by Ellie Hall
1
Desperate times call for desperate measures. Camdyn Taylor had heard that saying a thousand times, usually associating it with a life or death decision. This wasn’t life or death. Nor was she desperate. Okay, so she was totally desperate. Hence the entire reason she was about to meet with a dating coach…er…romance therapist.
Camdyn didn’t even know it was a thing. She’d heard of all kinds of therapy, but never for romance. Nikki, her best friend and roommate, had suggested looking into it since Camdyn’s stupid ex-boyfriend David had accused her of being distant and unromantic.
He’d also said a few other things like she was living in a fantasy world. To be fair, Camdyn did live in a fantasy world. Duh, she was a writer of fantasy. Her middle-grade audience loved the imaginary world she’d created for her series The Hidden Enchantress, thank you very much.
Still, his words had stung, especially when he said the reason she didn’t write romance was because she didn’t know how to do romance or fall in love. He’d even hinted that Camdyn lacked a libido. Jerk. There was nothing wrong with her libido. At least she hoped.
Gah! Stupid David. Why did he have to get inside her head? Worse, what if David was right? Not about the libido part. Just because she didn’t sleep around, it didn’t mean she lacked the desire.
But what if she had no idea how to be romantic or fall in love? David had been her boyfriend for six months, which was a record for her. Usually, she didn’t date the same guy longer than a few weeks. But her relationship with David was comfortable, like an oversized sweater with leggings. She wasn’t a demanding girlfriend and didn’t mind his frequent business trips since she spent most of her time writing or working part-time at the library. David had seemed happy too. Until six weeks ago when he broke up with her, stating he wanted more spark.
David wasn’t the only one who didn’t feel a spark. Camdyn had never had any fireworks go off whenever David kissed her. In fact, the few make-out sessions were bland and kind of wet and slobbery. Once, she’d even looked at her watch to determine how much longer they had to kiss before she could call it a night.
Was that really her fault? No. She blamed David. Because Camdyn was pretty sure there would be no checking the time if she were kissing someone like Beckett Young, Nikki’s totally hot older brother who was a dead ringer for Theo James.
Besides, just because Camdyn didn’t write romance didn’t mean she wasn’t romantic. Hopefully. That niggling feeling that David may be right on some level was back.
Camdyn had yet to advance the age of her main character Katya, beyond twelve, like her agent and so many of her readers were begging her to do for the past few years. Katya was forever on the verge of becoming a teenager. Camdyn knew her audience would substantially widen if she migrated The Hidden Enchantress series into the YA market, not to mention get her noticed by a bigger publishing house.
But a YA audience would expect some teenage romance. Heck, Katya was practically begging Camdyn to write her as a sweet sixteen-year-old with a boyfriend. That meant introducing a handsome prince or maybe a drop-dead gorgeous mortal without any magical powers as Katya’s love interest.
So why hadn’t she done it already? Because the words weren’t there. Call it writer’s block or whatever but Camdyn couldn’t write one romantic scene. Not even after reading some of Nikki’s romance books or watching her favorite chick flicks. She’d come up with dozens of storylines but never could get the romance part down. And now she’d run out of time.
Alisha, her agent for the past three years, had called Camdyn this morning with news every author dreams about. A big name studio was looking at adapting The Hidden Enchantress books into a new series for their online streaming platform. But there was a catch…they want Katya to be older and they want a heavy dose of romance added in with the adventure in the next book for a test market. Oh, and her agent wanted the first draft in four weeks.
Ugh. Adulting was hard. Not only did Camdyn have to find her mojo, but she also had to revamp her current storyline. Advancing Katya’s age wasn’t the problem. Her manuscript could easily be adapted with a few tweaks and some added scenes and backstory. It was the romance part she was stuck on. She’d tried several times to introduce a boyfriend into the storyline, but he usually ended up looking and sounding like David. It was so stupid, and her only solution was that she needed romance in order to write romance.
Thus, desperate measures and all that had prompted Camdyn to google a dating coach nearby to help her find a new boyfriend. Instead, she found a romance therapist. Wanda, the owner of I Put a Spell on You Romance Therapy, had rave reviews. But she was soooo expensive and Camdyn was sooo broke. She’d already spent her entire last advance on a car. A car she’d totaled after three weeks. It turns out the insurance company doesn’t care how much you paid for the car or what you still owe the bank. They just give you a lump sum and then wish you good luck finding another insurance company to insure a cheap replacement car that barely runs.
Glancing at the time, Camdyn knew she had to leave her apartment soon or she was going to miss her appointment with Wanda. Standing in front of the full-length mirror in her bedroom, she tugged on the short hem of the black cocktail dress Nikki had talked her into wearing along with a matching pair of high heels. Camdyn had to admit her legs looked amazing in the black stilettos, but she wasn’t sure she could walk in them without looking like a duck. She usually wore wedges or flip flops everywhere she went, but Wanda requested that Camdyn dress up in case they decided to do a few exercises.
Exercises for what? Camdyn worked out regularly and a sexy dress was not her usual attire. She had a sinking suspicion that Wanda’s exercises involved sitting at a bar to pick up men. Just thinking about flirting with a perfect stranger made Camdyn want to puke. She didn’t drink either so hopefully Wanda’s plan didn’t include lowering Camdyn’s inhibitions by plying her with alcohol.
Nervously, Camdyn ran her fingers through the loose blonde curls that now came to her shoulder instead of halfway down her back. Nikki had talked her into cutting her hair a couple of weeks ago. Camdyn had always had long hair, but she loved the sassy new look.
Grabbing her phone from the top of the dresser, Camdyn made her way toward the front door. She wished Nikki was here and could go with her, but her bestie didn’t have a problem with romance. Nikki was getting married in four months and had left thirty minutes ago for a weekend getaway with her fiancé Jeff to meet both of their parents in South Carolina for a get-to-know-you mini vacation.
Nikki had invited Camdyn to join them but she didn’t want to be the third wheel now that she was no longer dating David, who also happened to be Jeff’s best friend. Nikki reassured her that David wouldn’t be there because he was going to a family thing with his new girlfriend.
Yep, David had already moved on and apparently had found the perfect woman. Camdyn wasn’t going to lie. It kind of hurt that David was in a solid relationship, and she was still wondering if she was normal.
But the best reason not to go while she was feeling so out of sorts was because of Beckett and the chance he’d be there with his model gorgeous girlfriend. It was bad enough to be crushing on your best friend’s older brother and knowing he only saw you as a little sister. Camdyn didn’t need another reality check that she could never measure up by spending the weekend watching him make out with Malorie, his celebrity-bachelorette girlfriend. The definition wasn’t a metaphor. Malorie had been on Sweet Georgia Singles, Georgia’s version of The Bachelorette, before dating Beckett. However, it should be noted that Malorie was the first one sent home.
Camdyn supposed she could’ve asked if Beckett was going to be there but then Nikki would think she was interested in her older brother. Camdyn was interested but didn’t want her friend to know that. Aside from Beckett’s current relationship, Nikki’s friendship was too important to her. Camdyn didn’t want to make things more awkward like they were now that she and David weren’t dating.
Hmm, now that Camdyn thought about it, the reason she and David had lasted so long probably had more to do with them dating each other’s best friends.
Her apartment was on the third floor, and Camdyn only wobbled a little as she navigated the stairs slowly. By the time she made it to the parking lot, she felt like she’d mastered the heels and no longer looked like a drunk trying to walk a straight line. To be honest, she kind of felt sexy. Maybe wearing oversized tees and yoga pants wasn’t the best attire when one was trying to get one’s groove back.
Her heels clicked sassily against the pavement and she could hear a snappy show tune playing in her head. If this were a movie, she’d break out in some Dancing With the Stars dance moves and then start singing.
The next thing she knew, Camdyn’s arms were spinning like the oversized pinwheel in her mother’s yard as one of her heels caught in a small hole in the pavement. “Oh shoot,” she said, except she may have inserted a different vowel as her battle against gravity became a lost cause.
Squeezing her eyes shut, she pitched forward and braced herself for impact, hoping she didn’t break anything like her wrists.
“Whoa there,” a deep voice said as an arm the size of a tree trunk snaked around her waist and pulled her back against a solid wall of warmth and muscles.
2
A tantalizing scent swirled around Beckett as he snugged the flailing woman against his body. “Stop moving,” he said when Camdyn tried wriggling out of his arms. “Your heel is stuck.”
“I know that,” she huffed out. “I’m trying to get it unstuck.”
Beckett had always liked his little sister’s friend in a she’s cute like a puppy sort of way. Camdyn was funny too and always acted a little shy around him, which had been a good thing since she’d been jailbait when he’d lived at home. Besides that, Nikki had made him promise to never flirt with any of her friends after the incident with her friend Shandy.
During a sleepover with Nikki and Camdyn, Shandy had decided to let Beckett know she liked him by sneaking into his room. That hadn’t ended in a scandalous disaster since Beckett wasn’t stupid. But it had ended the friendship between Nikki and Shandy.
So, Beckett made sure to never look twice at Camdyn, not even when she was in college and the five-year age gap no longer felt like a big deal. He’d just turned twenty-eight so she was technically old enough to go out with but in his mind, he was too old for her and she was off-limits.
“I’ve almost got it,” Camdyn said, wiggling and twisting while still leaning against Beckett for support. The feel of her body pressed so close to him was a great non-verbal indicator that she had definitely grown up. In reality, she was no longer off-limits. Except Nikki still might not like it. Also, Beckett wasn’t in the market for a new girlfriend or a serious relationship. He was more interested in advancing his career before settling down.
Meg Lawrence, the one and only woman he’d ever considered putting a ring on her finger, had cheated on Beckett with one of his competitors from another marketing firm. She’d claimed it was a one-time thing but then Beckett found evidence that it had been going on for at least five months. He and Meg had only been dating for seven months, so basically, she’d never been faithful, and he’d been too much in love to notice. Worse, she’d told him that Nicholas’ yearly salary was more in line with her lifestyle.
Beckett had moved on and was over Meg. It had taken him a long time, but he didn’t think about her as the one who got away. Instead, he felt like he’d dodged a bullet. Through mutual friends, Beckett heard that Meg had already been married and divorced and married again in the two years since they’d been apart. He’d also heard it was because she wasn’t a faithful wife. Big shocker.
“Camdyn,” he said, leaning close to her ear, “I can help if you’ll let me.”
Inhaling sharply, she went completely still. “How do you know my name?” she asked in a husky voice he’d always found appealing.
Frankly, he almost hadn’t recognized her all dressed up and suddenly having a lot more curves than he remembered. She’d gone on plenty of family vacations with his family but because of the don’t-even-think-about-dating-my-best-friend rule Nikki had drilled into him, he rarely paid attention to Camdyn. That and he usually brought a girlfriend with him.
“Because you and Nikki have been friends since the fifth grade.”
Her entire body stiffened. “Beckett?”
“Yep.”
“Why aren’t you in South Carolina?”
“Why aren’t you?” he asked, honestly curious why she wasn’t there since Nikki’s fiancé Jeff and Camdyn’s boyfriend were friends too.
“I have an important appointment I can’t miss.” Her fingers gripped Beckett’s wrist as she turned it over to look at his watch. “Shoot, I’m never going to make it on time.”
Camdyn may have asked him to let her go, but Beckett was having a hard time concentrating. Heck, he could barely draw in a decent breath. Camdyn’s touch was like he’d connected with a live wire, sending a current of electricity zipping through him and lighting up every single cell in his body like he was a giant circuit board.
“Nooo,” she cried out. Beckett dropped his hold as she wiggled free from his embrace. “The heel broke off,” she said, bending over to remove the damaged shoe.
Beckett should get points for trying not to notice her well-defined backside. He barely averted his gaze as Camdyn snapped up and turned around. “What am I going to do now?” she asked, holding up the offending shoe like this was his fault.
“Go put on different shoes?”
“I don’t have time.” She bent down to take off the other shoe. “Does the Sports Hangout require shoes?” she asked, unlocking an older model Subaru that had seen better days.
“You’re meeting your boyfriend at the Sports Hangout?” he asked, not sure if he was more bothered she was going to a popular club or that she was meeting her boyfriend.
“No, David and I broke up.” She opened the car door and tossed her shoes onto the passenger side before sliding in behind the wheel. “But I can’t be late or I’ll have to pay a no-show fee.”
Before Beckett could ask for more info, she pulled the door shut and shoved the key into the ignition. The engine made a valiant effort to turn over but gave out, refusing to even pretend like it was going to start.
He watched Camdyn fall across the steering wheel like she was a rag doll. Beckett couldn’t tell if she was crying but the car had to be uncomfortably hot and stuffy. Early May wasn’t usually this toasty in Georgia, but the South had been experiencing a heatwave the past few days that made Beckett wish he was heading to the beach instead of the wedding of his boss’s oldest daughter.
He wasn’t sure if he should intervene and was about to knock on the window when she sat up and looked at her phone. Her shoulders sagged and she shook her head slightly before pulling the keys from the ignition. Beckett stepped out of the way as Camdyn opened her door and extended one bare foot followed by the other.
Mesmerized as if he’d never seen a pair of decent legs before, Beckett’s eyes traveled over smooth, tan skin all the way down to her toenails, painted a coral color that matched the sky at sunset.
“Did you lose something?” Camdyn asked from beside him.
Yeah, his mind. This was his little sister’s best friend. And she was off-limits. Sort of. At any rate, he needed to rein in his raging hormones before he did something stupid. “Do you need a ride?” he asked, hoping to divert her attention away from the fact that he’d been staring at her legs.
“No, thank you.” She sighed heavily and looked at the screen on her phone. “I have to reschedule my appointment and then Venmo fifty bucks for nothing.”
Since he knew there wasn’t a cover charge at the Sports Hangout, Beckett was growing more and more curious about who she was meeting with and for what reason. “Who do you have to pay?”
Camdyn’s blue eyes went as wide as one of those anime characters from Japan. “Oh, not
hing.”
“Nothing?” Beckett questioned as he leaned over to look at her phone.
“Hey, don’t look,” Camdyn said, jerking her hand away so quickly that her phone went flying.
Beckett’s reflexes kicked in, and he intercepted the phone mid-air. “And he’s still got it,” he said, smiling triumphantly at her like he’d just made a pick 6 in the final seconds of the game. Camdyn didn’t look impressed by his awesome catch as she lunged toward him, trying to take back her phone. What was she trying to hide?
“Give me that!” she said, slamming into his chest when Beckett held the phone up just out of her reach.
“I think you meant to say thank you, Beckett.”
“Thank you,” she said, pressing even closer to him as she swiped at the air.
“Beckett,” he said, keeping her phone hostage while enjoying her close proximity.
Camdyn didn’t feel the same way. She pushed away from his chest, shooting him with little blue lasers. “Do not look at my phone.”
Okay, so now he had to know what she was hiding. “What is it that you don’t want me to see?” he asked, hoping it wasn’t a nude pic from some guy.
“It’s not anything inappropriate.” Her full bottom lip jutted out, making her look very kissable. “Will you please just give me my phone?”
There was no way he was handing over this phone. “I don’t think I will,” he said, feeling overprotective of her. Or maybe the feeling was more like possessive?
“Excuse me?” she said, her Southern accent growing more pronounced. “You do realize that stealing my phone is against the law, right?”
“I’m just looking out for you,” he said, slipping the phone into his pant pocket. Camdyn eyed his pocket as if seriously considering retrieving it. He wasn’t going to lie. That could be highly entertaining if she did.