Page 48

CHAPTER 48

Cami

Charles

Let me know how it goes. I’ll be in practice for a majority of the day, but if you need me, call.

Charles

I’m giving my phone to the assistant and told him to get me if you call.

Me

It’s your sister. Everything is going to be fine

Charles

She can be scary!

Me

I’m not worried

Charles

Just tell me you’ll call if you need me

Me

I’ll call if I need you. Now go practice.

Charles

I love you

Me

I know

Me

I love you too

We walk into Angel’s and I sigh at the familiar atmosphere. Angel’s Mexican restaurant is one of our regular spots for dinner, but with Alana being in Paris and everything going on with Charlie and I, it’s been a while since we’ve been.

Sierra, the hostess, seats us in our usual booth in the back and we each grab our menu, acting as if we are going to order something different than the quesadillas we both usually order. A waiter I’m not familiar with comes over and takes our drink order, a Diet Coke for Alana and a Dr. Pepper for me, and leaves us with chips and salsa.

“It’s about time we had a bestie date. Our schedules have been insane lately and even though I see you in the office things have been so busy.”

“Well, yeah. Now that you’re the managing editor and have your own fancy private office, I barely see you.”

“Whatever, we still eat lunch together almost every day.”

“Yeah, us plus one more.”

“He always brings chocolates, though,” she says with an eyebrow raise.

“You’re right, that’s a good point. He can stay.”

“Whew,” she says, wiping her brow in fake relief. “So,” she says after a few minutes of light chatting and munching on chips. “Quite the doozy of a dinner with our parents.”

“Yeah, Charlie said he talked to you.”

“He did.”

We pause to place our orders when the waiter comes back over to us.

“I always knew my parents were disconnected and had favorites between the two of us, but for my dad to put it so plainly really is a punch to the gut.”

“It was…a lot.”

“I’m sorry you had to be there to witness it. I hate that they dragged you into it.”

“I was glad to be there to support Charlie,” I say, then reach over to grab her hand on the table. “I’m sorry that they can’t be what you deserve. I’m sorry you don’t have more support from them.”

Her eyes water and she sniffles quietly, clearly trying to hold the tears at bay. I stand and move to her side of the booth, pulling her into a side hug. We stay like that for a few moments before she sits back up and smiles sadly at me.

“Thanks, Cam. I appreciate that.” She uses her napkin to dab at the corners of her eyes. “I’m hoping it was a wake up call for my mom and she might finally make a decision that’s best for us and for our family and leave him. If he’s treating us this way, I can only imagine the way he’s treating her.”

“Charlie said some of the same things. For your sake, I hope she takes the steps to mend the relationship. I know it would be good for all three of you.”

Our food comes, and we both dig in. We have some light conversation about work and a few shoots I have coming up. Things at the magazine are good, and we’ve entered into a steadier season. The holidays are always hectic, but now we’re about to move into spring and things usually settle down some.

Alana has started to ease into her new role, and she’s doing fantastic. Everyone in the office respects her immensely, and she’s easy to work for.

“I wanted to talk to you about Charlie,” I say. My stomach churns with nerves.

“Oh, okay. What about him?” she asks, giving me her full attention.

“I know you said that if something were to happen between the two of us, you would give us your blessing.”

“I did say that,” she says with a knowing smile on her face.

“I’m sure you can guess where I’m going with this.”

“Maybe, but why don’t you tell me anyway?”

“Right, well I have feelings for your brother.”

We stare at each other for a few seconds, then promptly burst into laughter. Eventually we come down from our giggles, and I speak again.

“This is all so weird, but I want to be sure we’re being open with you and I don’t want any secrets.”

“Some things can remain a secret. Trust me, I don’t want to know all of the details.”

“Well, I’m not telling you those details,” I say, laughing at her.

“So you’re saying there are details to share in that department?”

“Lan! We are so not talking about that.”

“Okay, fine, fine,” she laughs. “Have you two discussed your feelings? I know you were a bit hesitant to make anything official.”

“Yeah, we talked about it. I was hesitant, but he shared his thoughts with me and I realized that having something permanent isn’t a bad thing. Charlie grounds me in a way that I desperately need. He’s steady where I’m wobbly and calm where I’m chaotic. My perfect puzzle piece.”

Alana smiles at me, eyes glassy again.

“Lan, if you cry right now I swear I will?—”

“I’m sorry, I’m just so happy for the both of you. You two deserve this more than anyone I know.”

“Thanks for being so great about this. I was worried it would be awkward.”

“Well, it is a little bit awkward. But you’ve both existed in my life together for so long now that it just makes sense for me. It’s an easy transition in my world, plus after finding love myself I don’t think I would be a very good sister or best friend if I stood in the way of you two finding what I’ve found.”

“I’m so glad things worked out between you and Alex.”

“Me too,” she says and her eyes go all gooey. I smile at the love that shines on her face, and feel excited for what’s in the future for both of us.

“So, you’re still going to the wedding together I assume?”

“Yeah, we leave in a few days. Colette has been blowing up my phone nonstop. I think she’s getting anxious and is wanting to make sure everything is perfect.”

“That makes sense since it’s one of the most important days in her life.”

“Yeah, I don’t blame her. It is going to be perfect, though,” I pause, taking a sip of my drink. “Hey, do you think we’ll be planning any big important days for you in the near future?”

“Oh gosh, I don’t know. We only just got together a little over a month ago,” she pauses, smiling down at her lap before looking back up at me. “I do see it heading in that direction, though.”

I squeal in happiness and excitement and she laughs. Ever since we were young, awkward girls in high school we have dreamed of these days. We used to plan out our weddings and what dresses we would wear. She always said she’d dance to a Taylor Swift song for her first dance, and I vowed that I would have red velvet cake. It’s surreal to be at a place in our lives where we’re finally getting all of the things we ever wanted.

Looking at the woman across from me, I have an overwhelming feeling of gratitude. This world is a scary place. It’s so big and there are so many possibilities that it can feel paralyzing, but I know with her at my side I can face anything.