18. Ava
“I see word’s gotten out.” Lydia bit into her burger and gave me wide eyes.
“Everyone’s been looking at me funny all day.”
We were at Millie’s again. Lydia called me and told me to meet her there after she got off work at the market, but I was second-guessing stepping foot into town ever again. Word traveled. I knew that. I once got a skinned knee from falling on the sidewalk when I was seven, and within hours, my parents had fourteen phone calls asking if I was okay.
I hadn’t anticipated this, though. The looks. The whispers.
After Cameron left, I’d done some yoga, tried to get some work done, but then I decided to walk to the library. Everywhere I turned in my own house, I saw him, smelled him. Memories of the last twenty-four hours flashed in my mind on repeat. His arms as he carried me. That smirk when he said those filthy things. The way my body had responded.
I figured the library would be a better escape so I could focus. I was dead wrong about that, too. The librarian, April Walker, gave me a knowing wink when I said good morning, which had been followed up with a “I bet it was for you, honey,” and during story time, three moms, with toddlers in their laps, hadn’t paid a lick of attention to the story being told to their kids. Their eyes had been cemented on me, in between their whispers. They were older. Graduated a year before Cameron in high school. The looks a couple shot me weren’t all that friendly either.
I also didn’t like being the center of attention, especially when that attention was whispers about me, not conversations with me.
I’d packed up, headed back home, and spent the rest of the day trying to shake off the looks I’d gotten.
At some point, I’d have to get used to it, but it’d take time.
When Lydia called me and told me we needed to meet, I almost said no.
Now, with more whispers and glances, I was wishing I had.
“It’ll blow over,” she said. “But it’s not like you guys haven’t known each other for years. He could have been there for any reason.”
“That’s probably what the whispers are all about. There has to be some reason he was at my house.”
I was the best friend’s little sister. To the people looking in my direction, I was probably too young for Cameron. Too na?ve. Too dumb to be sitting my ass back in New Haven when I had a life in Denver. I could only imagine the gossip mill about this.
“Don’t talk about yourself like that,” Lydia said and bit into her Reuben. “But maybe keep your eyes open, too. Who knows who’ll have an issue and get in your face about it.”
Jimmy Morton came to mind. He despised the Kelleys, and the last interaction I had with him had been less than fun. He’d definitely have something to say.
“So, you going to tell me what happened?”
“He came over. We ate dinner, we talked, I fell asleep. I didn’t even know he stayed, Lydia. He was just… still there this morning when I woke up.”
She looked at her sandwich like it was moldy, and then me. “That’s it?”
“That’s it.”
Besides the dreams he said he had about me. Outside the fact he’d carried me to bed. Sure, there were specifics I was never mentioning, not even to my bestie, but all the things I told her happened.
“Well, that’s boring,” she muttered. Her gaze went behind me, and then she mouthed in my direction, “Kelley incoming.”
“Shit,” I whispered, but I was too late.
“Don’t sound so excited to see me.” I looked up, and thankfully, it was Gavin Kelley. Bryce would be a loudmouth, giving me shit in front of everyone. Dalton would probably scowl, because that was all he seemed to do. Caleb would definitely tease me, although he’d do it quieter.
Gavin was the quiet one. The serious one. He was also holding a white plastic bag filled with to-go containers in one hand, and his daughter’s, Josie, hand in the other.
“Gavin,” I said and grinned at Josie. “Hey, sweetie. How are you?”
“I rode Pickles today!”
Pickles was one of the Kelleys’ tamer horses. Smaller. She had to be old too, because I’d been riding her since I was ten. “I love Pickles. Did you give her special treats?”
“Carrots and an apple,” she said, leaning in like it was a secret. “I wasn’t supposed to do the apple, but Grandma wasn’t watching.”
Gavin grinned down at his daughter like she’d told me she’d solved world hunger. The pride of a father wrapped around his daughter’s little finger.
“You’re a sneaky thing,” I told her. “I like it.”
Lord knows I’ve given my share of extra treats to Pickles over the years, too.
“Stopped by to get Josie after I was done with work tonight. You should know Ma was in town today and heard the news about Cam and you making their rounds. She wanted to call you, I told her not to.”
“Your mom knows Cameron was at my house last night?” Oh god. That had to mean my own parents knew, and probably Isaiah. And how awesome did that look to have him spend the night at my house when I hadn’t told my parents anything yet? Mrs. Kelley and my mom probably had an impromptu prayer meeting for our souls.
“She wants you out at the house for his game on Saturday.”
“Why?” I never went to their house to watch Cameron’s games. That was family day.
Gavin gave me a look that said I should know better. “Maybe because she misses you, and if you’re with Cameron, you’ll be expected to be there.”
“I’m not with…”
“You’re not?” Gavin asked. “Because I know my brother, and he wouldn’t have put you in this position, knowing word would spread this fast, if he wasn’t planning on wanting you at the ranch with family to watch him play.”
“Jesus,” I whispered. “This is moving so damn fast.”
“It’s Cam,” Lydia said, completely unhelpfully. “What’d you expect?”
“A minute to freaking breathe.”
Gavin chuckled. “Fat chance of that happening. I gotta get Josie home and fed. Come out on Saturday. And be prepared for a call from Mom.”
“Great.”
“You don’t want to talk to my grandma?” Josie frowned at me. Her gaze was darting from her dad to me, and even confused, she was adorable.
“I love your grandma. And I can’t wait to see her.” I grinned.
“Yay! Then you can play games with me this weekend, too. And Landon. But he’s little, and he sometimes doesn’t get the games right.”
She was adorable, and her smile held the power to erase all my discomfort. “Then we’ll have to teach him together, won’t we?”
“See you then,” Gavin said. If I didn’t know him better, I’d suspect he brought his daughter in so I couldn’t say no, but Gavin wasn’t that kind of guy. Josephine’s mom, on the other hand, was that manipulative. Good thing she was long gone.
As soon as they left, Lydia leaned back in her booth and grinned. “Looks like the Kelleys are excited about having you around. That should be fun.”
“Oh hell no,” I told her. “If I’m going to be forced to be a part of this, you’re coming with me.”
“Spend a day with all those sexy cowboys? Don’t twist my arm.”
My phone buzzed with a text and seeing Cameron’s name on it made my lower stomach flutter.
Cameron
You awake?
Me
Yes
I expected text bubbles to appear, but instead, my phone vibrated in my hand with Cam’s name flashing on my screen. I answered it before it was done ringing. “Hello?”
“It’s late. I was worried you’d be in bed.”
“Nope.” I popped the “p” and grinned into my phone. “I’m sitting here watching Pitch Perfect 2 and working.”
“Working this late?” He groaned, and I imagined him stretching out on his couch, kicking his feet up on his coffee table. Or even better, in his bed. Probably a massive one given his size. I hadn’t been brave enough to go near his room the last time I was there. “That sucks. It’s late.”
“It’s only ten.”
“You were out last night before nine.”
“I was?”
Cameron chuckled, and I felt that down to the tips of my toes that curled at the sound of his deep rumble. “Yeah, Sunshine. You were. What are you working on this late?”
“Oh. I talked to Cathy at Jumpin’ Beans a while back. She asked if I could help with her social media accounts. Instagram mostly. I spend a couple hours a week editing photos and that kind of thing.”
“Really? That’s cool.” There was a pause, and then… “Do you need the extra money?”
“No. But the Farm and Feed isn’t exactly exciting work unless I’m in the field. When Cathy approached me, it made me wonder how many other businesses could use help. It’s a small town, but we’re growing and not dying like others. So I don’t know… I’ve just been thinking…”
“You should talk to Gavin and Bryce. I know Bryce could definitely use some help getting the word out about his brewery and stuff.”
My heart fluttered. He hadn’t even hesitated to be excited for me. Or help me. I hadn’t expected pushback or anything, but there was almost an excited tone to his voice.
“You don’t think it’s lame?”
“Why would I think you doing something you enjoy is lame?”
“I don’t know. Because I already have a job and it pays decently. It’s not fun, though, but not everyone gets a fun job.”
“You can figure out a way to do something you love and have fun and get paid to do it, I say that’s the dream everyone has. Do you think you could?”
“Do what? Go freelance?”
“Yeah. Why the hell not?”
Nerves. Fear. The fact I was a single woman, and I might not have a mortgage on my small home, but I did have other bills. The main one including a car that would have to be upgraded soon. “It’s a risk, is all.”
“Some are worth taking.”
I had a feeling he was no longer talking about my work. And speaking of risks… “I ran into Gavin and Josie at Millie’s tonight. Apparently, your mom is expecting me out to the ranch on Saturday.”
“Good.” Again, no hesitation. Just that pulse of excitement. “She loves you. Caleb and Landon will be here, so you know. I gave them my two tickets, but I’m pretty sure Emily will be with the family.”
“That’ll disappoint Josie. She wanted me to help teach Landon how to play some games the right way.”
Cameron chuckled again. “You’ll have plenty of time to help her with that, Sunshine. What else did you do today? Anything besides work?”
My head started spinning at the implication I was going to be spending a lot of time with Josie, it took me a second to catch up.
We talked about my day. I asked him about his, what his practices were like. He told me about the team and the guys he went to the baseball game with, and soon, we’d already been on the phone for an hour, talking about nothing. Everything.
I yawned, and tried to hide it, but Cameron heard.
“I should probably let you get to bed soon,” Cameron said. “But before I do, you should know something.”
“What’s that?”
“I called Isaiah this morning. Gave him a heads-up about us, but he already knew too.”
“You called Isaiah? Why?”
“Because he’s been my best friend outside of Caleb since we were still in diapers, and I wanted him to hear you and I were dating from me. Not town.”
“You… you…” God, why was this making me so mad? But I pushed to my feet, shoving my computer off my lap. “That’s none of his business, Cam.”
“He was cool, Ava. It was something I needed to do.”
“And what if he wouldn’t have been? What then, Cam?”
“Not a damn thing.” Cameron grumbled something. “If Lydia spent the night with your brother and they were going to date, wouldn’t you want her to tell you and not hear it through town?”
“That’s disgusting.” I’d need bleach to scrub the mental image out of my mind. “She’d never go for him.”
His throaty, deep chuckle came through the line. “That’s not really the point.”
Fine, he was right. “I’m sorry, this is all happening, and now you keep saying we’re dating and people in town are talking and looking at me, and for so long you’ve just been a dream, and?—”
“What kind of dream?” Cameron asked. The anxiety in my chest popped like a balloon with the rumble in his voice. “Not one of those cooking ones, right?”