“I said I would talk to her,” I reply firmly.
He grins. “Still on your bullshit, I see.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Feeling lucky, or just loud?”
Camden plays in the NHL, and I may be taller than him, but he’s probably got forty pounds of muscle on me. He could kick my ass if he wanted to, and is known for being an enforcer on the ice, but even when we were kids he cowered from a fight with me, so now it’s become part of our stepsibling banter.
A wicked grin spreads across his face. “Always . . . Hey, speaking of Kelly. I’m currently winning the betting pool for when you decide to make a move, so if you could do it sometime this month, that would be awesome for me.”
I blink at him. “There’s a bet?”
“Obviously!”
“Who’s in on it?” I ask out of curiosity.
“Mom, Dad, Jordan, Hailey, and Alexis.” I love them, but my parents, sister-in-law, and stepsisters have too much time on their hands.
Camden holds up his palms. “Don’t shoot the messenger.” He glances out at Chicken Salad on the other side of the glass, where’s she’s flopped on her side, her belly gently rising and falling in relaxed breaths as she snoozes.
I roll my eyes. “So, was that all you needed, or. . .”
“Jesus. Can I just sit down for one goddamn second and catch up?”
I drop into one of the upholstered chairs in the waiting area. He grabs a beer and twists off the top before handing it to me. Then opens another for himself.
“So . . .” he begins.
“So . . .” I echo. I’m not sure what to say. I know he’s about to bring up Kelly. I can feel it.
Camden sits across from me, leveling me with a stare and taking a pull from his beer.
I glare right back.
“You realize you’re wasting time, right?” he asks.
He’s always giving me shit about this. I don’t know why he cares so much about Kelly and me getting together. I’m extra annoyed tonight because she’s with Jason when she should still be here with me. I can’t help but imagine her in his bed, and it pisses me off.
I bring the lip of the bottle to my mouth. “I’m biding my time.
That’s different,” I say, before taking a sip. “I heard she has a new boyfriend.”
I scoff. “Yeah, he’s a fucking idiot.”
“Of course you’d think that. He’s takingyourjob,” he says. “She like him?”
“Does it matter?” I reply.
He furrows his brow. “Yeah, I’d say that it matters a lot.” That makes me laugh.
“What’s funny?”
Leaning forward, I rest my elbows on my knees. “There’s no universe that exists where we don’t end up together in the end.”
Cam shakes his head. “You fucker. I knew it.”
“I’ve just been waiting for the right moment.” Which I’ve recently learnedis right fucking now.
He slouches in his seat, stretching his arms over the back of the sofa like he owns it. “Well, you better figure that shit out. Kelly’s a great girl; if she likes this guy, then you better make your move before the two of them get too comfortable.”
