CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Not having any idea how to dress for tonight’s activity, I threw on a sundress with pockets, along with a minimal amount of makeup, and put up my hair. I’d just slid on my sandals when there was a knock at my door.
I let Krista into my room, and she was wearing a casual dress, too. I’d asked her to join me because I didn’t want to accidentally on purpose run into Camden. Pathetically enough, I knew that if I stood by my door, I’d be able to hear when he was headed out and I didn’t think I’d be able to prevent myself from joining him.
This was better. I’d told him about not being a spy and had to hope one, that he’d believe me and two, that he wouldn’t have some kind of meltdown that would make things hard on Dan and Sadie. I again resolved that Camden and I would be distant but polite acquaintances.
Plus, he had no reason to hang around me now. Telling the truth had hopefully eliminated that issue.
But knowing it with my brain and dealing with the sense of loss in my heart were two entirely different things. Because I knew I’d miss his attention. That I’d grown to enjoy him and his teasing and his touch.
“What happened last night?” Krista asked, instead of saying hello.
“Hi to you, too.” I knew what she was asking, and given that my entire brain seemed fixated on Camden at the moment, I didn’t need her making things worse.
“At least you seem like you’re feeling better. I’m glad you’re not still sick.”
It felt like it had been days since she and I had last spoken. “I wasn’t sick. I was drunk.” I explained about the mix-up.
“Then Camden, in his full knight regalia, swooped in and got you back here safely.”
“He did.” I nodded warily, not sure where she was going with this.
“And?”
“And nothing. I vomited, he got me a glass of water. End of story.”
She pursed her lips and then narrowed her eyes at me. “You know that I know you well enough that I can tell when you’re lying.”
“I’m not lying! I’m just selectively sharing the parts of the story I want you to know.”
“Ha!” She pointed at me, as if she’d caught me doing something. “I knew there was more.”
I tried switching back into business mode. “We should get going. I gave you Mandy’s number just in case, right? She volunteered to help out with Brandy if we get to that point. I’m hoping we won’t, but it never hurts to be prepared.”
“I’ve got her number. And I’ve got yours, too.”
Deciding that it wasn’t worth responding to, I held open my door and gestured for her to go ahead.
As we walked down the hallway she said, “You haven’t asked me about Rick.”
It took me a second to place his name. Oh, Dan’s cousin. “Is there something to ask about?”
“I’ve been waiting for your lecture on how we’re not supposed to date wedding guests.”
That would kind of make me a hypocrite, wouldn’t it? “I didn’t realize you two had gone on a date.” I hoped it hadn’t become more than that. Especially with Dan’s objections. While Dan wasn’t my main concern, he was Sadie’s. And to keep her happy, I’d have to make sure that he was happy, too.
We arrived at the elevators, and one of them opened as soon as we pushed the button. We stepped in and Krista said, “We did that group hang last night. Sadie kept trying to push us together, but that man just broke up with his longtime girlfriend and they’re a hundred percent going to get back together. Rick talked about her the entire night. It actually got a little depressing.”
Was this what had made Dan put his foot down about no fraternizing? “We can thank Sadie and her matchmaking.”
Krista nodded. “You know how people are at weddings.”
I did.
She continued, “But if she wants to set me up with someone, they should at least be available.”
We arrived on the ground floor and headed into the lobby. “He should also not be one of the guests at the wedding,” I reminded her.
She just gave me an enigmatic smile as we walked toward the west lawn. I knew what that meant. She was aware of the rule but if she found someone she liked, I could stuff it. We headed outside and came around a row of bushes and saw a sea of white camping tents covering the lawn.
“What’s going on?” I asked. “Did Sadie invite a bunch of Boy Scouts?”
Troy and one of his assistants (Anton? Antoine? I couldn’t remember) stopped in front of us. “We’re glamping,” Troy announced. Glamping? Wasn’t that just camping’s older sister who wore too much makeup? “Hand over your keycards.”
“Is this some kind of swingers thing?” Krista asked with a teasing lilt in her voice. “Because Rachel is not going to be okay with that.”
“Why do you need our keycards?” I asked.
I watched as Krista handed hers over. Troy said her name to his assistant, whom he definitely referred to as Anton, and Anton flipped through a giant album and placed Krista’s key in a pocket next to her name.
No wonder I’d had to make lei. This level of conspiracy to keep me from getting a good night’s sleep had to have taken hours.
Troy tapped his foot impatiently at me. “I need your keys because Sadie doesn’t trust you guys and doesn’t want you to go sneaking off back to your rooms. We’re sleeping out here tonight.”
“Gee, why would anyone do that?” I would much rather go back to my king-size bed than be stuck sleeping on the ground. I’d never understood the appeal of camping. Or glamping. Whatever this nonsense was.
“Key,” Troy said, holding out his hand. I took in a deep breath. He could find me new clients. This was not a hill to die on. I dug through my purse and found my keycard, giving it to him.
“Thank you,” he said, his tone clipped. I guessed I wasn’t the first person to give him grief. “Your tents are over there. Go and get changed and then meet me and the rest of the wedding party by the campfire.”
“Changed?” Krista asked me. “This involves an outfit switch?”
I had no idea and shrugged as she and I walked to the tents Troy had indicated. My and Sadie’s names were written on a tag, hanging on the tent to the right. Krista’s name was on the left. She opened the flap. “Mary-Ellen! Looks like we’re camping buddies,” she said, in a tone of fake enthusiasm that only I would recognize.
It would be nice to be alone with Sadie. To check in with her, see how she was holding up, what she needed from me. To make sure that me telling Camden about the spy thing wasn’t going to be an issue. That she was happy with how her mother was behaving.
Two cots with white sheets and blankets were set up in the tent. Small collapsible canvas totes sat at the foot of the cots, and I assumed that was where we were supposed to store our things. The tent was tall enough to stand in, and there were white Christmas lights strung around the interior. Above the two cots hung mosquito netting. Which seemed odd, because I was usually a magnet for mosquitoes and hadn’t gotten a single bite yet.
On each cot there was a pair of pajamas. Button-down tops with drawstring bottoms. They were pale pink and the wedding’s hashtags were written on them—#DanAndSadie and #SadieMarriedLady. There were also a pair of slippers and a note from the different sponsors who had provided the tents, cots, and clothing. I claimed the cot on the left and changed quickly, stowing my dress, sandals, and purse in the tote.
It was then that I noticed something on our pillows. Chocolate chip cookies inside plastic baggies. My stomach grumbled appreciatively and I devoured both of the cookies in record time. So, so good. I should probably go find something else to eat that had actual nutritional value.
I stepped out of my tent and found Krista waiting for me in her pajamas. “I thought we could head over together.” There was a strained quality to her voice and I could hear Mary-Ellen singing off-key in their shared tent. I did not envy my friend.
“Come on, Mary-Ellen, let’s get a move on!” she called out. Krista linked her arm through mine and I asked if she’d eaten her cookies. “Obviously.”
“Do you think they were made here at the hotel, and if so, do you think we could get more?” I asked as we walked up to the campfire. Not exactly healthy, but maybe I’d throw in an apple or something.
Mary-Ellen was right behind us as we approached the campfire and found Sadie, Dan, and all of his groomsmen. The men’s pajamas were white and I couldn’t figure out who had thought that was a good color for camping.
Camden gave me a playful smile when we approached.
Krista let out a low whistle. “Do you see how he’s looking at you? That boy has impure thoughts about you.”
I shouldn’t want that to be true.
She nudged me with her arm. “Don’t bother denying that you think about him, too. It’s pretty obvious he’s living rent-free in your head. Because he has squatter’s rights at this point.”
I opened my mouth, intending to refute her statement, but had to admit to myself that it was true. Camden took up far too much space in my poor mind.
He said something to Rick, patted him on the shoulder, and then started walking over to me.
“Oh, look,” Krista said to Mary-Ellen. “Come over here and see this.”
“What?” Mary-Ellen asked as she was being dragged away. “What am I supposed to be looking at?”
Super subtle.
Every step that he took toward me I felt in my chest, my heart beating hard in time to his footsteps.
“Do you know why we’re camping?” I asked as he approached, willing myself to calm down.
“Dan loves it. Sadie apparently did it as a gift for him.”
That was very sweet of her, but not so much fun for me. “Why would someone love camping?” I truly didn’t get it.
“I don’t know. Nature, trees, peeing outdoors, bears, something-something one with the universe. I never really got it, either.” He put his hands in his pockets and stood close to me, our shoulders nearly touching as we both faced the campfire, which seemed more like a bonfire. “Although, to be fair, this is only sort of camping. Still it could be fun, right?”
“Which one is it? Fun or camping? It can’t be both. I mean, my idea of camping is a motel room that faces some trees.”
He chuckled slightly, but before he could respond an employee of the hotel came by, passing out the white lei.
“Be careful with those,” Camden said. “They were handmade.”
She appeared puzzled, probably because all the lei we’d had so far were handmade.
The employee wasn’t the only one who felt confused. He was over here bantering with me like nothing had happened.
Which I should accept and be grateful for. Instead I asked, “Have you processed yet?”
He raised both of his eyebrows, as if surprised by my question. “I’m taking things under consideration.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning ... there are things that I’m feeling and I’m not sure how to deal with them and what you’ve told me.”
My breath caught at his words, wondering what exactly those feelings were. “But you still think I’m a spy?”
“I don’t know what to think.”
Why couldn’t I let this go? Maybe it was because I actually was lying to him and in this one area, at least, I wanted him to know the truth. “Why does it matter so much?”
“Because if you were a spy, and you found out things about us, you could sabotage us going public. We would lose the confidence of our investors if anyone stole our secrets—they’d think that our security was lax and that we were an easy target. It would devalue us, making our stock price drop, and I won’t let that happen.”
“I’m not here to hurt you or anyone else,” I told him. That at least was honest.
I could feel him studying me, as if he wasn’t sure what to believe. “I think there’s something there. Something you’re keeping secret. I understand that your secrets are none of my business—”
“Kind of feels like you don’t. And while I respect your bachelor’s degree from I’m Entitled to Know Everything University, not everything is about you.” I’d hoped that confessing would throw him off the scent, but he was like some determined bloodhound, knowing there was something else to uncover.
If I could just keep my distance, this would all be fine. If I could storm off and be (rightfully) angry with him for prying, things might possibly get better.
Then he messed it all up. “You’re right. I’m sorry. Will you forgive me?”
I turned to look at him and his eyes were like liquid green fire, burning hotter and brighter than the campfire next to us.
Say no. Make that chasm grow. Stretch the divide between you. This is your chance,I tried telling myself.
There was no part of me that wanted to listen.
“Can I have everybody’s attention?” Hank, the director for the film crews, called out. “We would like you guys to start off by having a pillow fight.”
One of his assistants started passing out pillows. I held mine by the edge. “Are you serious? We’re not twelve.”
Normally I wouldn’t be so snappish, but I was currently wrestling internally with myself and neither side of me was pleased at being interrupted. There was what I had to do and what I wanted to do.
None of those included having a pillow fight.
“The viewers will love it,” Hank said. “We’ll edit it so that it looks really fun.” He directed us to get into a circle. We all stood there, loosely holding our pillows. I could feel my dignity draining from my body.
“We got this,” Camden said as he moved to my left. “We’re going to win.”
Hank yelled out, “Go!”
“I don’t think it’s a competition.” But my words were swallowed up by Dan swinging his pillow at Camden’s head, hard.
He ducked and the pillow glanced off my shoulder.
Camden turned toward me, looking utterly delighted. “You’ve got my back?”
Nodding, I said, “I do.”
I should have blown him off and moved closer to the other bridesmaids. But it was like I couldn’t stay away from him.