Free Cast the Cards by Shyla Colt Page B

Seeing
the silent fight to contain her anguish made him feel like a voyeur. Words
escaped him. Everything that popped into his head sounded too contrived or
ignorant. So he held his tongue, rubbed her back, and waited for a cue. A few
minutes later she cleared her throat.
    “I’m
okay.” Her back stiffened. She pulled away from his hand.
    “No.”
    “What?”
    He
refused to let the curt tone put him off. “After all of that there’s no way I’m
going to step back and pretend it never happened.”
    “Why?
It’d work for me,” she mumbled.
    “Because
you have to talk about this.”
    “I
really don’t.” She shook her head.
    “Vannah,
have you ever thought your refusal to deal with this head-on might be affecting
Clark?”
    “What
are you talking about?”Her eyes flashed with anger.
    “You
know what keeps a spirit earthbound?  Unfinished business.”
    “I’m
not going to sit here and listen to this.” She removed her gloves with loud
snaps and spun around, ready to leave. He placed a hand on her shoulder,
stopping her retreat.
    “Yes,
you will. He knows you aren’t the same. Do you think it doesn’t affect him?”
    “That’s
his choice.” The words were unconvincing.
    “Bullshit.”
    She
sighed. “What do you want me to do, Carey?”
    “I
want you to stop acting like a damn robot, and feel,” he growled, frustrated by
her lack of empathy.
    “You
have no clue what I’m like outside of work.” Her lips curled upward in a sneer.
    “No,
but I bet Clark does.”
    “He
told you about last night, didn’t he?” She glanced up, releasing a deep breath
that tossled the wayward tufts of hair framing her face.
    They
never kept secrets from one another. Why should now be any different?
    “He
mentioned it, yeah. What were you thinking, leading him on like that?”
    “Leading
him on? I was honest about my feelings. I felt he deserved to know.” She placed
her hands on her knees and leaned forward.
    “Why?
Nothing could come of it.”
    “He’s
not the only one who’s suffered from the need for closure all this time,
Carey!” She rocked back, stretched to her full seated height, and glared.
    “Aha!
So you admit it.”  He pointed to her, pleased that he’d gotten her to respond.
    “Son
of a bitch!” She threw her hands up in the air and rose from the stool. “You
did that on purpose, didn’t you? Sneaky bastard!” The narrowed stare she pinned
him with made him antsy.
    “I
don’t think Mom would appreciate that.”
    “This
isn’t a game.”
    He
sobered. “No, it’s not. I’m sorry. I was just trying to lighten the moment.
This whole situation is so heavy. I feel like I’m caught up in a rockslide on a
daily basis. You have to let go, Vannah. Turning your life into some sort of
living shrine to Clark isn’t good for either of you.”
    “I’m
not.” She shook her head vehemently.
    “Aren’t
you? When’s the last time you went on a date, held a steady relationship?”
    “What’s
wrong with putting your career first?” Arms crossed over her chest, she leaned
her weight back onto one leg.
    “Nothing,
but for you it’s all that exists.”
    “I
do other things,” she mumbled.
    “Name
three for me.” He arched his eyebrow.
    She
paused. “Travel.”
    “Is
it for work?”
    “Not
always.”
    “Okay,
I’ll give you that. Two more.” He held up two fingers.
    “Read.”
    “Uh
huh.” His voice dripped with disbelief as he gestured for her to follow with a
wave of his hand. “Next.”
    “I
do things with my best friend Amy.”
    “And
that fulfills you?”
    “Not
everyone wants a husband and kids, Carey.”
    “No,
but you always did.”
    She
placed her tongue in her cheek and breathed through her nostrils, tilting her
head back.  “After what happened I saw life differently. Around every corner
there was pain, evil, and devastation. I wanted to be a light, someone who
answered the questions that kept people up at night and combated the
wrongdoings. The ideal of