Chapter 18
“Oh, so, now you want to talk about it.”
-Cam
The rideshare driver didn’t want to leave me in the middle of nowhere but changed her mind when I tipped her generously.
I’m rethinking that decision as I stare at what once was my special place.
Well - our special place.
It’s a clearing in the state forest, a few miles outside Flamingo Cove. This isn’t any old clearing. It’s a fairy circle.
Or, at least itwasa fairy circle.
Once upon a time, there was a perfect ring of mushrooms around this clearing. The nearby woods made it shady enough to be a cool place to think and not sweat to death even in the blistering hot Florida summers. It’s also far enough from the main highway. You can’t hear road noises.
Now, it’s a charred mess.
I don’t know how long I stand there, gaping at my former special spot when the crunch of tires on the nearby fire access road pulls me out of my reverie.
I don’t have to turn to know I’ll find a blaze orange pickup truck stalking me.
Hellfire.
I should have gone to a bar.
The truck’s door creaks, then there’s a thump of footsteps as Aaron closes the distance between us.
I don’t turn to face him. I’m not ready yet.
“Wildfire,” Aaron answers the question I didn’t ask. “Few years back. Destroyed hundreds of acres.”
No shit, dumbass.
I simply nod.
“Sorry. You probably already guessed that. I’m… I’m sorry about earlier,” Aaron steps beside me and surveys the damage around us. “It’s been so long I don’t know where to start with you, Camellia.”
“You can start with the truth,” I finally face him.
The look on his face is so severe I feel a tiny bit sorry for him. Then I tell that tiny bit inside me to shut the fuck up and let the grown-ups handle this conversation.
He nods his head toward the truck. “Want to sit on the tailgate while we talk?”
I sigh and follow him to the truck. He pops the latch, pulling the tailgate parallel with the ground. He reaches out to help me onto the gate, but I glare at him. He wisely pulls back.
I hop up and get settled for Storytime with Aaron.
He pops a hip up on the tailgate, then slides beside me, with our thighs touching. Even through my pants, that touch burns me from the inside out. I shift away from him an inch.
He blows out a breath. “Camellia. I’m sorry.”
“I believe you covered that part of the story, Sparky,” I roll my eyes at him. “How about you move this along so you can give me a ride back to town. Unfortunately, I don’t have cell service out here.”
“Very well,” Aaron shifts a bit. “After we made love in the closet…”
“Fucked,” I correct. “We fucked in the closet.”
