by J. Kenner
There weren’t many dogs, but an elderly man with a bouncy mutt that Faith obviously knew from other visits gave her a soggy tennis ball to throw. She spent a blissful half hour playing catch with Barclay the dog before moving on to join some other kids in the sandpit.
Mina and Cam watched her from a nearby bench, and after a while, he reached over and twined his fingers with hers. The last of the tension faded from her. She wasn’t sure she completely understood what happened between them over the last twenty-four hours, but she was certain that this felt good.
For a moment, she simply sat there and soaked up his company, then he turned and asked, very simply, “What happened with Zach?”
She blinked, for the first time realizing that she didn’t know, and she told him as much.
“He didn’t come to the party? Did you ask Darryl why not?”
“No. I didn’t think about it.” Honestly, she’d been too busy cursing Tiffany to worry about some guy she hadn’t wanted to meet in the first place.
Her mouth curved into a frown as she considered that, and she turned to face him more directly. “What was I right about? Yesterday, I mean, when you whispered in my ear?”
His mouth slid into a slow grin. “Wanting me.”
She didn’t deny it. “Confident much?”
“About some things.”
She tilted her head, studying him. “What aren’t you confident about?”
“I’m not confident you want me for the right reasons, for one.”
“Oh.” She pulled her hand back, then twisted her fingers together. “What do you mean?”
He didn’t answer. Instead, he said, “If you don’t want Darryl to know, I can live with that. But I’m not interested in being fuck buddies or friends with benefits or whatever cutesy new slang is floating around out there.”
Her eyes widened and she couldn’t keep the horror out of her voice. “Wait. No sex? Are you kidding me?”
He laughed, rich and deep. “I’m flattered the idea mortifies you so much. Frankly, it does me, too. No, I’m totally keeping sex on the table. But I want more.” He studied her face as he spoke, and she wondered what he saw in her eyes.
Confusion, probably. Because this wasn’t the Cam she thought she knew. And desire, because this was most definitely the Cam she wanted. A Cam who laid it out and took charge. Who had a plan, and went after it. Even if she was the plan.
Or maybe especially if she was the plan.
“What kind of more?” she asked after a beat.
“If we were in high school, I’d say that I want to go steady. Now, I think we can just call it dating.”
“But you said we didn’t have to tell Darryl—”
“We can be discreet. We’re already friends. No one is going to blink if we’re together. But I want to get past Christmas. And if all we have between us is sex, that’s never going to happen.“
“I’m not looking for a relationship,” she said, his mention of her Christmas timeframe making her feel a little trapped.
“Fair enough. I’m not asking you to marry me.” He took her hand and twined their fingers. “I want to hang out with you, Mina. Not your vagina. At least, not entirely,” he added with a wry grin.
And in some weird way that was probably the nicest thing a man had ever said to her.
“Exclusive?”
“Hell to the yes,” he said.
She cocked her head. “Tiffany?” she demanded, and realized from his expression that she’d been played. “You bastard. That wasn’t a real date? It was all bullshit?”
“Hardly. It worked.”
“Worked?”
“You were jealous.”
“The hell I was,” she lied. But since he so obviously knew she was lying, it didn’t count.
“We’ve become pretty good friends over the last year. She helped me out. But don’t worry, she won’t tell Darryl. She’s got her own secret to keep.”
“Really?” Mina pondered that for a moment, playing back every memory of Tiff she could conjure from the bar, but didn’t have a clue.
“Nope,” he said when she prodded. “I promised.”
And even though she really wanted to know, she couldn’t fault his integrity.
When Faith trotted over and finished the last water bottle before complaining that her tummy was gurgling, they decided it was time to head back to the house. Rather than grab fast food, Cam made them peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with the crusts cut off, apple slices, and pudding cups.
Technically, he didn’t make the pudding cups, but Mina was still impressed with his mad skills with regard to the care and feeding of children.
“Puppies?” Faith asked after finishing off the last of her milk. “Please?”
“Oh, sweetie, we just got back from the park.” Now that she was back in the house, Mina realized she was zonked. Considering all she’d done was sit on a bench in a park and then sit on a stool in the kitchen, she had nothing to complain about. But, honestly, childcare was hard, and her respect for Brent shot up a few more notches.
“Damnations,” Faith protested, as Mina’s eyes widened with surprise that bubbled into laughter.
“Dalmatians,” she corrected. “And if you know where your dad keeps the DVD, we can put it on.”
It turned out not to be a DVD, it was a digital movie, and Faith had the TV on and found the video in five seconds flat. Soon, she was happily ensconced on the couch, with Mina and Cam on either side of her. She wiggled and squirmed as she got sleepier, and eventually she was lying across them, her head in Mina’s lap, and her legs sprawled across Cameron.
Since the one thing that Mina was certain of about childcare was that kids without naps could be grumpy little beasts, she feared moving Faith and waking her. So they stayed on the couch, their hands clasped on the little girl’s back, as they finished watching the movie.
It was the last reprieve before Faith’s bedtime. She woke from her nap completely invigorated. And between stories, baking cookies, playing chase in the backyard, and building a massive pillow fort, she ran both Mina and Cam ragged. So much so that when Brent got home at just before three in the morning, he found his daughter and her babysitters asleep on top of a pile of pillows that had only recently been a massive Scottish keep.
“Just stay,” Brent said when Mina peeled her eyes open. “I’ll fix breakfast in the morning.”
And Mina, who was still half-asleep and too exhausted to argue, nodded, pressed one hand on Faith’s back, took Cam’s hand with her other, and fell back to sleep.
Chapter Nine
“I’ve barely seen you or my sister since Saturday,” Darryl said on Wednesday when he slid into the booth opposite Cameron at Pizza Mambo, a new pizza by the slice place just a few blocks from the Federal Building.
“She wrangled me into babysitting with her. Although, technically, I think Brent wrangled her into babysitting a few more days than she’d originally planned.”
“Brent. That’s the security guy, right? The cute one?”
“Yes, and if you say so. And before you ask, I’m pretty sure he’s straight. And I definitely know he has no time for anything but work and his kid.”
Darryl took a sip of his Dr. Pepper. “Considering how busy the judge has me already, I’m pretty sure I won’t be dating until after my clerkship.”
“But you like it?”
“Yeah, it’s great. The judge and the other clerks are terrific.” He lifted a shoulder. “But even if they weren’t, it would be worth it. A Federal Clerkship is resume gold.”
Cam nodded, but he was thinking of Mina and her laser-like focus on getting to LA. As far as she was concerned, the Austin job she’d be starting soon was only a stepping-stone to bigger and better things, even though the small studio had a successful record and an impressive team.
Of course, Cam knew the twins’ father, so he knew how important career was in the family. And he’d also seen the way father and brother doted on Mina. And, frankly, he understo
od the need to succeed. To live up to the bar set by a parent or, in his case, an older sibling.
Still, he couldn’t help but think her career path was a road that led far, far away from him. He just didn’t know how long it would be before she started walking it.
Christmas, a little voice in his head whispered. And even though he knew that they’d moved past that conversation—and even though she’d pulled the date out of a hat in the first place—he couldn’t help but feel like the end was already barreling down on them even though they’d only barely gotten started.
“—you into it.”
“Sorry,” Cam said. “What?”
“I said thanks for letting her drag you into it. Even though I’m confident she could handle a five-year-old, I’m sure it’s a lot easier with you along.”
“It’s been fun, too. Over the last couple of days, we took Faith ice-skating, to the Children’s Museum, to the zoo, and we rented a paddleboat. Basically, we wore the poor kid out. But she loved it.”
He’d loved it, too. Mostly because every day when they’d returned to Brent’s house, Faith conked out. Which meant that he and Mina had plenty of time to talk on the couch or drink coffee on the back porch or just watch a movie while they recovered from dealing with a five-year-old.
They’d held hands and laughed together, and it had felt ridiculously domestic and wonderful. And while he had no desire for kids of his own yet, there was a sweetness to the situation that had bubbled inside him, like a shiny promise for the future that he could tuck away.
A promise that became more and more tarnished whenever he thought about Mina’s stated goal to get to LA, and her plan to use her upcoming job in Austin as a stepping stone.
But that was a long way off. She didn’t even start the job for another week, and the point was to get experience. She wouldn’t even begin looking for LA-based jobs for at least a year, maybe two.
And who knew what could happen in a year? Hell, so much had already happened in only a week.
Like, for example, the fact that he was absolutely, totally, one hundred percent falling in love with Mina Silver.
Not that he was surprised by that revelation. After all, he’d been half in love with her his entire life. But what he felt now was no teenage crush. It was rich and deep. Desire mixed with admiration and respect and longing and a connection so intense that when she was away from him he missed her with a physical ache. And not merely the sexual kind, though he wouldn’t deny he had that kind of craving as well.
They hadn’t made love since the weekend of Darryl’s party, and Cam was fine with that. Their sweet courtship had solidified his feelings, and, he hoped, made Mina see him, and not just a good time.
The hard part was that he wanted to tell Mina how he felt, but he feared scaring her off. And now, after years of hiding his crush from Darryl, Cam desperately wanted his friend’s advice, since no one knew Mina better than her twin. But he’d promised Mina, and so he held his tongue.
“Have you seen her today?” Cam asked. “Do you know if she got that paper done?” She’d spent a good chunk of Tuesday on her laptop in Brent’s house finalizing the cinematography article she’d been writing for publication with one of her advisors.
“She came into the house for breakfast,” Darryl told him. “Said she hadn’t had time to hit the grocery store and needed eggs. And yeah. She said she finished and was meeting with the professor right after lunch to go over it one last time.”
“And you? What’s on your agenda today? Anything after work?”
Darryl frowned. “I was hoping to go for a bike ride, but I’m going to end up working late. Want to go down to the Veloway this weekend?”
Cam nodded. “Sure.” Frankly, he could use the exercise. He’d blown off all his recent training sessions at the gym with Matthew. Fortunately, he’d gotten quite a workout chasing Faith.
“I’m back on the clock at the Fix starting Friday,” he told Darryl, “but my shift doesn’t start until six.”
Darryl was an avid biker, and though Cam knew he preferred the city streets, considering the mess that was Austin traffic, Cam would much rather bike on the path.
“Are you biking to work?” It was a trek from Darryl’s house to the downtown Federal Building, but Cam knew that was nothing for Darryl.
“Maybe when the weather gets cooler. Right now, I’m too focused on making a good impression on my judge. I don’t need to be juggling clothes, too. Speaking of, I need to get back.” He pointed a finger at Cam. “Saturday,” he said. “I’ll pick you up. I’ve got a rack on the back of the Land Rover.”
They finalized the plans and paid the bill, then walked out together. And although Cam had every intention of heading back to his room in the West Campus co-op, he somehow ended up in the open area in front of the main doors to the film school.
Which was ridiculous, since even during summer the University of Texas was an ant bed of activity, and the odds of him bumping into Mina were incredibly slim. For all he knew, she and the professor had finished hours ago, and she was at The Domain shopping with one of her girlfriends. Or she and the professor had gone to the Student Union to have a drink while they went over the article line by line.
He tugged his phone out of his back pocket, intending to tell her he was on campus, and to ping him back if she was free. Then he’d walk back to the co-op slowly, just in case he heard from her.
He didn’t get the chance.
“Cam!”
He turned toward the sound of her voice, and when he saw her delighted smile, he felt as if he’d been lit by a beam of sunlight.
“What are you doing here?” she asked as she hurried to his side.
“Would it sound stalker-ish if I said I wanted to see you?”
Her smile widened and a tint of pink bloomed on her cheeks. “Absolutely. But in a kinder, gentler stalker way.”
He laughed, then took her hand. “Are you free for the rest of the day?”
She frowned, looking genuinely disappointed. “I told Megan and Taylor we could do shopping then drinks at The Domain. What?” she added, obviously seeing his grin.
“Not a thing,” he said, though he’d predicted that very scenario. “Tell them I said hello. What about tomorrow night?”
“That I can do so long as it’s after seven.”
“Hot date?”
She tilted her head up to meet his eyes, the heat in hers just about melting him. “Well, I certainly hope so.”
“I think I can pretty much guarantee that after seven. Before, you’re on your own.”
“Not too much in the way of excitement there. I’m taking the handheld around The Fix before it gets too crowded. Just to make sure the editors have enough background footage. But why don’t you meet me there? Have you got something in mind for the evening?”
He paused, then made it a point to rake his eyes over her, very slowly and very thoroughly. “Yeah,” he said. “I do.”
“Oh. Well, good.” She took his hand. “I’m free for a couple of hours. Isn’t your co-op around here?”
“Actually, I have another idea.”
“Yeah? What?”
“Trust me,” he said, pleased when she acquiesced without begging him for details of what he had in mind. Not even when their first stop was the Student Union, where he bought a bag of raw sunflower seeds. Then he led the way through the maze of roads and buildings as they headed east toward the law school, stopping periodically to feed the always-eager squirrels.
Apparently the critters had some sort of wireless communication system, because word travelled, and every time they sat to feed one, more and more came. So that by the time they reached the grounds by the law school they were out of seeds and, Mina decided, getting the stink-eye from the still-hungry legal squirrels.
“They’re ridiculously cute,” she said. “And God forbid one decides to move off-campus. I can’t imagine a more pampered squirrel population anywhere in the world.”
“When I was l
ittle, Grandma used to bring Kiki and me here. We didn’t have much money, so the University was like a playground. We’d have massive picnics on the hill by the LBJ Library and commune with the squirrels and the birds. It’s one of the reasons I wanted to go to school here,” he added with a shrug. “It’s always felt like home.”
“Why are we at the law school?” she asked. “You decide to follow my brother’s career path after all?”
“A million times no. But I do want to level the playing field.”
Her brows rose in question.
“I see a bit of what you do. The camera. Helping with the lighting. I kind of get it.”
“Again I ask, why the law school?”
“The Tarlton Law Library has a rare books and manuscripts archive. I want to show you something. After the squirrels, I figure you’ll think it’s interesting. At the very least, you’ll think it’s cute.”
“Well, now I really am intrigued. Lead the way.”
He did, taking her into the huge, quiet library with its open stacks of law books and glass cases of artifacts. The librarians knew him, as he’d spent a good portion of the last year in the rare book collection working on various papers and projects.
He led the way back to the rare books room, where he met Kelly, one of the archivists. He’d texted ahead while they’d been feeding the squirrels, and she’d already put out the book that he wanted Mina to see. She greeted them, reminded Cam to use the cotton gloves if he touched anything, then melted into her office, reflecting a trust that humbled him. The books in this room really were priceless.
“It’s beautiful,” Mina said, her voice low and reverent. She stood at the end of the table, her hands behind her back as if to remind herself not to touch the thick bound book open to two pages filled with intricate drawings and almost indecipherable calligraphy. “Is it a Gutenberg Bible?”
“No, the Gutenberg Bibles were printed on a printing press. This is an illuminated manuscript, and this one was handwritten in the thirteen hundreds.”