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"Pretty much… he just wanted to make it clear. It was definitely me, not him."
"How thoughtful,” Stacey sneered, then her expression softened as she reached over to touch her friend’s shoulder. “Cass… you like what makes you feel comfortable, that’s all. There is nothing wrong with that. It doesn’t make you boring, just you. And if that fucker can't accept it, then that's on him. You are a great catch. So what if you’re not that adventurous. With a bod like yours, any guy would be drooling to go out with you. You just need to show it off now and then.”
“What with my fat ass and belly?” Stacey rolled her eyes. “I still can’t believe you made me buy this thing. I wear more in the shower.”
“What? It looks great on you. You’ve got all the right curves for a bikini, and your tits look great in it. All you need now is a sexy little skirt to show off your legs and maybe a…” Cassandra’s stomach dropped as her friend’s eyes lit up with an all too familiar look. Oh no, she wasn’t thinking… “I know, why don't we go across the border and hit the town for a girl’s night? Do a little shopping in Puerto Banus. Have a few drinks. Find a couple of hot Spanish boys. You know what they say, the best way to get over a bad break up is getting under a hot lay..."
"Eww... no!" Cassandra laughed in mock disgust. Why was she not surprised. Shopping, drinks and sex- Stacey’s holy trinity. Though not exclusively in that order.
“Aww… Okay, what about just shopping and drinks then? Come on, Cass, it’s only an hour away. We can be there and back again before it even gets late. And you got all those euros for spending money… and it's the off-season, so the sales are on. Just imagine the bargains!”
"Yeah, thanks, but I think I’ll pass. My girls and I are staying right here. But you go."
Stacey slumped back on her inflatable with a sigh. "Na, it's ok, I don't want to leave you all alone with Dad.”
“Don’t be silly, this is your break too, you go, have some fun, your dad barely comes out of his cave any way right? It’ll be just like I have my own private little getaway." Even as she said it, Cassandra couldn’t help a glance back towards the house, her eyes moving towards Mr Street’s office window, disappointed but not surprised to find it empty.
However, Stacey was already halfway across the pool to the ledge and didn’t bother to reign in her excitement as she called back, "Kay, if you're sure!"
Then she was up and out and almost skipping across the villa’s back porch, before vanishing through into the kitchen without so much as a backwards wave.
Cassandra watched her go with the smallest of smiles. God bless Stacey. She always knew just what to say.
Not.
She always had the right of it, but translation got muddled in transit, somewhere between her brain and her mouth. But her heart was in the right place.
It was her idea to come out here. No sooner had Casandra told her flatmate and old childhood friend what had happened with Nathan, she was on the phone to their boss getting them both some time off. Stacey never left anything to chance and knew Cassandra well enough to know she would likely try weaselling out of what she had planned by simply saying she couldn't get the time off. Only as an afterthought had she then called her dad to ask if they could use his villa in Gibraltar for the week, with an extra helping of the daddy's little princess routine just to make sure.
She needn't have bothered. Mr. Street had always been cool like that, even before his divorce. Firm but laid back, and a big strong softie with a softer spot just for his daughter and her friends.
Or it might have had something to do with the fact he’d already been out here and wouldn't have to worry about his nice tidy villa getting trashed by a pair of boozed up party girls.
Not that he’d have had much to worry about on her account. Stacey might have been the good-time girl, but being the boring little introvert that she was, Cassandra rarely ever went out to party. And she never, ever got pissed.
I’m sorry, Cass, but you’re just too boring for me.
No! Inwardly screaming defiance, she rolled off the inflatable and plugged down through the pool’s crystal waters. After the warmth of the Mediterranean sun, the depths raked her like shards of ice as she kicked angrily for the bottom, then rolled and torpedoed from the tiles for the surface, breaching up to grab a breath before breast stroking for the edge. Nathan’s words constantly echoed in her ears, taunting her.
No, that wasn’t who she was. Stacey was right. She’d prove that arrogant son of a bitch wrong. She could step out of her comfort zone. She could do the unexpected.
She could… She would… Oh, who the fuck was she kidding?
Hauling herself out of the frigid waters, she made straight for the lounger where she’d laid out her towel, lying back and wrapping it around her like a cocoon. It was hopeless. If she didn’t even have the balls to go out on an impromptu shopping trip with her best friend, how the hell was she ever going to break out of her slump?
What could she do to break the cycle?
Who-
“Room for one more?”
The familiar, low rasp sent a hot rush sizzling down her spine and tingling out to her fingertips.
Oh god, that voice!
Her heart suddenly fluttered like a robin red-breast in a cage and Cassandra’s breath caught in her throat as she twisted round and saw him walking out of the house.
David Street, Stacey’s dad. A god among mortal men.
