Chapter 18

Rebecca snuggledinto the soft blanket as she lay on Aunt Wills's couch. With the headache she had after leaving the hospital, she didn't dare argue with Aunt Wills when she insisted Rebecca rest while she made dinner. At least the couch was comfortable. Yet, as comfortable as it was, Rebecca still felt… out of place.

"Are you sure you're okay with me being here?" Rebecca called out. Thankfully, the home was an open-concept design, and Aunt Wills was only a few feet away in the kitchen.

Willamena shook her spatula at Rebecca. "Don't make me come over there. You are my family, Becca. My home will always be open to you."

"But what if you have a… friend over? You gave up your life to take care of me before. You shouldn't have to do it again."

Willamena moved the food off the burner, switching it off before going to Rebecca. She sat on the edge of the couch and tugged Rebecca's ponytail. "Now you listen to me, young lady. I didn't give up my life. After Gwennie died, you were my life. I wanted to take care of you then, and I want to now. If you're not ready to go home yet, this will be your home for as long as you need it to be."

Home, Rebecca thought. She tried to remember it… and Cass. That's all she'd been doing since meeting Cass. There was something about the woman that made Rebecca feel… well, she felt a lot of things around Cass. But the one thing that stood out the most was a deep connection.

"It will come back, right? My memory." Rebecca desperately wanted to remember Cass but couldn't understand that desperation.

"I believe so. If you rest and take care of yourself, it could be back sooner rather than later."

Rebecca narrowed her eyes at her aunt. "Are you trying to manipulate me?"

Willamena's eyes widened with feigned innocence. "Moi? Never." She patted Rebecca's shoulder. "Now, relax while I finish dinner. I've already fixed up your room for you, so if you get too tired, you can go up and take a nap."

Rebecca nodded. "Thank you, Aunt Wills, but I'll be fine here. I can even help you cook if you want." Despite wanting to be rebellious, Rebecca yawned.

Willamena laughed. "You're a brilliant woman, Rebecca, but cooking isn't really your strong suit. Leave the cooking to me. I know you hate being idle, but maybe you can use this as a chance to learn how to slow down."

Rebecca frowned. "In my mind, all I've been doing is waiting for a chance to do something more with my life. Will you tell me what I've been up to these past few years?" She said few as though she wasn't missing two decades of her memory.

Willamena pursed her lips. "I'm hesitant to say too much before we've given your memories a chance to return. I don't want to influence those memories. Does that make sense?"

Not really, Rebecca thought, but didn't want to argue with her aunt. "I guess so. I suppose I could be patient."

Willamena snickered. "We'll see how long that lasts," she winked when Rebecca stuck her tongue out at her. "Okay! Back to dinner. I hope you're hungry." Rebecca nodded. "Good. How does pesto fettuccini with chicken sound?"

Rebecca's stomach growled. "Apparently, that sounds perfect," she smiled. "Thank you, Aunt Wills."

"You're welcome, sweet girl." Willamena touched Rebecca's cheek. "Can you wait to take your pain meds with your food?"

"Yeah, I'm okay for now. Maybe some hot tea?"

"You got it."

As happy as Willamena was to have her niece here, she felt horrible for Cass. When she had called Cass earlier to explain that Rebecca wouldn't be coming home right away, Willamena could hear the pain in Cass's voice when she said she understood. The faster Rebecca's memory came back, the better. Not because Willamena wanted her space but because Cass needed Rebecca as much as Rebecca needed Cass. Until then, Willamena would do her best to take care of Rebecca as well as keep Cass from spiraling into a depression.

"This should be interesting," Willamena whispered to herself.

Cass's heartpounded in her ears. She'd been standing on Aunt Wills's front porch for three minutes, trying to will herself to ring the doorbell.

"You have a legitimate reason to be here," she told herself. Cass squared her shoulders and rang the bell, trying not to fidget as she waited for Aunt Wills to answer. But when the door opened, it wasn't Aunt Wills.

"Hey, Ba… Becca." Cass couldn't stop staring. Rebecca wore baggy sweats and an oversized sweatshirt, her hair up in a ponytail, and her fresh face completely makeup-free. She looked incredibly beautiful, and it took every bit of strength Cass had not to reach out and scoop Rebecca up and kiss her.

"Cass! Hi," Rebecca blushed slightly, knowing she looked like a total slob at the moment. God, was she ever going to look good when Cass saw her?

Cass did her best to hide her disappointment at Rebecca calling her Cass. All those years of hating being called Cassidy changed when Rebecca said it. Now, she longed to hear it again.

"I'm sorry to just, um, show up like this. I thought that…" Geez, was she a freakin' teenager? Get the fucking words out, Cass! Cass cleared her dry throat and tried again. "I understand you're not ready to come… that, um, you're more comfortable staying here right now. So, um, I thought you might like a few of your things. Some essentials, you know?"

Rebecca looked down at the bag that Cass held. As cordial as Cass was, Rebecca couldn't help but notice Cass's hand shaking or the hitch in her voice when she spoke. Hurting this woman — no matter how unintentional — made Rebecca want to cry.

"T-thank you. You're very sweet."

Cass looked up abruptly, searching for any sign of recognition in Rebecca's eyes. But there was none. She shrugged self-consciously. "It's the least I can do."

They stood in awkward silence for a moment, just staring at each other. God, how Cass wanted to hold Rebecca in her arms. Her body ached to touch Rebecca. It had been nearly five days since she last kissed Rebecca or heard the words that fueled her soul every day. I love you, Cassidy.

What was it about those intriguing bi-colored eyes that made Rebecca feel so… safe? The way Cass looked at her sent chills down Rebecca's spine. But not in the same way as Samantha. No, these chills weren't fear and loathing. This felt… good. Yet, Rebecca couldn't shake the feeling that she was missing something important in her life when she thought of Cass.

"I-I should, um…" Cass jerked a thumb over her shoulder. She didn't want to go, but the last thing she wanted to do was make things more complicated for the woman she loved more than anything.

"Cass? Is that you?"

Cass peered around Rebecca and smiled. "Hey, Aunt Wills. I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

Rebecca held up the bag Cass had given her. "Cass brought some of my things over."

"Ah, that's nice." Willamena had noticed the slight wince when Rebecca called her Cass. She also caught the slight slump in Cass's shoulders. "Rebecca, why don't you let the woman in? We were just about to sit down for dinner. Join us."

"Oh!" A light blush blossomed on Rebecca's cheeks. "Right. I'm sorry, I should have…"

"No, no, it's okay." Cass reached out but stopped just before touching Rebecca. "Honestly. I just wanted to make sure you had your things before it got too late. I don't want to impose."

"Nonsense! Ellie texted to tell me you might be stopping by, so I made plenty." Willamena hid her smirk when Rebecca gave her an exasperated look. "Come in."

Still, Cass hesitated. She mentally thanked Ellie for cluing Aunt Wills in, however… "It's up to you, Becca. If you're not up for company, I can totally go."

Totally, Rebecca repeated silently. She ignored the small tingle she felt in her tummy, focusing on her answer and the kind eyes that watched her carefully.

"You went out of your way to bring me some of my things. The least we could do is feed you."

Cass chuckled. "With my appetite, I don't think the deed was worth the reward." She patted her thighs. "Hollow legs, remem… uh…"

Rebecca bit her lip to hold in her laugh. Cass really was sweet, and a flustered Cass was priceless. "Please, come in. I'll never hear the end of it from Aunt Wills if I'm impolite."

"She's got that right," Willamena called out as she returned to the kitchen. This was a start. She didn't want to overwhelm Rebecca, but having Cass here could be beneficial to Rebecca regaining her memory. Besides, Ellie told Willamena about some of Cass's fears. Ellie's suggestion of making Rebecca fall in love with Cass again wasn't a bad idea. The romance of it tugged at Willamena's heartstrings.

"Can I do something to help?" Cass asked gently.

Willamena jumped slightly at the sound of Cass being so near. The woman is a ninja!

"You could set the table if you'd like," Willamena answered with a pleased smile.

"Hang on. I've repeatedly asked if I could help, and you refused!" Rebecca stood by the counter that separated the living room from the kitchen, her hands firmly on her hips and a perturbed look gracing that beautiful face.

"To be fair," Cass began, "I didn't just have brain surgery. How are you feeling, by the way? Sorry, Becca, that should have been my first question when you opened the door."

Rebecca wanted to hang onto her annoyance with Aunt Wills, but Cass's genuine concern squashed that pretty quickly. "I'm… okay, thank you for asking." She contemplated ending her answer there but felt compelled to be more open with Cass. She attributed that to the relationship they had. The one Rebecca's brain wouldn't allow her to remember. "I've had a dull headache that doesn't want to go away, and I get dizzy if I move too quickly. But, other than that, I feel fine. At least fine enough to set the table," Rebecca pointed out with feigned indignation.

Cass snickered when Aunt Wills threateningly whacked the wooden spoon on the counter. However, as with any other day, Cass was Team Rebecca, so she handed the cutlery and napkins to Rebecca.

"Thank you." Rebecca smiled at Cass, fascinated by the slight blush that graced Cass's face. She placed her items around the table and then went for glasses. "What can I get you to drink, Cass?"

There it is again,Rebecca thought silently. Every time Rebecca said Cass's name, Cass winced, and Rebecca could see the sadness in her eyes.

"Uh, I'll take some sparkling water if you have some." Cass needed to learn how to school her emotions. She had noticed Rebecca eyeing her curiously after calling her Cass. The problem was Cass had no control over the hurt that hearing Rebecca call her that name caused.

Again, Rebecca smiled. "That's my favorite, too."

It was on the tip of Cass's tongue to say, "I know," but for once, she refrained. Cass only started drinking sparkling water because Rebecca always had cans of it in the fridge. It became a good alternative to soda when Cass needed that bite of carbonation.

"Soup's on!" Willamena announced, hip-checking a mesmerized Cass out of the way. If she followed Cass's line of sight, she would see her looking at her niece's derriere. "Why don't you sit here at the head of the table, Cass?"

"Oh, uh, yeah. Okay." Before sitting, Cass pulled Rebecca's chair out for her, then hurried to Aunt Wills's side to do the same for her.

Rebecca's heart beat a little faster at Cass's politeness. She was the polar opposite of Samantha. Rebecca's interest in Samantha had been purely physical. She had been intrigued by the sheer power the woman exuded. Unfortunately, she was in too deep when she realized it wasn't power. It was control. Samantha needed control of everything and everyone in her life. And if you challenged that control, you were severely punished.

Cass, however, had this peculiar and intoxicating mix of confidence and… humility. Not to mention Cass's tendencies to be chivalrous and thoughtful. Even after knowing Cass for only a few hours — in Rebecca's brain — Rebecca could see what drew her to Cass. But there was also this fear inside Rebecca that she didn't deserve someone like that. Not after everything she went through… and did with Samantha. And since that thought made Rebecca sad, she put it out of her mind and focused on nothing but dinner. Dinner was safe.

"So, Cass?" Willamena began surreptitiously eyeing her niece and trying to read the expression on her face. It kept changing, which concerned Willamena. Rebecca was at war with her feelings, but Willamena suspected Rebecca couldn't understand why she was at war. At least not entirely. "How is the mural at the hospital coming along?"

Cass frowned. Aunt Wills knew she had finished the mural before Rebecca went into the hospital. When she received a glance from Rebecca and a slight nod from Aunt Wills, Cass caught on.

"I finally finished," Cass answered with a smile. "I keep getting texts with pics of the kids in front of it, so I think it's a hit."

"Mural?" Rebecca inquired. "Are you an artist?"

Cass wiped her mouth to hide the disappointment. "I paint," she said vaguely. "I did some charity work at the children's hospital."

"Oh! That's… I keep saying sweet when it comes to you." Rebecca pursed her lips. "I'm going to need to find different adjectives." Like sexy, hot, attractive…

"It wasn't much. Those kids have to deal with so much with their illnesses. I just thought brightening the place up would be nice for them."

"Don't let her downplay her talent," Willamena tsked. "Her work is in Sumptor Galleries."

Cass bowed her head, slightly embarrassed by the attention. Though if Rebecca was impressed, that was a plus.

"Sumptor Galleries? I'm guessing that's a good thing?"

Willamena bit her lip to keep from cursing. Of course Rebecca doesn't remember Eve and Lainey or Sumptor Galleries. With Rebecca's memories stuck in 2001, she and Eve had never met or worked together. In fact, Eve would have been — Willamena quickly did the math in her head — thirteen.

"It's a very good thing," Willamena answered for Cass, who looked like she was about to cry. "Sumptor Galleries are some of the most prestigious in several countries."

Impressed, Rebecca looked at Cass. "Wow. Sounds like something I'd be interested in." Cass hadn't even looked up to acknowledge the praises Aunt Wills was handing out. She just continued to stuff her face with pasta. Humility. Rebecca glanced at Cass's plate and noticed the vegetables had been pushed to the side. And, since Cass seemed uncomfortable with the compliments, Rebecca decided to change the subject. "You should try the squash," she murmured.

Cass looked up sharply. "What?" Rebecca constantly tried to get Cass to eat more vegetables despite Cass's aversion to them. She especially disliked squash, but Cass remembered trying them once before at Rebecca's request.

"The squash." Rebecca nodded at Cass's plate. "You push your veggies to the side. But Aunt Wills makes the best squash. You should try it."

Cass glanced at Aunt Wills, who lifted a shoulder. "‘Kay."