Page 19 of Caught in the Middle

He may be a nice guy, but that didn’t mean he had to be uncomfortable with a crick in his neck all week while she made her ex jealous, figured out her life, or whatever her goal here was.

“I’m sleeping on the bed,” Cam said. Then turned and strode to it and laid himself out, his hands propped behind his head on the pillows as if to make his point while he left her in that shallow hallway.

Emma came around the corner, taking him in. “Uh, no. You’re not.”

“Yes. I am,” Cam countered.

“We’re not sleeping in the same bed,” Emma emphasized.

“I agree,” he replied casually. “Good thing they normally have extra blankets in hotels.”

Oh, he had to be kidding her. He couldn’t be serious. Yet, he looked very firm in his decision. Emma took a deep breath while she tried to remain calm. “This week is already going to be hard. There’s no reason to make it worse on ourselves.”

“You’re right,” Cam said, still lying down. “And since I shouldn’t even have to be here, I should at least be comfortable.”

He was ridiculous, she decided. So much for being thankful she’d met a nice stranger. He was proving to be a pain in the ass at the moment.

“Let’s come back to this,” Emma said in an attempt to salvage her mood. She walked to the end of the bed and took a seat to face him. “Right now, let’s go over some basics.”

“Like what?”

“Like reminding you not to engage in any unnecessary conversations,” she said.

He looked at her in question.

“The lobby,” she prodded. “What were you doing talking to them?”

Cam sat up, a sound of exasperation leaving him. “Do you expect me to stand around like your lap dog or something? You went to check us in and Asher asked me if I was a trainer like Lulu. I’m not going to ignore him. Besides, they seem nice enough.”

“They are nice,” Emma said.

“Then what’s the problem?”

“You might say something that makes them think we don’t know each other.”

“We don’t know each other.”

She sighed. This was getting them nowhere. “I know that, but they don’t know that.”

Cam clenched his jaw, trying to hide his amusement. He’d been all over the place this morning, but once they landed and drove to their hotel, he was reminded how much he enjoyed visiting new places. Not to mention, everyone really was nice. He’d enjoyed chatting with Asher and Lauren downstairs, and now watching as Emma was working herself up over and over, he remembered how much fun he had at that dinner just the two of them.

She was fun and filled with energy. He just preferred that energy directed toward more exciting conversations than arguing with him.

“So let’s get to know each other,” Cam said and for a moment, he could’ve sworn she blushed.

“Okay,” Emma agreed. “What would you like to know?”

“For starters, what’s your last name?”

Emma’s eyes widened then her lips broke into a smile. “Wow. That’s eye-opening,” she said, though Cam felt like it was more to herself. “Cooper. Emma Cooper.”

“Emma Cooper,” he repeated. “That has a nice ring to it.”

She looked down at her hands, suddenly not able to meet his eyes. She’d never thought much about her name, but the way it slid off his tongue gave her the oddest sensation.

“And I saw yours is Wright,” she supplied. “When I creeped your social media in the bathroom at the restaurant last night.”

The information connected some dots for him. “That’s how you came up with that story about Banff, wasn’t it?”

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