Page 57 of Two Tickets to Paradise

She shook her head, a short definitive movement. "All of our guests have a right to privacy."

Cameron's hands clenched at his sides. "He's with my sister."

Marikit looked askance at him. "Your sister isn't here, Axl."

"I know that. She's at my house. What I meant is that she's dating Vince and I..." He bit into the inside of his cheek. "I think I made a big fucking mess out of things today."

The look on her face said that she agreed with him.

"So, I'm here to talk to him."

Her eyes widened slightly. "You're here to apologize."

He grimaced at her words. "I wouldn't go that far."

She dropped her delicate chin down and she looked up at him over an invisible pair of glasses. "Then you won't get to talk to my guest."

Cameron drew in a breath that filled his lungs to the top.

"Look, tomorrow is Thanksgiving-"

She gave him a look that said he wasn't exactly telling her something she didn't already know.

"And I want to ask Vince to come to the bowling alley and eat with the rest of us."

She gave him a sidelong glance. "You plan to ask him to come to Thanksgiving, but you're not planning to apologize to him first?" She shook her head. "I don't know. If you were to ask me, I'd say that was a complete miss."

Cameron huffed out a breath. "I'm trying."

A smile touched her lips and then she tried to smother it.

"What?" He narrowed his eyes at her. "What's in your head?"

She rolled her eyes, but instead of looking snarky or rude, Marikit had a way of looking elegant and graceful at every damn moment. "The things that are in my head would set you straight, but I told Buck I wouldn't be too mean to you."

Cameron swallowed.

She was likely an inch or two taller than Maile, but while Maile had no qualms about taking him down in her feisty way, Marikit had a kind of zen-like confidence that was like a wall twice as tall as she was.

"If you'd like," she looked over at a pair of couches in the lobby with a large wooden coffee table between them, "I can call Vince and ask him if he'd like to come down to the lobby and talk to you."

He opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off.

"At least here there is lots of light and a couple of security cameras to keep things on the level."

Cameron felt his face heat up. "I'm not going to hit him."

Again, she looked at him and he felt a little like a kid. It was really hard to be a raging bull when she was standing there taking him down a notch with just a knowing look.

He put his hands up in surrender and then gestured at one of the couches. "So, can I sit down?"

Marikit looked like she was about to burst out laughing. "When I asked my mother that, she would always reply. 'Can you?'" Her expression changed to an almost wistful smile. "Go ahead, have a seat. I'll go get Vince."

Cameron walked over to the couch and sat down gently. He wasn't the smallest guy, and the couch looked like it was from some kind of vintage shop. The rattan arms and brightly printed tropical fabric upholstery was nice to look at, but he was always wary that he'd break things that were older than he was.

He let out a breath and moved his hand over the cushion next to him. He had a lot to think about before he went home again.

Dinner had been excruciating for him. It was hard enough that Cora was treating him like he was invisible.

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