Page 36 of Letting it Ride

She pauses in the doorway. Her arms cross over her chest, but she doesn’t argue.

I sit on the sofa and pat the seat next to me. “You can talk to whoever you want. I just care about you, and sometimes I go overboard.”

She slowly crosses the room and sits. “I have an overprotective brother already, Cam.”

She has a point. And I already know that pushing for her to stay away from other guys is going to have the opposite effect, and trying to stay away myself isn’t working. Plus, this is Addie. I’ve known her forever, and I actually like hanging out with her.

Maybe I’ll be stuck with blue balls, but the least I can do is spend time with her as friends.

“How about this, then. Friends? Let’s explore Nassau together tomorrow. We can have fun and not worry about anyone else,” I suggest.

She twirls a strand of red hair around her finger and tugs on it. “Okay.”

I hold back my sigh of relief. “Were you planning to hang out with that guy? The one you were with when I found you?”

Addie shakes her head with a shrug. “I just met him. We were just hanging out, Cam. There wasn’tanything between us, and there was never going to be. We don’t even have concrete plans to see one another again.”

For some reason, this makes me very happy. Actually, who the fuck am I kidding? I know exactly why it makes me happy. It’s because I can’t shake this insane idea that Addie is mine, even if I can’t do anything about it.

I clear my throat. “Well, if you’re okay hanging out with me, we can find something fun to do. I don’t want to just explore the island alone.”

She tugs on her hair again, and I have to stop myself from pulling the strand out of her fingers and wrapping it around my own fist. “You’re not going to spend the day with Harper?” she mumbles.

“I wasn’t planning to. And even if she asks, I’d rather spend the day with you, Addie.”

Addie looks at the ground. “I think she likes you.”

I nudge her with my elbow until she looks at me. “Hey. Harper can like whoever she wants. It doesn’t mean I have to reciprocate.”

And given a choice between spending a day with Harper and spending time with Addie? Easy decision.

A smile plays on her lips. “Okay.”

“Good. Now, let’s talk about stuff to do in Nassau.”

14

ADDISON

To:[email protected]

From:[email protected]

Subject:tests?

Hi Miss A,

Did you grade our tests from last week yet?

Hope you’re having a good break?

Suz

To:[email protected]

From:[email protected]

Subject:Grades

---