“Yeah, the Baker sisters are really nice, and the bakery is so good.I may have also gotten myself a little toy from the sex shop too.And then I needed a romance book to go with it,” she says with a laugh.
“Of course,” I agree good-naturedly.
“Foster is still single too,” she says out of nowhere.
“Oh, um, that’s good.”
“Is it?”She asks, giving me a knowing smirk.
“I mean, I wish that he was happy and with someone.”
“Yeah, with you,” she tells me, and I blush.
“Now that you’re back, are you finally going to tell him that you love him and want to have his babies?”She asks me.
“No, we’re just friends.”
The familiar lie rolls off of my tongue and only kind of tastes like dirt.
“No, you’re not,” she sighs.“You want to know why Foster is still single?”
“Um,” I start, but she continues before I can say anything.
“It’s because he’s always been in love with you.He’s only ever had eyes for you.It’s painfully obvious to everyone except for you, apparently.”
My heart feels like it’s lodged in my throat at her words.
Could Foster really love me the same way that I love him?Could he want me as much as I’ve always wanted him?
An image of us in high school, sitting on a porch swing in the backyard of Kye Lightfield’s house at his end of summer party flashes behind my eyes.We had been all alone out there, and I had decided that I was going to kiss him and tell him how I felt before I left for college.I had leaned towards him, and I could have sworn that he leaned in too.
Then he had pulled back.
I had been so embarrassed.I left a week later for college and vowed to try to get over this crush.I failed.
“Want help unpacking?”Cameron asks as she looks around at all of the boxes.
“You don’t have to do that,” I say, but she’s already standing and heading over to the first box.
“Nonsense.Come on, we’ll work and talk.”
We head into the kitchen and start to open up the boxes.I don’t have that many things, and we have the mismatched dishes and silverware put away in no time.
“How’s work?”I ask Cameron.
Cameron is an artist.She’s been selling some of her work online and picking up some orders on the side.She told me that sometimes she draws tattoos for clients too, and I’m not surprised.She’s an incredible artist.
“It’s slow,” she admits.“I’m going to need to look for a part-time job or something soon if things don’t pick up.”
“Is there anywhere in town that’s hiring?”
“Not really, but we’ll see.I still have a bit of savings left.What about you?What are you going to do now that you’re home?”She asks, clearly wanting to change the subject.
“I’ve sold some of my designs back in New York.I’m hoping to see if maybe somewhere in town will carry them too.I’ve been working on my website too, and there are some orders coming in from there, too.”
Cameron smiles as I break down the boxes.
“I need to return the U-Haul.Want to grab something to eat?”
