Page 35 of Savage Spades

“Uh…did, we?”

He shook his head. “No, despite you begging for it.” He wiggled his eyebrows at her.

“Oh my god, tell me I didn’t.”

He laughed. “You did, and you pouted when I told you no.”

She ran a hand over her face as her cheeks heated up with embarrassment. She only had bit and pieces of memories from last night, but she definitely didn’t remember trying to get Kit to have sex with her.

“We went swimming?” she asked, feeling her damp hair.

“Kind of…more like skinny dipping.”

She couldn’t believe she did that. “How much did I drink?!”

He laughed. “Enough to get wasted.” He got out of his sleeping bag, and she was relieved to see he had on a pair of sweatpants. He grabbed her bag from the corner and handed it to her before putting on a t-shirt. “I think everyone already ate breakfast, but I’ll try to find us some food.”

He unzipped the tent and left, giving her some privacy. What she needed was a warm shower and a hairdryer. She slipped on the swimsuit she’d packed and threw a sundress over it. She attempted to brush through her tangled hair before giving up and throwing it in a bun. Once she looked decent enough, she left the tent.

There were a couple of big picnic tables set up where people were sitting. A handful of kids ran around the large campsite playing tag. She didn’t remember seeing any kids last night, so they must have already been asleep. The fire was out, but people still sat around in the plastic chairs talking. She spotted Jen sitting at one of the picnic tables with a plastic coffee cup in her hand. Cam crossed the campsite and sat down next to her.

“Oh, hey sleepyhead,” Jen said, and laughed.

“I need a soda.”

Jen chuckled. “I think Kit just left to get you guys some food. Gunner’s wife made breakfast this morning, but these men eat so much, it was gone fast. So, spill what happened last night.”

Cam groaned. “I’d tell you if I remembered. I have no idea. Kit said we went skinny dipping--”

“Oh my god! I knew you were into him!”

“Shh,” Cam said, looking around to make sure no one could hear Jen’s outburst. “I didn’t say I like him… I was drunk.”

“Yeah, okay. Don’t try to use that excuse on me. Drunk Cam is Honest Cam, and you have a thing for Kit--admit it.”

“Fine, maybe I think he’s hot...like really hot.” She thought about his naked chest this morning and the tattoos that went all the way down his left arm. No wonder she tried to have sex with him in her drunken state. But it wasn’t just about his looks. His sense of humor drove her crazy at first, but now she liked that cocky grin that spread across his face before he told a joke. What he told her about his dad and his sister on the drive over was heartbreaking, but he still gave his sister a place to live. He was paying for an apartment he didn’t even live in. He had a big heart behind all that joking and arrogance.

“See, I knew it. You try so hard to make excuses for why you can’t have a relationship but you know what I think it is? I think you’re scared.”

“Scared of what?”

“Scared of actually trusting someone to help you. You’re scared that the moment you start to lean on someone for support, they’ll vanish.”

Jen’s words were like a knife to her chest. Was that true? Was she terrified to let Kit be a partner in her life? She thought about her strained relationship with her mom. Her mom was never someone she could rely on. Then, when she’d moved to Goldbeach, she’d had an actual parent for a little while. Her dad had been an amazing man. When he was alive, she had a place to stay, and she could help out at the bar when she wanted extra cash. All she had to worry about was finishing her degree. Everything changed once he got sick. In a matter of months, she was back to struggling to take care of herself.

An older woman sat down at the end of the picnic table. “I am ready to get out of here and get in the shower,” the woman said.

“Ditto,” Jen replied.

The woman smiled at them. It was a comforting smile that reminded her of a grandmother. There was something warm about her presence that put Cam at ease.

“Are you Kit’s Old Lady?” the woman asked.

“Yes, she is,” Jen replied with a fat grin on her face.

Cam shot Jen a glare. “I’m Cam. I run the bar.”

“Nice to meet you, Cam, I’m Lily, Gunner’s wife. Sorry for assuming. I just got excited when I heard Kit was bringing someone this year.”

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