Page 37 of Until I Find You

Camilla tilts her head to the side.

“That’s the name. Keiki Coffee Company.” I add the other two words to the title.

A moment. A pause. “That’s what your mother calls you.”

Warmth spreads through my ribcage. “Yes.”

“That’s beautiful, Jack.” Camilla lifts her coffee cup. “To Keiki Coffee Company.”

I lift my mug and clink it with hers. “To us.”

Her smile dips in surprise, but only for a moment.

“Partners,” I clarify.

“Partners,” she echoes.

We drink without looking away from each other.

8

CAMILLA

I should have said no.I push an earring into my ear and stare at myself in the mirror. When Mari got home from work and saw how we’d barely moved since she left in the morning, she announced it was date night and wouldn’t take no for an answer.

Jack and I had been working all day on discussing our options with the four farms we saw in the previous two days, setting up a basecamp at the kitchen table. I admit, I was hoping for a change of scenery.

So, I said yes before Jack and I even consulted on it.

It wasn’t until we got back to our room that he showed how he truly felt.

“Are you crazy? This is going to make it all worse.”

I apologized, though I didn’t really feel sorry. He’s the one who put us in this position with his lying. For the most part, we’ve been getting away with it just fine.

Still, pretending doesn’t help the feelings in my chest.

There’s a knock on the bathroom door, and before I can tell Jack to come in, he says, “Your phone is ringing.”

“Oh, thanks.”

I push the door open, and Jack sticks his arm in before the door can swing too wide.

“I’m fully clothed, Jack.”

“Sorry, didn’t want to risk it.” He leans so he can peek through the door.

I take the phone and glance at the contact.

Dave PI.

“Thanks,” I say again before shutting the door on him hard.

I fumble to answer the call fast. There are so many questions of what Dave could be calling about. Last we spoke, it was another dead-end lead.

“Hello?”

“Hey, sweetheart, sorry to call when you’re working, but I’ve got a lead.”

---