I gave my surroundings a cursory glance as I walked out the back door and turned to lock it.
"Cam."
This time I couldn't stifle the scream that erupted from my mouth at the sound of Brody's voice.
My keys hit the pavement as I twisted around and let loose a right hook that would have made my brother proud. Sadly, it didn't make contact because Brody knew me well enough to evade the punch.
"Hey, hey. Calm down."
The hair on the back of my neck rose at his patronizing words. "What did you just say to me?" I whispered.
He had the good sense to take another step back and lift his hands in surrender. "I'm sorry I scared you, but I needed to talk to you."
Still panting, I squatted down to pick up my keys. "There's this thing called a cell phone. You can pick it up, dial a series of numbers, and talk to people. I'm pretty sure you have one."
Brody sighed and tucked his hands in his pockets. "I don't have your number."
"Yes, but the shop number is listed online. You could have called me there," I retorted.
"I thought this conversation would be better in person."
I gave him my back and finished locking the door before I headed toward my car.
"Cam."
I ignored him, irritated beyond belief. When I was younger, I used to admire Brody's take-charge attitude, but now that I was older, it annoyed me. He decided that whatever he had to say would be better done in person and screw whatever I thought on the matter.
"Seriously, Cam? You're just going to ignore me?"
I growled under my breath as I used the remote to unlock my car. I opened the driver's side door, tossed my purse inside, and then faced him.
"Look, Brody, I'm a bit irritated with you right now so this may not be the best timefor meto have this conversation. It might work for you, but you're not the only person here and you don't get to arbitrarily show up at my place of business, scare the absolute shit out of me, and then get miffed when I don't want to talk to you. Especially after the shit you said to me earlier today."
Brody stood a few feet away, his face partially obscured by the shadows. "That's why I came by," he said. "Because your mother always told us that apologies should be made face-to-face so the other person can see that we're sincere."
Well, that took my ire down a notch. "What?"
He took a step forward. Then another. "I'm sorry that I upset you earlier. I didn't mean to insult you." I saw the flash of his teeth as he smiled. "Since you were dressed in some of the same clothes you wore in high school, I think I forgot that you're not a kid anymore."
I cocked my head and studied him. "I haven't been a kid for a long time, Brody. And even then, I probably wouldn't have acted like that if you hadn't been...well, how you were."
He stilled but I couldn't read his expression in the darkness. "You're right. I did provoke you and I'm sorry for that too. I think we're both different people now. At least in the ways that matter most."
There was a shift inside of me, in the vicinity of my heart, and a burden I hadn't realized I still carried was released. We'd both been young and stupid as teenagers and I thought I'd released the hurt from those memories long ago. Apparently, I hadn't.
"I'm sorry I ignored you earlier," I replied.
"But not for punching me?" Brody teased.
I shook my head. "Nope. You've been a part of this family long enough to know exactly what you're gonna get if you sneak up on me, so no apology for that."
He chuckled and came closer until I could actually make out his face in the waning light. Though it was nearly nine p.m., there was still a bit of color in the sky.
"I also wanted to thank you for what you said to Jacks." He rocked back on his heels. "Her mom can be..." He trailed off as though he were searching for the right words.
"A piece of work?" I asked.
I'd only met Brody's ex a handful of times, one of those being their wedding, and that's exactly how she'd come across to me. And not in a good way.
