Nope. No way out of this.
Nikki stepped closer, staring her down. “Dillon said Ty doesn’t know anything about the offer on the house. Are you gonna tell him?”
“You told Dillon?”
“Just answer the question.”
“I’ll tell him.”
“When?”
“Today?” It would have been more convincing if it hadn’t come out sounding like a question. Camille cleared her throat and tried again. “Today.”
Blue eyes drew suspiciously together. “You still want to sell, right?”
“Of course I do.”
“So why are you stalling?”
“I’m not.”
“You had all day yesterday.”
But Camille didn’t have a good answer for that because she wasn’t really sure herself. She and Ty hadn’t had one fight yesterday. And Evie was smiling again. And she didn’t want to ruin any of it. So why not just tell Nikki that?
Because you think Ty is a fling and don’t want Nikki convincing you otherwise.
No, no. Fling was all wrong. A summer romance, maybe. And a brief one at that. He couldn’t possibly be more, not when he lived in Nebraska and flew planes and had no intention of giving up either. But her inner voice was right that she didn’t want to get into all of that with Nikki.
“Is Dillon gonna tell him?” She didn’t want Ty hearing it from anyone but her.
Nikki sighed. “No. He’s giving you the chance to say something first. So?”
She had one passable excuse for delaying things that Nikki couldn’t argue with. “Ty said he wouldn’t sign any sales papers until after Phoebe’s wedding. That’s still nine days away. There’s no point bringing it up now.”
But Nikki had an answer for everything today. “The way Ty makes googly eyes at you, he’ll sign the papers this afternoon if you just ask him.” Camille bit her bottom lip, and Nikki’s voice softened. “Look, if you’re having second thoughts—”
“I’m not. Our home is in Chicago. That’s where we belong.”
“Okay, then go tell him.”
“He’s not on the ranch right now. He had to run into town.”
“So, tell him when he gets back.”
“I won’t see him until dinner.”
“Then tell him at dinner.”
“With Evie right there? She might get upset. She really likes Ty.”
Nikki rubbed her temples. “Look, the buyers who made the offer love the house and think Ty’s whole airstrip thing is kitschy or something, but they won’t wait forever. Neither will the bank back home.”
Check and mate. “Okay, fine. I’ll tell him tonight.”
“Pinky promise?”
Oh, no. The calling card of doubting sisters everywhere. Camille’s mind raced for an excuse. Was there such a thing as a sprained pinky finger? “I, um...”
Nikki was holding her pinky up and ready, inching it closer. The barn door opened and Evie ran in. Emmitt came in just behind her. Camille’s hand balled protectively around her pinky and flew down to her side. “Evie wants ice cream,” Emmitt said. “But I told her she had to ask first.”
Camille nodded. “Sure, her aunt Nikki can get some for her.”
Nikki put her pinky down and shook her head, but Evie’s smile was still so new it could win over the iciest of aunts. Evie grinned, and Nikki walked her out of the barn and toward the house. The second Nikki was gone, Camille dug her phone out of her pocket. Ty had plugged his Wi-Fi password in days ago so she could use it when she was here, but it didn’t work in the barn.
She peeked outside. Josh was walking toward the stables, Dillon and Daisy were over by the hangar and Ty was still in town. Coast clear. She stepped out of the barn and dialed Ben’s number.
“Attorney King’s office.”
“Hi, it’s Camille Bellamy.”
“Oh, Camille, he’s in court right now. You want his voice mail or you want me to take a message the old-fashioned way?”
“Voice mail’s fine, thanks.”
It chimed over and Camille fumbled through her message.
“Hey, Ben, it’s Camille. Listen, I just wanted to double check something. What would the bank say if we were a few days late getting the money to them? We’ve got an offer on the house, but it might take a little longer than I’d hoped to get it all signed. Just let me know, thanks.”
She hung up and stood there a minute, wondering why she had even made that phone call.
Options. You want options, that’s all.
Right, it was always good to know your options. No one could argue with that, not even Nikki, who was walking toward her across the yard. She must’ve pushed ice-cream duty on Emmitt. Camille hurried in the other direction, before Nikki’s pinky could come out and grab her.
* * *
Ty needed tonight to be perfect, and so far everything was going wrong. He got to Camille’s twenty minutes early, then thought maybe that was too early. So he cut his engine and sat in her driveway. Except someone must’ve spotted him pull up, because five minutes in Camille opened the door and asked if he was just gonna sit there.
Strike one.
When Ty parked his truck on the curb at six o’clock in what accounted for downtown Sweetheart, the line for the newest pizza parlor hot spot, You Wanna Pizza Me, was just starting to slide out the door. Great. An hour earlier and there’d have been no wait at all. Strike two.
He opened the door for Camille and Evie, and they hopped out. But when he shut the door, he shut it on the hem of Camille’s light blue skirt. It came out unharmed, and she laughed it off, so he was calling that a foul ball instead of strike three.
But there was still the hostess issue. She gave him the bad news, and he returned to Camille, afraid their game might be over. “Twenty minutes for a table.”
Her expression didn’t change, which didn’t help him a whole lot. His experience with kids and restaurant wait times was zero. He pictured hungry tantrums and dirty looks from other customers. “We can go somewhere else if you want.”
His mind tried to come up with something suitable for vegetarians, and he got another big fat zero. Focus. All right, there was an Italian place down the street and a sub sandwich shop a little farther down from there. Not the most romantic spot, but good for kids and vegetarians. Thankfully Camille saved his brain from having to work any harder than it already was.
“Twenty minutes isn’t bad. Besides, you said something about a game room?” She cracked a smile and dimples the size of Texas shot out the corners of her mouth. Evie’s eyes glowed, and Delaware dimples shot up at her corners. Another couple of years, and they’d probably give Camille’s a run for her money.
He took a buzzer from the hostess and showed them into the game room, where a Skee-Ball game was ready and waiting. He fished a few dollars from his wallet and got Evie some quarters. Turned out she was a Skee-Ball whiz. While she was playing, Camille nudged his arm.
“I need to talk to you about something.”
Ty’s stomach tightened. She’d changed her mind again, hadn’t she? They only had a week left, and she didn’t see the point in date-night pizza or tomorrow’s Bug Fest. It was back to being friends. Only Ty wasn’t so sure he could handle that anymore. Not after the last kiss they’d shared.
Visions of Mia cropped up, invading Ty’s head with negative thoughts he didn’t need. Mia was over. Done. A part of his past. Camille was here. Now. Right in front of him. He touched her arm, just to make sure she was real, and smiled when his fingers confirmed what his mind already knew.
“What’s up?” He meant for his voice to sound casual, but it came out tight.
She bit her bottom lip. “It’s just that...um...” And just when he was sure she was about to give him bad news, she changed direction. “The Foosball table’s free, and I’ve never been beaten.”<
br />
Ty laughed, relieved. “Never?”
“Nope.”
Challenge issued, challenge answered. They set things up, and Evie beat them both. He was about to declare a best-three-out-of-five challenge when their buzzer went off and the waitress led them to a corner booth.
“You were right,” Camille said after they’d ordered a large thin crust with tomatoes and peppers. “This is fun. Thanks for taking us here.” Her voice sounded bright and there was a smile on her face, but her eyes didn’t match either one of them. And when she folded her hands on the table, her wedding ring laughed at him.
“I’m glad you’re having fun,” he said, wondering if she would ever take that ring off and hating himself for thinking like that. It wasn’t that she’d been married before; it was the constant reminder that in a lot of ways she still was. And Ty had no idea how to fix it.
She sipped her soda and shot Evie a look. “There’s a jukebox in the corner. Why don’t you put something on?” She gave Evie some quarters, and Evie went to make her selections. Camille turned back to Ty. “So, how would you feel about coming to visit us in Chicago sometime?”
Visit? Chicago? “Cities and me don’t exactly get along.” The words were out of his mouth before he’d had a chance to check them.
She nodded. “That’s what I thought.”
Don’t blow this.
All right, if Chicago wasn’t in his future, that meant Sweetheart had to be in hers. “I know you think Chicago is home, but I’ve got a whole week to prove you wrong. And if we don’t get an offer on the house soon, maybe even longer.”
She picked up her straw wrapper and started rolling it into a ball. “Ty, there’s something I’ve got to—”
“Oh, hi!” Avery’s voice cut off Camille’s.
The ball Camille had been rolling dropped. “Hi.”
Avery and Smith were walking toward them, hand in hand. Either Avery didn’t notice the stilted way Camille was talking, or she was just in too good a mood to care. “You’ll never believe it. I called Emmitt today, and we talked for almost a half hour. He’s coming to the wedding.”
Smith put his arm around Avery’s waist and kissed her cheek. “I told her not to give up. Her brother’s stubborn, but he’s smart enough to know he’s only got one sister.”
Camille’s mouth dropped open. “You’re Emmitt’s sister? His engaged sister?” Her startled cry was loud enough to turn heads even in the busy restaurant.
Ty looked at her. “I told you that.”
“No, you most certainly did not tell me that.”
Huh. Ty thought it over. Maybe she was right. Wait a second. The relief at finding out who Avery was...the glaring looks she’d been giving her... Had Camille been jealous?
Camille walked around the table to give Avery a hug. “Congratulations. When’s the wedding?”
“A few weeks.”
“And Emmitt wasn’t planning to go?” Camille frowned.
Avery delivered the perfect bittersweet smile. “Emmitt and I had kind of a falling out a couple years ago, but Ty’s been helping me patching things up, and I think they’re finally turning around.”
Evie came back over. Avery said a quick hello, then ran off with Smith before someone stole their table. Camille was smiling now, and this time the smile went straight to her eyes. What had they been talking about before? “You had something to tell me?”
Camille shrugged. “Only that I’m happy to be here.”
“I’m happy too.” He took her hand and gave it a squeeze. Tonight had started out shaky, but it had really turned around. Now if only he could figure out a way to make Camille stay in Nebraska.
Hey, God, I know I’ve been difficult, but if You could help me figure this thing out, I’d sure appreciate it.
God didn’t answer, but Ty rejected the anxiety that crept up his spine at the Big Guy’s silence. God answered things in His own time. Ty got that now. Until then, Ty would try to fix this on his own.
* * *
Nikki was awake when Camille and Evie got home. It was just after nine o’clock. “So how was it?” She got up from the couch.
“Fun. Not the same as a Chicago deep dish, but still good.”
Nikki looked at Camille expectantly. “And...?”
Camille ran a hand through Evie’s hair, combing out a tangle. “And...Evie beat me and Ty at Foosball. Twice.”
Nikki sighed and looked at Evie. “Is it time for pajamas?” Evie yawned and went upstairs without making a fuss. Camille tried to follow her, but Nikki grabbed her elbow. “Hang on a second.”
Was Nikki really gonna demand details two seconds after she walked through the door? She could already hear the millions of questions about to come her way. Was there hand-holding? Cuddling? A good-night kiss? Yes, no and best kiss ever.
When Evie went to put more quarters in the jukebox, Ty had leaned over and kissed her. It was quick, and it only happened once, but all the warmth she saw in his eyes had spread through his lips and warmed her toes.
Instead of asking questions though, Nikki walked over to the answering machine and hit play.
“Camille, it’s Ben. I tried your cell but you’re probably out of range again. I double-checked with the bank like you asked, and as long as you’ve got proof of an impending sale, they’ll hold off on the foreclosure. But that means they need to see signed papers by the thirtieth. No wiggle room there. Call me back tomorrow if you’ve got questions.”
The machine clicked off and Nikki turned to her, arms folded, face scrunched. Camille knew that look well. Explanation?
Sigh and double sigh. What was she supposed to say here? “I just wanted to know what our options were, so I called Ben.”
“Thanks for filling me in.” Her voice sounded a little hurt.
“I’m sorry. I only wanted to...” What? Find excuses to leave Sweetheart? Find excuses to stay? “To weigh things out.”
Nikki’s arms were glued across her body. “Did you talk to Ty?” It was a yes or no question.
“Define talk...”
Nikki’s breath came out in one long groan. “Okay, fine. Maybe it’s better that we stay here. Evie loves it, and I’m a little tired of city life anyway. Who says I can’t sell houses in Nebraska just as well as Chicago? I’ll just call the buyers tomorrow and tell them the deal’s off.”
“No.” Camille jumped forward, almost tackling Nikki to the ground. “Don’t do that. Don’t do anything.”
The strained look on Nikki’s face said it all. You’re acting ridiculous. Camille couldn’t argue with that.
“We might not have a choice,” Nikki said. “You got a call from Ben, but I got a call from the agent the offer came through. They wanted to know what the holdup is.”
“What did you tell them?”
“That we were weighing our options. That’s vague agent talk for we might have another offer.”
“Do we?”
“No, but I didn’t want to lie, and I didn’t want to tell them the truth, so vague was the best I could come up with. Their agent thought I was fishing for more money, and he told me flat out there’s another house the buyers are interested in. They want an answer by 9:00 a.m. Monday or they’re withdrawing the offer.”
“Monday?”
“Yep.”
Okay, she could work with Monday. That was days away. A whole weekend. Both Saturday and Sunday. She’d chickened out of telling Ty about the offer tonight, but that was hardly her fault. Not when Avery had dropped that double bombshell. Emmitt’s sister? Engaged? She felt silly for ever being jealous.
Not jealous.
Just...protective. She’d felt protective of Ty. Now that she knew she didn’t need to feel so jeal—protective—she’d tell him about the offer tomorrow. For sure this time. Definitely. Probably.
Chapter Twelve
Camille ran around shoving things into her bag for Bug Fest and pleading with her sunglasses to show themselves. Her sunglasses ignored her entreaties, probably whispering behind her back about the basket case she had become over the last few weeks. All thanks to Ty.
Best. Kiss. Ever.
The thought came out of nowhere, and her smile lasted maybe two seconds before it flickered out and she stood frozen with her hand on the sunblock.
Best kiss ever? She used to think that about her first kiss with Wesley. A horn beeped from outside and Nikki’s voice called up the stairs. “Ty’s here.”
Things started snapping into place again, but she felt like she was moving in slow motion. She added the sunblock to her bag along with an extra change of clothes for Evie, just in case any of the bugs left a trail of slime running up her arm.
The front door opened and Ty’s voice floated into the house. Camille’s feet stuck on the top landing. What would Wesley say if he were here?
What a silly question. If Wesley were here, she’d never have kissed Ty. If Wesley were here, she wouldn’t be going to look at bugs. If Wesley were here...
But Wesley wasn’t here. He’d been gone two years, so why did caring for Ty feel like a betrayal?
She’d promised Nikki not long ago that she’d ask God for His help sorting this all out. She had two days to tell Ty about the offer or let it slide by. Two days to decide her future. Now seemed like a good time to give God a try.
God, if You’re listening, can You give me a hand? Please? I need some sort of sign that Ty and I are supposed to be together.
Maybe that wasn’t fair, laying her entire relationship with Ty on God’s shoulders, but wasn’t that what He was there for? To help people through their burdens?
Was Ty a burden now? She didn’t mean it like that. She had to stop thinking this way. Her relationship with Ty had nothing to do with her relationship with Wesley. They were completely different. Except they weren’t. Wesley and Ty both flew planes, had both fought for their country, had both crashed. The only difference was that Ty had survived.
Finding Her Courage Page 13