Casey was managing everything with Vera until she wanted to celebrate his graduation. He didn't know how that would go over with Kane, who was both abrasive and overprotective. He had questioned Casey's sanity for getting involved with her to the extent he had all the time, even if it would help with his job prospects.
He never talked about Kane with anyone. Doing it now was awkward and uncomfortable, especially since she was so shocked.
"You're a twin?"
"Yeah. An identical one. His name is Kane and he's…well, he's difficult to deal with. That's why I don't really talk about him," Casey tried to explain.
At least Vera didn't pry. That wasn't her way though. She had always been good about letting things go. "Oh. I'm sorry to hear that."
She would be even sorrier if she heard about Candy but he was NOT about to go into that. Vera could go ahead and keep thinking he only had one sibling. For all intents and purposes, he did.
"It is what it is. If you ever come across him, just ignore whatever he might say. He knows who you are."
Thankfully, Kane didn't want to go to the ceremony when Casey brought it up. He figured Kane would find something like that boring and was right.
So Vera and Tilly were the only ones there. Casey preferred it that way. He was especially happy about how Vera put her arm around his back for the pictures and flashed her brightest smile at the camera.
He couldn't help but make one his phone's lock screen. He wanted to see her smile at him every time he unlocked his phone.
He knew how pathetic that was. She was simply a nice person. The nicest he had ever known. She even went as far as making him a cake and no one had done that since before Candy left.
No. No thinking about her on a happy occasion!
Casey hugged Vera both to thank her and to kept himself together. Focus on her. Just her! She was safe.
He truly believed that after knowing her for two years. She was too good to hurt him. She would never do anything like that, at least not on purpose. She was everything good and lovely in this world and he knew he would never deserve her kindness.
Still intent on proving his usefulness to her, he didn't want it to happen the way it did. They had a peaceful summer at the shop after his graduation but in the fall, Tilly got sick. It wasn't the sort of thing that was curable either. Dementia kept getting worse until the person died.
Vera was devastated by the diagnosis. Tilly was the only real parent she had.
Casey understood what that was like, though Candy hadn't gotten sick and died. She up and left. Either way, the feeling of someone you love leaving you was horrible. He couldn't fix what was happening but could at least try to ease Vera's burden since she was worried about everything she would have to juggle with Tilly not able to manage the shop on her own.
Vera was crying just talking about it. That strengthened his resolve. He hated seeing her cry!
"I'll help you, Vera. You just focus on school, okay? I'll try to take care of the business end of things here for you."
She sniffled and looked up at him hopefully. "You'd really do that?"
"Yeah. We're partners, right?"
Being Vera's business partner someday was why she offered to teach Casey restoration to begin with. That was all he would ever be but he had to do the best possible job so she wouldn't banish him from her life. He knew how much the shop meant to her. He couldn't let it fall apart while she was busy with school.
She hugged him and spoke shakily. She truly needed his help. No one had ever needed him before. He couldn't let her down!
"Thanks, Casey. I can't tell you how much this means to me."
"Glad I can help."
It was the least Casey could do. Vera was so important to him. Just as important as Kane, though she was nicer than he could ever dream of being.
He wasn't terribly happy about this new development. He gave Casey a hard time about it more than once.
"Why are you going so far for this girl?" Kane asked uncomprehendingly one day in October after Casey stayed late to help finish an important restoration job that Tilly couldn't do on her own because Vera had midterms.
"Because she needs me, Kane. No one has ever needed me this much before. If I keep being useful to her, won't she stay with me, even with how weak I am? I…I need her too," Casey found himself admitting.
"I don't see this ending well for you."
"She's different! I know she is. She's not like anyone else we've ever met."
"Whatever. It's your funeral."
It very well might be. Because Casey couldn't afford to lose anyone else he cared about. Not again.
Vera was everything. She had stuck with him for two whole years now, which was longer than anyone he wasn't related to had ever done. Though she hadn't seen the full extent of how pathetic he was. She never could.
He could only show her his best self. As limited as that was.
She certainly appreciated his efforts. She told him how much all the time, usually while hugging him.
Casey had never been particularly fond of being touched but with Vera it was different. She was safe. Soft. Warm. He had never felt like this about anyone.
He needed her so much. So how could he ever not be what she needed when she was having such a hard time? He was absolutely determined to be the most reliable person in her life but, at this point, it wasn't much of a competition.
All she had was Tilly and Casey. They were both messes in their own ways but he was doing better than she was. He had to keep it together for Vera's sake, no matter what else might be going on.