IF I’M NOT THE ONE

CHAPTER 7

JC’s jeep rolled along the side streets in silence.  JC kept his focus on the road ahead of him.  Cassandra remained silent, watching the passing scenery without comment.  It was two o’clock in the morning.  She had tried to persuade him to just let her stay at her place.  JC would have none of that.  He had insisted that she had to leave and do so right away.  So many thoughts were racing through her mind.  Where was he taking her?  What had he packed for her in her overnight bag?  Why was he even trying to help her?  There seemed to be no answers to any of her questions.  So she continued the ride in silence.  She watched as road sign after road sign zoomed past.  Periodically she could feel JC’s eyes looking in her direction.  She was afraid to return the look.  She didn’t know why, she just knew she could not meet his gaze.

            “Cassandra?”  He began, finally breaking the looming silence.

            “Hmmm?”  She responded without looking at him.

            “Talk to me, honey.  What’s going on in that pretty little head of yours?”

            At last she allowed herself to look in his direction.  He smiled at her when their eyes met.

            She looked at him wide-eyed.  “Basically, there’s only one thing I’m thinking.”

            “What’s that?”

            “Where in the hell are you taking me at this ungodly hour?”

            A low, throaty chuckle escaped JC’s lips.  “Well, I could play hard to get here and not tell you.”

            “You could.”  She responded.

            “But, I won’t.  I’m taking you to my place.”

            Her eyes widened in disbelief.  “What?  No, JC, I don’t think that would be a good idea.  Just take me back home.”

            “Why?”  He looked at her curiously.

            “Trust me, JC.  It just isn’t a good idea.  I do not want you involved in this any more than you already are.  You do not want me at your place.”  Her tone sounded nearly panicked.

            “Don’t be silly, honey.  Of course I want you at my place.”

            Cassandra shook her head as she turned toward JC.  “No, please, you have to listen to me.  It’s a terrible idea.  Look, JC, just take me home.  He’ll never be any the wiser.  I can handle this.  I’ve still got a few hours before he comes back.  I’ll be prepared for him and nothing will happen.  He just took me by surprise when he came in tonight.”

            Without warning, JC pulled the Jeep over to the shoulder of the road.  Stopping the car, he threw the gearshift lever into park and looked at her sternly.

            “You know, Cassandra.  I don’t know what kind of power this asshole has over you, but I can tell you it is going to stop right here and now!  You don’t honestly expect that I will take you back there and let you deal with this idiot on your own, do you?  Give me a break!  I walked out on you once tonight, I sure as hell am not going to do it a second time.”

            “It’s not your battle!”

            “I’m making it my battle.”

            “Why?  Why do you even care?”

            Suddenly at a loss for words, JC decided that actions would speak louder than words.  He unfastened his seat belt and leaned over toward Cassandra.  Placing his hand at the back of her neck, he pulled her closer and lowered his lips to hers.  His mouth moved gently and sensuously over hers.  His tongue darted out and traced the outline of her lips.  Cassandra raised her hand to rest against his muscular chest.  She moaned into him.

            “That’s why!”  He managed to say as he pulled back from the kiss releasing her.  “There’s something between us.  I don’t know what it is, but I am damn well going to find out.  I refuse to let some prick like Thomas interfere with what I’m feeling for you.  Don’t you let him come between us, do you understand?”  His voice came out angry and stern with his last statement.

            Cassandra swallowed hard as she found her position in her seat again.  “Yes.”  She whispered.

            That one word response hit him almost like a ton of bricks.  It was the same tone she had answered Thomas in just before he stormed out of the house.  JC remembered and it made him cringe.  Wearily he rubbed his hands over his face.

            “Damn, honey.  I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean to sound so demanding.  Please don’t look at me like that.  You know I have no intention of hurting you, don’t you?”

            Cassandra looked down at her hands folded together on her lap.  She made no effort to respond.

            Shaking his head, JC cursed to himself.  “Shit!  Please don’t shut me out, Cassandra.  I want to help you.  I want to be here for you.  I know you feel what I feel.  I see it in your eyes when you look at me.  I can hear it in your voice when you talk to me.”  He lowered his gaze and looked up at her.  “I can feel it in that little shiver that goes through your body every time I kiss you.”

            She looked back up at him.

            “You do don’t you, honey?”  He asked softly.

            “Yes.  It’s just that…”

            He raised a finger to her lips to quiet her.  “I know.  It’s just that I scared you.  I sounded too demanding, just like that asshole!  I’m sorry.  I promise I won’t do that again.  Do you believe me?”

            “Yes, JC.  I do.”

            “Good!  Now, let’s get going.  It’s late and we both need some sleep.”

            JC returned his attention to the road.  He threw the car into gear and pulled away from the shoulder of the road.  He sped along allowing his hand to rest on her hand that was sitting on her lap.  He squeezed her fingers in a gesture of reassurance.  His eyes met hers briefly, and a smile crossed his lips as he saw her smile at him.  Turning his attention to what was going on in front of him, he told himself that everything would be alright.

            As he pulled his Jeep into his driveway, he looked over at Cassandra.  She had dozed off; her head was lying against the headrest turned toward him.  She looked so peaceful as she slept.  He felt guilty knowing he needed to wake her before he took her inside.  He didn’t want her to wake up and be frightened.  He knew how exhausted she must be.  Here she had just come home from the hospital earlier that day, fought with him that afternoon, been attacked that evening and now hustled out of her home and dragged out into the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night.  That was a lot for a healthy person to deal with, let alone someone who had just been discharged within the past twenty-four hours.

            Leaning over, JC unbuckled her seat belt and allowed it to retract into the holder behind her head.  Gently, he took the back of his hand and rubbed her cheek with it.  She stirred slightly, but did not wake up. 

            “Cassandra,” he whispered.  “Come on, honey.  You have to wake up.  We’re here.”

            She turned more into the seat and nestled her head against the headrest.  Her eyes did not open nor did she respond to his request.

            He bent over and placed a tender kiss on her forehead.  “Come on, baby.  Wake up for me.”

            Her eyelids fluttered open and she looked into the deepest blue eyes she had ever seen.  “Hmmm?  What?  Are we there?”  She asked groggily.

            “Yep.  Come on.  We’re going inside.”

            She sat up straight and looked around at her surroundings.  “JC, you know it still isn’t too late.  Why don’t you just turn this car around and take me home?”

            Flashing his bright smile he answered her.  “Sorry, babe!  No can do! Welcome to my humble abode.  Mi casa es su casa!”

            “Oh, my!  How continental we sound!”

            “I thought you’d like that.”

            He pulled his key out of the ignition, jumped out of the car and walked around to the passenger side.  Opening the door, he ushered her out.  She stumbled as her feet touched the ground and JC threw his arms around her, trying to steady her.

            “Thanks,” she laughed.  “I guess I’m not fully awake yet.”

            “Good.  Then you should fall right back to sleep after I get you all tucked in.”  He smiled brightly at her.

JC opened the front door and ushered her inside.  He flipped on the hall light and threw his keys down on the table next to the doorway.  Placing his hand on the small of her back, he motioned for her to enter his living room.  Again, he flipped on a light and Cassandra drew a gasp at the beauty of the room before her.  Two leather armchairs separated by an oak table were across the room facing her.  The back of a matching leather sofa was directly in front of her.  There were two matching oak tables on either end of the sofa.  To the right was a magnificent fireplace and to the left was a doorway that led to another room.  It was, indeed, a man’s room.  But it was wonderful.

            “This is beautiful, JC.”  She looked up at him.

            He smiled.  “I’m glad you like it.  Come in.  Sit down on the sofa.  I’ll go and get you something to drink.”

            “I’m fine, really.  I don’t need anything.”

            JC winked at her.  “I think a glass of water is in order.  I’ll be right back.”

            He motioned her over to the sofa as he disappeared through the doorway to the left of the room.  Hesitantly, she sat down on the soft leather.  Instinctively she curled her legs under her as she nestled back into the corner of the sofa.  It was soft and snuggly and she felt so at home on it.  Without even giving it a second thought, she laid her head against the pillowy back of the sofa and closed her eyes while she waited for JC to return from the kitchen.

            “Okay, here we …” JC stopped in his tracks.  A smile crossed his lips as he looked at Cassandra’s sleeping form curled up on his sofa.  She looked so peaceful, so at home.  To his mind, she looked just like she belonged there. 

            Setting the water down on the end table, JC reached for the afghan that was draped across the back of the sofa.  Quietly he opened it up, and gently laid it over her.  It covered her from shoulder to toe.  A low growl escaped her lips as she snuggled down into the afghan and stretched her legs out under it.  Reaching his hand up to rub the back of his neck, JC knew he had done the right thing in bringing her to his house.

            He turned off the bright light at the end of the sofa and made his way to the armchair that was across from the sofa.  He sat down, stretching his legs out in front of him.  Within moments he, too, was sound asleep.

            The warmth of the morning sun settled over JC’s sleeping form.  Groggily he opened his eyes and stretched his body.  He was stiff from sleeping in the chair.  His eyes wandered around the room and stopped on the sofa across from him.  He hoped that Cassandra had managed to get some sleep.  To his surprise, she was not there.  The afghan was folded neatly and placed on the back of the sofa.  If he hadn’t known better, it looked as if she had never been there.

            Quickly he rose to his feet.  Trying to gather his bearings, he scanned around trying to discern where she might be.  A smile crossed his lips as the smell of frying bacon made its way to his nose.  Instinctively he made his way to the kitchen.

            Leaning against the doorjamb, he crossed his arms and watched her as she attempted to find her way around his kitchen.  There was a pan on the stove with bacon simmering in it.  Another pan was sitting in wait to fry eggs.  The toaster was on the counter with a loaf of bread next to it.  Two slices of bread poked out of the top of the toaster and the container of butter sat next to the loaf of bread.  A wide smile crossed his face.  She looked good in his kitchen.  Her hair was a bit tousled, yet she looked great to him.  As she reached up into one of the top cupboards, her shirt rose, exposing her bare midriff to his gaze.  He liked what he saw.

            “Damn.”  She whispered to herself as she tried to reach the dishes that were on the second shelf, just out of her easy reach.

            “Would you like a hand?”  He caught her off guard.

            Cassandra spun around in surprise.  “Don’t do that, JC!”  She practically screamed at him from fright.

            He walked over to her and took hold of her upper arms. 

            “I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean to scare you.  You just looked so cute trying to reach those dishes.”

            “Well, why do they have to be up so high?”

            He arched an eyebrow.  “Because that’s where I like them.  I can reach them there.”

            He chuckled as she looked down, blushing.  He reached up and took her chin in his hand.  “I never expected to have someone else wanting to reach my dishes.”

            “It’s just that I’m on the short side, in case you hadn’t noticed.  I get upset with things that are put up high.”

            “I’ll keep that in mind.  So, what are we having?”

            “Bacon, eggs and toast.  It’s all I could find in your refrigerator.”

            “Sounds good to me.  How much longer before it’s ready?”

            “Oh, I think in about ten minutes.  Is that okay?”

            “It’s perfect.  I’m gonna run and grab a quick shower.  I’ll be right back.”  He turned to leave, but stopped and turned back to look at her.  “That is, unless you need me to reach something else for you.”

            She smacked him on the shoulder and laughed.  “Go on and take your shower.  By the time you get out breakfast will be ready.”

            Making short work of the shower, JC hurried through the ritual; he shaved, dressed and rushed bacl into the kitchen.  His hair was still damp, but brushed back.  He noticed that she had the table set and all of the food was in place.  She had made a pot of coffee and placed a silk flower arrangement in the center of the table.

            They made short work of the breakfast.  JC thought he hadn’t had anything so good since his last visit home to his mother and dad.  He helped her clear the table, dried the dishes and joked about putting things away for her because some of the things were too high for her.  When they had finished, she excused herself and went into the bathroom to try to make herself more presentable.

            Opening her purse, she found her travel toothbrush and took care of that small amenity.  Next she used her hairbrush and gathered her hair into a neat ponytail with a scrunchie she had found in the bottom of the purse.  She washed her face, trying to make the cut under her left eye look less than it actually was.  There was a bruise around it, but it had managed to close up neatly and really looked only like a bad scratch.  She dabbed on a bit of mascara and a light lipstick and stepped back a bit to look at herself.  Shaking her head and sighing, she knew it wasn’t going to get any better than it was. 

            “Are you alright?”  JC asked as she entered the living room.

            “Yep.”  She responded as lightly as she could.

            “You know, I hate to do this, but if you remember, I was supposed to have an early day.  It’s already nine-thirty.  I’ve got to get to the studio.  We have a recording session today.”  He tried to gauge her response.

            “Would you like to come with me?”  He asked hopefully.

            “Actually, I don’t think so, JC.  You’ve taken me in under the worst set of circumstances I could ever imagine.  I am not going to go to work with you.”

            “What will you do?”

            “I don’t know.  Maybe just watch a little television.”

            “That would be good.  You could get a lot of rest.  I like the sound of that.”

            “I’ll just curl up on that sofa again and I’ll be all set.  You go and don’t even give me a second thought.”

            “I might not be home until late.  Sometimes these sessions go into the wee hours of the morning.  If that’s the case, you just go upstairs, and take the second room on the right.  That’s my guest room.  Curl up in the bed, and have a great night’s sleep.  We’ll figure everything else out tomorrow.”

            Cassandra looked at her watch.  Then she smiled at him.  “You go on.  I’ll be fine.  More than likely I’ll see you sometime tomorrow.”

            Something in the way she said that put JC on notice.  He had the feeling something wasn’t quite right, but he couldn’t put his finger on it.  He walked over to her and looked deep into her brown eyes.  Then, without warning, he placed a sweet kiss on her forehead. 

            “I’ll see you sooner than that, if it’s at all possible.”

            With that, he turned and walked out of the house.

            Cassandra listened as his jeep backed out of the driveway and headed down the road. When she was certain that he was gone, she walked over to the door and found her overnight bag still sitting where JC had left it the previous night.  She looked around at her surroundings. 

            While it was true that she felt safe in JC’s house, Cassandra knew that she couldn’t stay there.  She did not want to put JC in that position, nor would she.  Walking over to the telephone on the desk in the corner of the room, Cassandra found a local telephone directory beneath it.  She pulled it out and looked up the number of the nearest taxi service.  One way or another she had to find her way home.  Unconsciously, she glanced at her watch.  It was nine-forty.  The thought of Thomas being at her place at ten o’clock was screaming in her brain. 

            Hurriedly, she called for a taxi, and waited the fifteen minutes it took for the cab to arrive by the front door.  Her purse and overnight bag were sitting beside her, ready to be hauled out on a moment’s notice. 

            The cab arrived and Cassandra made one last look around the house.  She saw the note she had quickly written on JC’s sofa, a place she felt certain he would find it.  She didn’t want to appear ungrateful, so the note was full of thanks and appreciation.  She double-checked her purse to be certain that she had enough cash to pay for the taxi.  Then she opened the door, stepped outside, and gently closed the door behind her.  A sense of sadness covered her.  She felt despair at leaving JC’s house, as if she might never return again to its warmth and safety.  Nonetheless, Cassandra knew she had to go.  Silently she loaded herself into the taxi and stared longingly at the house as it faded in the distance.

            The forty-five minute ride to her house was an excruciatingly long one.  The driver made no conversation with her, nor did she attempt to converse with him.  As the car pulled to a stop in front of the small frame house, Cassandra stepped out, paid the cabbie, grabbed her purse and overnight bag and turned to head up the walkway. 

            Drawing a deep breath, she prepared herself for what she knew would be waiting for her.  The car was in the driveway.  The front door was ajar.  She knew more of the previous evenings events were about to be replayed.  She had no choice.  There was no turning back at this point.  It was a sheer case of facing the music.  She prayed for strength as she walked up the porch and through the door.  She placed her bag and purse down, closed the front door and stared into the living room. 

            There he sat, looking like some king on a throne.  His arms were resting on the armrests of the chair and his right leg was crossed over his left leg.  An air of superiority radiated from him.  He pulled himself up to the edge of the chair as she entered the room.  His eyes raged with anger.

            “Where the hell have you been?”  Thomas demanded of her.

            “That’s none of your business.”

            “My goodness, you’re getting pretty brave in the light of day, aren’t you?”

            “You could say that.”  She countered.

            He stood and walked menacingly toward her.

            “I’m gonna ask you one more time, Cassandra.  Where have you been?”

            She shrugged.  “Looks like the answer is still the same, Thomas.  That’s none of your business.”

            He started to raise a hand toward her, but stopped it in mid-air.  Recognition shown in his eyes.  He arched an eyebrow and took a step closer to her.

            “I know where you were.”  He said coldly.

            “Good for you.”  She responded, not moving from her place in front of him.

            “You were with that singer you met at the hospital, weren’t you?”

            Cassandra made no response.

            “That confirms it.  The one thing I learned about you during our time together is that if you have to lie, you’d rather not answer.  So, tell me, where did he take you?”

            She stared at him making no response.

            He grabbed her roughly by the shoulders.

            “Where did he take you?”

            Cassandra lowered her chin and raised her eyes in a defiant manner.  Her eyes stared angrily at him and her jaw was clenched tightly. 

            “Let go of me.”  She hissed through tightly locked teeth.

            “My, my, my.  Aren’t we the defiant one?  It doesn’t become you, Cassandra.”

            “I said, let go of me.”  She repeated herself.

            “You’ve got something confused, my dear.  It’s me who gives the orders around here, not you.  Now!”  He yelled.  “Where in the hell did he take you?”

            Cassandra felt a cold shiver race down her spine.  Her hands were shaking and sweating, but she would not cave in to his threatening demeanor.  If she were to tell Thomas where she had been the previous night, he would go after JC.  That was the last thing that she wanted.  It was obvious to her that she would not be able to see JC anymore.  For his own sake, Cassandra knew she would have to steer clear of him, or Thomas would make both of their lives a living hell.

            Knowing there was no other way out of this attack, she decided to prove him wrong.  Cassandra was going to lie to him.

            “He didn’t take me anywhere!”  She looked at him straight on.

            “You’re lying!”  He screamed.

            “Oh, no I’m not!  I needed to get out of here so I went to stay at a motel.  I knew you’d be back, I just wasn’t sure when.  I needed to sleep, so I went to a motel.  Now!”  She met his gaze head on.  “I want you to let me go and I want you out of here.  I am through with you and all of your little stunts.”

            “Is that so?”  He tried to bully her.

            “Yes, that’s so!  Get out of here and leave me alone!  I’d rather die an old maid, as to end up with the likes of you.”

            “You know, I don’t like this cocky attitude of yours.  I think I need to set your little ass straight.  Apparently you didn’t learn your lesson last night.  You think it’s all so cute to come on to that fancy musician friend of yours while I sit back and play the dutiful boyfriend, just waiting for you to come back to me.”

            “Hey, don’t wait for me!  I’m not coming back to you.”

            “Shut up!”  He screamed again.

            “No!”  She yelled back at him.  “I will not shut up.  This has nothing to do with JC.  I told you months ago that I was through with you.  You just chose not to believe me!  I want you gone, out of my life, away from me.  How much more clear can I make it?  What kind of a moron are you?”

            That was the final straw for Thomas.  Without a second thought, he raised his right hand and struck a hard slap to her left cheek, sending her to the floor.  Her hand came up to touch the spot he had hit, the sting bringing tears to her eyes.

            The front door flew open and Thomas spun around to see who dared to intrude on him and Cassandra.

            JC stood there, anger emanating from every cell in his body.  He looked at Thomas, then at Cassandra and then at Thomas again.

            “You son of a bitch!”  JC swore at him.  “Who in the hell do you think you are?”

            “You can shut up that pretty boy face of yours, Chasez!  This has nothing to do with you.”

            “Like hell it doesn’t.  Did you just hit her?”  JC glared at him.  “Come on, tell me, did you just hit her?”

            Cassandra rose slowly to her feet.  She tried to wedge herself between the two angry men. 

            “JC, don’t do this.  Let it go.”  She pleaded with him.

            “No chance, honey!  This one’s going down!  I will not tolerate any man hitting on a woman.”

            “You aren’t man enough to stop me!”

            “Watch me!”

            “No!”  Cassandra screamed.  “Stop this!  Both of you have to stop!” 

            The two men stood looking at her.  Neither of them moved for a few moments.  Their breathing was erratic and they both had their hands clenched at their sides into fists.

But, it was Thomas who made the first move.

            “You know what?  You aren’t worth all of this trouble.”  He spat at Cassandra.  “If this loser wants you, he’s got you.  I’m out of here.”

            “Make that permanently.”  JC stated.

            The front door slammed shut as Thomas stormed out of the house.  The silence in the living room was deafening as Cassandra stood, quietly staring at the door.  Her body was trembling nearly uncontrollably.  JC turned and caught the look on her face.  It was the look of fear.  Her tears fell silently down her cheeks, the left one not only cut and bruised, but now a new mark was there as well.

            JC’s mind raced as he searched for something to say.  When he saw Cassandra raise her hand to her mouth he moved to her.  Her hand shook as she covered her lips to keep from crying out.  He wrapped her in the safety of his arms and turned her toward her couch.

            “Come on, Cassandra.  Let’s sit down for a second.”

            Without any objection, JC helped her take a seat on the couch.  He sat beside her, never breaking contact with her.  His eyes wandered over her, noting every little detail of who she was.  He saw the fear, anxiety, and trepidation that seemed to encase her.  Her tears continued to fall, although they came silently.

            “Cassandra, I have to ask, why did you come back here?”  He asked it as softly as he could.

            She only shook her head.

            “I just had the feeling you were going to do this.  Does he mean that much to you?”

            His question took her by surprise.  Instantly she turned her head to look at him, her eyes wide with disbelief.  How could this man, someone she thought was a friend, believe that she would endanger herself with someone like Thomas?

            “You don’t understand, do you, JC?”

            “I’m afraid I don’t.  I left you ready to watch TV.  But, something told me you would come back here.  All I want to know is, why?”

            Sinking back into the couch, Cassandra drew her knees up to her chest and held on to them tightly.  She rocked back and forth on the seat.

            “JC, if I don’t stand up to him, I will never be rid of him.  If I let him continue to control me, he will always control me.  I want to be rid of him.  I have to do this to get him to leave me alone.  He doesn’t mean a thing to me.”

            JC looked at her curiously.  “Cassandra, I don’t mean to question what you are doing, but how can coming up against him, letting him hit you, get him out of here?”

            “I have to face him down.  It’s the only way I can think of.  I’ve tried everything else.  I don’t know what else to do.”

            Her tears began to fall again and she raised her hands to cover her face.

            “Don’t cry, Cassandra.  I’m going to help you get rid of him.”

            She looked up at him.  “How?”

            “I’m not sure yet.  But, I know there has to be something we can do.  I’ve got lots of friends in high places.  Let me make a few phone calls.  I know I can get something done.

            “Now, I’ve got to get to the studio.  Come on,” he said grabbing her wrist.

            “What?”

            “You’re coming with me.  I’m not letting you out of my sight.  You can watch me do my thing, we’ll have lunch, I’ll do some more work, and then we’ll have dinner.  It’ll be the most boring day of your life, but it will definitely be the safest.”

            Cassandra managed a weak smile.  “You know, I can’t imagine any day in your life being described as boring.  I’d love to go with you.  I think it would be exactly what I need.”

            Arriving at the studio, JC looked up and saw his good friend Justin walking toward him.  Justin looked over JC’s shoulder and saw Cassandra walking behind him.  Justin’s blue eyes looked at his friend questioning.

            “Don’t worry, Justin.  She’s just here to hang out.  It’s no big deal.”

            “Hey, C, it’s all cool with me.”  Justin nodded in Cassandra’s direction.  “How long will she be here?”

            “She’s spending the day.”

            Justin remembered that JC had made a lunch date the day before.

            “Uh, C.  Can I talk to you for just a second.”

            Looking at his friend suspiciously, JC motioned to Cassandra to wait and moved aside with Justin.

            “What is it, J?”

            “Aren’t you forgetting something?”

            JC shook his head.  “What?”

            “You have a lunch date for today.”

            “I do?  With who?”  JC paused only momentarily.  “Oh, shit!  Suzie!  I totally forgot about it.  Damn, what am I going to do?”

            Justin took a deep breath.  “Look, pal.  I can bail you out.  I’ll take Cassandra to lunch, and you take Suzie.  That way you won’t have any explaining to do.”

            “But, I told Cassandra I’d take her to lunch.”

            “C, you can’t take them both.  Not with the mixed up feelings you are showing right now.  Go on to the Hunan Palace with Suzie.  I’ll take Cassandra somewhere else so there won’t be any distraction that Suzie might pick up on.”

            “Where are you taking Cassandra?”  JC seemed concerned.

            “C, don’t worry about it.  It will be someplace close.  We’ll be back in plenty of time for the afternoon session.”

            Nodding his concession, JC walked over to Cassandra and told her about the change of plans.  He would only say that he had forgotten he had a previous engagement lined up for lunch, and he apologized a number of times.  Cassandra was fine with the change in plans, and said she didn’t mind having lunch with Justin.

            The recording session was uneventful.  Both JC and Justin continually informed Cassandra of different aspects of the studio and the session they were working on.  Their friends Lance, Chris and Joey worked just as hard as the two of them.  Each time they finished recording a song, Cassandra would compliment them on how perfect it sounded.  But regardless of her compliments, one of them would find some little imperfection in the song, and would request to re-record it.  Finally, the studio engineer announced that they would take an hour break for lunch.

            JC looked at Cassandra, his blue eyes sad with the thought of departing without her.  Justin, sensing JC’s hesitation, walked straight over to Cassandra and announced that he would take her down the street to the nearby deli for a sandwich and salad.  Cassandra smiled and reached down for her purse.  Walking past JC with Justin, Cassandra smiled at him and told him she’d see him in an hour.  JC only nodded and followed the two of them out to the parking lot.  Justin and Cassandra climbed into Justin’s car while JC got into his SUV and headed toward the Chinese restaurant to meet Suzie.  He had called her and told her to meet him there instead of him picking her up so they would have more time together.  She jumped at the chance with the thought of spending a few extra moments with this wonderful man.

            His real reason for meeting her there was simply he didn’t feel like trying to make idle talk in the car on the way to the restaurant.  Parking his vehicle next to hers in the parking lot, JC climbed out and nearly bumped head on into her as she came from behind the SUV.

            “Hey, Josh!  It’s been so long!”  She reached up on tiptoes and planted a kiss on him.  “How are you, honey?”

            “Hey, Suzie!  I’m good.”  He gently pushed her back.  He wondered why her greeting did not affect him more.  There had been a time when her kiss and the feel of her arms around him were what he waited for.  Somehow, today, it was different.  Trying to move her in the direction of the restaurant, JC put his hand on the small of her back and motioned her in the direction of the door.

            Once the hostess had seated them, Suzie leaned in toward JC.  Her brown eyes met his blue eyes, but she had a frown on her face.

            “What’s the matter, Josh?  You don’t seem quite yourself today.  Are you still under the weather?”  The sound of her voice reminded him of fingernails scraping against a chalkboard. 

            “I think I’m still in the recovery process.  It’s been kind of tough.”

            “You shouldn’t be in the studio so soon, sweetie.  Why don’t I take you home after lunch and play Florence Nightingale for you.”

            JC forced a smile.  “You’d do that for me, wouldn’t you, Suzie?  That’s really sweet, but the guys are waiting for me to come back and work out a kink in one of the songs.”

            “Josh, they’ve waited this long, one more day won’t hurt.”

            “Suzie, no!  I have to go back.”  He answered her more forcefully than he had intended.  Instantly he felt remorseful.  “I’m sorry, honey.  I guess I’ve just bitten off more than I can chew.  How about we order some lunch.”

    &