“No problem,” I said. “I’m happy to have helped.” And I really was. “It was fun.”
Mrs. Hamilton smiled at me, though her eyes were sad. “Well, honey, you’re always welcomed here for the holidays. There’s never enough hands when it comes to making food.”
I murmured thank you and finished washing my hands. As I turned, I caught sight of Cam standing just outside the kitchen. I had no idea how long he’d been standing there or how much of the conversation he overheard, but the soft look on his sleepy face told me he’d heard enough.
Chapter 19
Anyone with two eyes could tell that Teresa and Cam were close and they really did care about each other. The two of them were insane together, constantly picking on one another and causing general trouble wherever they went.
Teresa was a female version of Cam—tall, strikingly beautiful with raven-colored hair and bright blue eyes. She had the body of well-disciplined dancer and was practically bubbling over with energy.
Much to my relief, Teresa was a sweetheart. I’d been afraid that she wouldn’t like me for some reason or another, but she hugged me.
The Hamilton family were a bunch of hugging folks.
I hung out with them in the basement until Teresa and I went upstairs to help her mom get the sides ready for dinner, which seemed like the perfect moment to get away, because Cam and his father started talking about hunting and my skin was beginning to crawl.
Seeing mother and daughter working together and laughing had a strange effect on me. They were almost like strange creatures to me; the kind of family you saw on evening sitcoms. I was envious of that relationship, but in the same respect I sort of accepted that this would never be my mom and I.
While we got the dinner ready, Teresa was glued to her cell phone, constantly texting someone, which carried over to the dinner table.
“Who do you keep texting?” Cam demanded as he slopped a second heaping of yams on his plate.
Teresa smirked. “That’s none of your business.”
“I’m your brother, it’s my business.”
Uh-oh. I glanced at them and saw Cam’s eyes narrowed on his younger sister as she texted someone.
“Mom, you should tell your daughter it’s rude to text at the table.”
Mrs. Hamilton arched a brow. “It’s not hurting anyone.”
Cam nudged me with his knee under the table, something he’d been doing every five minutes since we sat down. “It’s hurting my soul.”
I rolled my eyes as I knocked him back.
“That’s sad,” his sister commented, dropping her cell in her lap. “So, Avery, how did you end up in West Virginia.”
“I wanted to go some place different,” I said, digging into the mashed potatoes. “My family is originally from Ohio, so West Virginia seemed like a good place to go.”
“I have to be honest, I would’ve picked New York or Florida or Virginia or Maryland or—” Her phone chirped, drawing her attention like someone with ADD and a shiny object. She grabbed her cell and an immediate smile spread across her lips.
Cam knocked my knee as his eyes narrowed even further. He reached for more turkey, but suddenly veered off, snatching the cell from his sister’s fingers.
“Hey!” she shouted. “Give it back!”
Cam stretched into me, avoiding his sister’s flailing arms. He scowled. “Who’s Murphy?”
Mr. Hamilton shook his head.
“It’s none of your business! God,” Teresa snapped. “Give me back my phone.”
“I’ll give it back when you tell me who Murphy is? A boyfriend?”
Her cheeks flushed, and I figured Cam was a bit of the overprotective type. He held the phone away from her until she sat back, crossing her arms. “Mom.”
“Cam, give her back the phone.” When Cam still held it, his mother smiled. “We’ve met Murphy. He’s a really good boy.”
Cam didn’t look convinced, and I suddenly wondered if there was more to this. I looked over at Teresa and her eyes were starting to shine. I turned my attention back to my plate quickly.
“He’s really nice and I like him,” she said in a quiet voice.
Cam snorted. “That’s not a ringing—”
“He’s not Jeremy,” Mr. Hamilton said, suddenly very serious and somber. “Give her back the phone.”
He looked like he was going to hold onto that phone for the rest of his life and where there hadn’t been any tension in the house since I arrived, it was now very much in this room. I reached under the table and grabbed his upper thigh, startling him enough that he loosened his grip on her phone. I swiped it away from him.
“Hey!” His eyes narrowed. “That was so not fair.”
I grinned as I stretched behind him, handing the phone to his sister. “Sorry.”
“Thank you,” Teresa said, and I was sure I made a friend for life with that move.
Cam’s look said there’d be payback later before he turned to his sister. “I want to meet this Murphy.”