Never His Girl (Kings of Cypress Prep #2) - Rachel Jonas Page 0,97
want that too, but Parker’s gonna fucking expose us either way. Wouldn’t it be better if we got to tell the story ourselves?”
Her eyes bounce toward the window again and she’s hard to read.
“I haven’t been concerned about my dad finding out for a while now,” she confesses, still staring off down the street. “Of course, when it all first happened, I was terrified to see how things would play out if he knew, but I’m kind of past that now.”
“Then what the hell is it? Why not get out in front of this?”
She meets my gaze again and my mind and heart are both racing.
“You really don’t know, do you?” Her eyes narrow when asking. Like she’s questioning the hell out of everything I’ve just said.
Frustration rises to my chest and I’m more tense than before, feeling like I’m missing something. Or everything.
“What the fuck aren’t you saying?” I snap. No, I’m not pissed at her, just tired of no one giving me straight answers.
She glances down at the table for a moment before doing that sketchy thing where she checks over her shoulder again.
“Look, if you’re worried about Parker telling about us, all that matters is that she’s not a problem anymore.”
The tension in my chest spreads to my face. “What do you mean Parker isn’t a problem anymore?”
Casey’s eyes are set on mine, and with how heavy she’s breathing, I sense her concern with having said too much. It confirms this suspicion when she looks down at the table, instead of at me.
“Listen, maybe he didn’t tell you for a reason, so I should just—”
“He who?”
Her hands are trembling. Not hard, but enough to notice.
“I thought you were here on damage control,” she says quietly, still not answering the question. “I thought you were in on it, following up to make sure I understood the terms your dad laid out for me.”
A burst of heat spreads up from my neck, right to my face.
“What the fuck are you talking about? Vin was here?”
Casey doesn’t speak, but that fearful look in her eyes tells me all I need to know.
“When?”
She’s fidgeting and maybe thinking about not answering.
“It was a couple days before your game.”
I fall back against my seat, trying to figure out what the hell is going on.
“He had me sign an NDA his lawyer drafted, agreeing not to disclose what happened between us. And… he also came with his checkbook,” she reveals.
She sounds ashamed admitting that she also took his money, but all I really care about is what the fuck is going on.
“None of this means Parker isn’t a problem,” I point out.
“Actually, it does,” Casey counters. “Your dad asked if she was the only person I told. When I said I hadn’t mentioned it to anyone else, he said he’d already taken care of that, made her the same deal he made me.”
My head spins, and I’m thinking back to Friday, to Parker trying to tell me something at the club. I ignored her, but now I’m at least sure I know what was so urgent.
Pandora’s latest PrincessParker update is also starting to make sense. The bitch hasn’t been at school these past two days. Instead, she’s been spotted spending some major cash. Guess I know where it came from.
Casey’s on edge now, fidgeting a bit. Meanwhile, I’m just trying to understand it all, and also trying to decide which of my many questions she’ll actually answer.
“I feel like the signs are all around me and I’m still missing everything,” I admit
She’s grown visibly uncomfortable with how much she’s told me. I know as much when she sighs and starts gathering her things.
“This was a bad idea. Had I known you weren’t already aware of things, I wouldn’t have even—”
“Casey, please.”
I catch her wrist just as she stands, causing her eyes to land on me.
“I’ve been searching for answers about my dad for a long time and, no, that had nothing to do with coming to see you today, but if you think you know something—anything—that can help me, I’m kind of desperate at this point.”
There’s no immediate response, but I see her softening.
“Not here,” she says quietly. “Outside.”
Her eyes dart toward the door and, after I drop a twenty on the table to cover the cost of what we ordered and the tip, I follow her out to the sidewalk, shrugging into my coat.
“I know you don’t have all the answers, but do you know anything about what my dad’s into?” I rush