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Mavis sighed. “I’m going to visit you all the time, probably more than you’ll ever want!” She smiled, pulling Casey in for a hug. “And you always have a place to stay when you visit me in Rosewood,” she whispered in her ear.
Casey nodded and swallowed, clinging to the person she loved most in the world.
“This isn’t goodbye,” murmured Mavis.
“I know. It’s just a see you later.” Pulling away, Casey closed her eyes and fought the dizzy spell descending on her body. She tugged Mavis from the mattress and opened the bedroom door, bracing herself for the imminent final farewell.
Silence met their ears as they entered the hall. Austin stood, hunched over the countertop with a cup of steaming coffee in his face. Josh scrolled through his phone in a seat at the dining room table. Neither Templeton twin acknowledged that the other existed.
“Ready?” Josh asked, pocketing his phone as he looked up.
Mavis nodded and stepped to his side, snuggling her body into his. “Yep, I think so.” She brushed a tear from her cheek as she looked back. “See you this summer, right, Case? The wedding.”
“Wouldn’t miss it, Mavs.” Casey dropped her gaze as they moved to the apartment door, scooping up their last bag and travel coffee mugs.
“See you back home,” murmured Josh as he pulled the door closed, his gaze lingering on his brother. The latch clicked, and their footsteps faded down the staircase.
Sorrow squeezed her heart, puncturing it with a dull blade of distress. Tears burned the back of her eyes as she rammed them shut and buried her face in her palms. In her moment of weakness, of sadness, of grief, Austin’s arms wrapped around her, circling her with sympathy and support.
“She’s gone,” she choked out into his chest, tears staining his wrinkled t-shirt.
“Yeah, she is.”
CHAPTER THREE
Austin
The plane’s wheelscollided with the LAX tarmac with all the grace and skill of a pilot’s inaugural flight. Austin rattled in his seat as the speed of the aircraft decreased.Who the fuck is flying this thing?He swallowed, fighting the growing desire to search for the air sickness bag in the seat pocket. A hangover was one thing, but a hangover on a four-hour flight sobered him of any alcohol-related plans in the near future.
He survived the baggage claim and called for a ride home. Within minutes, Austin strapped himself into the back seat of a silver Prius. The car pulled away from the terminal, and he breathed a sigh of relief to be back on the familiar highway and out of the air.
Chicago flashed through his mind. On his trip to the Windy City, he had just one intention—a small glimmer of hope to earn a spot back in his brother’s good graces. But he’d left with something unexpected instead. Casey tripped into his brain, the charming, quirky girl with a love of Wrigley Field, lessening the sour mood of his soul.
“Cinderella...” he whispered.
“You say something?” The driver lifted his gaze to the rearview mirror.
