Page 58 of Lucas

“Roses. Right.” A smile ghosted over Shana’s lips but Bria could see that she didn’t really remember that fact. “Well the roses are beautiful today aren’t they?”

“Yes they are.”

They sat for twenty minutes and Bria let Shana lead the conversation. Most of the talking was about mundane things until Shan asked about her job.

“It’s going great,” she lied. Shana didn’t need to know that there was a very real possibility she’d lost the job today and that Bria had no backup plan in place to take care of her sister.

Bria swallowed the lump in her throat. Shana needed this place if she was going to have a chance and there was no way their parents could afford it. Her father was on Social Security and her mother had her teacher’s pension. It gave them enough to live on but private rehab expenses were outrageously high.

And Bria refused to put her sister into a state run facility. It just wasn’t an option.

Tomorrow she’d beg Ashton not to fire her if it came down to it.

Shana stood and wrapped her arms around Bria. “Your visits are the best.”

“There is nowhere else I’d want to be,” Bria said. Except maybe seeing her sister somewhere that wasn’t a brain trauma rehab center. “See you next Thursday.” Bria wiped the tears from her eyes as she walked out the doors and back into the cooled night air.

Kassidy was waiting at the pub for her and Bria always needed a drink after her visits with Shana to help bury the guilt.

Bria sucked in a deep breath as guilt washed over her. It was too late to change the past but it was why she had to make sure from now on that Shana had the best to help her recover, cost be damned.

The cab pulled up outside the pub and Bria got out. Kassidy stood out front and waved when she saw her.

“Have you been waiting long?” Bria asked. Even though Kassidy was her best friend, she had never told her about Shana and her Thursday night visits. Kass probably figured she’d been working late. Again.

“Only a few minutes. Are you ready to get your drink on?” Kassidy linked their arms and they pushed inside. The familiar dim lighting and music from an old jukebox in the corner eased the tension from Bria’s shoulders.

“So what has our resident McHottie Bossman done to get our panties wet this week?” Kassidy asked as soon as they sat down with their first round of drinks.

It was how they started every girls night out, with Bria telling Kass anything sexy that Ashton had done during the week. Bria took a huge swallow of her vodka and cranberry but the sour taste stayed in her mouth.

“He’s been out in Cali all week. Just got back this afternoon.”

And almost fired me, she thought, but kept to herself.

Probably still going to fire me tomorrow.

“So you couldn’t meet at five cause you were having a quickie in his office, right?” Kass winked at Bria who tried to laugh.

When the sound came out more like someone strangling a cat, Kass gave her a sideways look.

Not so much a quickie, but what she felt when Ashton had looked at her, it was as close to sex as she’d ever come.

Kassidy’s eyes went wide. “I was only kidding.”

She hated to kill that excitement in her friend's eyes, but the truth wasn’t so glamorous and the sooner Kass knew, the sooner they could get on with her pity party for one drinkfest.

“I might have gotten fired today actually.” As soon as she said it she gulped down her entire drink. “I need another. Be right back”

Going to the bar to get a refill gave her a few minutes to let that sink into Kassidy’s head.

When she made her way back to the table, Kass still had her mouth hanging open. Bria set down a refill in front of Kass and then slid back into her seat.

“You drop that and then run? Keep your ass right there and tell me what the hell is going on, Bri.” The one thing Bria knew she could count on from Kass was that her friend wouldn't immediately jump on the what the hell were you thinking you idiot bandwagon.

“I lied about which college I attended on my resume. Mr. Carter found out and after a painfully awkward conversation where he tried to get me to stick my foot in my mouth and admit it, he pretty much fired me.”

“I can’t believe you lied on your resume,” Kassidy said, her eyes wide.