3. Jordan #3
Cam was kind enough not to point that out, because of course he was. He was perfect, and I might as well still be the dweeby little kid who was obsessed with him.
“Well, it’s great to see you again,” he said, his smile warm and generous.
“Yeah, you too.” I smiled back, then realized I had no idea what to say next. Cam was clearly waiting for me to make conversation, and suddenly I couldn’t think of a single question to ask.
Or, no, that wasn’t it at all. I had a million questions I wanted to ask, but none of them seemed like the kind of thing you could ask someone you hadn’t seen in six years, someone you’d never even been friends with to begin with.
How are you? Where do you live now? Are you still writing?
Are you happy? Levi said something about a cabin and wildflowers—is your life as romantic as it sounds?
Is it what you always wanted? Are you single?
Are you married? Are you dating? Are you, just maybe, just possibly, single and also gay, or bi, or just really open-minded, and interested in letting your friend’s little brother suck your cock?
What came out of my mouth was, “Are you, um…coffee?”
Cam looked at me like I was having an aneurysm. I was pretty sure my face was about to melt off—which would have been pretty gross, but would, at least, have the virtue of ending this conversation, because I would be dead.
“That is, do you want some?” I said, gesturing to the chalkboard menu behind me. “It’s on me. I mean, on the house. Not literally on me, that would be—well, you know…”
Maybe if I banged my head hard enough on the counter, I could speed up the face-melting process. What was I doing, explaining the English language to him like he’d never heard an idiom before?
But Cam just held up a baseball cap—one that I recognized.
“Thanks, but I’m just here to drop this off. Levi left it at my—”
“Did someone say my name?”
I turned to see Levi stride in from the back hall with a grin that only got bigger when he noticed who was standing in front of the counter.
“Hey, look at that. My two favorite people. This day just keeps getting better.”
And honestly, how dumb could I be? Of course Cam was here to talk to Levi. He was probably wishing my brother had been at the counter from the beginning, so he’d never have had to interact with me. I wondered if anyone would notice if I just dropped to all fours and scuttled away like a crab.
“Now, I can only assume you’re here to take me up on my generous offer from last night,” Levi continued, walking up to Cam. “And you’re in luck, because I have compiled a list for you, my friend. The crème de la crème of the island’s single ladies.”
My stomach sank.
I knew it was stupid. Cam had never given any indication of being into guys before.
Why would he have suddenly changed his mind at age thirty-one?
I had no idea why he needed my brother’s help finding a woman, because anyone with eyes had to be drooling over him, but the point was, he wasn’t looking for men.
So why the hell did that make me so sad?
“Actually, no.” Cam gave Levi an apologetic smile, and for a second my heart leapt—until my brother spoke again.
“Really? You’re telling me you’ve already found someone to take to the dance? Cammy-boy, I’m impressed. You work fast.”
My stomach, which had been hovering somewhere around my feet like an anxious Roomba, plummeted approximately thirty stories at that.
At least if Cam was single, I could continue to delude myself that he might, someday, get a little curious about what he was missing over on my side of the aisle.
But if he was dating someone, that seemed considerably less likely.
“Not that, either.” Cam held up the hat. “I just came to return this. You left it at my place, probably because you were too busy harassing me to remember to take your stuff home.”
“One man’s harassment is another man’s tender, loving care,” Levi said with a grin. He took the cap and put it on his head.
“That sounds like the kind of thing someone says right before getting hauled off to prison for stalking,” I told him. If I sounded a little bitter, so be it.
“Hauled off to prison for not wanting my best friend to die alone?” Levi said airily. “If that’s a crime, I suppose I’m guilty, but I shall not repent.”
“Someone’s feeling dramatic today.”
“And someone else is feeling judgey,” he retorted, before turning back to Cam. “Regardless of why you came here, I do want to run a few names by you, but I need to pick up an order before the next ferry leaves. Stick around, though, okay? I’ll be back in ten minutes.”
He was halfway across the coffee shop when Cam called out, “Levi, no, wait!”
He sounded almost distraught, and Levi looked confused when he turned around.
“What’s wrong?”
Cam took a deep breath, and I found myself holding mine, bracing for more bad news.
“You don’t have to do that. The names thing, I mean.”
Levi frowned. “I thought you said you hadn’t asked anyone.”
“I haven’t,” Cam said. “But there’s someone I’m going to ask. I have a plan.”