Page 52 of Just Like This
Chapter Twenty-One
Garrett
For the rest of theday, Cami was unusually quiet. We returned to the guest house, and when I told her to pack an overnight bag, she didn’t bat an eye. She just did it. Something was bothering her, but I wasn’t going to pressure her into talking, not until she was calm enough to talk without exploding into anger. As we drove to Palmer’s for one last dinner, I hoped that maybe she would open up.
When we arrived, Palmer greeted us with a concerned expression. He knew about Alicia Sorenson’s return. He wrapped Cami in a tight, lingering hug that ordinarily might have set off my inner caveman, but she needed her best friend more than she needed me to be an asshole. Cami walked past us and into the kitchen where she immediately took over. The kitchen was where she found comfort.
“She’s not okay,” Palmer said as we stood in the foyer.
“Nope.” We both watched as Tim Grayson walked into the kitchen and greeted Cami with a warm hug which she didn’t seem to reciprocate. She stood there stiffly until Tim’s arms fell away. Then she stared blankly at the countertop until Lucinda Grayson appeared, distracting her from the pain in her heart with dinner plans.
“Has she been like this all day?” Palmer asked, coming to stand beside me as we watched the two women examine a recipe.
I shook my head. “No. We had a pretty good morning after she calmed down. She’s been like this since we left the hospital.”
“Do you want me to try to talk to her tonight?”
“Sure. But don’t press her too hard, okay?”
When we walked into the kitchen, Cami’s attention was on Jackson. Her face and body were relaxed, and there was a smile on her face. Seeing her laid back and happy like that made me very happy too. She was taking the time to get to know him more by asking him about what he liked to eat. Because Jackson had been a foster kid, he hadn’t grown up enjoying fresh-baked goodies, and now they were one of his vices. I shook my head at their silly but endearing conversation as she tried to teach Jackson how to make brownies from scratch.
“But why can’t I just use the box?” Jackson griped, holding up a box of brownie mix. Cami took it from him and threw it in the trash.
“Jackson, do you want brownies or not?” she demanded.
“Yes,” he answered.
“And are they your favorite dessert?”
“Yes.”
“Then don’t eat that boxed shit ever again.” She efficiently gathered all of the ingredients and arranged them on the counter, then walked Jackson through each step of making the batter. It was sweet to watch her instruct and praise him whenever he did something correctly because he soaked up her encouragement. She wasn’t shy about taking his hand and showing him how to perform each step, and he seemed eager to learn everything she had to offer. As they poured the batter into two pans, she looked up and asked him with expectant eyes, “Wasn’t that fun?”
“Yes, but a box would have been quicker,” Jackson replied teasingly. I stepped in and held back my fiery beauty before she stabbed him with something sharp.
“Whoa there, tiger,” I said with a kiss to the side of her head. “I know those are fighting words to you, but he doesn’t know any better.”
Cami flicked her spatula, still full of gooey, chocolatey batter, in Jackson’s direction. He laughed as he swiped at splashes of batter on his face with a paper towel. “That’s what you get for eating box brownies.”
Seeing Cami start to come around and be present at the moment put me at ease, but it was short-lived. Once we sat down for dinner, she was back inside her head. I had no idea what kept her mind so occupied, but selfishly, I hoped that it wouldn’t distract from our last night together. I wanted all of her—body, heart, and mind—tonight.
My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I took it out to look at the caller. Oliver. He was returning my call from earlier. I quickly excused myself from the dinner table and stepped out onto the back deck.
“Hey, Ollie. Thanks for calling me back,” I greeted him.
“No problem. Glad I get the chance to talk to you before you deploy again.”
“This is it, my last tour. Next year, we’ll be producing wine together.”
“I’m looking forward to it, Garrett.” I could hear the smile in his voice, and I knew I was doing the right thing by finally agreeing to help run the winery.
“I need to ask you to do me a huge favor, Oliver.”
“Sure, Garrett. What is it?”
“I’m in love,” I said on an exhale of breath. “She’s it. She’s the one I’ve been waiting my entire life to find.”
“Whoa. Shouldn’t you be telling her this and not me?”
