“Uh huh.” Hannah exchanged a look with Samara. “And how long did this trampoline assembly take?”
“I don’t know, an hour? Maybe a little more?”
“An hour.” Cassidy was trying not to smile. “Of you and Hot Dad Cam working together in close proximity.”
“It was just holding poles and attaching springs. It wasn’t romantic.”
“Was there any accidental touching?” Poppy asked, her eyes bright.
“I mean, our hands brushed a few times when we were passing tools, but that’s normal when you’re working on something together.”
“Oh my god, there was touching,” Samara said.
“Minimal, completely platonic touching!”
“Did you talk?” Annie asked. “Like, actual conversation?”
I thought about it. The awkward silence after I’d recognized his company name. The careful way we’d worked around each other. How aware I’d been of every movement he made. “A little. He told me about his daughters. I asked about his work.”
“And?” Mia prompted.
“And nothing. We finished the trampoline, I went back to my house, the end.”
“Mmhmm.” Hannah was grinning. “And how did Hot Dad look while assembling said trampoline? Sweaty? Muscular? Both?”
“Good lord, you’re a horn bag!”
“I’m just asking relevant questions!”
“He looked like a normal person building a trampoline.”
“A normal, incredibly attractive person,” Samara said.
“With great forearms, I’m guessing,” Poppy added.
My face went hot. “I didn’t notice his forearms.”
“You absolutely noticed his forearms,” Mia laughed.
“Okay, fine. He has nice forearms. Happy?”
“Very,” Hannah said. “So when are you seeing him again?”
“I’m not. He’s my neighbor. That’s it.”
“But—”
“Trust me, he’s not interested.”
The playful energy in the room shifted slightly. Hannah tilted her head. “How do you know?”
“Because I know.” I reached for my wine again. “You can’t spend over a decade on the pageant circuit without meeting a lot of pervs. It gets pretty easy to weed them out, even when they think they’re being discreet. But Cam’s just... he’s not like that. He’s polite, he’s helpful when needed, but there’s no interest there. And honestly? I like it. It’s nice meeting a guy who doesn’t make it weird. Who just treats me like a normal person instead of a display item.”
Hannah was studying me with a look I didn’t like. “So, you’re saying you appreciate that he’s not hitting on you.”
“Exactly.”
“And that’s why you’re blushing right now while talking about him.”
