I was able to prove that I was listening and burst his bubble all in one breath. I didn’t like a lot of attention—that’s why being behind a camera was perfect for me. “Why on earth would I want to be on TV? It’s like you don’t know me at all.”
“You like to travel, you take pictures, and your name is Journey, for God’s sake,” Boz huffed. “An adventure show is pretty much your destiny.”
“If I say I’ll think about it, will you leave me alone?”
I could hear his shrug. “Possibly.”
“Possibly, he says,” I grumbled. “Not getting harassed is supposed to be one of the benefits of having you so very far away.”
“Yeah, about that,” he said pointedly. “Just when are you coming back to Seattle?”
“I’m staying for the entire summer,” I said as I stirred. “I told you that.”
“Okay,” he said slowly. “Forgive me for having questions. This was all kind of out of the blue.”
“Well, strokes aren’t big on giving notice,” I said dryly. “It’s hard to update your calendar properly.”
“Don’t be such a sarcastic asshole,” he said, “even though I’m pretty sure that’s your default state. I’m just making sure you’re not thinking of staying.”
“Of course I’m not moving back here,” I insisted, a little surprised at how strange those words sounded on my lips. “Don’t talk crazy.”
“Good.”
The silence that fell between us was a little awkward, which was unusual. Boz and I were normally on the same page regarding my career. But I just… I didn’t want to talk about the future right now. I wanted to cook my damn soup and enjoy time with my family. I didn’t want to talk about work or going back to Seattle. I still had things I wanted to do here.
I wanted more paddleboarding with my brothers. More chatting with Laura while I “helped” her bake, which was code for eating batter and dough when she wasn’t looking. I wanted more nights with my dad in his recliner watching TV, and me on the couch working on my travel book. More of me fixing things with him watching over my shoulder, telling me how to do what I already knew how to do, and irritating me to death. Oh wait, that’s a different list—the Let’s Have Fucking Less of That list.
And then there was Cam. Seeing how he’d been very clear that nothing was going to happen between us, he probably shouldn’t be on my more list. But I wanted more flirty walks in the park with him. More of those intense green eyes staring at me when he thought I wasn’t looking. More of his shy smiles and kind nature. More of the way he got flustered when he was around me. I wanted more of everything. More, more, more.
I grimaced. I had to be careful. I was starting to sound like that blue girl in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. And we all knew what happened to that poor bastard.
I finally broke the silence, since Boz had clearly been struck mute. “Look, I need to get back to making dinner.”
I tossed out the excuse like I needed both hands to churn butter. It wasn’t my best dodge, but he sighed and let me off the hook. “I’m sending you a sample itinerary of what your first season on the show would look like.”
“Boz….”
“First stop, Thailand.”
“Boz!”
“Just think about it.”
“I will.”
He was satisfied with my begrudging agreement, and we got off the phone a moment later. I removed my AirPods and carefully put them back in their case—they were pretty much the most losable thing I owned.
When I turned around, Mark was standing in the doorway, an inscrutable look on his face, his daughter Olivia on his hip. She was in a yellow sundress that was oh-so-cute. She was trouble in chestnut pigtails, yes, but cute.
“That Boz?”
It was clear Mark already knew, so I didn’t bother to answer. I wiped my hands on a dish towel and walked over to him, so I could take Olivia. He frowned but let me have her. I settled her against my hip, all heavy and warm. I tugged one of her pigtails, and she frowned at me. “That’s not nice, Uncle JJ.”
“Sorry, Livy.” I wasn’t sorry in the least and to prove it, I tugged at the other pigtail. She giggled.
“I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that you’re already itching to get gone,” he said, clearly spoiling for an argument.
“I’m not in the mood,” I said, not looking his way.
Olivia didn’t seem