Page 73 of SALT

Her comment makes me smile. My girl doesn't know how to cook. My girl. Fuck. As I turn to follow her toward the RV, I see biker boy talking to Mackenzie. What the hell is he doing here? Has he been here with her the whole time?

"Hey, I'm going to run in and grab Connor what he's looking for and I'll be right back out," she says as she enters the RV.

Is this a repeat of the wedding? Is she using Nash to get to me, to make me make a move, or is this her new guy? The guy that fits, the guy that takes her on dates and holds her hand without pause. Fuck that, I'm not going to lose her again. At least not like that. If she's done, I want her to say the words. I need her to say the words. I pick up my pace and follow her inside. The door closes a little harder than I anticipated as I enter, and it startles her as she digs under the sink in the kitchenette.

"How come you didn't tell me about this place?"

She continues her search under the sink, unfazed. "Probably for the same reasons you choose not to tell me things."

"What does that mean? What haven't I told you?"

"Found it," she says, as she pulls out a grill basket, and the towel she wrapped around her waist slips, revealing yet another thong bikini. Fucking hell. She starts toward me with the grill basket, but I don't move from my spot at the door. "Everett," she draws out my name dolefully.

"We need to talk."

"I know that, but now's not the time." She takes a step toward me. "If you'll excuse me, I need to give Connor the grill and see Nash out."

When she takes another step to try to exit, I throw my arm out. The feel of her soft skin against my heated flesh instantly sends a shiver down my spine, and the way her eyes soften when they find mine tells me she's just as affected. Two days have felt like a lifetime. "Has he been sleeping here?"

"No," she answers softly before clearing her throat and looking away. "He's working with his cousin for the summer. Atsbury Construction is one of the contractors Mackenzie hired. He's been out here clearing trees with the crew."

Relief instantly floods my body, and I take the basket out of her hand. "This isn't a grill. It's a grill basket."

She rolls her eyes. "I know it's not a grill. I couldn't think of its name."

"I'll let Nash know you'll be out after you get dressed."

She stubbornly crosses her arms, pushing her perky tits together in the process, as she considers my words. Cameron knows how I feel about her prancing around in swimsuits that are basically underwear. The question is, does she still care?

"Fine," she huffs as she turns on her heel toward the room at the far end.

Still mine. Now, I just need to ensure it stays that way.

"So I guess this house means you plan on sticking around after graduation?" Connor asks as he sips his beer.

"Yeah, I've always felt close to my dad here, and it doesn't hurt that my best friend lives nearby," Cameron says as she clinks glasses with Mackenzie on the other side of the bonfire we're all sitting around.

Before taking a sip, Mackenzie says, "I was thinking maybe we could do something special at the groundbreaking to commemorate Damon. People do stuff like that all the time. Sometimes they'll take something of meaning and put it in the foundation, or we could plant a tree, oh and there's?—"

"Speaking of trees, while the crew was clearing, they found a tree down by the lake with carvings." She turns and looks over her shoulder. "It's obviously too dark now, but I'll have to show you guys tomorrow. It must have been from high school or something. It's my dad's initials with his sweetheart's." Her eyes flash up to mine. "Maybe you'll know who she was when you see them." Something about the way her eyes stay locked on mine feels more like accusation than genuine curiosity.

Mackenzie stands up and yawns with a stretch. "Hey, want to help me figure out that sofa bed? I'm an hour ahead of you and have an eight a.m. video call I can't miss."

I hadn't even considered that we would all be sleeping here. I assumed we'd drive back home, but I'm also not mad about staying. Even if I have to sleep on the recliner, it will be better than what I've endured the past two nights. Knowing she's in the same space as me once again, I'm bound to get an hour or two.

Connor is out of his seat before Mackenzie can even take a step. "My dad and I can figure out the bed."

She pats his chest. "We got it. You guys can clean up here so we don't attract bears."

"Bears?" he parrots sardonically.

"Yeah, bears. They're making a comeback in the area, and you have yet to burn the food trash," she says before collecting her drink.

"You forgot to mention we'd be sleeping here," I tell Connor as soon as the girls are inside the RV.

"I can't say I love it when I have a perfectly comfortable bed a few miles away, but Mackenzie is meeting with some of the contractors here tomorrow." He crunches an empty can and tosses it at me. "Come on, old man. Help me clean up. We should try to get some sleep. We got games to win tomorrow."

I've been wide awake for at least two hours. This recliner is ridiculously uncomfortable, and all I can think about is the girl sleeping just feet away from me. All I've wanted to do is talk since we got here. I look back at the curtain dividing her room from the rest of the RV for what feels like the millionth time. She bought a top-of-the-line RV, but it's one of the new open-concept ones, so there's no door, just some thick, farmhouse-style curtain. Fuck it. I'm going back there. Connor's been lightly snoring for the past twenty minutes, and if Cameron's felt an ounce of the ache I have since she left me, I know she's not asleep.

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