Page 31 of Ruled By Fate

“Wow, you really got this place set up fast. How did you…?”

She froze dead still, staring at Cameron. He stared bracingly back. For a split second, nothing happened. Then he lifted his hand in an awkward wave.

Heaven, help me. Take him back.

“It’s nice to meet you,” he stammered a bit nervously. “Brie talks of nothing else.”

Sherry took in the measure of him, saying nothing in reply. Then, without breaking eye contact with the angel, she leaned toward Brie and said in a low voice, “Brianna Weldon, are you aware that a Tom Ford model is waving at me from your kitchen?”

Yeah, she’ll barely notice.

Brie was postverbal at this point. She nodded as Sherry reaffirmed, “So, you’re seeing him, too?”

She nodded again and hid behind her mocha.

Sherry raised herself up to full height, all five feet two inches, and narrowed her eyes with a speculative, “Huh.” Then she strode to the kitchen and began pacing around him the way a jungle predator circles its prey. At one point, she extended a finger. “May I?”

May you… what, exactly? What do you intend to do with that finger?

Cameron was clearly thinking the same thing and lifted his eyes to Brie for a moment before he acquiesced with a hesitant, “Of course. Whatever… whatever you need.”

What happened next would forever remain one of the most intensely embarrassing moments of Brie’s young life. She watched as Sherry studied him with the fierce scrutiny of an old-world heiress selecting a racehorse, poking him in the bicep and abs, and running a finger along his jaw. By the end, Brie was surprised her friend hadn’t attempted to examine his teeth, but whatever she determined, she must have been pleased because the finger soon vanished, replaced with an acute stare.

“What’s your name?”

“Cameron.”

“How old are you?”

“Approximately fifty-five hundred Earth years.”

“Fine, don’t tell me. Do you do drugs?”

“Never, ma’am.”

“Do you smoke?”

“Only when aflame.”

“Are you the reason she’s late?”

His face grew suddenly serious. “I’m afraid that I am. But I’m also one of the reasons she’s here.”

Sherry leaned back, considering this. Then she asked the million-dollar question. “What are your intentions towards my best friend?”

He hesitated a moment, then answered with perfect honesty. “To make her pancakes. To fix the water heater. To protect her from all harm.”

There was a split second of silence, then Sherry spun around, beaming. “I love him. Let’s get one in every color.”

Brie let out the breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding with a slightly hysterical laugh, trying to keep her balance as her tiny, voluptuous friend scooped her up into another hug.

“Brianna Weldon. You could’ve just told me you’d met a guy.”

“Yeah, I don’t know what I was thinking,” Brie panted, trying to catch her breath. “It’s not like you’d put him through the Spanish Inquisition or anything.”

Sherry wasn’t listening. She was busy making plans. “This is fantastic! We can double-date tonight. You’re coming, of course,” she aimed at Cameron. It was not a question. “Brie, I know you ‘lost’ that black dress I got you, so I bought you another one. It’s in the car. Cameron, I’m stealing her now. We need to go talk about you behind your back. Run along home and stay perfect. Fewer clothes next time. I’m envisioning ripped jeans, a leather belt, definitely no shirt—”

“Okay, that’s enough.” Brie grabbed her backpack and coffee and pulled her irrepressible friend out the door, glancing back with an apologetic, “Bye, Cam.”

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