Chapter 156 The Truth Shall Set You Free
The next morning, Andrea opened her eyes, blinked a few times, and then recalled all that had happened the night before. She’d told Case about her Uncle Joe. She’d revealed her secret. Who knows what he thought about her now. Maybe he’d think she was a killer or crazy. He hadn’t seemed to think those things the night before, but he’d had some time to consider it now.
She rolled over to see he wasn’t there and thought she heard him talking to someone in the other room. Since she only heard Case’s muffled voice, she assumed he was on the phone.
Not wanting to disturb him, she went into the bathroom and got ready for the day. He’d let her sleep in, which she was grateful for, but she knew he had final practice to get to and a bunch of meetings. She hurried to take a shower and get ready before he had to leave.
When she walked out, dressed with her makeup on but still towel drying her hair, he was dressed in his fire suit and was frying sausage. “I figured we’d mix it up for real breakfast. Sausage and pancakes?”
“Sounds good. Thanks. You didn’t have to do that. Again.”
Case shrugged and smiled at her, using a spatula to put two sausage patties on a plate where he’d already stacked her pancakes. He handed it over to her, and Andrea grabbed a fork before pouring herself a glass of juice. Case joined her at the table with a plate heaped with more of the same foods and a cup of coffee.
They ate in near silence. She figured he didn’t know what to say to her, now that he knew the truth. It wasn’t until they were almost done that he leaned back in his seat, took a drink of his coffee, and said, “So… I called Grandpa Jack.”
Andrea froze with her fork about two inches from her mouth, the bite of pancake she’d just placed in her mouth seeming to taste like a sponge now. “You did what?” she asked around it.
“Yeah. I called him. He’s doing well, by the way. He loved hearing your sister sing at the Daytona 500 and seeing you in Victory Lane.”
Andrea nodded. She’d spoken to her grandpa after the race. “What did you call him for?”
“I wanted to talk to him about Joe. And your grandpa told me something important, something you should know.”
“What’s that?” Her insides seemed to tangle as she pondered what he was about to say.
“Did you know he was a Vietnam vet?”
She nodded. She knew that. Her grandfather had served, too.
“Did you know he had a metal plate in his head? That’s the reason he always wore a hat.”
Andrea tipped her head to the side and looked at him. “And….”
“And… that’s what the lightning struck. That’s why he attracted the bolt, and that’s why he died, Andrea. It had nothing to do with you.”
She let that soak in for a moment. “But… if I hadn’t been hiding….”
Case shook his head. “Your grandma had been trying to get him to come in all day. In fact, she was always telling him not to be outside when it was storming. He said the plate didn’t make any difference, and she was being silly. But in this case, your grandma was right. Andrea, if you would’ve been holding your uncle’s hand when that lightning struck, or if you’d been anywhere near him, you would’ve likely been killed, too. You actually did the right thing by running from him.”
It was all too hard to believe. All these years, she’d been blaming herself for her uncle’s death, and Case was saying that wasn’t what had happened at all.
“Your grandpa said they’ve all tried to tell you this for years, but you just never wanted to talk about it, never wanted to hear what they had to say. I’m so sorry, Andrea, about everything. About his death, your fear of storms, everything. But I’m most sorry that you’ve been blaming yourself. You didn’t do anything wrong. You’ve gotta let this go, and if that means talking to a therapist or someone, then, let’s do it. Because you used to love storms. It would be great to see you enjoy them again.” He smiled at her, and Andrea studied his face for a few moments, not sure what to say.
There really weren’t any words for what she was feeling. She had never wanted to talk to a therapist because she was afraid to admit to anyone what she’d done. She thought it was her fault her uncle was dead. But now she realized it wasn’t.
Andrea got up, walked around the table, and scooted Case’s chair out so she could sit on his lap. “Thank you,” she said, watching his face light up. “I’m so lucky to have you.”
“You’re welcome, baby. I love you so much.”
“I love you, too.” Andrea leaned down and kissed him, and Case’s arms came around her. As he deepened the kiss, she wondered how much time they had before he had to leave. Was it enough to make up for what they’d missed out on the night before? She hoped so because she didn’t think she’d be able to pull herself off of the man who’d, once again, changed her life for the better forever.
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