by Ronica Black
“Are you going to fall asleep on me, now?” Blake asked, touching her cheek.
“Mm.”
She tilted Cam’s chin and looked down at her. Cam could hardly keep her eyes open. Their lovemaking had used up every last bit of that energy surge. She was done for, and it felt so damn good.
The dogs barked.
“Shit!” Cam jerked awake and Blake jumped off of her and searched for her sweater.
“I bet it’s them,” she said, pulling it on.
“Who?”
“Who do you think? My nosy friends. McKenna, Rylee, and Sage weren’t home when we arrived. They went somewhere for dinner and Sloane kept complaining about my not answering any of their texts.”
“You didn’t keep them updated?”
Cam adjusted her shirt and her pants.
“Of course I did. Just not to their liking. You know, meaning every five freaking minutes.”
The dogs went crazy at the door. Someone was on the patio.
“Here,” Blake said, tossing her a blanket. “Look,” she shook her head. “Less…”
“Less?”
“I don’t know.”
“Satisfied? Spent? Satiated? Pleasantly fucked?”
“Pick one,” Blake said, turning to look through the small window on the door.
“It’s them,” she whispered.
Cam sat back and attempted to look less like a woman who’d just climaxed so hard her mind had melted and her bones had shattered. But she didn’t think she could pull it off.
A quick knock sounded and Blake answered.
“Hi,” McKenna said, peeking around the door.
“Hey.” Blake let her and Sage in and then ran a hand through her hair. She was obviously nervous and looking at Cam with wide eyes.
“How are you, Cam?” McKenna said.
“How’s your friend?” Sage asked. “We’ve been so worried.”
“They say he’s going to be okay,” Cam said. “And Blake has assured me of that.”
“That’s what she said,” McKenna said.
Blake threw her hands up behind them, obviously frustrated that her update hadn’t somehow been sufficient enough.
“And how about you?” McKenna asked.
“Tired,” Cam said. She could hardly keep her eyes open.
Thanks to your good friend, Blake.
“You look…” she paused, confusion marking her brow. “Tired, but your color…your color is back. You look flushed.”
Blake spoke quickly, crossing to sit next to her. “Must be all the stress from the day. She really needs to get to bed.”
“I’m surprised she’s not already in bed,” McKenna said.
“She wanted to eat something first,” Blake added. “We haven’t been home very long.” She tucked her hair, which was mussed, behind her ears.
She seemed to be so nervous she looked like she would’ve jumped sky high if someone were to clap. Cam would’ve laughed if she’d had the strength. But then again, if she’d had the strength, she would’ve been just as nervous as Blake. Neither of them, she knew, would want the others to know what had happened between them.
“Can I help with something?” Sage asked. Her gaze was mostly fixed on Cam and when it wasn’t, she was openly taking in her home. “Do you need help settling in for the night?”
Blake stood and tucked her hair behind her ears. Again. “No, we’re all set.” She started herding them to the door.
“Are you—staying?” McKenna asked.
“Uh…”
“I need someone here,” Cam said. She didn’t want her to go. Especially now that she’d touched her and tasted her and knew for certain what that was like. She didn’t care that she was so tired she could hardly form words. “Would like to have someone here.”
“I can stay,” Sage said. “Blake, you’ve got to be tired.”
McKenna placed a hand on Blake’s arm. “Why don’t you go on home, Blake? I’ll stay with her.”
Cam watched their exchange. She could tell Blake was debating how to respond. If she protested again and insisted on staying, McKenna would know something was up. She was sharp. Cam had caught on to that quickly. But she was also very thoughtful and giving, and she was offering to stay so that Cam wouldn’t be stuck with Sage.
Cam reminded herself to give McKenna a huge hug as soon as she was able.
“It’s okay, Blake,” Cam said, trying not to cringe at her own words. “McKenna can make sure I’m settled. You should go get some rest.”
Blake nodded, her disappointment evident to Cam, though she’d tried to recover quickly. “Okay.” She kissed McKenna on the cheek. “Thanks.”
McKenna showed Blake and Sage out. Then she helped Cam stand.
“I think I’ll be fine,” Cam said as McKenna took her arm. “I was just a little nervous about being alone. So, you really don’t have to stay.”
McKenna was quiet as she walked with her to the bedroom.
“How are things with Blake?” she asked. “Better?”
Cam struggled through the cobwebs of fatigue to find an appropriate answer. “She—did a lot for my friend today. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to thank her for that.” She laughed a little. “This is in addition to what she did for Alberto. And me,” Cam added softly.
They came to Cam’s room and stopped.
“It was nice of her to offer to stay tonight. She obviously cares about you.”
Cam glanced away from her penetrating eyes. “She’s a doctor. It’s what she does.”
“Yes, but…” She shook her head as if something had come to her mind. “She didn’t say good-bye.”
“Sorry?”
“Blake. When she left just now. She had been adamant about staying…but she didn’t even say good-bye to—you.”
“I’m tired.” Cam flicked on her light. “You really don’t need to stay. I don’t want to trouble you.”
“I’d like to stay for a little while,” she said, touching her arm. “To make sure you’re okay. You’re so out of it you’re about to collapse and the day you’ve had…I’ll sit by the fire for a bit and then go. Is that all right with you?”
“That would be fine.” Cam wondered what all else McKenna had noticed. Blake’s messy hair? Or what about her own hair?
Whatever McKenna had noticed, Cam couldn’t do much about it now. The less she said, the better. She walked to her bed and pulled back the covers. The dogs jumped up to make themselves comfortable.
McKenna was looking at the photo of Lexi on the nightstand.
“She’s lovely.”
Cam’s insides lurched, like the bottom had dropped out and everything was falling, a feeling she used to experience every time she woke and the reality of losing Lexi had hit her. She’d felt it every day for almost a year. Feeling it again, now, knocked the wind out of her.
“Yes,” she managed to say.
She was.
“Thank you, McKenna. For your kindness.”
McKenna wished her a good night and disappeared from the doorway.
Cam climbed into bed and took in Lexi’s face just before she extinguished the bedside light. She reached out in the dark to touch the glass like she did every night before she closed her eyes. But she stopped herself as she realized she still had Blake on her skin.
Her insides dropped again and everything began to fall.
She closed her eyes and cried softly into her pillow.
* * *
Cam sat cursing in her Jeep. She hit the steering wheel with the heel of her hand and then tried to start the engine again.
Nothing.
She climbed out, not even wanting to take the time to look under the hood. She was anxious to get to the hospital to be with Tomas. She didn’t have time for this.
She stared at the garage door in front of her. There was another vehicle inside, one she was sure would start because she’d just started it up to keep the battery charged. But she didn’t drive it often. It was just too hard. But
she also couldn’t bring herself to sell it.
“Hi.”
Cam turned her head. Blake was walking through the sand in denim capris and a burnt orange Henley style shirt that fit her snug enough to show the hard curve of her muscles and the prominent swell of her breasts. It was a more androgynous look for her, and Cam did a double take and then looked away as she realized just how much she liked it.
“Hi.” Cam couldn’t hide the defeat in her voice and Blake picked up on it.
“Everything okay?”
Cam stared at the garage. “Jeep won’t start.”
“Oh. Were you—going somewhere?”
“I want to see Tomas.”
“Have you heard something from the hospital?”
“Cell phones don’t always work out here.”
“Right. You were worried about that when we left the clinic last night. So, you were going to drive the two hours to the hospital?”
“That was the plan. I was going to spend the day.”
Blake kicked the sand at the edge of Cam’s driveway. “What about the dogs? Do you need someone to look after them?”
“I asked a friend to come check on them. He’s in a house just down the beach. Says he doesn’t mind.”
“Oh.” She slid her hands into her pockets. “Do you need a ride, then?”
“I have one.” She motioned toward the garage. “In there. I just don’t want to drive it.”
Blake came closer. “Why?”
“It’s the Land Rover I bought Lexi for her…last birthday. She didn’t even get to drive it.”
“It’s too difficult for you to drive,” Blake said softly. “I understand. It must be hard.”
Cam stared down at her hands for a long moment and then squinted at the rising sun. Blake’s quiet presence was a comfort and Cam suddenly felt the need to explain things to her.
“The night she died, we were on our way to dinner to celebrate her birthday. I was freaking out because she’d taken so long to get ready. I was worried our being late would ruin the surprise I had planned for her.” She looked over at Blake. “Believe it or not I used to be rather uptight. A real stickler for things like schedules and being on time. That’s why we were arguing that night. Because I was freaking out over her taking too long to get ready. Stupid stuff like that, like being a little late to a damn party, it doesn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things. That’s why I don’t stress the small stuff now. It’s a waste. And it cost me everything.”
She looked back at the rising sun as Blake came to her. She touched her arm.
“I’m sorry, Cam,” she said.
She didn’t say anything more, just stood there next to her, allowing her to feel. Cam felt the warmth of her hand through her shirtsleeve, and instead of it crushing her with the guilt she’d tossed and turned with half the night, it seemed to give her strength. She took a deep breath. “Anyway, I haven’t driven the Rover very much. Just enough to keep it serviced. But now I think it’s time.”
“Are you sure?” Blake asked. “I—could borrow Sloane’s SUV and we could—”
“No, I need to do this.”
Blake dropped her hand.
Cam turned and unlocked the garage door and yanked it upward. She started to make her way to the driver’s side door.
“Please be safe,” Blake said, turning away.
Cam halted. “Did you—want to come with?”
Cam waited for what felt like ages before she faced her again.
“You want to go on your own. I understand.”
“Blake—” She had wanted to go alone. It was why she was leaving early. She knew Blake would be up, but she’d hoped she’d be out on her run so she could escape unnoticed, because she didn’t know how she was going to feel when she saw her again. The guilt she’d felt the night before had gnawed at her insides, leaving her raw and confused. She’d feared that seeing Blake would only make it worse and she didn’t know how to tell her that. She didn’t want to hurt her, but she didn’t want to hurt either. She didn’t know what to do.
The way she’d reacted at the sight of her coming across the sand and the surge of strength she felt from her touch changed things a little. And the obvious concern Blake seemed to have for her, tugged at Cam. She didn’t want to let her walk away. She didn’t want her to go, just as she hadn’t hours before. But when she thought about the Rover and Lexi…
It was going to nearly kill her to get in and drive it on her own. She didn’t want to put Blake through another emotional breakdown.
“Thank you, again. For everything.”
The crestfallen look that came over Blake was unmistakable and Cam hated herself for it. Somehow she was fucking everything up despite trying to ensure that neither of them got hurt.
Blake simply nodded. Then she turned and walked away.
Chapter Thirty-four
It was dusk when Blake approached Tomas’s room at the end of the hall. A nurse came out as Blake reached the door, and Blake was about to say hello, when she heard Cam’s voice coming from inside the room. She’d waited all day before riding in with Sloane to see Tomas, wanting to give Cam the space she seemed to have wanted. But Blake, apparently, hadn’t waited long enough.
She heard Cam speak again, and she didn’t want to pry, but she needed to know if Cam intended to stay.
“Excuse me,” Blake said to the nurse, catching her before she got too far away. “Do you speak English?”
“Yes.”
Blake pointed at the door, which was partially ajar. “Do you know if the woman with the short, dark hair is going to be leaving anytime soon?”
The nurse came back and looked inside.
“Santi? I don’t know. She’s been here all day.”
“You know her?” Did Cam know everyone in this part of Mexico?
She shrugged. “She’s been here all day and she bought us all lunch. Everyone on the day shift knows her now.”
Blake stared at her in disbelief. But she didn’t know why anything she heard about Cam surprised her anymore. Cam was undeniably a very gracious, well-liked person who did a lot for people. The nurse further verifying that wasn’t what amazed her, it was how she was feeling in response to that verification that was astonishing.
A loud gasp, followed by a short shriek, came from the room. The nurse and Blake both pushed the door open farther. Cam was standing next to Tomas’s bed in the firm embrace of a woman and three children. They were smiling through tears, all of them talking at once.
“What’s going on?” Blake whispered to the nurse.
The woman listened for a moment, then returned the door to its previous position.
“Sounds like Santi has offered to cover any medical costs and to help support them until he recovers.” She leaned in and listened some more. “They are very grateful.”
Blake could hear their gratitude through the emotion in their voices. Her own heart was full and heavy with the weight of Cam’s generosity.
The door was pulled open without warning. One of the children blinked at Blake and the nurse, who quickly excused herself and hurried down the hall.
“Uh, hi,” Blake said as everyone turned to look at her.
“Hola,” the young man holding the door said.
Cam said something and the woman hugging her came to Blake, arms wide, and clung to her affectionately as she escorted her into the room. She spoke quickly and motioned toward Cam and then to Tomas, who gave Blake a tired but genuine smile.
Blake nodded, unsure how to respond.
“She’s glad you’re here,” Cam said. “They’ve been wanting to thank you.”
“Oh. I—tell them—”
“Don’t try to tell them it’s not necessary. They won’t accept that.”
“Oh.” Blake took the woman’s hands and squeezed. “De nada. De nada.”
She beamed at Blake, nodded, and enveloped her in a tight hug. She waved over the children who embraced her too. Blake smiled at them and at Tomas, who lo
oked better than she’d expected. Then she glanced at Cam who appeared sentimental.
“That’s his wife, Alicia,” Cam said. “And their children, Gabe, Pedro, and Izza. They are good people,” Cam said. “A very close family.”
Alicia led Blake to Tomas, who thanked her and told her how he was feeling, most of which was translated by Cam. Blake discussed his condition with him, learned what his doctors had said, and reassured him he was going to be okay. She was so happy he was doing so well.
When his eyes grew heavy a few moments later, Blake gave his hand a squeeze and said good-bye. Alicia took her place and brushed his hair with her hand and kissed his face.
Blake said good-bye to the kids and quietly walked to the door. Cam joined her, reaching for the handle before she could.
“I didn’t mean to interrupt your visit,” Blake said. “I thought—”
She stepped into the hall as Cam held the door for her.
“He needs to rest,” Cam said. “So, don’t worry about it.”
Blake’s phone alerted her to a text. She pulled it from her back pocket, read it, and sighed. “Damn it, Sloane.”
“What is it?” Cam asked as they made their way toward the main entrance.
Blake was texting back. “I don’t know. She’s acting crazy.”
Another text came in response to hers. She dropped her hands. “What the hell?”
Cam questioned her with her raised brow.
“She says she can’t come and get me like we had planned. Something about—being tied up and she can’t get away any time soon. I don’t know. She’s not making a lot of sense.”
Cam made a noise like she wasn’t surprised.
“What?” Blake asked.
“She messaged me about an hour ago and asked if I was still here at the hospital. And if so, for how much longer. I told her I was leaving around seven.”
Blake checked the time on her phone. She slid the device in her pocket and rubbed her temples.
“I can’t believe her.”
Cam laughed. “They are clever, those friends of yours.”
“They’re insane.” They exited through the main doors and stepped out into the night. Blake stopped at the curb and searched for a cab.
