Page 23 of Ruled By Fate

There was a single ring, followed by a squeal of delight. “Are you here? Do you love it? I told you, you’d love it. Why are you so late?”

Brie grinned in spite of herself, aching to see her best friend. “I’m here. I love it. You have the very best taste in all things,” she replied, watching as Cameron circled the room. “And I’m late because some cop almost gave me a speeding ticket.”

So, I helped brainwash him with my new angel friend.

A baffled silence rang out in reply.

“You almost got a speeding ticket?” Sherry exclaimed. “You’ve never even been to the principal’s office. Also, what a jerk. It’s a small town. We’ll find out who it is and egg his house.”

Brie grinned and bit her lip. “Because we’re seven?”

“That’s right.” Sherry’s tone shifted. “But seriously, Brie. What are you doing speeding, showing up late, not checking in? What’s been going on with you?”

Brie looked across the room at Cameron, who pulled a toaster from a box with a look of childlike perplexity. “Can I tell you at drinks tomorrow? Right after work, right?”

“Nope, that’s been changed to a fancy dinner at this restaurant I’ve wanted to try. And you’re not getting off that easy. Coffee. Tomorrow. Before work. Something’s up. I can feel it.”

That bodes well.

Brie fiddled nervously with the phone but couldn’t restrain a grin. “It’s a date. Alright, I need to go unpack my entire life.”

“Do you want me to come over?”

“No!” Brie exclaimed, before backtracking quickly. “I mean, I’ve got this. I’m sure you’re still busy anyway, transforming your own place into the envy of the entire neighborhood.”

“Careful, flattery will get you everywhere with me.”

“I know this well.”

“Alright, see you tomorrow. Love you, bye!”

“Bye.”

Brie hung up, turned around, and froze. Cameron had put the toaster in pride of place in the middle of the kitchen island and seemed to be building it a shrine out of coffee mugs.

“You really don’t know how any of this works, do you?” she asked.

He glanced up with a guilty flush. “Is this not how it’s supposed to look?”

She pursed her lips, trying her best not to laugh. It didn’t help that his hair was littered with purple petals. It also didn’t help that the teddy bear from the diner claw machine was peeking out of his coat pocket.

“It’s alright. I’m sure you have other skills.”

? ? ?

The unlikely pair unpacked boxes for the next hour or so and explored the house. There was a leak under the kitchen sink, and Brie was fairly certain she heard a squirrel in the attic, but overall, the charm won out over the damage. The place had even come semi-furnished, so she didn’t need to worry about buying a bed, couch, or shelves. Instead, she could focus on other things — like the man kneeling beside her with a book in each hand.

“So, why are you just starting this job now?” he asked curiously, placing the books on a nearby shelf. “I thought that you and Sherry were in the same class. Have I gotten that wrong?”

She threw him a quick glance. “I’m surprised you thought anything at all. How do you know we were in the same class?”

His eyes flashed up before returning quickly to the boxes. “You must have mentioned it.”

Must have.

“I kind of took the long way around to finish nursing school so that I could stay close to my dad,” Brie explained, slowly filling her bookshelves with the contents of her boxes. “Sherry finished a year before me and landed a position in this great hospital up here. I think she pulled a few strings to get me in. They let you finish your clinical rotations and everything, then keep you on afterward. It’s very competitive. I was so happy when I got in, but I just…” She trailed off, absently flipping through a novel.

“You’re worried about your father,” he finished gently.

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