David was taken aback by what Brook had just said. It took him a few minutes to wrap his brain around the implications. But the more he thought about it, the more he realized she was right. Cassidy was an adult now, and it wasn’t up to David or Brook to decide. It was just their job to be her friends.
“Should we have offered to pay her medical bills and fly her dad and brother out?” David asked.
“We are blessed to have money. The way I look at it is that so long as it doesn’t hurt us or our families and,”
Brook drew out, “we decide to do it voluntarily, it’s our money; we can do with it what we want.”
“Okay.”
“Cassidy’s accident has made me think about this, and I encourage you to do the same. I’ve been too quick to open my wallet. We both have enough money that we could retire today, but I’ve seen people like us lose it all due to
‘helping’ friends and family,” Brook explained.
David had heard cautionary tales of professional athletes who’d squandered staggering amounts of money doing exactly what she described.
He knew that Brook had her own money given to her by her grandmother. He also knew Grace would come to her granddaughter’s rescue if she ever needed it. But Brook’s point wasn’t lost on him.
“So, what exactly are you saying?” David asked.
“That we honor our commitments we’ve made. The two specialists and their teams were expensive, but Cassidy would have lost the use of her arm without them. But from here on out, we step back and only help when asked.”
“Even if Coach Hope has to get a second mortgage on his home?”
“It’s not our place to tell him or Cassidy how to live their lives.”
David chuckled.
“What’s so funny?” Brook asked, looking annoyed.
“I think this is the first time you’ve given me a life lesson. Normally it’s either Tami or some adult like my uncle schooling me.”
“You don’t think I’m capable?” Brook asked, taking it the wrong way.
“No, that’s not it at all. I’ve always admired you and respected what you’ve told me. But you will always be my friend who’ll do wild and crazy stuff like skydiving with me.
That person isn’t the one I think of when I need a life
lesson. I was amused because, at some point, you became Miss Responsible,” David explained.
“I’m still fun,” she fired back.
“And that right there is why I never argue with women,”
he said, softening it by grinning at his pouting friend.
Brook realized that he wasn’t attacking her and smiled back at him.
“I don’t want Cassidy to go home,” David said as he got serious again.
“How did you feel when I told you I was moving to Cincinnati?”
“The same way.”
“And what did you do?”
“Supported your decision,” he admitted.
“We’ll just have to do the same for Cassidy.”
“But I won’t like it.”
“Neither would I,” Brook agreed.
“When are you leaving?” David asked to change the subject.
“Tomorrow. I have to get back to school.”
“Does Cassidy know?”
“I told her today, and she’s fine,” Brook said to put his mind at ease.
“Why don’t I go back in to give you a break?”
“Tracy and Pam will be here in an hour and agreed to stay with Cassidy until visiting hours are over. I could really use a hot shower and some room service, so I’ll take you up on your offer,” Brook said and leaned in and kissed David’s cheek.
“I love you too,” he said as he got up and went to Cassidy’s room before it got weird between him and Brook.
◊◊◊
David had sent Crystal a message that he was headed back to his dorm. He grabbed some carryout and asked if
she wanted to join him. She hadn’t had any alone time with him in almost two weeks, so she agreed. David said he would message her when he got to her sorority.
Taylor popped her head in the door and saw Crystal getting ready to go out.
“Where are you going? I wanted to talk to you about rush.”
Taylor was this fall’s pledge mistress.
“It’ll have to wait. I’m going over to David’s.”
“Don’t forget to ask him if he’ll be a celebrity bartender at my rush,” Taylor pressed.
“You mean ‘our’ rush,” Crystal reminded Taylor. “He’ll be here in a second to pick me up. You can ask him yourself.”
Crystal’s phone buzzed.
“He’s here.”
Taylor raced her down the stairs and threw the door open before David could knock.
“Just the man I was looking for,” Taylor announced.
David glanced at Crystal to see what her redheaded friend was up to. Crystal shook her head to let him know he was on his own.
“What can I do for you, Taylor?” David asked.
“First, I want a ride in your car sometime. But the main reason I need to talk to you is that rush starts next week.
Crystal said you would do whatever I needed to make sure it ran smoothly.”
“Did she?” David asked as he cocked his head sideways.
“She did,” Taylor said, confident in her lie.
Crystal stood still as they both looked at her.
“You two can work this out,” she finally said.
“I want you to be our celebrity bartender,” Taylor said.
“But you can’t serve actual alcohol at a rush event,”
Crystal quickly added.
“Can I make my own special mocktails?” David asked.
“Anything you want if you’ll say, ‘yes,’” Taylor said.
“If Crystal said I would do it, I will,” David said.
Taylor was a complete spaz as she jumped up and down.
“Come on before she ropes you into anything else,”
Crystal said.
As they got into the car, Taylor yelled, “I love you, David!”
“I think you have a new fan,” Crystal said as they drove to David’s dorm.
When they got to his suite, they found Alex and Chloe lounging in the living room.
“My man! I was hoping you brought some grub,” Alex said when he saw David had food.
David had stopped at a new place that offered double-fried chicken, giant buttermilk biscuits, and onion rings.
While the boys got everything organized, Chloe wanted to talk to Crystal.
“My mom turned me onto a cosmetics company that wants to launch a new moisturizer. I’ve set up a meeting to see them Friday, and I was hoping you would go with me.”
Crystal had agreed to help Chloe figure out how to monetize herself as an Internet influencer. She wanted to be an agent someday and felt that influencers needed honest representation. There were some stories of shady stuff done to some of the early influencers. Working with Chloe would help her learn the ropes.
“That was great of your mom. We’ll have to think of some way to kick things off with a bang.”
“Alex said we could go out on his boat on Sunday.”
Chloe wasn’t sure about that because the last time she went out, it was on a small boat, and she got seasick.
Before she could object, David said, “It’s more a yacht than a boat. Think Russian oligarch size.”
“How many people can you get on it?” Crystal asked.
“A hundred easily, but I was thinking it would just be maybe twenty or thirty people,” Alex said, then added, “You
should have David be your crash test dummy. If anyone knows about creams, it’s him.”
Crystal chuckled because Alex was right. David had more stuff than most girls she knew.
“I was taught that skincare was essential for people in modeling and movies, so you can all bite me.”