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I’d never heard Cameron sound so excited. Ever.

“I am,” Elliot said, smiling down at Cameron, her eyes soft. She leaned down and pressed her lips to Cameron’s and I huffed.

“I hope you’re saving some attention for the rest of us,” I teased.

Elliot’s mouth stretched into a grin and she pulled away. But her hand found Cameron’s.

“It’s good to know you missed me so much,” Elliot mused.

I rolled my eyes. “You’re a breath of fresh air among the withered trees.” I sighed dramatically.

“And, there she is,” Alex chuckled. “Hayden can never stay mopey when Elliot is around.”

Before I could say anything, Elliot’s eyes fell on me again. “Mopey?”

“Oh, yeah,” Reid offered, sucking on her teeth. “She’s been a drag if you can believe it. All for a pretty little thing at the store she recently bought.”

“Ivey’s?” Elliot guessed. She frowned in concentration. “I remember you being hyped up about it. What happened?”

I buried my face in my hands, both out of frustration and embarrassment.

“We’ll leave out the sob story,” Reid explained, and I wished she’d have left out theentirestory. “Long story short, Hayden has a thing for this girl who works at the store.”

“Okay, I don’t really see the problem…”

“The problem is Hayden’s obsession with casual relationshipsandkeeping business relationships entirely professional. For better or worse.”

Elliot glanced back at Cameron, color blooming in her cheeks. “Good thing you liked me back.” She chuckled, and I wanted to groan out loud.

Cameron looked up at her girlfriend, starry-eyed and so in love that it sent a pang of want through me.

I’d wanted that once.

“It’s not like that.” I sighed, pressing the tips of my fingers into my temples. “She’s so averse to any changes I want to make to the store. It could be so big, and it could help so many people, but she’s holding onto her parents’ goals for the store like her life depends on it.”

“So her parents owned the store before you bought it?” Elliot asked.

“Yeah, they did.”

“I kind of understand why she’d be so against changing it, then,” Elliot admitted, and honestly? I did too. Maybe that’s what had gotten to me the most.

“Sentiment and business do not belong together,” I explained, but Elliot’s eyes studied me harder, as if she might find something else if she looked hard enough.

“You know, for someone who totes around young men like a Chanel purse, you’re pretty boring in other aspects of your life.”

Safe, I wanted to tell Reid. I was safe, and so was my heart.

But I didn’t respond.

Chapter thirteen

A Peace Offering… Sort Of

Frankie

“Joe,couldyougiveme a hand, please?” I called from the loading bay.

The latest delivery had finally arrived, but I’d bitten off more than I could chew when I offered to handle it alone.