Page 35 of State of Grace (First Family 2)

“Great,” he said, flashing a smile that belonged in a commercial for perfect teeth.

Gigi couldn’t understand why this colleague was different from the others. When he smiled at her, her belly fluttered and her heart did this weird skipping thing that made her feel light-headed. Or maybe that was just the concussion.

But she didn’t think that was it. She suspected it was him, and that was unnerving for a number of reasons.

“What did the doctor say today?” Cameron asked as he unloaded enough food onto her coffee table to feed ten people. He always brought extra to get her through the next day, too.

“He said everything is healing the way it should be, which isn’t fast enough for me.”

Cameron refilled her water glass and sat next to her on the sofa, cracking open a beer for himself. “It’s going to take the time it takes, and you can’t try to rush it.”

Dipping a chip into the queso he always brought after learning she loved it, she said, “Sitting around all day is making me crazy.”

“It’s what your body needs to heal, Gigi.”

“I know,” she said, sighing. “But I’ll be fat as a house if you keep feeding me such yummy food.”

He seemed annoyed that she’d say such a thing about herself. “No, you won’t.”

Gigi tipped her head and decided to ask the question that’d been foremost on her mind when it came to him. “What’re you doing here, Cam?”

“Huh? I thought we were eating dinner.”

“We are, but what are you doing?”

He put down his fork and wiped his face with a paper napkin that had the restaurant’s logo on it. “I’m helping out a friend and colleague.”

“That’s all it is?”

“What else would it be?”

“I don’t know. That’s what I’m asking you.”

He picked up his fork and poked at the chicken enchiladas he usually inhaled. “Can’t it just be a friend helping another friend? Can’t it just be that I hate what he did to you, and helping you keeps me from killing him for daring to lay a hand on you?”

The ferocity in his words startled her, as she’d never seen that side of him, except for at work when his intensity was directed at the scumbags they hunted as Homicide detectives. He was one of the best detectives she’d ever worked with. The entire squad thought so. But what did it mean that he wanted to kill the man who’d harmed her?

“You’re confusing me, Cameron.”

“I don’t mean to,” he said with a sigh. “You’re dealing with a lot right now. You don’t need any more.”

“What more would you be adding to the pile?”

“I don’t think we should talk about this now. Later, when you’re feeling better, we can talk more.”

“You’re still confusing me. What is there to talk about?”

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “I broke up with Jaycee.”

“What? When?”

“Two weeks ago.”

“I thought you really liked her.”

“I did. I mean… I do, but…”

Gigi put her hand on his arm. “What’s going on, Cameron? I hope you know you can talk to me, and I’ll want to hear anything you have to say.”