by Nella Tyler
She nodded. “It’s the big sister in me. You get that. You’re one of the only people to get that.”
I smiled at her. “You don’t have to apologize, Anna. It’s been a rough year. Maybe it would have been a little less rough if I leaned on you a little more.”
“Or if I let you.” Anna held up a hand when I went to protest. “Please accept my apology, Cammie. I didn’t want to lose you as a friend, but I went about it in a catty way. Me, who tries to be blunt, not catty.” She shook her head. “Thank goodness Millie isn’t here.”
I let out a weak laugh. “Of course, I forgive you, Anna, for anything you think you did wrong.”
“Oh, come here.” Anna stood up and came around the table to hug me. I leaned into her warm embrace. She ruffled my hair like a big sister as she stepped back. “Things are gonna be okay. You know that when God closes one door, He opens another.”
“I hope it’s a platinum door with diamonds behind it,” I said wryly as Anna sat back down and she laughed.
I hadn’t realized there was a thread of tension tugging between us until it was gone. We downed a pitcher of sangria, laughing about how we were going to have to call a cab to get home and talking about ways to get revenge on the Westfalls and Carter Lloyd.
“You leave that to me,” Anna winked confidentially.
“Don’t go terrorizing Birmingham,” I scolded her as we shared a piece of massive chocolate cake for desert. “It’s better to turn the other cheek, Ms. Sunday school.”
“Oh, yes, that is what I am known as.” Anna rolled her eyes and laughed. “Hey, can I ask you something?”
“Why are you asking if you’re just going to ask? I know you.” I shook my head. “Yes.”
“You haven’t talked to Kris?” Anna asked, her eyes big, and I shook my head. “So he has no idea? Oh, Cammie. I know I was ragging on him earlier, but I was pissed. Are you?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know how I feel.”
Anna fixed me with a laser beam of a brown stare. “You’re not mad. You’re embarrassed. Cammie!”
“What?” I put my fork down, feeling a little queasy from all the wine and rich food. “I don’t know how to tell him. He’s got a bit of a reckless streak. I could see him barging in there and yelling at them. Kind of like someone else I know.”
“Hey!” Anna pointed her fork at me. “I didn’t and I wouldn’t. I know that would make things worse. My revenge game is far more subtle.”
“Anna Dewitt, you have never been subtle in your life. Well,” I amended. “Maybe when you flirt. But even then, not so much.”
“We’re getting off topic,” Anna said delicately. “What are you going to do? Break up?”
My stomach lurched and I pressed my palms into the edge of the table. “I don’t even know if we’re dating. We haven’t dropped the boyfriend-girlfriend names yet.”
“You’re dating,” Anna said flatly. “Girl, come on. Tell him before someone else does.”
“Ugh, Anna, I don’t know. Everything is so messed up. I don’t know what to do anymore. I’m completely at a loss. And as for Kris – I don’t want to make him feel bad or for him to get upset or miss out on a great house on my behalf.”
Anna nodded, her face impassive. “I see.”
“Maybe I am a little frustrated with him,” I admitted. “But I also feel guilty. What if this hurts him, Anna? What if he doesn’t want to see me anymore? I can’t even face him.” I dug the heels of my hands into my eyes. “Everything was so great for once. Why did it have to get screwed up?”
Pulling her chair around, Anna sat next to me and wrapped her arms around me again. “One day, we’re gonna laugh about this. I have a good feeling,” she said, with a hitch in her throat.
“Oh, God, I hope so,” I murmured. “And I hope it’s not in Cropwell. What am I gonna do, Anna?” I asked. “What am I gonna do?”
Chapter 29
Kris
“Cammie, come on, pick up, pick up, pick up,” I said, drumming my fingers on the steering wheel. “Hey, voicemail again. Novel. Cammie, if you get this, call me back.”
I dropped my phone and slumped in my seat. Was this it? Were Cammie and I done?
But that didn’t make any sense – even though I couldn’t shake the bad feeling that had been growing all weekend. I wondered if maybe something had happened with her brothers or her mom. I knew one of them had gotten into a little fender bender a week or so ago. Maybe he had gotten into another accident? Or her grandmother was sick?
It was bad enough I was worrying about Cammie, but now I was worrying about people I didn’t even know. I couldn’t take it anymore. I had to find out what was going on.
Reversing my car, I dialed Max at the same time, frowning through the foggy morning as I drove downtown. “Oh, hey, Max. I’m sorry to do this to you first thing on a Monday, but can you take care of the meeting this morning? I have a last minute emergency.”
“Of course,” Max said. “I’ll be at work in ten. Hope everything is okay.”
Me too. “Thanks,” I said and hung up.
The drive to Birmingham Realty took forever. So long, in fact, I parked illegally on the street. I didn’t even care if my car got towed. I sprinted through traffic, down the sidewalk towards Birmingham Realty, and burst in through the front doors. Both secretaries looked scandalized.
“Good morning,” I said, tugging my jacket straight. “I’m–”
“Kris Boldin,” came an oily voice and I turned to see a man walking towards me. I frowned as tried to place him. “It’s so nice of you to drop by. I was about to call you. How’s things?”
“Fine, thanks.” I shook his offered hand impatiently.
“You know, I’m taking over this place for my uncle. Kind of like what you did at Bold Pictures. Both of us are moving up in the world, huh?” He grinned at me.
That idiotic comment seemed more familiar than his face. Oh, this Horace Westfall. We’d met at a charity event last year. “Good for you, Horace,” I said. Any other time, I would have been pissed at him comparing our situations, but I was too worried about Cammie. “Listen, I’m looking–”
“For a new house!” Horace exclaimed. “I know. Why don’t you come along to my office and we’ll talk further? I know you were close to closing on that beaut out in Redmont Park.”
“What the hell is going on?” I asked tersely. Stepping back, I glanced around. Other realtors had filtered into the hall, trying to look casual, but their gazes were too curious and studied. My heart was sinking fast as anger rose.
“Pardon?” Horace’s placid mask slipped, and nervousness crossed his face.
“Where is Cammie?” I ground out. “Why are you trying to take over selling me a house?”
“Um, well, it really should have been a senior realtor in the first place, Kris. You know how these things go at places like this,” Horace was bouncing on the balls of feet and looking around as though someone would tell him what to do. “Just business.”
“Business,” I echoed and my stomach twisted. “So, answer my question, then, businessman to businessman. If I go to my girlfriend’s office, will she be in there?” I stared at him. “Well?”
“Kris,” he whispered, now looking frantic. “Maybe you want to discuss a personal matter like this in my office. Please.”
Don’t make me look like more of a jackass, his eyes seemed to say.
“I don’t think so,” I said dismissively. “Personal matter? What does that mean? I want to where Cammie is. I wanted to work with her, Horace. No one else. I made that clear.”
“We know,” came a snide whisper from behind me and my shoulders went rigid. Glancing back, I saw Clambrains giving me a superior smirk.
I went cold with rage. You bastard. What did you do now?
“Kris.” Horace was openly pleading as I turned back to him. “Kris, you know how these things go. We couldn’t have an employee having a relationship with the client. Think about how that looks.” He paused. “Of course
, we can still sell you a house. We’ll make an exception for you. How about it?”
For a moment, I stood still, staring at him in disbelief. Then I began to clap, loud and hard. Horace gave me a bewildered look. “Oh, phenomenal overture,” I said caustically. “Amazing, really. Don’t think for a second I don’t know what actually happened, Horace. Unbelievable.” I snorted, took a step up to him, and he flinched back. “Oh, I’m not going to punch you. No. No matter how much I want to or how much your rat face deserves it, I’m not gonna hit you in the face. Nah, I’m gonna hit you in the pockets.” I glared around at the office. “I’m done with this agency, and so is every employee of Bold Pictures. Good luck.” I stalked towards the door. “And I do mean that.”
When I got to Cammie’s house, I almost slipped on the wet grass as I ran towards her door. Then I froze as I lifted my hand to knock. Was she furious with me? She’d asked me to be professional, and I’d blown it. That was all I could think about as I’d sped over here. I didn’t even remember driving – I was surprised I didn’t get pulled over.
Was that why she’d avoided me all weekend?
I squared my shoulders and knocked. If she was mad, I could only hope she’d let me have it. I deserved it. I wanted her to yell at me. Maybe that would make me feel less awful.
Footsteps came towards the door, causing my entire body to go on alert. The door opened, and Cammie gasped, clearly not expecting me.
“Kris,” she said, sagging against the doorframe.
“Cammie, I went to Birmingham Realty,” I rushed to say, “and I… You weren’t there, so…”
Her eyes were red, and she was in her pajamas. My heart was growing heavier and heavier, like a lead weight digging down through my chest. What had I done to this girl?
“Kris, I-I was going to call you back in a little while.” Cammie swallowed and offered me a timid smile. “Um, I’m not working for them anymore. Come in, please.”
I stepped inside, resisting the urge to crush her against me. “I’m so sorry.”
“Close the door behind you, would you? It’s chilly today.” I did so and followed her back inside. “Do you want some coffee or anything? And hey, mister, shouldn’t you be at work?”
“Doesn’t matter,” I muttered, distracted. “Cammie, I know – I mean, I know about you. But what I don’t know – well… How did they find out? What happened?”
“How did you find out?” She turned to me and then her cheeks flooded with color. “You went there, didn’t you? Oh, my God. I should have known you’d do something like that.”
“Of course I would. I’ve been worried about you all weekend, Cammie.” I was running my hands back and forth through my hair. “Tell me what happened; maybe I can do something.”
Internally, I winced. Maybe yelling and storming out of Birmingham Realty had not been the best way to help Cammie.
Cammie’s hands were twisting together. “It’s not something I want to talk about.”
“You’ll feel better.” I urged. “Come on, this is on me, too. Right?”
Her shoulders slumped. “I guess. Friday I got called into Horace’s office. Someone had been checking the security footage for training purposes.” Her lips gave a sardonic twist. “They saw the kiss, reported it, and that was that. I got the ax. Can’t have a realtor compromising a client.”
Her voice was unusually bitter. Guilt and pain went through me.
I turned and stumbled to the couch, muttering, “I have to sit.” I knew it had been something like that, but hearing Cammie say it made me sick. Letting my head fall into my hands, I murmured, “Cammie, can you ever forgive me? I can’t believe I did this to you. I’m such a bastard.”
“Hey, this pity-party is mine and mine alone.” Her voice was gentler, lighter as she sat down next to me. To my surprise, her hand rubbed across my back. “I didn’t know how to tell you. I’m not mad –I was embarrassed and guilty and confused. And I knew you’d feel terrible.”
I looked up. “I should feel terrible. What kind of boyfriend gets his girl fired? Geez.”
“An enterprising one?” She suggested with a smile. “Kris, they’ve been looking for a reason to get rid of me. Ever since I landed the ‘whale’ as a rookie, they’ve resented it. Security cameras are never used in training. And my friend Anna says that someone saw us on a date and rumors were already flying. I think that’s why they checked and we got busted.”
“Oh my God,” I muttered. “Please punch me in the face.”
She laid her head on my shoulder instead. “No, Kris. There’s no point in being mad at you. Or even being upset with Birmingham Realty. If it wasn’t that, maybe it would have been something else…” A long sigh exuded from Cammie and she sat back. Hugging her knees, she stared out the window. “But, you should know I don’t know if I’m staying in the city. So, I don’t know if I can be your girlfriend, Kris. I’m sorry.”
“What?” I gasped, her words like a blow to the stomach. “No. Please, Cammie. Don’t say that.”
Cammie turned back to me, her eyes teary again. “Oh, Kris. I can’t afford to stay here. And no other agency will hire me. I’ve been thinking about going home and figuring things out. Get some part-time jobs.” She looked up at the ceiling, willing the tears not to fall. “I have people I have to take care of, remember?”
“Cammie, it is my fault you got fired!” I rushed to say. “So I owe you. Big time. And not just because we’re dating. I mean that’s part of it. You’re my girlfriend. You’re not going anywhere. Please. I mean, today is the first time we actually called each other boyfriend and girlfriend.” I was trying to joke, but I was panicking. “Can’t end it that quickly on me, Book.”
She looked at me sadly. “I should have told you getting involved with me meant there’d be a lot of road bumps and things not working out. I’m not an easy person to be in a relationship with. Which is why I usually avoid them.” Now her voice was sounding bitter again.
“Cammie, stop.” I took her shoulders. “This isn’t you. Life is full of road bumps. And it’s also full of opportunities. I’ve been trying to get a hold you all weekend, not just because I missed the way you’re voice sounds and I was insanely worried, but because I have an offer for you.”
“Kris, no.” She tried to pull away. “I don’t take anything for free.”
“Let me finish, stubborn girl.” I squeezed her shoulders, and she stopped moving. “We’re making a new documentary. The idea is being finalized, but it’s about rags-to-riches. American grit.” She nodded, looking mystified. “It’s about you.”
“What?” Her face went blank, then she started to laugh. “Kris, I get you feel bad, but that’s taking it a bit far.”
“Cammie, I came up with this idea before you got fired,” I said. “It’s all about people beating the odds. Like you did. Just think about it for a second. You’ll be paid handsomely by Bold Pictures.”
“I beat the odds, Kris, but then I got fired,” Cammie said, looking at me as though she’d thought I’d lost my mind. “Not a great ending. And I don’t know how I feel about you paying me…”
“But an interesting part of the beginning for sure,” I pointed out. “Cammie, I know you. There’s no way you’re going to let something like this stop you. And we’ll be there to capture it. Plus, you’re helping me. I have to pay you to be the subject matter of the documentary. My first one ever and you’ll be by my side. It’s perfect. You’re helping me more than I’m helping you.”
Cammie let out another laugh as she studied me. “You’re serious?”
“Of course. Is this not my serious face?” I wiggled my eyebrows at her. “Yes, Cammie. I mean it. You’re incredible. And you’re genuine. You’re what Bold Pictures needs.”
“Okay,” she said slowly. “Let me think about it.”
I tried not say anything as Cammie sat there, frowning and occasionally shooting me a half-suspicious, half-affectionate looks.
“Will I have some say in what gets put in there?
I don’t want this to upset my family,” she finally said slowly. “That’s what I’m worried about now. And, well, just being on film.”
“Yes, of course,” I said immediately. “And you’ll get used to it. But your comfort will be a top priority. Like I said, you’re doing this for me, so I will make sure you’re happy.”
Cammie touched my cheek. “Kris.” She smiled at me slowly – a real, happy smile. “Okay. Why not? It sounds fun – like an adventure.”
“Life should be an adventure!” I declared, my heart pounding with excitement. “So you’re on board?” She nodded. “Yes! Okay, well, so you’re all good with doing interviews and talking about your childhood?” I asked, suddenly realized a huge flaw in my great plan. Cammie didn’t like talking about herself. “Talking about you?”
However, that was before she got fired. I realized that steeliness she’d kept hidden was now on full display as her eyes gleamed at me. “Of course. If we’re going to make a documentary, we’re going do it right. I’ll start researching interviews today.”
Pulling her towards me, I kissed her on the temple. “Thank you. I’d love to start filming tomorrow, if you’re willing.” She nodded. “Alright, I’ll text you then.” I let her go and stood up. “Since I kind of burst in on you here, I’ll leave you alone, now. But tonight? Dinner?”
Cammie gave me a look I couldn’t quite read. “Come here,” she said, crooking a finger at me. I slowly sat back down. She curled up against me, her head under my chin. “Before you go – I could use a five-minute hug. Ten – if you have time.” She sighed. “I missed you.”
Pulling her close, I held on tightly. “I’ve got all the time in the world for you, beautiful.”
Chapter 30
Cammie
One month later
“Cammie!” Kris came running down the hall of my house and lifted me in the air before I could even blink. “We’re done!” he yelled, spinning me around. “We’re actually done with shooting.”
