supplies. Now I had to start over but I had no ideas. Creativity didn’t just fall out of my head. It would take me some time. But Pia didn’t understand that. I loved my job but I hated working here. But there was no way around it.

“Stop it,” Orland said.

“What?”

“You keep pitying yourself.”

“So?”

“Don’t,” he said. “Change it.”

“Okay,” I said. “I just need to start brainstorming.”

“Get laid tonight. It will help.”

“I’m sure Tony would love that,” I said with a laugh.

“He’ll want to help you out in whatever way he can.”

“What a good friend,” I said sarcastically.