refusing to discuss them.
The front door of Camden’s house is a vibrant blue and includes a tarnished brass door knocker in the shape of a G. I reach for it and hardly get the first knock in when the door opens.
Camden looks beautiful. Well, she’s always beautiful, even when she’s not trying. Her hair is down with a simple part in the middle and she wears a fuzzy pink sweater atop dark jeans that mold to her shape. I feel instantly summoned to put my hands everywhere.
But I find my manners before my hands find her ass and I smile. “Good morning, gorgeous.”
She flushes and tucks her hair behind one ear. Compliments still catch her off guard. That just makes me want to give her more of them.
“Hi.” She glances behind her and then steps back from the door. “Come in.”
Camden’s house is a real home, full of family photos and well worn furnishings and mismatched accent pieces that probably have sentimental value. There’s a pleasant pine woods smell radiating from the squat Christmas tree, which is covered in bright balls, light strings and handmade ornaments. There’s also a woman seated in the middle of the sofa and she’s wearing a terrycloth robe in the same bright blue color as the front door. Right away I can see her resemblance to Frankie. Around her head is a turban-style wrap patterned with bright tropical flowers and I know she wears it because of what her cancer treatments have done to her. But nothing has stolen her luminous smile.
“Ben.” Camden takes my hand. “I want you to meet my mom.”
“Hello, Ben. Please call me Adela.” Her voice contains a distinct Spanish accent. “I am glad to meet you.”
“You already know Frankie,” Camden says and now I see her brother is quietly hovering in the doorway. He acknowledges me with a nod.
Adela is thoughtful as she regards me. “Camden’s father had to leave for work already. He would have liked to meet you too.”
It occurs to me that I’ve never done this before, been presented to a girl’s family as if I’m a person of importance. It’s actually a little nerve wracking.
I put in a sincere effort to come across as upstanding as possible. These are the people who are most important to Camden. Adela is pleased that I’m also a BMA student and that I have a job at Dee’s. We don’t talk for very long because she suddenly sinks against the couch cushions and winces.
Camden darts to her side. “I’ll help you get back to bed.”
Adela must be too tired to argue. She smiles at me once more and then allows her daughter to help her down the hall. She’s petite and only reaches Camden’s shoulder.
With the two of them gone, Frankie and I are left behind to awkwardly stare at one another.
“Doesn’t look bad today.” I gesture to his jaw, which looked pretty swollen after the battle with the McGills and now only appears faintly bruised.
His fingertips gently touch the lower part of his face. “Cam made me sit still with ice on it for an hour. Told my mom I just took an elbow to the chin in wrestling practice.” His hand falls away and his mouth sets in a grim line. “They would have hurt her. I couldn’t stop them. And if you hadn’t showed up…”
“But I did.” I say this but at the same time I have to swallow the surge of bile in my throat over the terrifying thought of the McGills getting to Camden. I don’t know what I would have done to them if they really had hurt her. That thought kind of scares me too.
Frankie is eyeing me. “Look, I’ll always be grateful that you put the McGills down. But Camden’s my family and I’ve got to ask you something.”
“What’s that?”
“You really do like her, right Ben?”
He’s just a kid but he’s looking me over and sizing me up the way a man would. I don’t blame him. If I had a sister I’d be doing the same thing to any guy who came around.
“I like her more than I’ve ever liked any girl.”
He’s pleased but then remembers something and his brow creases. “It’s just that I’ve heard stuff about you.”
“You know what they say. Don’t believe everything you hear. And if I ever treat your sister with anything less than complete respect then you can beat the shit out of me.”
He snorts with laughter. “Don’t think I won’t.”
Camden returns and she’s pulling