When I woke this morning, I called both Casey’s sister and our mutual boss. I asked for someone to fill in for me for a few days, because I needed to step away for clarity. It was a chickenshit move, but I knew if I went over there right now, Casey would constantly needle me until I gave in. I’d always had trouble saying no to her, and she knew it. Instead of going to Casey’s, I stopped by Clarissa’s house to see how she and the girls were doing.

“Hey, sis.” I pulled her close and pressed a kiss to her cheek. The dark circles under her eyes seemed even more pronounced today. Something was going on with her; I just didn’t know what. I also knew that she’d tell me when she was ready.

“Hey,” she echoed, and I caught the fatigue in her voice.

“How are the girls doing? And Larry?” I asked as we settled in the living room.

“The girls are fine. Pippa is…well, she’s Pippa. Molly, on the other hand, has been difficult, to say the least. I’m not sure if she’s having trouble adjusting to her new school, struggling with schoolwork, or if she’s just being a typical teenager. She’s thirteen-going-on-thirty. She thinks she knows everything, and nothing I say or do is right. I’m trying to cut her some slack, but she’s getting on my last nerve.”

“Do you want me to talk to her?”

“Lord, no, but thank you. Because then she’ll just get mad that I told you, and I’ll have to live with her being insufferable. The eye rolls, the frustrated sighs like I’m trying her patience. I have to close my eyes and count to ten most days to keep my cool. I keep hoping this is a short phase that she grows out of quickly. Otherwise, she may not make it to see fourteen.”

I hid my smile, because Clarissa sounded so aggrieved. Granted, the only experience I had with a teenage girl was her. But when she was fourteen, we’d been too busy taking care of our mom that my sister had matured faster than most teenage girls. So, it really could be as bad as she described. From the sounds of it, I was glad I hadn’t had to deal with it.

“Well, if you change your mind, let me know.”

She gave a tired smile. “I will. So, what about you? Did you ever decide what you were going to do about Casey?”

I tilted my head back to stare at the ceiling with a self-deprecating laugh. “I fucked up, Reecey. I knew I shouldn’t have said yes, but I did it anyway. I took it too far yesterday, and words might have been exchanged that could potentially ruin our friendship. Or, if not ruin it, then at least put a definite strain on it.”

Clarissa reached out placed her hand on mine. “If a few harsh words ruin a friendship like yours, then it wasn’t that strong to begin with. You apologize, you forgive, and you move forward.”

I looked over at her. Something in her tone made me wonder if she was still talking about Casey and me. I squeezed her hand in mine. She smiled, but it seemed forced.

“Are you sure you’re okay, sis?”

She let go of my hand with a little pat and stood. “I’m fine. I’m sure you have things you need to go take care of. Just think about what I said. You have to decide if Casey is worth fighting for.”

* * *

After leaving my sister’s house, I headed to Sully’s Place. When I was in Afghanistan, I’d met Lance Corporal Richard “Sully” Sullivan. During the five months we’d been stationed together, I learned that he and his family owned a local pub here in Pinegrove. After Sully was discharged from the Marines three years ago, he came home to help his father run the place. Late last year, his father finally retired, and Sully took over the business.

As I entered the pub, the scent of barley, yeast, and hops wafted through the air. The lights were dim, but bright enough to cast light on the tables spread out through the open area. There were already some guys at the pool tables in the back of the room, and guitar riffs echoed throughout the place from the jukebox in the corner. Sully stood at the giant bar, wiping down rocks glasses before stacking them behind the counter, but he tipped his head in greeting.

“Maxwell, what brings you in?” he greeted me, tossing the towel down to reach out and shake my hand as I settled onto the bar stool.

“I heard this place had the best Reubens and beer in town.”

“Well, what do you know? That just happens to be today’s special.”

As he started pouring me a beer from the tap, Sully tossed out to the waitress walking by, “Lucy, will you get my man here a Reuben, please?”

“Sure thing, boss,” she responded without stopping.

Sully turned back and studied me. “Now, you want to tell me what really brought you here? I thought today was one of your ‘Casey’ days?”

“How did you know?” I was truly curious, because it wasn’t like I’d given Sully my schedule.

He set my beer on a napkin in front of me and crossed his arms. “Dude, you talk about her constantly. Casey this. Casey that. I know you go over there Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays. Although, I was beginning to wonder if you were just making her up since you’ve never brought her in to visit. I mean, considering how often you bring her name up.”

I flipped him off. “She doesn’t like strangers.”

Sully held up his hands in mock defeat. “Hey, whatever, bro. I’m just wondering why you’re here and not there.”

“Are you putting on your bartender slash therapist hat now?” I said after a long draw from my cold beer.

“No. This is me asking as a friend, Philip. I’ve known you a long time, and I know something is bugging you.”

I started to speak, but the waitress, Lucy, brought out my food. Once she was gone, I focused on Sully.

“The most basic answer is we had a disagreement, and I’m not sure how to fix it. It’s complicated.”

“I don’t know. I don’t think women are that complicated at all. They want someone to love them and tell them they’re always right. As long as you do that, then you shouldn’t have any problems.”

I just stared at Sully. “Seriously? That’s your summation of women?”

He just shrugged. “It’s always worked for me. All my exes still adore me. We stay in contact, and we’re friendly. That should tell you something.”

I could just shake my head, because I didn’t really know what else to say. “Whatever works for you, I guess. But, you know, Sully, you’re also a forty-year old bachelor who hasn’t been in a relationship for longer than three months. That should tell you something.”

Sully gave me his thousand-watt smile that seemed to bring all the women to their knees. “What can I say? I just haven’t met the right woman yet. Speaking of the right woman. Whatever happened between you and yours, you need to fix. Because I want to meet her.”

“Casey is not my woman. And you say I need to fix it like it’s my fault. You don’t even know what happened.”

“Doesn’t matter what happened. Whatever it was, it was your fault. Now, let’s get you another beer and you can tell me what you did so I can help you win her back.”