Page 111 of Dr. Brandt

“You act as though I’m going to go in there and blow up on her or something.”

“I know you would never do that to her or any other woman, Cam,” she said. “But emotions do some crazy shit to us, and she’s been with another man for over a month.”

Her eyes locked onto mine, and we were in some standoff now. “Yeah, and that’s fine. So long as she’s not here to tell me she’s engaged to him again and on her way back to New York, I will keep my cool. Trust me.”

“Right,” Elena smiled, and I sensed that more things seemed to be at work here aside from Jessa stopping by tonight.

“Right,” I mirrored her, trying to pull the information out of her. “What the hell is going on, Laney?”

“There’s my Diosa Cubanita. What are you doing with this old sap?” Collin said from behind me, stepping into the room where Laney and I were talking, with the door half-closed.

“Oh, you know me. I’m just psychologically intruding on a romance that I believe needs to happen,” Laney answered while Collin placed his arm around her.

“What’d you tell this guy?” Collin asked, acting fucking weird.

“I’m going to go find Jessa,” I said. My friends were acting beyond strange, and I was starting to lose patience with them.

“Good luck, buddy,” Collin said.

“You’ll do great,” Laney said.

I turned back with a frown, studying the two standing there like the parents on a Leave it to Beaver episode, and I forced a smile on my face.

What the fuck was going on with those two?

Something was entirely off with Collin and Laney, and because they were dumb enough to make it obvious, I was smart enough to hang back to listen on the other side of this door, hoping I’d overhear something that might shed some light on things.

“Do you think this will work?” Collin asked, and I smiled. I knew these assholes were up to something because these were my friends, and only my friends would play games, believing they were bringing Jessa and me back together again.

“How was he at the pool?” Laney questioned.

“Acting like a bitch,” Collin said with a laugh, and I rolled my eyes. “Spence kept him busy while you ladies were with Jessa. How do you think she feels about all of this?”

“Oh,” Elena giggled as her phone chimed, “this is Jacks. Let me tell him he did well and that our plan is going smoothly.”

Jackson? Texting Elena?

“What the fuck?” I said, entirely confused now.

“What?” a female questioned from behind me, causing me to nearly jump through the door where I was eavesdropping.

I turned. “Jesus, Natalia. Announce yourself or something,” I said.

Her rosy-red lips pulled up as she crossed her arms in front of her chest.

“Announce myself? Perhaps you should announce yourself to whoever you’re spying on, on the other side of that door.” She laughed. “What’s going on in there that would shock you?”

“Wouldn’t you and your kinky little self love to know?” I said, slipping my hands into my pockets, a bit thankful that Nat was the one to catch me and not anyone else.

“Indeed,” she said without missing.

Time to kick the ball back to these assholes for sneaking around behind my back. “It’s Collin and Elena. I was on my way to see Jessa—apparently, she’s here to talk—and I saw Collin sneak into that room,” I said, trying to act cool.

“And why would that lead you to spy on him? Last I checked, Jim’s place wasn’t a murder mystery house where the guests were all suddenly disappearing?”

“Well, it sounded like he fell,” I answered, trying to think of something, knowing by Nat’s strong eyebrow arch that she was catching on to my lie. “So, I went to open the door, and then I heard Elena say—” I paused, searching for something that would make me spy on my two married friends.

“Say?” Nat pressed.

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