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Prologue
Ten years ago
“Cassidy, I’ve got to go, baby,” he said, his lips pressed against my forehead. My arms were tightly wrapped around him, tears steadily flowing down my face.
I knew this day was coming, yet the reality was far worse than anything I imagined.
“I know, but I don’t want to let you go, Cade.”
He was two years older than me, so while I was finishing up high school, he was off to start his college career.
“I’ll be back before you know it and we can get married and live happily ever after.”
“Promise?” I asked, looking up into his beautiful eyes.
“I promise, Cass,” he whispered, kissing me one more time before he headed off through the gate to board the plane.
Six months later, when I became the laughingstock of our small town after he married someone he met while away in college, I vowed to move away from everyone’s small-mindedness. Oh, and it was the last time I would believe someone else’s promises.
One
Cassidy
Present Day
I sigh as I pull up to the trailer I’m currently living in with my mom. Coming home has sucked, but my folks needed me after Daddy got hurt while at work, so here I am, in BFE, also known as the North Georgia mountains, struggling to find my place in the community again.
I hear the whispers whenever I’m at work as a clerk in the grocery store and know that even a decade later, folks still think mine and Cade’s ‘broken love story’ is something to gossip about. As for me, I keep my mouth shut and my head held high. I wasn’t the one who broke their promise. Nope, that was him. And now that he is rich and famous and I am still just me, I’m sure the gossips have a shitload to say about that as well.
Turning off my car, I get out then grab the bags of groceries I’d snagged so I can make dinner. Now that it’s just me and Mom, she relies on me for pretty much everything. I know she’s grieving the loss of my father, just like I am, but it’s as if she’s completely shut herself off from everything, which means I’m doing practically everything these days. Honestly, it’s starting to wear me down. I mean, here I am, allegedly in the prime of my life and all I have to show for it is… well, nothing, actually. No great job, no boyfriend, no kids… nada, zip, zilch. Determined not to let my current thoughts get me down, I close the door and make my way inside.
“Hey, Mom,” I call out.
I’m never sure what kind of mood I’ll find her in, but looking around, it seems like today has been a good day . The trailer, never really dirty to begin with, sparkles and smells lemony fresh and I know she’s been cleaning. Good. I didn’t want to deal with that on top of making dinner and trying to figure out if we had enough to pay the bills this month. We’re waiting on a settlement from the accident that took my daddy from us, but it’s taking forever, like these things seem to do. In the meantime, we’re eating lean and I’m taking every shift I can to make sure that I keep the lights on, and our cell phone bills paid. Thankfully, the land and trailer are owned free and clear, but taxes are looming as well, and I’m pretty sure the septic tank is due to be emptied or whatever it is that those folks do. I’m definitely grateful for our local food pantry, which is phenomenal. Not only do we get to come in twice a month, but right now, we’re getting farm fresh eggs, along with venison that some local hunters had processed then donated. Since I know she’s in a good mood, I put a smile on my own face, something I’ve learned to do since Daddy died.
“Hi, sweetie!” Mom singsongs as she comes from the back hallway. “Got some news today.”
She seems to have a glow about her, something that’s been missing for a long time. I notice that she’s taken pains to do her hair, and if I’m not mistaken, she’s even wearing makeup.
“Oh yeah?” I ask.
“Yeah, the attorney called, and they got the settlement check in today! We can go into town tomorrow and get that taken care of if you don’t have to work.”
I quickly think about my schedule and realize that I work the afternoon shift. “As long as we can go first thing, it shouldn’t be a problem, Mom. I don’t go in until twelve.”
“Oh, that’s great. I’ll go call him back and let him know, okay?” she questions, already turning back toward her room.
“That’s fine, Mom. How’s spaghetti for dinner sound?”
“Sounds good to me. I’ll give you a hand in a few minutes.”
I nod even though she’s already left the room and then set about getting dinner prepared. Sounds like I need to pull out our budget and see what we can take care of right away so that we can rest easy.
Right now, I’m grateful that despite my dad’s income, we always lived somewhat frugally. However, even though he had a Worker’s Compensation claim, my mom had to dip into their savings for things that were denied. I know the attorney has all those receipts, as well as the ones from the funeral home.
Thank goodness for my college fund, I think as I stir the ground beef after adding some spices. I was in my second year, and had a scholarship which covered most of my expenses, but my parents had saved and what I didn’t use while in college went to various bills to ensure we continued to have a roof over our heads.
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