Coddiwomple - S.E. Harmon Page 0,25

handsome enough, with frameless glasses on a narrow, angular face and dark hair, graying slightly at the temples. He looked like just Cam’s type. Stable. Distinguished.

Technically, I guess I couldn’t know all that from a profile. But he was wearing a sweater vest, for God’s sake. If there was a flag to represent stable and distinguished people, it would probably be in the shape of a sweater vest. He didn’t look like the kind of guy who would quit a stable job taking portraits at a retail store to become a wildlife photographer.

I went back to my burger. My phone dinged just as I was finishing up, and my agent’s name popped up with a text. The message was short and to the point. They love the photos. Congrats.

I texted back quickly, still working on the fries one-handed. Thanks, Boz.

How do you like Antarctica?

I snorted. It wasn’t a question. That was sly agent speak for, “They need pictures of something in Antarctica. Before I slingshot your ass down there, do you need a thermal jacket, or you good?”

My fingers hovered over the S key. What normally would’ve been a shrug and a “sure” was suddenly a bit more complicated. True enough, I’d won all my mental arguing with that know-it-all John today, but somewhere around the time I was reminding him what an intolerable jackass he was, I realized he was kind of right.

Hudson walked by and reached for my plate. I just managed to grab the last fry before he snagged the dish and bustled off. I stuffed the fry in my mouth. Maniac. I hadn’t even gotten to swipe it through the freaking ketchup. But then he brought me a fresh beer to go alongside the Jack and Coke I hadn’t quite finished, and I forgave him anew.

Maybe I had let my familial duties slip a bit. Maybe. I got busy, and I lived so far away and…. Well, I guess I could insert any number of excuses after that. Truthfully, the longer I was gone, the easier it was to stay away. Maybe I was running a little bit. John was still an intolerable jackass, though.

I guess I could spare a few months to stick around. The summer, maybe. I could make sure my father healed the way he needed to, in the place where he was most comfortable. I resented the decision almost immediately, but I was going to stand by it.

Guess I was here for the summer, then. I sighed. August, here I come.

Someone slid on the stool next to me and cleared his throat as I texted Boz back. On hiatus for the summer. Sry.

The text bubbles appeared, reappeared, disappeared, and then reappeared again, all in the span of a few seconds. He finally just answered with an “ok” and a smiley face. That was one of the things I loved about Boz. He was always on my side and he didn’t push… much. I knew if I stayed longer than the summer, I’d have some answering to do.

The guy next to me cleared his throat again. I rolled my eyes. Someone was either sick with a sore throat or trying to get my attention. I had the same answer for either of those scenarios—move several seats away and leave me the hell alone. I was about to make that suggestion when I heard a familiar voice. “You still take forever to answer a text.”

I glanced over to see Cameron sitting on the barstool next to me, a half smile on his face. I looked up in the mirror instinctively, like I’d see him still sitting at the table. “Hey. You’re here,” I said stupidly.

“I am,” he agreed.

I was starting to get annoyed. I’d only been in town for twenty-four hours, and I was on Cameron overload. Being around him took me back to a time I’d rather forget—not because it was so bad, but because it had been so damned good. And could he give the looking-good, smelling-even-better thing a rest?

“Did you talk to your brothers?” he asked bluntly.

That certainly got my thoughts off sex. “One of them.” I eyed him. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that you knew what they were going to ask me.”

He hummed but didn’t deny it. “So, what did you decide?”

“I figure it won’t kill me to stay for the summer,” I said a little begrudgingly. “At least that way, I can make sure my dad is back on his feet.”

He only nodded. I watched him out