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Cassidy felt her hand being squeezed by Regina, who was sitting on her right. She looked over at her cousin, buoyed by the encouraging smile and the support she was showing her. With a smile of her own, she squeezed her cousin’s hand back.
After she managed to get her pulse beating at a normal pace she glanced over at the Lynches again, meeting Tate’s gaze head on. He looked nervous. And worried. His brows were furrowed, and his handsome face was showing signs of tension. What was going on with him? Did the fact that she and Holly were in such close proximity bother him that much? What exactly did he think she was capable of doing?
Cassidy took out her hymnal and began singing along to one of her favorites, “Just a Closer Walk With Thee.” As she sang along with the church choir and the congregation, strong memories came flooding back to her. As a child she’d been a member of the Main Street Church’s children’s choir, along with Regina, Holly and Jenna. It had been the genesis of their friendship. The church no longer had a children’s choir, and she thought it was a pity. Children needed to know that they too had something to offer up to God. Listening to the purity and beauty of their little voices was a soul-stirring experience. It was truly a wondrous gift.
At the end of the service, Cassidy watched her father walk to the back of the church and greet the parishioners as they exited. As was her tradition, her mother joined her father in greeting the congregation. Holly sat across the way talking to Tate, her face animated as they exchanged words, going back and forth like a Ping Pong ball. Judging by Tate’s stern expression, mingled with the mutinous look on Holly’s face, she suspected that they were arguing. Most likely about her.
“What are you waiting for? Aren’t you going to say hello?” Regina asked.
“I’m waiting for the butterflies to settle.” Cassidy smoothed the fabric of her white cotton dress and fidgeted with the belt cinched around her waist.
“Don’t wait too long,
” Regina warned. “Tate looks like he’s about to hustle her out of here. Then again,” she said as she glanced over at the Lynches, “I think Holly can hold her own. She looks mad enough to spit nails.”
Cassidy glanced over Regina’s shoulder, noticing the tension between the Lynches. Tate and Holly were incredibly close siblings and always had been. Causing friction in their relationship was the last thing she wanted to happen. But Tate needed to understand that she wasn’t leaving Main Street Church without first having a heart-to-heart with Holly. Running away was no longer an option.
She threw her hands up in the air. “This is ridiculous! I’m just going to get this over with.”
With a sigh of resignation she walked over to the Lynches, the jingling of her stacked bracelets heralding her arrival. Tate was facing her, his expression wary, arms folded across his chest. Their eyes met, and she could see the vulnerability in their icy blue depths. He wasn’t angry, she realized. He was scared. Scared she was going to do something to hurt Holly again, she imagined.
I won’t hurt her. She sent the message to him with her eyes, hoping he still believed in her enough to trust her. His face softened and he seemed a little more relaxed.
“Cassidy,” Tate drawled, causing Holly to spin her chair around so that she was face to face with her.
Joy fluttered inside her—part of her felt as light and airy as a butterfly—as she looked at a face that was almost as familiar to her as her own.
Just then her father walked up. Holly’s face lit up when she saw him. He greeted Tate with a smile and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.
“Why don’t you girls find a quiet place to talk,” he suggested. “My office is empty. It will give you the privacy you need.”
Holly and Cassidy looked at each other, both nodding in agreement. With a look of satisfaction on his face, her father ushered them toward the hallway. When Tate moved to follow them, he reached out and gently grabbed him by the arm.
“They don’t need an audience, Tate. Whatever they have to say to each other should only be heard by one another. I know how you feel about protecting Holly, and frankly I feel the same way about Cassidy, but this is their moment.”
Tate glanced over at his sister. “Is that okay with you?”
“You heard Pastor Blake,” Holly admonished. “This is just between me and Cassidy.”
Tate grimaced, then took a few steps back. Cassidy followed Holly down the hall to the church offices. When they reached his office her father opened up the door and ushered them inside. As Cassidy walked past him he winked at her and squeezed her arm.
“Take however long you need,” he said before closing the door behind him.
As soon as the door closed Cassidy took a moment to look around her. Her father’s office had always been her favorite place in Main Street Church. It was a cheery place, with sunlight streaming through the windows, a rich mahogany desk and chair as well as a comfy sofa and coffee table. In the corner sat a mini fridge that he stocked with Dr Pepper. She remembered many a day when she would curl up on the sofa when she was waiting around the church for her father.
“Cat got your tongue.”
She turned to face Holly, getting her first up close and personal look at her for the first time in eight years. It was funny how a person could look the same, yet different. She was thinner, although her arms were way more muscular than they’d ever been in high school. She imagined the muscles were a result of using her arms to navigate her wheelchair. Her eyes were still cornflower blue, her hair still blond and a bit wild. She was still beautiful. Still Holly. And she still had that way of looking right through you and cutting straight to the chase.
Cassidy sucked in a deep breath. “I’m going to take a seat,” she said, seating herself in one of the antique cherrywood chairs that had belonged to one of her great-greats. “I don’t think these legs of mine are going to hold up.”
Holly narrowed her eyes. “You’re nervous.”
“Yes, I am. Silly, isn’t it. We were best friends for eleven years, and I can barely look you in the eye.” She held out her trembling hands. “See. I’m a wreck. I just don’t want to say the wrong thing.” She bit her lip as her mind raced with all the things she wanted to say, all the regret she had stored up inside her. But she knew it would never be enough. It would never fully convey her profound remorse.
Holly folded her arms across her chest. Her blue eyes were frosty. “Well, anything is better than silence. That’s all you’ve given me over the past eight years. A profound, deafening silence. And it spoke volumes, Cassidy. You’ve managed to avoid this face-to-face meeting for a long time.”
“I know. This moment is long overdue,” Cassidy acknowledged, trying to find an opening so she could make her apologies and try to bridge the gap between them.
