22. Lizzie
22
LIZZIE
I’m still running on the biggest high from last night that I have so much energy and not enough ways to expel it. If only I had a hot neighbor who stars in all my fantasies to work it out on.
Soon, Lizzie.
Hopefully.
I definitely think Cameron and I are on the same page now. Last night, he proved that he wants me and that he trusts me enough to be friends with benefits. Right now, that is more than good enough for me.
Will it turn into something more? Maybe. Maybe not.
Do I care? Not right now. I’ll take what I can get and worry about the rest later. It will probably come back to bite me in the ass, but, again, that’s a problem for another day.
Today, Lizzie Montgomery is perfectly happy being fuck buddies with Cameron Dylan. And if last night was any indication of what it would be like to have actual sex with him, wild horses couldn’t keep me away from signing up for that.
I peek out my window and see them playing in the same mud that waged a war on my clumsy body weeks ago. I look around a little more and see no sign of their dad, which means they got bored and went in search of some entertainment again.
Me: Hey! Just letting you know Addy and Mackenzie are in the yard making mud sculptures again. I’m heading over now to keep an eye on them.
Me: Just so you don’t worry. They’re fine.
I don’t wait for a response. I head over immediately, and I’m greeted by hellos and muddy hugs. I don’t care if they get me dirty—these girls are a joy to hang out with.
“Does your dad know that you two are out here?”
“No. He’s busy so we came out on our own,” Addy declares, shrugging like it’s no big deal that she left the house alone with her sister. It’s only the yard, but still…
“Our dad is having a party tonight and we told him he should invite you,” Mackenzie says, changing the subject.
I happen to agree with her wholeheartedly. I very much think her dad should invite me too.
“He said he would think about it because he wasn’t sure. We think you should go with him, though,” Addy throws in.
What? He said he wasn’t sure? After everything that happened last night?
What the hell is there to be sure or unsure about? It’s not like he has to take me as his date. We could just go as friends. No one will know about the benefits part. It would just be nice to know that he wants me there.
I take back what I was thinking. We clearly are not on the same page.
“Oh…well, okay,” I stutter out. “Well, thank you, girls, for being so nice and thinking about me. You’re the best!” They grin up at me, and I grin back. How else was I supposed to respond to that? He seemed pretty sure last night.
I keep getting hot and cold Cameron, and it’s getting hard to know where I stand. When I thought his mixed signals were giving me whiplash before, I had no idea it would be this bad.
It’s probably best that we move on to a safer topic before they reveal something else their dad might have said that I’m not ready to hear, so I ask the girls about their creations and what I can help them do.
Of course that gets them all riled up, and they go on and on about mud creatures for the next few minutes before we are all interrupted by the sound of the back door flying open. He runs out into the yard, and I can see the moment he lets out a relieved sigh once he spots Addy and Mackenzie.
“Girls, what have I told you about coming outside without telling me? You can’t just run off.” His tone isn’t harsh. It’s the tone of a parent who’s been looking for them everywhere and worrying himself to death over the last few minutes.
Cameron is a wonderful dad, and these kids are lucky to have him. It’s plain to see.
“Sorry,” the girls whisper.
“I texted you letting you know I was out here watching them. I should have run over to tell you in person as well,” I chime in, hoping to take some of the heat off the girls. I happen to side with their dad on this one, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to come to their rescue too.
“I didn’t even think to check my phone…I’m sorry. You’re fine, Lizzie. I appreciate you keeping an eye on them. Again.” He stares at me for a few seconds, our gazes locked, no doubt replaying scenes from last night.
At least I know I am. I haven’t really stopped. It’s…distracting.
His handsome face and the way he looks at me are almost enough to make me forget that I’m annoyed with him. Almost. I want to confront him and just ask why he’s unsure of inviting me tonight, but then he would know the girls repeated their conversation, and there is no way I’m throwing them under the bus.
“Daddy, are you going to invite Miss Lizzie now? Have you made up your mind?” Addy asks.
Oh well. I tried. God, I love this girl and her lack of filter.
“Yeah, Daddy, are you?” Mackenzie doubles down.
“Oh, ummmm…yeah. Lizzie, did you want to come tonight?” Cameron asks, completely oblivious to the fact that I’m fuming on the inside. “To the party? You know, my welcome home party? That everyone’s throwing for me?”
He’s rambling, so I know he’s nervous. I don’t think he was expecting the girls to rat him out like that. But the cat’s out of the bag now.
Why the hell did it take him so long to ask? Am I a good enough friend to fuck—or finger fuck, in our case—but not good enough to be around his other friends and family? Which, by the way, I know most of pretty well?
No more playing nice, Lizzie. It’s time to give Cameron a taste of his own medicine.
“Actually, Reid already invited me last night, so I guess I’ll see you there,” I say, a bit of spite in my tone, but not enough to alert Addy and Mackenzie, who seem to be very invested in our conversation.
“Oh, Dad! See, Uncle Reid got to Lizzie first! You’re a slowpoke,” Addy says, and I watch Cameron’s face fall.
“I’ll drive us,” he says immediately after. “I can pick you up at?—"
“I’m bringing Lia actually, so we’re going together,” I interrupt.
“Right,” he bites out, picking up on my passive aggression.
“Well, girls, I have to head back home and get ready. Keep making more mud stuff, though. And let me know if you need any help! It’s good practice for next week’s class.” I turn to him and add almost as an afterthought, “See you later, Cam.”
With that, I walk away with the last word. The perfect picture of rising above, even though I am absolutely seething on the inside.
As soon as I make it the short distance back home, and thankfully don’t fall on my ass again, I call Lia to recruit her for tonight.
“Hey girl,” Lia chimes after the second ring. “Did you and Cameron have hot, dirty sex already? After what happened last night, I knew it wouldn’t be long before he came back for more. How was it? I want details?—”
“No, and I need you tonight. We’re going to Cameron’s welcome home party together.”
“Wait, what? Why aren’t you going with Cam?” she asks suspiciously. After I called her this morning relaying the details of last night, she probably feels like I skipped some major plot points. “Did he fuck it up already? He did, didn’t he?”
“Because Addy and Mackenzie revealed that their dad was not sure about inviting me tonight. Therefore, I’m not going with him. He asked me to go, but it was after the fact. He can continue to be wishy-washy with someone else.” The more I talk, the more pissed off I become. “It’s not like I’m asking for a public acknowledgment of what we have going on behind closed doors. I’m merely asking him to acknowledge me as his friend, and he can’t even do that.” I practically scream this at her.
“I love when you get fired up. This feisty side doesn’t come out often, but when it does, boy, he better watch out!” She laughs for a few seconds but then must remember what’s going on because she quickly stops. “Okay, sorry. This is going to be so good, Liz. Every single guy there is going to be trying to get your attention. And when they do, Alpha Cam is going to be activated. Just you watch.” The evil glee in her voice makes her whole plan seem that much more sinister.
“I’m not looking for Alpha Cam to be activated tonight, whatever that means, Lia. But…maybe I shouldn’t ignore the attention like I usually do. I mean, I have no intention of following through with any of it, but maybe feigning interest in someone else for the night will push Cameron one way or the other. Is this a childish plan? Should I just tell him to stick his friendship where the sun don’t shine?”
“Bingo!” she sings. “Lizzie, there is no such thing as childish when it comes to showing that man what he’s missing out on. If you weren’t doing it, I would make you do it. So, I’ll pick you up later. And you better be dressed to impress. Show your boobs and a little skin. And don’t cover up those freckles. We know he’s a sucker for those bad boys.” She stops for a second. "Maybe I should lend you my dress, the one that?—"
“Stop!” I roll my eyes, even though she can’t see it. Lia’s my best friend, so I’m always going to tell her everything, but sometimes…well, she makes me regret that. “I’ll be fine. Just let me finish up some work and then I’ll go get ready. See you later.”
“Can’t wait,” she responds gleefully before hanging up.
Hopefully this plan works and doesn’t backfire in my face. I want Cameron to make up his mind. Either he wants me once and for all, or he doesn’t, and I’ll lick my wounds and move on.
I decide to work on some pieces in my studio for a couple of hours in the hope that I get lost in my work, but that only backfires when I end up stewing the whole time and taking out my anger on the poor clay.
I’m cleaning up my workstation when my phone rings and I see that it’s Rita, my agent, calling. I already know why she’s calling, and I definitely don’t have the energy for this today, but I answer anyway.
“Hey, Rita.”
“Hello, Elizabeth. How are you today, sweetie?” Rita asks in her high-pitched, chipper voice, refusing to call me by my shortened name the way I asked her to.
“I’m doing okay. The answer is still no, though,” I preemptively offer.
“Have you at least given it a good amount of thought? I can give you the studio of your dreams and a penthouse apartment overlooking the Chicago River. It’s absolutely breathtaking, sweetie. You’ll be living a life of luxury while doing what you love and making ten times what you’re making now. When buyers get to meet the artists behind their favorite pieces, you know it motivates them to buy more.” I’ve heard a variation of the same speech a few times before. She tries to convince me to relocate, I say no, she pretends to accept, and then she tries again days later.
When I answer her today, there’s a bit of trepidation in my refusal. All the drama with Cameron makes disappearing to a big city sound less bad.
“It’s still a no, Rita,” I say, exhausted that we’re having this conversation again.
“Alright, Elizabeth. I’ll try again next week,” she says on an exasperated breath. “How are the August pieces coming along?”
“Good. I’ve made a lot of progress, and I think they’ll look great in the gallery and sell well. You won’t be disappointed.”
“I never am. I’ll talk to you next week.”
We exchange goodbyes, and then she hangs up. Our conversation only lasted two minutes, but I feel considerably more drained than I did before I answered the phone.
Time to get the Cameron party show on the road.