Page 87 of Perfect Imperfections

Her friend knew what her panic attacks looked like, having witnessed several over the years. Most people freaked out or didn’t understand and thought she was being rude when she froze up like that, but not Cam. At least if her relationship with Sullivan crashed and burned, she’d always have Cam. She did not deserve such a wonderful friend, but she wasn’t giving her up either.

“No. Really, I’m fine now.”

Blue eyes narrowed, but after a minute of searching her face for any sign of deception, Cam nodded and released her. “Okay, so no psychologist call, but do I need to call a certain PCP and chew his ass out for breaking my bestie’s heart?”

“He didn’t break my heart.” Not yet anyway. “He just got some bad news over the weekend. I guess it’s affecting me, too.”

“Oh, sweetie.”

Her friend opened her arms wide, and she wasn’t too proud to step into her embrace and accept the hug she so desperately needed.

“I’m sorry,” Cam said, pulling away. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

“I don’t think so.” Considering he wouldn’t even let Ellie help she doubted Sullivan would welcome anyone else’s. “He just needs time and space.”

“Ugh! Men and their macho attitudes. It wouldn’t kill them to cry on someone’s shoulder every now and then or lean on someone else. But do they? No, because society brainwashes them from birth to be ‘strong.’ Ha!” Cam pointed a finger. “Show me one person who doesn’t feel better after a good hard cry, and I’ll show you the fountain of youth.”

Anxiously wanting to change the subject, she spouted off the first thing that came to mind.

“So why do you hate Gavin?”

Cam’s brow rose. “Hate Gavin? Why would you think I hate Gavin?”

She shrugged, getting the last of the mess off the tree branch and making her way out of the enclosure with Cam following. “You two are always fighting whenever you’re together.”

Her friend barked out a laugh. “Oh, sweetie, that’s not fighting. That’s verbal foreplay.”

“Huh?”

Cam bent down to the large cage where Bert and Ernie—the two tawny mouths from the exhibit—were happily resting. She opened the cage, reaching in to grab Bert, who opened one bright yellow eye and snapped at her hand in irritation at being disturbed.

“We do this every week, big guy. Do you want your home to smell like poop and rotten grasshoppers?”

“We really need to stop feeding those to them.” Ellie mused as she put the rest of the cleaning supplies in the bucket by her feet. “They prefer beetles.”

“Rob said the last beetle supply made them sick, so he wants us to hold off for a month. Sorry, guys.”

She watched as Cam slipped a big fat earthworm out of her front pocket and held it out to the bird. Bert tipped his beak, pecking at the gift before opening and swallowing the thing whole quicker than a blink. After devouring the peace offering the cranky bird was much more acquiescent to being jostled from his slumber.

“Why did you have a worm in your pocket?”

Her friend glanced at her in disbelief. “Oh, like you don’t have a sardine for Bingo hidden in your bra.”

She didn’t. It was in her shirt pocket. As if she could hold anything in her bra. She didn’t even need the thing to hold her boobs. Sullivan didn’t seem to mind the size of her breasts. In fact, the man commented on their perfection repeatedly. He had, that is. Would he ever do so again?

Her thoughts turned morose thinking of Sullivan and their whole situation once again, so she focused on what Cam had said a few moments ago.

“What do you mean, verbal foreplay?”

Cam—who had safely deposited Bert on a high branch and was now moving Ernie, who wouldn’t wake even if the building were coming down around him—gave her a sassy wink.

“It means Gavin Green thinks he’s the universe's gift to women and I enjoy taking him down a peg or two. The man needs it.”

Really? She’d always thought Gavin was very nice.

“So insulting each other is…sexy?”

Cam placed Ernie up next to Bert, standing on her toes to reach the branch. Ellie would have had to use a ladder. That’s why she cleaned this exhibit, and Cam handled the animal removal and replacement. Dragging a ladder everywhere was cumbersome and annoying. But her height worked to her advantage in other ways. Like how she fit perfectly into the crook of Sullivan’s arm as they fell asleep.

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