Page 67 of See You Again

Brady spit out his mouth guard and bent over, wheezing. “Damn! That’s a lot of pent-up aggression. Aren’t you getting laid on the regular now?”

James removed his own mouth guard and stood back, waiting for Brady to catch his breath. His friend straightened and used his glove to push sweaty, dark hair off his forehead. “You should be in a better mood. Trouble in paradise?” he asked when James scowled. “You looked cozy in those pictures she posted.”

He knew Cami would post some of the selfies they’d taken on their date, but he hadn’t anticipated the flurry of attention it would draw. He’d been dodging calls from his sister and mother for over twenty-four hours. James knew he’d have to face them soon. His mood soured further. He didn’t like the idea of deceiving either one of them.

Luke had come into his office the morning after their date, performing a slow clap. James had risen from his desk, planted a palm in his brother’s chest, propelling him back out of his office before slamming the door in his face, with a succinct “Fuck off.”

“Luke says you’ve been into this girl since college.” Brady leaned on the ropes and began taking off his gloves. “That she’s the one who got away.”

James stared hard at Brady, who held his gloves up. “Don’t shoot the messenger. I’m just telling you what he said.” Brady tugged at the Velcro of his glove before looking up and catching James’s eyes. “I remember her, too, by the way. She was the reason you were pretty much MIA senior year. As I recall, she was a nice girl. For as much as you kept her away from us.”

“Are you done?” James didn’t want to talk about this, even if Brady was one of his oldest friends.

Brady lifted his chin at the clock hanging on the wall of the gym. “She should be here any minute.”

James peeled off his gloves. “If you’re worn out, you should have just said so. I’ll take it easy on you next time.”

“You wish.” Brady grabbed a pair of towels hanging on the corner post and tossed one to James. “Seriously though. I looked her up.” He lifted a challenging brow when James clenched his jaw.

“You’re my friend, and I’m an investigator. It’s what I do. As soon as I saw the picture, it all came back to me. She hasn’t changed much. The two of you dated all senior year. I never found out what happened, though. You joined the Navy and disappeared for a few years.”

“We never dated.” James ran the towel roughly over his chest.

“That’s not what I remember. The two of you did everything together.”

“We were just friends.”

Brady let out a bark of laughter. “If you tell me you never fu?—”

James shot him a death glare, and Brady’s mouth snapped shut, his lips rolling in to hide a smile, his eyes gleaming. “Well, everything I’ve found seems like she’s still a nice girl, so I hope it works out for the two of you. I can’t think of the last time you had a girlfriend.”

James ignored his friend, running the towel over his sweaty hair. He didn’t need Brady to tell him that Cami was a nice girl.

“Luke was kind of vague when I asked him. How did you two get together again?”

“Ran into her at a bar.”

“I listened to her podcast. It’s really good. Normally, I hate when amateurs play Nancy Drew. But she and her partner are fair without all the overdramatized shit you normally get.”

“I might need your help with her case. Without her knowing.”

Brady shook his head as he ducked under the ropes. “Nope. Not without her say so. Your brother tricked me into that once already. If she asks for help, I’ll think about it, but I’m pretty full at the moment.” Brady gave an exaggerated sniff. “Better hit the showers, lover boy. You stink.”

James gave his friend the middle finger but followed his advice, taking the quickest shower of his life, knowing that Cami could arrive at any minute. When he exited the locker room, he was greeted by the sight of Brady talking to Cami dressed in leggings and a sports bra that put all her curves on display. Didn’t she own any other workout gear?

A sharp flare of something primal raced through him. James clenched his fist when Brady tipped his head toward Cami to say something, and she responded by throwing her head back with delighted laughter, the end of her ponytail grazing her lower back. Brady glanced up, and seeing James glowering, grinned even wider as if he knew about the jealous possessiveness coursing through him.

“There’s your guy,” Brady said, and Cami’s eyes swung to him, her smile widening. Her eyes brightened, and she gave him a less than subtle once over.

“Lock up for me?” Brady slung his duffel bag over his shoulder. “It was nice seeing you again, Cami. I’m sure I’ll be seeing you around.”

“I hope so!”

James didn’t think she needed to sound quite so enthusiastic.

Cami watched with a confused expression on her face as the door closed behind Brady before her gaze returned to James. “I didn’t even recognize him at first. I haven’t seen him since we graduated.”

She scanned the empty space. “Where is everybody? I thought there was a class?”

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