“I think we need to call an end to the weekend. You’re right. I’m not myself. Hopefully, I won’t ever be that person again.” She went to the table and took the plates away, piling them on top of each other. “I’m shocked by your attitude, but I guess I really shouldn’t be. For the first time in…in forever,” she said with a shrug. “For the first time, I feel happy inside. Happy by being with another person. Laura. The yard girl. Not someone who a friend has set me up with,” she said, looking at Erica. “Not someone who doesn’t care about me but only cares about what I can give her.” She looked pointedly at Claudia, who had the grace to look away. “Not a straight woman who wants to play games. Not someone looking for a boost in their social status.”

She let the plates clank down loudly in the sink. “If you were truly my friends, you would be happy for me. I’m forty-four years old. It’s taken me all these years to find someone who…who makes me smile, makes me laugh. Makes me damn crazy. You should be happy for me. But instead…you’re being petty. You’re being childish. Selfish.” She tapped her chest. “This is about me. This isn’t about you. So…I’d like for you to leave.” The three of them looked at her quizzically, yet no one moved. “Now,” she clarified. “I’d like you to leave now.”

Chapter Forty-Eight

After Erica tried to apologize—and after Claudia told her she was making a big mistake—it still took nearly an hour before they finally drove down the driveway. Cassidy stood there for several minutes, long after the gate had closed behind them. Their goodbyes were said curtly, if at all. She wondered crazily if she would ever see them again. And…if she would miss them.

She hadn’t realized how selfish her friends were. Had it always been that way? Were they only concerned with what they were getting out of the relationship? Even before the house, she always entertained at her apartment. She supplied the booze and the food—always. Friday and Saturday nights, there was constantly someone around. Two or four people. Six. Sometimes more. Mini-parties, every weekend. And it was a very rare occasion that she went to bed alone. Once the house was built, the parties continued. Sometimes four people. Sometimes six. Then parties got bigger. And again, it was rare that she went to bed alone.

Until she had a fight with the neighbor over the yard-mowing schedule. She smiled, remembering that day she’d met Laura. She’s been hot and sweaty, a baseball cap covering her hair, those damn sexy cutoff jeans showing off tanned legs. She didn’t know it at the time, of course, but her world started changing that very day. Changing for the better.