He was falling in love with her.
***
Kenzie stood, her dress now wet and clinging to her legs. She held out her hand and helped Camden up before another wave came. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to ruin your clothes.”
He grinned at her. “It’s okay.”
She started toward the boardwalk. “There’s something about the ocean. It’s powerful and yet peaceful as well.”
“Yes, I know what you mean.”
“I think my next line of jewelry will be inspired by the ocean.” She was already getting ideas, and she quickened her step so she could get inside and draw some sketches.
“That’s a great idea.”
She brushed some of the sand off his back. “I think I’ll walk the beach in the morning and look for shells and other treasures. Then we can get on the road.”
He nodded. “Okay. Do you want some help? We could meet for breakfast, then come out to the beach.”
“Sounds good.” She picked up her shoes and walked along the boardwalk. They were silent as they headed toward the resort.
When they got to their rooms, Camden paused. “Thanks for talking to me tonight.”
“You mean crying on you?” She laughed nervously.
He shrugged. “I didn’t mind.”
“I know.” She had a hard time looking at him. He’d been a gentleman, letting her blubber all over him. And then he’d caught her even though his suit got ruined because of it. He was quickly turning into someone she could give her heart to, but she needed to keep her head on straight. “Good night,” she said quickly, opening her room door.
“Good night, Kenzie,” he called from the hallway as her door slipped shut.
She turned and leaned against the door, her heart pounding. No. She was not going to let him affect her. She barely knew the guy. And that’s what had happened with Mason.
She took off her wet dress and showered to get the sand off. By the time she was in her pajamas and ready for bed, she’d shoved all thoughts of Camden James out of her mind.
Chapter 15
Kenzie pushed her eggs around her plate. Camden sat across from her, looking stunning in a t-shirt and shorts. Why did he always look like he walked off a photo shoot? It made the butterflies in her stomach go all crazy.
She wasn’t very hungry, but forced herself to drink her orange juice. Mason approached their table, and her stomach soured.
“Kenzie. I’m glad I caught you.” He pulled out a chair and sat down without being invited. “I convinced Mom you were having another personal crisis, but she’s not relenting about the family reunion next week.”
Camden frowned, but Kenzie ignored him. “I will go if you allow me to bring my personal assistant to handle my jewelry orders.”
Mason shrugged off her stipulation. “Sure, fine. Bring her.”
“Him,” Kenzie corrected.
“What?” Mason said.
“Him,” she repeated, then pointed to Camden. “My personal assistant is a man.”
Mason narrowed his eyes at her. “No way. You’re not bringing your boyfriend to my family reunion. We’re supposed to be married.” He waved his hand between the two of them.
“And who was the one who messed that up?” Kenzie pursed her lips, resisting the urge to slap her hand over her mouth. She needed to get a grip or this family reunion was going to blow up in her face.
“You’re the pigheaded one not even willing to listen to me. It didn’t mean anything. How many times do I have to say that?”
Camden stiffened in his seat, his muscles flexing in his arm as he clenched his hands into fists. He didn’t say anything, but he didn’t have to. He may not be a construction worker, but he certainly looked like he could bench press three hundred pounds. Mason glanced at Camden and plastered on a smile. “Fine. Bring him. I don’t care. Just act like you’re my wife in front of my family.”
“Deal.” Kenzie thrust out her hand and Mason shook on it. Touching him again made her skin crawl, and she pulled her hand back, discreetly wiping it on her pants.
Mason left the breakfast area. Camden scrubbed his jaw but continued to stay silent. He went back to eating his biscuits and gravy.
“I know what you’re thinking, but you’re wrong.”
He raised his eyebrows. “What am I thinking?”
“You think I’m giving into Mason because he has some kind of hold on me.”
“Doesn’t he?”
“No. Definitely not.” She shoved her plate away, unable to swallow any more eggs. “I’m not doing this for him.”
“Then why are you doing it?”
“His father is dying. It’s his last wish to see his son happily married. That’s why I’m doing this. It’s not about Mason anymore. It’s about making a dying man happy.”
Before Camden could reply, her parents walked up to their table holding breakfast trays. Helene smiled. “Mind if we join you?”
Kenzie could barely talk. “Um . . . go ahead.”
Helene sat her tray down next to Kenzie and slid into the chair. Her father sat next to Camden. “Are you two heading out today?” Helene asked, giving Camden a pleasant smile.
“Yes, we’re leaving shortly.”
“Well, I must say it was lovely meeting you, Camden.”
Kenzie blinked, not sure if an alien had taken over her mother’s body, or if her father had finally scolded her enough to make her behave. Her father simply smiled and ate his waffle.
“Do you two have any plans for the summer?” Helene asked.
“Plans?” Kenzie didn’t understand what her mother meant. Surely she hadn’t found out about Mason’s family reunion.
“Are you taking any trips? Going on vacation?” Her fingers smoothed out her flowery blouse.
Suddenly it sunk in why Helene was being so nice. Camden had money. All her life, her mother drilled into her how important it was to have a stable life. A career that could pay the bills, and a husband who could provide for the family. Money was what Helene focused on.
And that irked Kenzie. “No, we don’t have any plans,” she said curtly.
Helene either ignored her tone or didn’t notice it. “You two make such a lovely couple.”
“Thank you,” Camden said, his lips twitching.
Kenzie wanted to kick him under the table. He was enjoying her mother pandering to him, the snake.
“We actually don’t get along that well. We might even be breaking up,” Kenzie said, glaring at Camden.
He reached across the table and took her hand in his. “I love it when you crack jokes. Especially the subtle ones that no one gets. It makes me laugh.”
He said it with a twinkle in his eye, and Kenzie had to bite her cheek so she wouldn’t smile. She wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction. “Well, I love it when you wear those cute kissy lip boxers.”
His eyes widened and he made a little choking noise. Kenzie pinched her side so she wouldn’t laugh at him. When he gained control, he cleared his throat. “And I love it when you try to hire male escorts.”
Kenzie burst out laughing and Camden finally cracked, leaning back and chuckling. Kenzie tried to cover by wiping her mouth with her napkin, but the giggles were too hard to mask. Helene frowned. “Maybe you’re not taking your relationship seriously enough, McKenzie.”
“Let her be,” Michael said, hiding a smile. “They look like they’re doing fine without our interference.”
Helene ate her omelet, sawing little pieces off with her knife like she was eating steak. Kenzie had to force herself not to roll her eyes. She turned to Camden. “Do you remember that episode of Seinfeld with George and the candy bar?”
Camden shot her a warning look. “I remember the one where Jerry dated the girl with man hands.”
“Are you saying I have man hands?”
He reached across the table. “I don’t know. Let me take a closer look.” He took her hand in his and pulled it closer to him. She sat stretched across the table as he examine
d her hand. The warmth of his skin on hers started sending tingles over her. He traced the lines on the palm of her hands, sending fire through her veins. The sensation was almost too much to bear.
Finally, he stilled, but didn’t let go of her. “Nope. You definitely don’t have man hands.”
She pulled away from him, a little shaken. “Good,” she said, her voice a bit too breathy. They sat for a few minutes while her parents finished eating.
“Well, dear,” her mother said, dabbing at the corner of her mouth with her napkin. “Your father and I have a plane to catch. We’ll see you this year for Thanksgiving, won’t we?”
Kenzie felt a little trapped, as Camden was looking at her like she’d be cruel to say no. “Maybe,” she said in a noncommittal way. “I’ll have to see how things are going.”
Her father stood. “We’d love it if you came.” Then he added, in a softer tone, “We miss you.”
Her heart stabbed and she stood and threw her arms around her father. He’d always been the reasonable one in the family. “I miss you too, Pops.”
Her parents left and Camden stuck his hands in his pockets. “Ready to comb the beach for treasure?”
She nodded, unsure if her voice was steady again. She followed him outside and down the boardwalk to the beach. She slipped off her sandals and let them dangle from her fingers as they walked on the warm sand.
A young girl, maybe two years old, toddled on the sand a few paces ahead of a woman who was talking on her cell phone. The little girl had her arms outstretched and was trying to catch a seagull.
Camden pointed to a bench. “Isn’t that your aunt?”
Kenzie squinted. It sure looked like Vita sitting there, a big sunhat on her head. “Let’s go see.”
As they approached, Vita turned to them and smiled. “Well hello, dear. What are you doing here?”
Kenzie sat down beside her aunt, and Camden sat on the other side. “We were here for the wedding, Vita. Remember?”
Her smile faded a bit. “Oh. Yes. I remember.” She looked out at the ocean waves. “You were such a lovely bride.”
Worry lines appeared on Camden’s forehead; Kenzie patted Vita’s shoulder. “It was Tessa who got married.”
“Of course.” Vita shook her head and put her hand to her forehead. “I get confused sometimes. But you will make a lovely bride when you marry this young man.” She grabbed Camden’s hand.
Kenzie debated whether she wanted to correct Vita or not, and in the end decided to let it slide. “Thank you.”
They sat for a few minutes, watching the boats on the water and the little girl trying to catch the bird. Vita turned to her. “You make me proud, Kenzie.”
She was taken aback. “Why?”
“Because you follow your heart. You don’t do things because it’s socially acceptable. You do them because your heart tells you to. And that makes you wonderful.”
Kenzie blinked. She’d always thought of herself as an outsider. But the way Vita described it, it didn’t sound so bad. “Thank you, Aunt Vita.”
“I agree,” Camden said. “Watching you is like watching a sunrise. Full of light and beauty.”
Her cheeks warmed.
Vita nodded. “Listen to him. He knows.”
Kenzie grew uncomfortable with the attention, and she pointed to the little girl on the beach. “Look at her. She’s precious.”
The seagull stood out of reach from the girl. She took a few steps toward the bird, but the bird walked a few paces away. She followed along for a while, then grew bored and turned toward the ocean. The water was choppy today.
The mother wasn’t paying attention to the girl, her cell phone pressed tightly to her ear. She was facing the resort. The little girl started toddling toward the water. A large wave gathered. Kenzie sucked in a breath as the girl kept going, now on the wet sand.
Camden jumped up and ran toward the girl. The wave came in, massive against the size of the toddler. It crashed against the sand.
Kenzie watched in horror as the little girl was swept up in the water. Camden ran into the wave and snatched the toddler. The girl coughed and screamed and the mother turned. She dropped her phone and ran to her daughter.
Kenzie’s heart pounded as she watched Camden hand the girl over to her mother, who thanked him profusely. He walked back to the bench, his wet t-shirt now clinging to him, and sat down.
“That scared me to death,” Kenzie said. “You reacted so quickly.”
Vita patted his knee. “Good job. This one’s a keeper.”
Camden shrugged it off, but Kenzie couldn’t stop thinking about what might have happened if he hadn’t been there. If he hadn’t jumped up so fast.
The mother calmed her daughter, then picked up her phone and started walking back to the resort, hugging her little girl close to her chest.
Kenzie stared at Camden, and Vita adjusted her hat. “Never feed the seagulls peanut butter.”
Camden’s lips twitched and a smile appeared. “Why?”
“It gives them diarrhea.”
Camden turned away but she could see his shoulders shaking with laughter. Kenzie didn’t try to hide it. Her laugh carried across the sand.
Chapter 16
Camden walked beside Kenzie, his toes digging into the sand. His clothes were mostly dry now. Vita had left and they were almost done collecting shells for Kenzie’s jewelry inspiration. Kenzie carried what looked like a tie-dye t-shirt converted into a shoulder bag. It bulged with the treasures she’d collected.
His hand brushed against hers, and he almost took hold of her, but pulled back. She’d made it clear she didn’t want a relationship with him. Her words made his chest squeeze. I hope I haven’t given you the wrong impression.
No, she hadn’t. It was he who had wanted there to be something more between them. He’d been the one to imagine the chemistry. He’d been the one to sit a little closer. He’d read something into the kisses they’d shared. She’d been honest all along.
She leaned down and picked up a small blue object. “This is perfect. Look how smooth this sea glass is. This will make a nice piece.” She slipped it into her bag.
He nodded. “You’ll make something beautiful out of it.”
She looked up at him and stopped walking. “Thanks for coming here with me. I mean, for volunteering to play the part of the crazy lady’s boyfriend. You helped me out.”
He looked into her eyes. He wanted to tell her the past few days had meant something to him. That maybe he could see something between them. But instead he nodded. “Sure.”
She pulled the strap of her bag over her shoulder. “I think I have what I need. Are you ready to check out?”
“Yes.”
They walked back to the hotel and he helped her with her suitcase. After everything was loaded in her car, he closed the trunk and got into the passenger seat. She closed her door and started the engine. “Ready for the long drive?” She flashed him a smile.
He didn’t mind the drive. In fact, getting to spend more time with Kenzie was a plus. “Sure am.”
She backed out of the parking space and put the car into gear. “So, now that I know you’re not a murderer, what should we talk about?”
“I thought maybe you could do your Sherlock Holmes thing again.”
She shook her head. “Oh no. I’ve given that up. I’m no good at it, and I’ve accepted it. Lesson learned.”
He smiled at her. “Okay, maybe not exactly that. I was thinking I could correct your wrong assumptions.”
She chewed her bottom lip and gave him a glace out of the corner of her eye. “I did jump to a lot of conclusions about you before I got to know you.”
“And I didn’t correct those wrong conclusions.” He was definitely to blame on that one.
She turned onto the highway and sped up. “All right. You aren’t a construction worker. You own a construction company. Correct?”
“Yes. I started out working on sites. I was young and energetic. I saw ways to
improve how things were done, but upper management didn’t want to listen to me. So I found a way to start my own company.”
“Your family didn’t have any money. How did you start up a company?”
“Doing the grunt work, I heard a lot of things. There was a small construction company going out of business and laying off workers. I wrote up a proposal and sought investment money to buy the business. It worked. I was able to buy the company at pennies on the dollar. I was the proud owner of my own company at the age of eighteen.”
“Wow.” Kenzie shot him a wide-eyed look. “That’s amazing. And you didn’t go to college because you had your own company to run.”
“Exactly. Those first few years of owning my own business were my education. I had to quickly figure out how to be a manager, how to hire good workers, and how to get contracts.”
Kenzie tossed a bag of trail mix on his lap. “Can you open that for me?”
“Sure.” He set it in her cupholder after he got the package open.
“What’s your day typically like? You were obviously out working somewhere in the mud on Friday.”
“I was on a site on Friday. I don’t usually get to do that, though. I mainly sit behind a desk and work on the computer.”
She picked up her water bottle and took a swig. Then she gave him a sidelong glance. “You miss working on site.”
“Ah, you are perceptive. I knew you weren’t as bad at it as you thought.”
Her smile lit up the car.
“Yes, I miss it.” He shifted in his seat, adjusting the seatbelt. “I like working with my hands. But I also like the thrill of buying out another company or landing a multi-million-dollar contract.”
“You’re passionate about what you do. That’s good.”
“And so are you.”
She checked her side mirror. “But we’re talking about you right now. Let’s go on to another assumption. You didn’t get your muscles from the job site. How come you’re so buff?”
Her cheeks grew pink, and he laughed. “I have a gym in my complex.”
“Ah, yes, the billionaire who lives in an apartment.”
Her Big Fat Fake Billionaire Boyfriend (Billionaire Series Book 1) Page 10
