Page 76 of Red Hot Harmony

And here I was, on the doorstep of her small, cute, welcoming house. Listening for sounds inside.

Silence and crickets were my only company as seconds ticked by.

I pressed the button again. Once, twice. Readied myself to bang on the window. I knew the layout of the property like the back of my hand. I knew where her bedroom was and I knew I could easily climb around back if I really wanted.

Yep, I was thinking about committing a misdemeanor if she refused to hear me out.

I was a fucking hopeless junkie who’d changed one addiction for another.

Finally, a soft shuffle came from the depths of the house, followed by a spill of light from the window.

I balled my fingers into a fist and knocked.

The noises stopped and for the briefest moment, I thought she’d changed her mind, but then the lock clicked and the door slowly creaked open.

Camille’s tired face emerged from the shadows. She stared at me solemnly through the thick fringe of her lashes, chin up.

Tongue-tied and guilty, I stared right back. My heart crumbled. The lack of words told me she expected an explanation, and I legitimately had one, but my brain decided to take a break.

“Do you know what time it is?” Camille finally asked in a clipped tone, still hiding behind the door.

All I saw was a long strip of thin fabric covering her body and it occurred to me that while I knew a whole lot of things about her life, I didn’t know what she wore in bed. The only two times we’d spend together, we were fully clothed and fully unclothed.

“I’m sorry if I woke you two up,” I muttered, my mind starting to catch up.

“Ally’s not here. She’s at Harper’s.”

“Is everything okay?”

Silence.

I took a step forward, closing the distance between my body and the door. The faint smell of jasmine, sugar, and some other scents that were undeniably Camille Rockwell broke through the acrid stench of the fires and tickled my nose.

“Mama,” I began. “I’m sorry. I know you’re upset, but I promise I have a good reason. I didn’t just—”

“Are you seriously asking me right now if everything is okay, Dante?” There was a flicker of something volatile in her eyes as she pulled the door open another inch, revealing her bare shoulder and a spaghetti strap on her skin. She was wearing a loose satin nightgown, but the light that streamed from the corridor made it impossible for the fabric to hide her curves.

“No, I’m asking you to not shut me out,” I said, moving closer. My hand went for her cheek, but she swatted it away.

“You can’t just make a fool out of me in front of several hundred people and expect me to forgive you.”

“It’s not what you think.” Fuck. That was the lamest thing to ever come out of my mouth.

“My entire family witnessed me getting stood up,” she went on. “My daughter got into a fight in front of all my relatives and then I found out she got a tattoo without my permission. And you weren’t there. You promised, but you weren’t.”

“I was at the hospital with Malik. He ODed. I lost my phone when the paramedics arrived. I’m sorry. I called Eden from the ER and asked her to get a hold of you. I know what this event meant to—”

“Is he okay?” There was a small change in her gaze. It softened a bit.

“He will be.”

Another pause.

“Please forgive me,” I started.

“I’m sorry your friend is in the hospital.” Camille’s voice took on an edge again. I felt her closing up, cutting me off. “I really hope he’ll get better and I don’t think I could ever imagine what you’ve gone through, but I’m still upset. I can’t just shake it off. All that shame and all that disappointment. It was a disaster.”

“And I didn’t wake up with a plan to ruin your day.”

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