Chapter 30 Suspicions
Andrea didn’t want to give Case’s evil mother the power to make her cry, but as she sat on the bed, staring at the wall across from her, she couldn’t help the tears that streaked her face. It had been a long time since anyone had threatened her the way Mrs. Meyer just had—except for Sarah, but that didn’t really count because she wasn’t intimidated by Sarah.
This was different, though. She was sitting in this woman’s house, and even though she was an invited guest, she didn’t feel welcome. Part of her wanted to pack up her things and go home right then.
A light knock on the door got her attention. She waited, assuming whoever it was would just barge in like Mrs. Meyer had, but then she heard Case’s voice. “Andrea, can I come in?”
She scrubbed at her face, not wanting him to see her crying—again. It seemed like she’d cried more in the last few weeks than she had in years. “Sure.” She thought she’d regained her composure, but it was still obvious she’d been crying.
He had a sympathetic look on his face as he crossed to the bed and sat down next to her, his hip bumped up against her knee. Any other time, she’d welcome this sort of attention from him, but right now, she thought maybe she was better off just putting some distance between the two of them. Perhaps this was never meant to be….
“Did my mother say something to you?”
Andrea shrugged. She didn’t want to rehash everything. “I don’t want to be where I’m not wanted.”
“You are wanted here.” He gently lifted her chin so she had to look him in the eyes. “I want you here.”
He was so sincere, she couldn’t help but smile at him. “Thank you. But… this is her house.”
“That I paid for.”
“Still….”
“Andrea, it’s fine. Believe me, she’s all bark but no bite. She’s just upset because… she thought Sarah and I were going to get married. And start a family.”
Something about the way he said the last sentence seemed pained. Andrea’s forehead crinkled as she tried to piece it together. Had Case wanted to marry Sarah? No one knew why they’d broken up, and it had seemed quite sudden. It was Andrea’s understanding that he had broken up with Sarah, and from the call the other woman had made about the picture, it seemed like she wanted back with him. So why would it hurt him that they hadn’t gotten married.
“Listen, Andrea, stay here with me, okay? You don’t have to be around Mom if you don’t want to be. I’ll talk to her about not coming up here again.”
“You can’t forbid her from coming into a room in her own house.”
“She knows how rude that was. She was just trying to intimidate you.”
“Well, I guess it worked.”
“Andrea?”
She looked into his eyes then and saw how sincere he was being. “Fine. I’ll give it another day or two.”
“The mayor’s New Year’s Eve party is in four days. I’d love it if you’d go with me.”
She arched an eyebrow. “That sounds like a formal affair. I didn’t realize we’d be attending something like that. I brought plenty of dresses, but not a ball gown.”
“That’s all right. We’ll find something. It’ll give us an excuse to get out of the house.”
“But Case, there might be photographers there.”
“You’d look stunning in a garbage bag, Andrea.”
She giggled. “That’s not what I meant. I meant—more picture of us. Together.”
“Does that bother you?”
“No, but apparently it bothers some other people.” She wasn’t strictly thinking of Sarah either. Was he really willing to go against his mother?
“I’m not worried about anyone else, Andrea. Just you and me. That’s all I care about right now. I want to get to know you. The real you. And I hope you’ll get to know me, too.”
Inhaling deeply, Andrea filled her lungs with his masculine scent and wanted to lean in for a kiss. The fact that they were sitting on a bed, in his mother’s house, and the woman hated her, prevented her from doing so. She couldn’t imagine Case would actually choose her over his own mother. Was it possible he was just using her to make his mother mad? What if all of this was just a rouse, and Andrea was the butt of the joke?
Then, another thought occurred to her. Maybe no one knew the reason Case and Sarah had broken up was because they hadn’t. Was it possible all of this was just another one of Sarah’s schemes to get back at her?
Andrea’s head began to pound. She hated not being able to trust Case, but at the moment, she didn’t trust anyone. “I think I’d like to get some rest.”
“Of course.” Case leaned toward her, as if he expected a kiss. Andrea turned her face, and his lips landed on her cheek instead. He looked surprised but didn’t say anything, only patted her knee and got up, leaving her alone as she’d asked.
As Case shut the door, Andrea thought to herself, “If he really does have feelings for me, he’s going to have to prove it. If this is all just another one of Sarah’s schemes….” She couldn’t finish the thought because the possibility had her writing inside with both anger and sadness. She’d thought perhaps she had a future with Case. Now, she was full of doubts.
Deciding it was too much to think about at the moment, Andrea buried her head beneath a pillow and went to sleep.
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