Reunited with the Sheriff Page 8

  “The power of faith is a mighty thing.” Her father’s words rang out in the church, resonating with conviction and the rich timbre of his voice. “It can move mountains.”

  Cassidy felt her hand being squeezed by Regina, who was sitting on her right. She looked over at her cousin, buoyed by the encouraging smile and the support she was showing her. With a smile of her own, she squeezed her cousin’s hand back.

  After she managed to get her pulse beating at a normal pace she glanced over at the Lynches again, meeting Tate’s gaze head on. He looked nervous. And worried. His brows were furrowed, and his handsome face was showing signs of tension. What was going on with him? Did the fact that she and Holly were in such close proximity bother him that much? What exactly did he think she was capable of doing?

  Cassidy took out her hymnal and began singing along to one of her favorites, “Just a Closer Walk With Thee.” As she sang along with the church choir and the congregation, strong memories came flooding back to her. As a child she’d been a member of the Main Street Church’s children’s choir, along with Regina, Holly and Jenna. It had been the genesis of their friendship. The church no longer had a children’s choir, and she thought it was a pity. Children needed to know that they too had something to offer up to God. Listening to the purity and beauty of their little voices was a soul-stirring experience. It was truly a wondrous gift.

  At the end of the service, Cassidy watched her father walk to the back of the church and greet the parishioners as they exited. As was her tradition, her mother joined her father in greeting the congregation. Holly sat across the way talking to Tate, her face animated as they exchanged words, going back and forth like a Ping Pong ball. Judging by Tate’s stern expression, mingled with the mutinous look on Holly’s face, she suspected that they were arguing. Most likely about her.

  “What are you waiting for? Aren’t you going to say hello?” Regina asked.

  “I’m waiting for the butterflies to settle.” Cassidy smoothed the fabric of her white cotton dress and fidgeted with the belt cinched around her waist.

  “Don’t wait too long,” Regina warned. “Tate looks like he’s about to hustle her out of here. Then again,” she said as she glanced over at the Lynches, “I think Holly can hold her own. She looks mad enough to spit nails.”

  Cassidy glanced over Regina’s shoulder, noticing the tension between the Lynches. Tate and Holly were incredibly close siblings and always had been. Causing friction in their relationship was the last thing she wanted to happen. But Tate needed to understand that she wasn’t leaving Main Street Church without first having a heart-to-heart with Holly. Running away was no longer an option.

  She threw her hands up in the air. “This is ridiculous! I’m just going to get this over with.”

  With a sigh of resignation she walked over to the Lynches, the jingling of her stacked bracelets heralding her arrival. Tate was facing her, his expression wary, arms folded across his chest. Their eyes met, and she could see the vulnerability in their icy blue depths. He wasn’t angry, she realized. He was scared. Scared she was going to do something to hurt Holly again, she imagined.

  I won’t hurt her. She sent the message to him with her eyes, hoping he still believed in her enough to trust her. His face softened and he seemed a little more relaxed.

  “Cassidy,” Tate drawled, causing Holly to spin her chair around so that she was face to face with her.

  Joy fluttered inside her—part of her felt as light and airy as a butterfly—as she looked at a face that was almost as familiar to her as her own.

  Just then her father walked up. Holly’s face lit up when she saw him. He greeted Tate with a smile and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

  “Why don’t you girls find a quiet place to talk,” he suggested. “My office is empty. It will give you the privacy you need.”

  Holly and Cassidy looked at each other, both nodding in agreement. With a look of satisfaction on his face, her father ushered them toward the hallway. When Tate moved to follow them, he reached out and gently grabbed him by the arm.

  “They don’t need an audience, Tate. Whatever they have to say to each other should only be heard by one another. I know how you feel about protecting Holly, and frankly I feel the same way about Cassidy, but this is their moment.”

  Tate glanced over at his sister. “Is that okay with you?”

  “You heard Pastor Blake,” Holly admonished. “This is just between me and Cassidy.”

  Tate grimaced, then took a few steps back. Cassidy followed Holly down the hall to the church offices. When they reached his office her father opened up the door and ushered them inside. As Cassidy walked past him he winked at her and squeezed her arm.

  “Take however long you need,” he said before closing the door behind him.

  As soon as the door closed Cassidy took a moment to look around her. Her father’s office had always been her favorite place in Main Street Church. It was a cheery place, with sunlight streaming through the windows, a rich mahogany desk and chair as well as a comfy sofa and coffee table. In the corner sat a mini fridge that he stocked with Dr Pepper. She remembered many a day when she would curl up on the sofa when she was waiting around the church for her father.

  “Cat got your tongue.”

  She turned to face Holly, getting her first up close and personal look at her for the first time in eight years. It was funny how a person could look the same, yet different. She was thinner, although her arms were way more muscular than they’d ever been in high school. She imagined the muscles were a result of using her arms to navigate her wheelchair. Her eyes were still cornflower blue, her hair still blond and a bit wild. She was still beautiful. Still Holly. And she still had that way of looking right through you and cutting straight to the chase.

  Cassidy sucked in a deep breath. “I’m going to take a seat,” she said, seating herself in one of the antique cherrywood chairs that had belonged to one of her great-greats. “I don’t think these legs of mine are going to hold up.”

  Holly narrowed her eyes. “You’re nervous.”

  “Yes, I am. Silly, isn’t it. We were best friends for eleven years, and I can barely look you in the eye.” She held out her trembling hands. “See. I’m a wreck. I just don’t want to say the wrong thing.” She bit her lip as her mind raced with all the things she wanted to say, all the regret she had stored up inside her. But she knew it would never be enough. It would never fully convey her profound remorse.

  Holly folded her arms across her chest. Her blue eyes were frosty. “Well, anything is better than silence. That’s all you’ve given me over the past eight years. A profound, deafening silence. And it spoke volumes, Cassidy. You’ve managed to avoid this face-to-face meeting for a long time.”

  “I know. This moment is long overdue,” Cassidy acknowledged, trying to find an opening so she could make her apologies and try to bridge the gap between them.

  “That’s an understatement,” Holly said with a harsh laugh. “We were best friends! There wasn’t anything we didn’t share. Hopes, dreams, disappointments. We were always there for each other. Yet when I needed you most—you bailed on me.” The tone of her voice suddenly became sharp. “You should have been there! And it had nothing to do with you being the driver when the accident happened. It had everything to do with supporting me through the darkest hours of my life. Nurturing me. Holding my hand.” Her voice became clogged with emotion. “I was scared—and depressed—and angry at God. Where were you, Cassidy? Where were you?”

  Holly let out a hollow laugh. “Oh, yeah, I forgot. You were at art school in Phoenix.”

  Cassidy cringed when she heard the bitter tone in Holly’s voice. It wasn’t easy to face the hurt and anger head on, but she understood where the feelings came from. She’d abandoned her. Like a thief in the night she’d slipped out of town without even a single w
ord of goodbye. For what it was worth, she could tell Holly about all that she’d been through after she left West Falls—her own fear and loneliness, the endless night terrors and the gaping hole in her heart that nothing in Phoenix could fill up. But this wasn’t about her suffering. It was about making amends for the pain she’d caused Holly. It was about acknowledging that as much as she’d loved her best friend, she’d failed her on so many levels. And now all she could do was speak from the heart.

  “I’m so sorry, Holly. For the accident. For what happened to you. For leaving. What I’m most sorry about is that I wasn’t a better friend. I should have stuck by you. I should have been right by your side when you were in the hospital. And I should have held your hand and told you jokes and let you lean on me. Because the one thing I do know without a shadow of a doubt is that you would never have walked away from me.” She clenched and unclenched her hands. “It’s not that I didn’t care. I did. I still do. So very much. I was just so afraid of facing charges and being arrested that I let the fear take over. I thought running away was the answer. I’m so ashamed of that.”

  The room was silent as Cassidy’s apology settled in. Tears pooled in Holly’s eyes, and she wiped a few stray ones from her cheeks.

  When she spoke her voice was soft and husky, brimming with emotion. “For so long I blamed you. For the accident. For the fact that I wasn’t wearing a seat belt. I think I even blamed you for the rain-slicked roads that night. Most of all I blamed you for breaking Tate’s heart.” She let out a harsh laugh. “I don’t blame you anymore, Cassidy. I forgave you a long time ago. But forgiving you doesn’t absolve you from all the hurt you caused. I’m sure you know that.”

  Cassidy shook her head in disbelief, unsure of whether or not she’d heard Holly’s words correctly. Of all the people in West Falls, surely Holly had the most reason to harbor grudges against her. And yet she was the one offering forgiveness?

  Tears misted in her eyes and she blinked them away, unwilling to give in to the emotion of the moment. “How? Why?” she asked, feeling choked-up. “I put you in that wheelchair. I should never have acted so irresponsibly that night.”

  “We were all irresponsible. We were all part of that stupid game. It so easily could’ve been me who slid off the road. Or Regina. It was just plain bad luck that it was you, Cass.”

  Tears streamed down Cassidy’s face and she did nothing to stem the tide. Holly’s words had lifted a huge weight off her shoulders. She felt lighter than she’d felt in years. Forgiveness was so much more than a word. It was a living, breathing thing. A gift from the heart.

  Cassidy bowed her head. “For so many years I didn’t think I was worthy of forgiveness. I still struggle with that idea. For years after the accident I didn’t pray. I thought God had turned his back on me, so I turned my back on him.”

  Holly nodded her head vigorously. “Sounds a lot like what I went through. I came to church one Sunday after a whole year of avoiding it. What kind of God, I asked myself, would allow me to lose the use of my legs? I was lost. Broken, both literally and figuratively. And then during the service, your father started reading from Isaiah. If I live to be a hundred I’ll never forget what he said.” Holly’s eyes were shining with emotion and she looked more joyful than Cassidy had ever seen her. “Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles.” Holly shut her eyes and bowed her head down. “I felt like he was talking directly to me. From that point on I held on to hope and I let go of all the bitterness. I’m just sorry that I didn’t reach out to you to let you know. I can’t imagine what it must’ve been like to carry all that guilt around with you.”

  “It’s okay. When I sent you all those letters I figured you didn’t want to have anything to do with me. I understood.”

  Holly scrunched up her forehead, confusion stamped all over her face. “Letters? I never got any letters.”

  Cassidy paused, not certain she’d heard Holly correctly. “What? You’re kidding, right?”

  “I wouldn’t joke about something like that. I would have given anything to get a letter from you. A phone call. Anything.”

  You could’ve called, written, sent a text.

  Tate’s words came floating back to her. She’d been so crestfallen when he’d laid into her in the diner that she hadn’t even challenged his accusation. She hadn’t wanted to point out that she’d written Holly dozens of letters. But the truth was now coming out. Holly had never received a single one of her letters. Her words, her most heartfelt apologies had been in vain.

  “Wait till I get my hands on him!” Holly snarled. “Tate has gone too far this time.” She quickly wheeled herself toward the door.

  “No, Holly! Don’t!” she cried out. The thought of Holly and Tate going head-to-head was almost too painful to bear. A healing moment had just taken place inside this room and she didn’t want it to be soiled by accusations and blame.

  Holly swiveled her head around, locking eyes with her. The expression on her face was fierce, her blue eyes stormy. “I’m not letting him get away with this!” she said through gritted teeth.

  Cassidy held up her hands. “Hold on a second. The Tate I used to know wouldn’t keep my letters from you. Think about it, Holly. He’s always had a hard time lying. Do you really think he would’ve been able to keep this a secret from you all this time?”

  Cassidy searched Holly’s face, hoping that her words had sunk in. The last thing Main Street Church needed was an irate Holly confronting Tate inside it. She knew her friend well enough to know she was fully capable of doing it.

  Holly let out a deep sigh, her slight body shuddering with the effort.

  “You’re right. That’s not Tate’s style. Even when we were kids he felt bad telling a lie.” She shook her head. “But if it wasn’t him, then who was it? It’s gonna eat me up inside if I don’t figure it out.”

  “How can I ask for forgiveness if I’m not willing to give it myself? It doesn’t really matter who intercepted the letters. All that matters is that you believe I sent them.”

  “I believe you. Whenever you tell a lie your face turns red and you start stammering. Remember that time in third grade when you lied to Mrs. Adams about putting the frog in Kenny Hendrick’s lunch box?”

  They looked at each other for a moment before bursting into giggles. The giggles became snorts until they were both holding their sides with merriment. Tears born of laughter streamed down their reddened faces.

  “Poor Kenny!” Cassidy said as she swiped at her eyes with the back of her hand.

  “Oh, Cassidy. I’ve missed you something awful.” Holly was smiling as tears slid down her cheeks. “There’s no one else in the world who I could laugh with over that.”

  Cassidy moved toward her, bending over and wrapping her arms around her in the tightest of hugs. She felt Holly squeezing her back and she held on for dear life as pure happiness flowed through her.

  * * *

  For forty minutes Tate had paced the aisle of the church, his movements lacking the cool, calm and collected air he usually radiated. He’d looked at his watch a dozen times or more, all the while wondering what was taking them so long.

  “Will you sit down!” Regina griped. “You’re going to wear a hole in the floor.”

  “I need some fresh air,” he said as he pushed open the church doors, squinting as a blast of sunshine hit him square in the face. Regina followed closely behind him, clucking like a mother hen.

  He raked his hand through his hair and filled his lungs with gulps of fresh air.

  “Sorry. I’m just a little nervous about what’s going on back there.”

  Regina rolled her eyes. “What do you think is going on? They’re bonding.”

  He raised his eyebrows. Bonding? He hadn’t imagined something as mundane as that, not after such a long separation. Not after all the
heartache, betrayal and tears.

  “You think?” he asked, scratching his head in confusion.

  “Yup,” she said, nodding her head emphatically. “No matter what’s happened in the past, those two love each other. I’ve never seen a deeper bond. Well, other than the one you and Cass shared,” she said sheepishly. “Surprised it’s taken eight years to mend that friendship.”

  He studied her for a moment, trying to figure out where she stood in all this. “You okay with that?”

  Regina’s brown eyes widened. “Of course I am. Why wouldn’t I be?”

  “In the past you’ve been a bit envious of Cassidy and Holly’s friendship.” He eyed her warily. Regina and Cassidy’s relationship had always been a touchy subject.

  Regina planted her hands on her hips. “I love my cousin, Tate. I want her to be happy.”

  “I know you do, but in the past you’ve had your issues with her.” He tried to be as gentle as possible with Regina, but sometimes he found it best to be direct with her.

  Regina bit her lip. “Tate, I admit I was jealous. It was hard playing second fiddle to Cassidy when we were growing up.” Her voice got small. “She had everything I always wanted. Most beautiful girl in town. Cheerleader. The pastor’s daughter. Most of all she had two parents who loved her more than anything. That’s hard to deal with when you don’t feel very loved by your own parents. I’m sure I acted out at times, but I didn’t know what to do with all those feelings. I’ve grown up since then.”

  “Awww, Regina,” Tate said, placing his arm around her shoulder and drawing her close. His heart ached for her—he knew that being abandoned by her parents had left deep emotional scars.

  Regina pushed him away. He saw her eyes welling up with tears. “Don’t you dare feel sorry for me, Tate Lynch. I’m a successful Realtor with my own business, I’m pretty easy on the eyes and I dealt with my family issues ages ago!”