Her stomach dipped. She stared, waiting. Nothing.
She typed again before she could talk herself out of it:
Casey:Ok. That’s good. Just wanted to see how u r.
Another pause.
Rags:Yeah. Thx.
Then… nothing. That was it. No teasing. No warmth. Not a damn thing.
Her pulse kicked with irritation at him for being distant, and at herself for letting it bother her. She locked her phone and slid it into her purse with a little more force than necessary. Casey blew out a breath, squared her shoulders, and stood.
I shouldn’t have reached out.
Lesson learned.
But despite his short texts, she couldn’t seem to get him out of her mind.
She was so screwed.
***
Opening night wasa blur of excitement, applause, and standing ovations. All the performances were stellar, but Raven’s roseabove all of them. She was on fire, and Casey loved watching her in action.
“You did a great job marketing the production,” Jacob said coming up behind her in the sound booth.
“Thanks, but the play and actors were a huge selling factor.”
“Don’t sell yourself short. Since you’ve been working here, our sponsorships have gone up by more than sixty percent, and the ticket sales for the plays and other events are the highest they’ve ever been. Like tonight we have a sell-out performance. You deserve to pat yourself on the back.”
Casey smiled. “Thanks for always being my cheerleader.”
“You know I’ll always be in your corner.” Jacob put his hands on her shoulders and gently massaged them. “You’re so stiff. You need to take a few days off and do something fun, Casey.”
“Someday, I will.” She scanned the crowd hoping to see Rags but he wasn’t there.
“There you go, getting tense again. What’re you thinking about?”
Rags, as always.“How happy Raven and the other actors must feel after their stellar performance. I’m sure Simon is elated with the way the cast performed.”
“If he is, he won’t show it. He’s one of those brooding directors.” Jacob laughed as he lightly pulled her back against him.
“Jacob—”
“I care about you, Casey,” he cut in. “I wish you’d give me a chance.”
She moved out of his grasp and turned toward him. “I care about you, too… as afriend.”
“We have a lot in common,” he said.
“And that’s what makes us good friends.” She grasped his hands. “I’m not in the right head space for that kind of relationship. I’m not looking for that.”
“You could’ve fooled me. I saw you with Clara’s brother. I just don’t get why you’d want someone like that.”
“I’m not interested in anyone, okay?”
Jacob’s usual warm eyes turned hard. “I’m not buying it. I saw you coming out of Mountain Ember last week. You looked pretty interested to me.”