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CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Cameron

“How, exactly did we get roped into this again?” Ari sighs, falling onto her back on the grass.

I laugh, pushing off the paper and sitting on my heels, paintbrush in my hand. “It’s extra credit, and with the way my professor grades my written responses, I’m as good as fucked on my research paper. I need all the extra credit I can get.”

“Okay, correction. How did I get roped into this?”

I stick my fingers in the clean bowl of water and flick it at her.

She squeals, rolling over and looking down at her top.

“You’re lucky I just changed out the water!” I tease, dipping my paintbrush in it and shaking it around until it’s a thick, cloudy blue.

I stare at the poster. Okay, so the words are a little crooked, but at least its drying fast. “Come on, let’s finish the rest of the table and then fingers crossed this can be hung up.”

“I’m ready for a burger.”

“The burgers are for the high school kids.”

“We didn’t get burgers when we visited the school.”

I pause, thinking back to our senior-year campus tour trip. “Oh yeah. But we got to eat in the cafeteria. That’s way better.”

“Yeah, but we were starved by then. Bet they get a burger and cafeteria trip at the end.”

“You’ve got a real fascination with food lately, my dear. Don’t skip your cardio. ”

“Fuck off,” she laughs, tossing a crumpled receipt at me. “Okay, so candy in the bowls, flyers on the little stands, and what about the raffle basket?”

“If you can just go see if the boys have some tape we can use for the poster. That way, we know if we have to run somewhere else really fast or not. I’ll get the rest going.”

“Got it.”

I dig into the wagon, pulling out the basket for the raffle, and add the final touches.

Unfortunately, all Granny Grace and Junie had to offer for the campus visits starting today were diapers and other baby-related items. But we don’t want to look like we’re encouraging the youth to go out and have unprotected sex while they’re here, so I vetoed that.

I may not have showed them the basket I did make though, that may or may not have a box of condoms in it.

I think it’s hilarious, seeing as the brochures I’ll be passing out today are for careers in child development.

To be fair, Mason gave me a few swag pieces out of his prize box for the football team’s toss-game giveaway, so there are some AU-related items. I kept the beanie for myself, but no one needs to know that.

I set the basket on the left corner of the table, the ticket box beside it, and grab the bowls for the candy.

I tear one bag open, pouring it into the dish, then bite the other, trying to use my teeth to get the damn thing to open.

I tug and tug, and the damn plastic finally gives.

But it splits down the center, and the contents pour out before I can stop it, half of it rolling off into the grass.

I groan, dropping to pick them up one by one so no loose grass gets into the bowl.

Ari comes back, laughing at the sight, and drops down by me. “I’m gone for five minutes and bam, disaster.”

“See? Proof I’m a mess without you. Don’t leave me again.”

“Cam…”

The soft tone of her voice has my head snapping up, and I laugh. “Oh my god, I’m kidding. I’m so happy for you and Noah. Promise. I love that he’s this mega rich boy now who can fly you out on the weekends to whatever bougie stadium he’s at next. Goals, girl. Goals.”

She smirks, narrowing her eyes playfully. “Liar. You hate traveling.”

“But I love going on vacation.”

“True, but you want a house with a big yard, and chickens with a dog best friend, and hot apple pie in the oven.”

I glare at her. “I don’t even like apple pie.” I pause, adding, “But the dog-and-chicken-best-friend thing sounds legit.”

Ari laughs loudly, and we drop onto our butts, picking up my mess.

But why did I have to pick single-wrapped Starburst?

We get everything settled, the horrible poster taped to the end of the table, and then take our seats behind it, just as a few waves of what look to be high school students walk down the path.

Ari starts playing on her phone, and I look around at some of the other booths, but it’s the one a good hundred yards over that catches my attention.

The library booth, sitting right across from the football team’s.

Brady’s little library girl stands there, a big wicker basket in her hands.

She’s talking to another girl, and that one keeps looking across the way.

Finally, she stands and gives the redhead a little push.

She stumbles on her feet a bit, tucking her hair behind an ear as she crosses the walking path.

My eyes lock on to her as she moves, and I can’t tell from here, but I bet her cheeks are blazing as she approaches her target.

Brady spots her rather quickly, and when he does, his smile is so wide, I couldn’t possibly miss it.

He has a football in his hands, and he tucks it under his arm, stepping closer to her.

She’s mini. A teeny, tiny thing. Pretty in every sense of the word. Her red hair is in a sweet, loose braid over her shoulder, and her dress, while formfitting, is long, the sleeves wrapping around her hands.

She lifts the basket a little, and his attention falls to what’s inside.

He smiles again, reaching in and pulling out some sort of treat. He stares at her, saying something as he opens and makes a show of eating it.

Her gaze falls to her feet, so I can only assume he’s being his usual flirty self. I wonder if he likes shy girls. This one is really shy.

“Do you think she’s his type?”

Ari looks at me, confused, then follows my gaze. She watches the pair.

“You know, if Brady has a type, like if he met someone that made him want to date someone for real, do you think it would be someone like her?”

When she doesn’t say anything, I look her way, finding her watching me closely.

I frown. “What?”

She opens her mouth but closes it, offering a small shrug instead. “Okay, so what do you mean ‘someone like her’?”

“You know, shy. Sweet and…innocent.” I swallow on the last word.

All things that I am not.

There was nothing innocent about what I did the other night.

“What makes you think she’s any of those things?” Ari says, a sort of softness in her voice that has me looking her way, but strangely, she’s staring at me, not the hot librarian girl…who is still standing there talking to Brady, by the way. “She could be a raging bitch.”

An unexpected laugh leaves me, and I glance up, my eyes locking with Brady’s down the path.

He lifts the hand still holding on to the other half of the treat—probably one she made with her great-grandma’s secret family recipe—giving me a little wave .

We haven’t seen each other much this week, and we’ve texted even less. He’s been a busy bee this week, locked down with school and football.

He’s told me so twice since he left my dorm the morning after I came to the sound of his voice, the feel of his touch. His teeth.

Do not blush, Cameron. He might be avoiding you a little.

Swallowing, I wave back, focusing once again on my friend.

“Anything you want to talk about?” she asks for the second time in the last couple weeks, but this time, there’s a spark in her eye.

“No. Why?”

Ari nods, looks toward the guys again, and then stands. “All right, I have to go. Paige should be here to pick me up in a little bit.”

“Have fun. Don’t wear protection.” I hug her and Ari laughs into my ear.

“Don’t worry. I won’t.” She winks, waving as she walks toward her twin and the others to say goodbye.

It’s technically a joke, but at the same time it’s sort of not. After the loss she and Noah unexpectedly faced our freshman year, I can’t think of a better way to close that part of their lives than by bringing in a new one.

A pang of sadness hits me, but I force it away, stand up, and start going through the wagon one more time, making sure I didn’t leave anything in the bags that should be on the table.

Hands come around my waist a minute later, and I fight the smile threatening to take over because I know who it is without looking. His touch is that familiar.

“Try this.” He thrusts a half-eaten cookie toward my mouth, and the smile that wanted to appear is long gone.

I don’t want to try library girl’s cookie. I can’t bake. I don’t care that she can and he likes it so much he wanted to show it off.

Jesus fucking Christ girl, what?!

Shut up .

I bite the damn cookie.

And then I gag, spitting it into my palm as Brady’s shoulders shake in silent laughter.

“So bad, right?” He presses his cheek to mine before pulling away, and I turn to face him. “Anywhere I can throw this out without her seeing?”

“What makes you think she’s watching you?” I raise a brow.

“Pshh.” He smirks. “Don’t you know what you’ve got here, Cammie Baby?” he teases, sneakily dropping the remainder of the cookie in the bag of plastic wrap in the wagon.

When I glance past him, sure enough, she is looking, but her head whips the other way the moment she sees that I am.

Does she not know he has a girlfriend?

Fake. Fake girlfriend.

I think I’m still sick. Or something.

Brady drops into the chair Ari vacated, and slowly, I lower into mine.

I feel a sort of tension, a small sense of unease that has been there a few days now, but I think I’m the only one.

Brady seems as cool as a cucumber sitting there in yet another AU football hoodie.

The morning classes start to let out, and soon the pathways are filled with students, both from AU and the high school visitors. An hour in, and we’re nearly out of candy and flyers, and we have over a hundred entries for the raffle.

Yet another group of girls comes up, all smiles and giggles as they ask my table partner about careers in the child development areas.

Same as he’s done the entire day, he gives me his full attention, his dimple gleaming back at me as he smirks. “Girlfriend, tell them all about it.”

I fight a laugh, looking to the girls and the tight smiles that have now taken over their flirty ones. I simply lift up the candy bowl. “Have a piece. We’re out of brochures. ”

We’re not—they are sitting right in the center of the table, but they don’t notice. They take their candy and gladly giggle their way away.

Brady chuckles once they’re out of earshot, and I sit back with a sigh. “Holy shit. If you’re bringing all this attention, I would hate to be the guys at the football table.”

Brady frowns instantly. “Are you saying there’s someone better-looking than me over there, ’cause I was voted fan favorite last year and I intend to win it this year too.”

I smile, shaking my head. “You’re insufferable.”

“Yeah.” He wraps his arm around me, kissing my temple. “But you like that about me.”

I do.

“You know”—I look up at him—“having a ‘girlfriend’ might hurt your chances of that one.”

His eyes move between mine, and then he says, “Worth it.”

A comforting, pleasant feeling stirs within me at his words. His mossy-brown eyes hold mine a moment longer, and he opens his mouth to speak, but then his name is called.

He jolts, and we both look down the path.

His coach is standing there, his arms in the air in a gesture that can only mean what the hell do you think you’re doing?

Brady chuckles and pushes to his feet. “Gotta go, but you’re coming to the ice cream thing later, right?”

I nod and the smile he gives me…

Jesus, I’m fucked up today.

I think I need a side of vodka with my ice cream.

Little did I know, I was about to need a lot more than that.