Chapter 18

“Where are you going?” Gianna asked as they passed each other in the lobby of the bank.

“I’m fixing dinner for Max’s kids tonight. If I run to the store during my lunch break, after work I’ll go to his house and have it done before he gets there with them.”

“You’ve been seeing him for a couple of months… How’s it going?”

Casey wasn’t used to confiding her feelings to her co-workers. She tried to maintain a professional environment at all times.

“We enjoy hanging out together.”

“Um-hm. Something tells me you’re not taking it as casually as you seem to be. If I was dating that hunk of burning love, I would be giving details to anyone who listened.”

“There’s really nothing to tell,” Casey lied.

“All right. I’ll let it slide this time, but remember that party I invited you to? You can spill the beans then.”

Gianna was throwing a lingerie party. She had bragged that she made more money having the parties than she made working at the bank.

“I’ll think about it.”

“No, you’re going to give details and lots of them. It will boost my sales. All those jealous bitches will buy what you do, so make sure you bring plenty of money.”

“What are you going to do with all the money you’re going to make?”

“I’m going on a singles cruise to meet my new husband. I get a discount on any lingerie I buy.” Gianna gave her a wink as she strolled off.

Casey envied the woman’s boldness. If Gianna said she was coming back with a new husband, she would.

Casey drove to a small market not far from the bank, situated in a little strip mall. Hopefully, it wouldn’t be busy, and she could get back to work before her lunch hour was over.

She hurried through the store, tossing items in the buggy, having already planned on making a meatloaf and mac and cheese. The kids would get the hamburger they loved with the healthy vegetables that made her feel better.

With the groceries placed in her trunk, Casey was about to start her car when she saw a familiar figure sitting at the bus stop. Frowning, she got out of her car and walked toward the girl sitting on the bench.

“Maxie? What are you doing here?”

Max’s daughter had tears on her face, and her eyes were swollen from crying. She jumped up from the bench as if she were going to run away, but Casey reached out, placing a hand on her shoulder and stopping her from fleeing.

“You’ll tell my dad!” Maxie’s sobs broke Casey’s heart.

“It’s okay. I won’t say anything.” Casey looked at her watch. “Do you want me to drive you back to school?”

Relief flickered across her face. “Yes.”

Maxie followed her back to her car, climbing inside when Casey opened the door for her.

Casey got back inside, starting the motor. Taking a left, she drove toward Maxie’s school.

“Why aren’t you in school?” Casey asked, breaking the silence.

Maxie played nervously with the hem of her skirt. “I sneaked out. I pretended to be sick, and when the teacher sent me to the nurse, I left.”

“Why?”

“I was meeting someone.”

“Who?” Casey had a feeling she knew the answer.

“Fisher.”

“Is he your girlfriend’s brother?”

Maxie nodded. “He waited for me at the corner. We were just supposed to have lunch together, but he pulled behind the mall.” The girl covered her face with her hands.

Casey’s hands tightened on the steering wheel. Keeping her voice matter-of-fact, she asked a question that needed to be asked. “Did anything happen?”

Maxie shook her head. “No. When he tried to kiss me, I jumped out of the car. He got out and called me names, so I ran around the front and saw the bus stop.” She began crying harder. “He just left me there. I saw him drive away without looking back.”

“Are you sure that’s all that happened?”

“Yes. I thought we were just going to have lunch. I swear, Casey. Please don’t tell my dad. He’ll be so mad at me.”

Casey wrestled with the decision. “I’m not going to tell him, but I think you should. Do you want to be constantly worried that he’ll find out? What if the school has already called your parents? Lying will only make it worse. It’s not easy to keep secrets, Maxie. They steal from you, and you become more fearful than actually facing the consequences.”

Maxie quit crying. “I’ll tell him after dinner. That way, it will be too late for him to go after Fisher.”

Casey didn’t want to tell her that she didn’t think that was going to make a difference to Max, so she remained silent.

“Can I ask you a question?” Maxie asked, her eyes down on her lap.

“Depends on what it is.”

“Fisher called me a tease, said I led him on. Do you think…?”

“No,” Casey answered firmly. “I don’t. I think you trusted him, and it was misplaced.”

“I knew it was wrong sneaking out, but he makes me feel good inside. I wanted to kiss him, but I got scared. Maybe I did tease him,” she admitted miserably.

“Maxie, this is a talk you need to have with your mother.”

“She’ll get all crazy because I talked about kissing a boy. She thinks I’m too young to want to kiss. Most of my friends have done more than kissing… I just wanted to see how it felt.”

“Things are the same now as when your mother was your age.” Maxie started to interrupt, but Casey didn’t give her the time. “It is, Maxie. Boys will always pressure girls to give them sex, and other girls will tell you what they’ve done to make themselves feel better.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know. I’ve known a lot of women who lost their virginity and regretted who it was with or the timing, but I haven’t heard anyone regret keeping it until the time was right. Do you really want to remember Fisher for the rest of your life for giving you your first kiss?”

“God, no. I hate him.”

“You will always remember your first. It’s up to you to decide if they’re special enough for that privilege.”

“Was yours?”

“Yes. He’s very special to me. The night wasn’t perfect, and I did it for all the wrong reasons, but if I still remember him when I’m ninety, I won’t feel bad about it.”

Maxie looked out the window. “You really remember your first kiss?”

“Do you remember a special present your parents gave you?”

“Dad gave me a sweater that I begged Mom for. I wore it until I outgrew it. I still have it in my drawer.”

“I bet you remember exactly how it felt when Max gave it to you, what it looks like, how it felt when you wore it for the first time. You think a sweater is more important than your first kiss?”

Maxie’s eyes widened. “I almost messed up, didn’t I?”

“Maxie, it could have turned out much worse. Nightmares don’t always start with ugliness. The ones that torment us the most are the ones we weren’t smart enough to avoid.”

“I won’t do it again.”