Page 22 of As the Rain Falls (Sainte Madeleine #1)

WHAT MY INTUITION SAYS

Beckett

Cassandra steps outside to throw away the trash. It’s late and the streets are empty, but I’m circling her house because Lucia’s dog needs his nightly walk. The opportunity screams perfections.

Gregory: Why is the dog still here?

Me: Don’t worry about it.

I’m taking care of it right now.

Gregory: Okay.

Our paths cross right as I’m reaching the sidewalk, and Pepé gets so excited about finally seeing another human being other than my father and me that I have to pull his leash to force him to stand back.

Unable to pounce on my neighbor, he starts barking and rolling around like he’s just won the lottery.

“Pepé!” Cassandra drops to her feet, sitting cross-legged on the floor. She opens her arms, and the golden retriever immediately jumps on her, showering her face with slobbery, wet kisses. “You’re the fluffiest dog I’ve ever seen!”

I brush my fingers against his fur.

“She just called you fat, dude.”

“Ohmygod!” Cassandra gasps, making a sad sound. Her green eyes rise to meet mine, amusement showing in her gaze. “I didn’t mean it like that!”

Pepé lets out an exaggerated whimper, acting like a victim. The golden retriever actually goes as far as flopping onto the grass just to really stress over how sad he feels.Typical drama king.

“Look at his sad face,” my neighbor pouts while glaring at me.

“Okay. Now I’m the bad guy?”

“Yes.”

I chuckle, “And people claim dogs aren’t all that smart. Pepé’s a master at manipulation.”

“How could you say that to him?”she whines.

“He is fat.” I shrug, pretending not to care about hurting his feelings.

It’s actually all a lie: Pepé is growing severely underweight; the stress is getting to him. I think he just might be missing my sister too much to eat. It worries me a little, especially because I can tell I’m not making things easier for him. Unfortunately, I was never much of a dog person.

“You should come live with me, Pepé-the-dog,” Cassandra coos, scratching behind his ears. Pepé is absolutely delighted with all the attention. “I will feed you chicken and fruits, and let you try my favorite ice cream.”

I cross my arms over my chest, rolling my eyes with fondness.

“What flavor? Is it vanilla?” I ask curiously.

She smiles sweetly. “Um, litchi, actually.”

I grimace, imagining how sweet the ice cream must be, and Cassandra’s eyes narrow with suspicion.

“What? Do I look like a basic vanilla-ice-cream kind of girl to you?”

“Oh, come on,” I smile openly. “Vanilla is a solid choice.”

“It’s a fine flavor, Becky. But litchi is better,” she counters while giving Pepé another kiss right on the snout. “It’s sweeter and more refreshing. You should definitely try it. I just had some for dessert.”

“Sounds a bit too sweet for me. I’d rather not get a whole tub of something I’ll probably hate.”

Cassandra tilts her head back, taking in my words. It’s like she hadn’t considered that I might be a creature of habit, without an ounce of an adventurous spirit when it comes to food.

I’m about to ask her if she’d watch Pepé for me sometime, but she beats me to it.

Well, at least in some kind of way.

“Can you believe my dad never let me get a dog?” she whines, her voice getting high-pitched as she talks to Pepé again. “We tried when I was a kid, but the puppies got sick and passed away. It made me super sad. All I’ve ever wanted is a dog like you, Pepé. The world is so, so unfair, you see.”

I blurt out, “You can take him.”

“What?” she gasps dramatically, covering the dog’s ears, “Don’t listen to him, my sweetheart.”

I crouch down on the sidewalk, my own grin widening.

She’s too damn cute.

“Steal him. Sell him. Do whatever you want, really. Here’s the leash, princess.” I pretend to give her the leash. “Pepé is entirely yours.”

“Wow, thanks!” Cassandra deadpans, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “That’s so generous of you!”

I nod proudly before saying, “Who am I if not the king of generosity?”

“That’s a little too cocky for me.” Her eyes darken, giving me the kind of look that tells me to behave and apologize for my wrongdoings. “And you shouldn’t go around giving him to random strangers like this.”

“Ouch.” I touch my chest, pretending that she just stabbed me. “And here I thought we were close friends.”

She rolls her eyes playfully and jokes, “Well, we’re not.”

“Oh, really?” I raise my eyebrows, leaning closer. “What is that thing you told me last time again? Didn’t you say, “I’m here for you if you ever want to talk”, that one time we hung out?”

Blood rushes to her face the more I speak, leaving her cheeks with traces of a beautiful summer glow.Cassandra blushes way too easily.It’s a problem. I’m pretty sure she knows it already.

“Stop! I don’t remember ever saying that!”

“Oh, yeah?” I pinch the bridge of her nose lightly, watching her skin become crimson red underneath my fingers. “But you most certainly did.”

“Enough!” She swats my hand away, her long hair falling forward, covering her chest.

She is wearing pink pajama pants covered in white dots printed, and her flip-flops are bunny-themed, with charms all over the straps. Her oversized pink t-shirt has a printed design of Betty Boop that is slightly worn out.

Cassandra Rivera is so goddamn adorable.

It’s wildly unfair.

“I mean it, though.” I scratch the back of my neck, finally daring to ask the question I’ve been meaning to all along. “It’d be a huge favor if you could watch him when I’m not around.”

“Really?” Cassandra studies me, her gaze inquisitive. “Are you going on a trip?”

“No.” I shake my head. “But Pepé gets lonely and it’s the neighborly thing to do.”

Her face softens, fighting back a smile. “The neighborly thing to do?”

“Yeah.”

“Would he be sleeping at your place or at mine?”

“Depends on what you want. Whatever works for you. It’s just from time to time.”

“I wouldn’t mind having him over,” she admits. “My room is big enough and it gets lonely sometimes, but I need to check with my parents first, just in case.”

“That’s fine, really.” I bob my head quickly. “Thank you so much.”

“Don’t mention it.” She grins at Pepé, who’s wiggling his tail enthusiastically. “He’s the cutest little thing.”

My eyes trace her delicate features, and that’s when I spot the faint bruise near her hairline. It’s small, almost unnoticeable at first glance, but it’s there. Right on her face, the edges fading to yellow and purple, like someone threw a punch at her.

“What’s that?” I ask before I can help myself, lower than I meant.

Cassandra doesn’t hear me. She leans down, completely unaware, and kisses Pepé‘s head again before sending me a curious glance. I clear my throat and try again, louder this time.

“What’s that?”

Her smile falters. I gesture to her face, not knowing how else to describe it.

“You’re bruised.”

She brushes the back of her fingers against her nose. “Really?”

“Yeah.” I nod, stepping closer. “It’s right here.”

“Where?”

“Here, let me show you.” I reach out, bringing one hand closer to her chin and tilting her head back towards the light. “Hold on, sweetheart. This doesn’t look good at all.”

Her hair shifts, wild strands falling to the side. I brush my thumb over the faint purple mark. She flinches away from my touch.

“Shit. Does it still hurt?”

Cassandra ignores my question and asks one of her own, sounding alarmed.

“Is it big? Is it bad?” Her tone grows more alarmed with each word. “Oh, God! I really thought it wasn’t noticeable.”

“It’s not unless you’re really looking,” I reassure her, checking to see if there are any other marks hidden underneath her hair. “I had to stare really hard to find it.”

“But you still saw it.”

“Yeah, I did.” I frown. “Who did this to you?”

“No one. I did it.” She pulls back, fixing her hair so that it’s framing her face again. “I hit my head against the bed frame. I just—I thought it wouldn’t become a bruise.”

I help her, tucking a loose strand behind her ear. There’s a tiny braid threaded with blue and gold beads… Some sort of hair jewelry?It’s pretty, though, thin and very delicate.The golden surface even glimmers between my fingers when I pick it up.

“Do I look better now?” she asks, her voice sounding so small. “Is it hidden?”

“Yes, it is,” I lie, not wanting to spook her even further. “I really like your jewelry.”

Cassandra smiles awkwardly, rising to a standing position and shifting her weight from one leg to the other.

“Thanks. I got it at the flea market.”

“Mn.”

“I really did hurt myself, you know?”

I quickly check her knees to see if the scratches she’d gotten the other day are healed. The skin is no longer reddish, so it doesn’t seem like it might become a bigger problem.

Good.

“I can see that, but that’s twice in a month, Cass,” I keep my voice as light as it can be, but my stomach still churns uneasily. This bad feeling rises in my guts, and I can’t for the life of me figure out the reason why. “Do I need to wrap you in bubble wrap or what?”

“I’m just really clumsy, Becky,” her smile is shaky, like she’s mortified that I pointed it out. “It’s nothing for you to worry about.”

Taking a hint, I roll Pepé’s leash around my hand and smoothly change the subject, letting this go.

“About to go to bed?”

Cassandra relaxes, leaning against my touch when I reach for her hair charms again. I place the braid behind her ear, brushing my knuckles against her earrings as I do so. She does wear a lot of jewelry, but mostly earrings, bracelets, and necklaces. It all looks good on her anyway.

“Gotta do the dishes first,” she tells me. “We had take out delivered to us.”

“That’s nice,” I nod, listening attentively. “What did you guys eat?”

“Tacos from Silvio’s again,” her voice sounds far away. “Mom is a better cook than I am, and Nathaniel is tired of my seasoning. I asked for the full combo with the new vegetarian stuff because I’ve been trying to eat more healthy.”

“Good call. It sounds delicious.” My tattoo starts to itch again, and I pull away to scratch my naked chest. “Do you have a favorite flavor?”

“The ones with red peppers are the best,” Cassandra yawns, stretching her arms above her head. Then, she eyes me curiously, “And you?”

I shrug. “I’ll probably cook something after I’m done walking Pepé.”

Her eyes widen with shock. “You know how to cook?”

“Just the basics,” I answer. “You should come around sometime. We can trade recipes.”

“But wouldn’t I be bothering you on your time off?”

“Cassandra? Where are you?”

I’m about to answer her question, but her dad’s voice cuts through the night, calling her back inside. He stops by the door, features hardening once he finally notices me talking to his daughter.

“Hi, Mr. Rivera.” I wave a hand, greeting him from afar.

“Hello, Beckett.”

“Oh,” Cassandra’s smile wavers, glancing back to check on her father. “Becky, I think I have to go.”

“You have my number, right?” I check. She nods. “Just text me, and I’ll bring him over if it’s alright with your parents. If you ever want to come over, it’s not a problem.”

“Okay, I will.” She smiles softly. “Have a good night, Beckett.”

“You too, Cass.”

I’m about to walk away, go home, and take a shower, but something in my chest twists as I watch her go.

I can’t tell what it is at first. If it’s the fact that she was so nice to me when I drove her to school the other day, that she might help me with Pepé after all, or if it’s the bruise on her face. But something doesn’t sit entirely right with me, and I just wish I could…

Maybe I’m overstepping.

Scratch that, I’m definitely overstepping.

I clearly don’t know her well enough. We’re friends, but we’re not close close friends. But if anybody asks, I’m just being neighborly.It’s the right thing to do, isn’t it?

“Hey Cass?” I blurt out. Her hand freezes around the gates.“Don’t be a stranger, okay? I mean, I’m right next door. You can always ring my bell if you need anything.”

She tilts her head, shooting me an almost confused kind of look. Her voice comes out soft, “As long as I don’t mess with your stereo, right?”

“Right.” I nod, absentmindedly playing with Pepé‘s leash.

Cassandra bites her lips, hesitating to take another step. I almost expect her to say something, but she stays quiet.

It’s like neither of us wants to move.

I watch her linger for another second too long before she disappears inside. The door closes behind her, and everything should be okay now, but this burning sensation keeps pulsing in my chest, making me feel nauseous.

The more I think about it, something really doesn’t sit right with me, and I can’t shake the feeling that this isn’t the last time I’ll see a bruise on Cassandra Rivera, which is just—

It’s such a wild thought to have. So wild that I can’t believe that I’m even thinking about it in the first place.

Suddenly, I desperately want to press pause until I understand what this is about, this intuition that’s telling me to knock on her door again, but I can’t.

It’s a big house , I think to myself, finally heading home. Maybe not as big as mine, but my room and hers are on complete opposite ends. And if something were to happen, I wouldn’t hear a damn thing.