I laughed outright.
Cam’s lips twitched. ‘You’re aware of it?’
‘Joss made me aware of it. It drives her nuts. Sometimes I do it just to annoy her.’
Cam laughed. ‘Well, it works. It’s irritating as hell.’
A feeling I couldn’t quite name took hold of me then. Cam really did like me. For me. Sans fake giggle. Just like Joss. ‘I’m going to go, Cam. But thank you for today.’
He eyed me warmly, hope glittering a little mischievously in his gaze. ‘I’m forgiven, then?’
I nodded without needing to think about it. I was already feeling more free for having confided in him, and since we both had done some confiding it felt like a balanced exchange. I wasn’t anxious about having trusted him, and that just blew my mind. ‘Clean slate.’
‘Friends?’
I almost laughed at that paltry description of what I felt for this stranger who had become my confidant. ‘Friends.’
12
I had showered and changed into my pyjamas and was feeling a little better – Mum hadn’t come out of her room – by the time Cole returned home. He stopped by the couch and squeezed my shoulder before heading into the kitchen to grab a snack.
‘We’re okay?’ I asked as he came back in to flop down on the floor.
‘We’re okay.’ He shrugged, staring at the television with a casualness I was sure he wasn’t feeling. ‘Are you okay? Was Cam okay?’
I smiled, ignoring the stupid flutter of butterflies in my stomach at the thought of Cam. ‘He was great. What did you say to him earlier? He mentioned something about you looking like you were going to hit him?’
Cole grunted. ‘If I had, he would have deserved it. Didn’t need to, though. Dude’s a decent guy – felt like shit when I told him how wrong he was about you.’
‘Language.’ I threw a cushion at him and he batted it away with a murmured apology. ‘And why did you go down there to set him straight? It wasn’t like I was desperate for him to see me in a better light.’
Cole looked at me, and I saw his green eyes had gone a forest colour from some unnamed emotion. ‘Nobody gets to think that about you, let alone say it out fu–’ He caught himself before he swore. ‘Out loud.’
I wanted to cry, because right then my brother was making me feel pretty loved and pretty cool, but I thought crying would just make Cole roll his eyes. ‘Okay,’ I whispered and he gave me a little nod before turning back to the television. ‘Comedy Channel?’
I changed the channel for him just as my phone rang. Handing Cole the remote, I got up and followed the ringtone into the kitchen where I’d left my purse.
It was Joss. I felt a little relieved it wasn’t Malcolm – I didn’t even want to touch on why. ‘Hi,’ I answered quietly.
‘Hey, you.’ Joss’s rich, husky voice was soothing to my nerves and I realized I’d missed seeing her at lunch today. ‘I’m just checking in. You okay?’
‘Um, not really.’
‘You sound like shit.’
‘Well …’
‘Okay, I’m coming over.’
‘Joss, you don’t have to.’
‘I have a bottle of wine here. Are you going to argue with me and a bottle of wine?’
I smiled. ‘I wouldn’t dream of it.’
‘Smart lady. I’ll be there in ten.’ She hung up and I rolled my eyes. I always knew there was a secret ‘momma bear’ hiding underneath all Joss’s prickliness.
When she arrived, she took one look at me and shook her head, her brows drawn together. ‘Jesus C, Jo, what’s happened now?’
I stepped aside to let her in, nodding at the bottle of wine in her hand. ‘Let’s crack this open first. We’re both going to need it.’
Cole greeted Joss with a brusque nod and headed into his room to give us some privacy. Joss got comfortable on the end of the couch. ‘Hit me with it.’
My mouth twisted at the irony of her word choice. ‘Well, now that you mention it …’
When I was finished, I had to body tackle her to the couch so she couldn’t barge into my mum’s room and give her a beatdown, and then I had to spend five minutes assuring her that Cole and I were okay.
Her eyes were still flashing a little wildly as she took a sip of wine. ‘So Cam was there for you?’
‘Yeah. He was very kind, actually.’
Her eyebrows rose at my expression and then she gifted me with one of her gorgeous smiles. ‘Oh, I recognize that look. I see that look on Ellie’s face every time she gazes at Adam.’
‘Whatever,’ I muttered, refusing to let her catch sight of my eyes in case they just confirmed her suspicions.
‘You are so crushing on Cam and I didn’t even have to do anything.’
‘I’m not crushing on Cam.’
‘I know what that look means.’
‘We’re just friends.’ I stared at her now. ‘Joss, I like him, but we have partners, and I …’
Joss sighed. ‘You still want the security that Malcolm can give you.’
I didn’t need to answer – we both knew she was right.
‘Does Cam give you butterflies?’
I nodded.