Free Catching Cassidy by Melissa Foster

regular bedroom, or staying downstairs?”
    “Regular bedroom,” she says, and hands me her bag.
    “Cass? Pick a room.” I reach for her bag, and she rolls her eyes.
    “I always stay down the hall from your room. Why would I change?” She shoves her phone in her pocket.
    I slide the strap of Cassidy’s bags over my other shoulder and carry all of our bags upstairs. Mine and Delilah’s bedrooms are in the back of the house, overlooking the water. I toss my stuff on my bed and pull open the doors to the second-story deck, drop the girls’ bags by their beds, and walk out onto the deck. The deck wraps around the second floor. Each of the bedrooms has access to it, and as I look out over the water, I think about how many times Delilah, Cassidy, and I snuck out over the summers when we were growing up. Our parents were more relaxed here than at home, and their rules were somewhat less stringent. With no grades to ask after, they were happy to let us wander the boardwalk with our friends during the day as long as we checked in with them often. Once the sun went down, however, strict rules came back into play. We had earlier curfews than our friends, and sneaking out was the only way we ever saw any nightlife. Every single time we snuck out, Cassidy would cling to my arm like she was afraid of the dark.
    My thoughts linger on Cassidy for a minute, and I realize there’s another reason it feels so right being here. She’s here with me.
    “Wyatt?”
    Speak of the devil. “Out here!” I holler.
    “Hey.” She’s got her camera strap around her neck when she joins me and leans on the railing. “It’s so beautiful.”
    “Yeah. Thanks for coming with us.” I purposely lean over the deck beside her so my eyes don’t betray me and look at her sweet ass again.
    “I can’t think of anywhere I’d rather be.”
    What are her alternatives? Cassidy has a strange family life, which is why she stays with us a lot. Her parents are always going somewhere and leaving her behind. My parents might have been conservative and strict, but our vacations were always taken as a family. I’ve always felt like Cassidy’s parents’ loss was our gain. I love having Cassidy around, and I can’t imagine my life without her in it.
    “Delilah and I were thinking that a bonfire might be fun tonight. Are you up for it?” She shields her eyes from the sun and looks up at me.
    “Always. Does she want to invite everyone?”
    Cassidy shakes her head. “She didn’t say so. She just said she wants to eat hot dogs over the fire for dinner.”
    I groan and Cassidy laughs. Hot dogs are about the grossest food on the planet, but they’re Delilah’s go-to meal when she’s coming out of anything distressing.
    “I know.” She smiles. “But that’s a good sign, right?”
    “Grossly, yes. It’s a good sign. Did she ever contact Frank about our parents?” I’m even worried about Delilah’s fake boyfriend? I roll my eyes at myself.
    “Yeah, she called him. He was really sweet to her. I feel bad for him. He really likes her.” Cassidy turns around and leans her back against the railing. She aims her camera at me, and I turn away.
    “Please, Wy?”
    Why does she have this hold over me? I’ve never been able to turn her away. When I turn and look out over the water, I hear her take a picture. “One,” I say.
    “Two?”
    I hear the shutter clicking and turn to face her, and she takes another of me looking directly at her. As she puts the lens cap back on, she smiles up at me again. I love her smile way too much.
    She hooks her finger in my pocket and her eyes turn solemn. “I know you don’t want me to ask how you’re doing, so I won’t. Just know that I’m here if you want to talk, okay?”
    When I don’t answer, she hooks another finger in my other pocket. She’s done that a million times and never once have I ever felt anything sexual, but she’s looking up at me with her lips slightly parted, a sweet smile on her face, and her