Page 100 of Not That Into You

“Can you hire someone to help?” she asks.

“No.” I shake my head. “That’s not an option.”

“They don’t know anybody who could help out?” asks Cameron.

I glance at him, biting my lip. “There is someone who could help out.”

“That’s a relief,” says Hayley as she squeezes my hand and drops her grip.

I press my lips together. “But it’s tricky.”

“How so?” she asks as Cameron narrows his eyes.

I glance between them, taking in Hayley’s hopeful expression and the understanding dawning across Cameron’s face.

He shakes his head. “Monica, there’s got to be another way.”

“It’s the only option, Cameron.”

He scowls while Hayley looks at me in confusion. “What are you talking about? What option?”

Cameron steps toward me. “I’ll give you more money. They can hire someone.”

I shake my head. “No. I appreciate the offer, but I can’t accept any more from you. It’s easier this way.”

“What’s easier?” asks Hayley.

Gritting his teeth, Cameron looks away, his hands on his hips.

“What’s easier?” Hayley looks back and forth between us. “What are you two talking about?”

I sigh. “I’m going back to Dayton.”

Chapter 27

Monica

“You’re set on leaving?”

Sighing, I sit back down on the couch. After I dropped the Dayton bomb, Cameron and Hayley had talked over each other until Cameron pulled Hayley aside, engaged in a heated, whispered discussion, and then showed her the door. Hayley glared at me on her way out, declaring, “We’ll talk later.”

Cameron moves to stand over me, hands on hips. “Well?”

“Yes. For only a few weeks. A few months, tops.”

He looks down at the floor, clenching his jaw. “When do you plan to leave?”

“I’m not sure. My mom’s going to call the doctor tomorrow. Hopefully, they’ll be able to schedule her surgery for some time in the next week or two.”

His hands fall from his waist. “You’re leaving next week?”

I shrug. “Maybe.”

Sighing, he drops down next to me on the couch, resting his arms on his thighs as he leans forward.

“What?”

He shakes his head. “I just... I didn’t think you’d be moving across the country.”

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