Page 16 of SALT

"Park, I'm not going out there with you. If you want to do me a solid, you can bring me some snacks."

His blue Bulldog jersey clings to his muscular chest as he turns to me, his expression bemused. "Why not? Are you still mad at me?"

We haven't really talked since the dinner we had at Connor's house before he and Mac left for Florida, and even then, there wasn't much talking. Parker knows about my crush on Everett; therefore, using him at the wedding was different. He was fully aware of what I was doing and why. The favor he asked of me is not the same. He won't tell me why he asked it, and I refuse to let him use me to hurt Everett. Walking out of this room with Parker increases my chances of Everett catching us together and drawing conclusions.

"Is that even a question?"

His blue gaze drops to the ground. "Did I kiss you?"

"What?" I question, unsure where he's going.

"At dinner with Everett watching, did I kiss you?"

"No," I answer meekly.

"Did I touch you?"

"No, you didn't touch me."

His thumb runs along his bottom lip. "So tell me why you're mad at me."

"Do you plan on doing any of those things?" His eyes return to mine, narrowing as he rolls his lips. I shrug before adding, "You know, as part of whatever revenge plan you have against Everett."

He subtly shakes his head. "Not when I know it would hurt you." Long seconds of silence stretch between us before he nods toward the door. "Want to get that snack now?"

"Yeah, I could go for a bag of blue Doritos right now."

Parker is rummaging through boxes and checking the branding to find me a bag of Doritos as I slide onto the counter and watch. Missing breakfast is catching up with me. I feel like I could curl up right here, using a box of Snickers for a pillow, and sleep peacefully until tomorrow.

"You know we probably shouldn't be stealing food. We're going to throw off the inventory counts, and you know how much that sucks."

"The concessions manager doesn't start until tomorrow, which means inventory hasn't been done yet…" He pushes another box aside and says, "Boom, blue Doritos. One bag or two? You look like you could use two."

"Okay, you've already passively told me I look like shit enough times for one day. Message received loud and clear. We can move on now."

A bag of chips lands in my lap. "I did no such thing." Then, pulling open the door on the beverage cooler, he asks, "Alani, Prime, or Iced Coffee? Nothing else is cold yet."

"Alani, please."

He slides an Alani in front of me, and I sit up and pop the tab. "So you're not going to tell me why you're so tired?"

I take a few big sips of the energy drink, still unsure if I care to share my new sleeping arrangements. "Are you going to tell me what beef you have with Everett?" I pull open the bag of Doritos as he hops up on the counter across from me with his bag of chips, drink, and power bar.

"It's nothing you need to worry about, Cam." He shrugs as he pops a chip in his mouth.

I want to pry not only because I want to know about everything that involves Everett, but also because I can tell whatever it is between them is affecting Parker, and he's my friend. I care about him. I'm convinced if he would just tell me, we could work this all out and move on. He wouldn't be perturbed, and I wouldn't be stuck in the middle, but I leave it, because while I may not have the answers, he told me he wouldn't use me to hurt Everett, knowing that it would, in turn, hurt me.

"I've been staying at Connor's all week, and last night, I would have bet my entire trust fund that someone was outside the house. I didn't sleep a wink."

"What the hell, Cam? Why are you staying at Connor's, and why didn't you call me? I would have come over."

I pop another chip in my mouth and speak around the salty morsel as it silences my hunger pains. "He has a security system. If there was someone truly out there, it would have gone off."

He jumps off the counter and runs his hands through his hair. "Cam, it could have been someone casing the place. Looking for a blind spot or way to get in. Does Connor's house have a safe room? What would you do if the alarm actually went off?"

"Okay, way to make me feel good about going home tonight. You are so not helping."

Stopping before me, he drops his hands from his head to his hips. "I'm coming over tonight. You shouldn't be alone in a house on the outskirts of town."

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