“Talk to Max,” she said, frowning.
Max heard us and turned around. Then he came toward me holding up an object. When he was two steps away, I realized what it was: a set of acrylic paints in a fancy wooden box. We sold the same set in Millie’s. It was the highest quality paint we carried, with a big price tag to match.
Oh.
“I’m sorry,” said Max. “I found this in Eliza’s bag.”
He offered the box and I responded on instinct, holding out my hand. He laid it on my palm, then we all looked at it, me and Max and James and Camden, like we expected it to do something.
“She stole this from the store?” I asked.
“She’s saying she meant to pay for it when you came out of the back room, but then forgot.” He turned toward Eliza and didn’t bother to lower his voice. “Which, based on some things that have gone down in the past, I don’t believe.”
I peered around Max to where Eliza sat on her blanket, her elbows resting on her knees, staring out at the lake.
“That’s why she’s banned from the knitting store,” I said.
“And a few others,” added Camden. “If it helps, it was always in the name of cosplay.”
I looked at the box and wondered what Eliza had planned to do with it. “That doesn’t really help.”
I walked past the boys to Eliza, unsure of what to say or do when I got there.
“Hey,” I said.
Now she finally looked up at me, right in the eye. Eliza never looked anywhere but right in someone’s eye, and I realized how much I respected her for that.
“I really did mean to pay for it,” she said. “We were so excited that you could come with us, we were amped to get on our way and I totally spaced.”
“I’m sure,” I said. What I didn’t say was, Then why was it already in your bag?
What she didn’t say was, I’m sorry.
“I’ll bring it back to the store, then you can come in and buy it later.”
Eliza frowned. “Can’t I just give you money the next time I come in?”
“We don’t really let people do that.” It was simply a fact I was stating, but I knew to her it meant much more. I was lumping her in with the general, ordinary public.
She sighed and waved her hand. “Keep it, then. Take it back. I don’t need the paints right away, or I can get them somewhere else.”
Why did it feel like I was letting her down? That I hadn’t fulfilled some kind of obligation?
I turned away and put the box in my own bag, then casually zipped it shut. Kendall and James met my glance, and it was clear they weren’t buying Eliza’s story, either.
What had happened here? Five minutes ago the day had been storybook. Movie montage. I’d rejected my own tendencies and embraced it. But things had exploded anyway.
“Be right back,” I said, swallowing something that was rising in my throat, then walked toward the restroom building. Privacy dark alone quiet. I’d just grabbed the handle of the women’s room when I felt a hand on my shoulder.
“You sure you’ve got the right door?” asked Camden.
I let out a laugh, realizing I hadn’t been breathing properly since coming out of the water. The end of it shook down into a sob. I leaned into him and put my head on his chest, and he put one hand tentatively on my back.
“This is where we first met,” he said softly after a few seconds. “I’ll always associate the smell of toilet cleaner with that.”
I laughed again, wiped my eyes. Leaned in harder.
“That was a really crappy thing for her to do,” I said. “I’m not sure how to feel about it.”
His chest inflated, then deflated, in a long sigh. It was like riding a wave.
“Eliza has her own stuff,” murmured Camden. “She hasn’t had it easy, either. I don’t think she meant to hurt you or make you feel taken advantage of. She just gets tunnel vision sometimes.”
I drew back to examine his face. “Are you defending her?”
“No. I’m giving you context.”
“Because she’s your ex-girlfriend. This could be seen as dangerous territory.”
“Thanks for the map.” He dropped his hand off me.
I stepped away from him. “I’m going to pee now.”
As I moved toward the door, he grabbed my wrist. “Ari,” he said.
“What?”
“Don’t be mad.”
“I’m not. But I need to know you’re on my side. If, you know, this ends up being a thing with sides.”
Camden looked uncomfortable, like he’d never been asked to make this kind of choice for anyone.
“Always,” he said, swallowing hard.
I nodded. I tugged my wrist free. He let it go. I wasn’t sure which happened first.