Page 6 of Perfect Matcha
Chapter Three
Camden had really steppedin it today. What the hell had he been thinking, offering to set Theo up with Hawke Howard of all people?
After a bit of back and forth, they’d decided that Theo would try some sex toys, helpfully curated by Camden. Once Theo was comfortable, or at least not a total newb, Camden would arrange a date for Theo and Hawke. The wedding wasn’t for two months. Plenty of time.
Camden fell back on his bed with a groan and placed his cell, speakerphone on, on his chest.
“You’re going towhat? Buy him a welcome-to-sex-toys gift basket, then play matchmaker between him and one of the nicest, coolest, hottest men in Laurelsburg?” Camden’s twin sister, Cassie, asked, not so much commiserating, but crowing about Camden’s hopelessness.
Camden had made a huge mistake sending her a link to Hawke’s Instagram. It was full of unintentional thirst traps. One of the nice things about Hawke was that he seemed to be unaware of his own appeal. Much like Theo, actually. They were perfect for each other.
Blech.
“Don’t forget successful. Or artistic. Or exciting,” Camden said.
“Ah yes. And hung … Probably.”
Camden laughed. “Yeah. Probably.”Definitely.
“You’re a glutton for punishment. You’re setting up the man you love with someone who is—”
“Waybetter for him than me, yes.” Camden scrubbed a hand over his face.
It wasn’t only that he was worried about ruining the most important relationship in his life. He was also a bit of a mess. It was an age-old story. Golden boy athlete turned frat boy who slept and partied his way through Greek row—sororities and fraternities—turned college dropout turned underemployed asshole. His life was just now getting on track, at thirty years old, but only because he’d been lucky enough to find two jobs with compatible schedules.
“Oh, fuck off, Camden. You’d be great for Theo.”
A heavy bass beat thumped through Camden’s floors, reminding him he lived in a trash-hole apartment building full of partying college kids.
“Theo has his shit together, sis. I do not.”
“Shit-having is relative. You say I have my shit together, but I got drunk and left my wallet and a whole-ass stiletto, onlyoneof them, in a hookup’s apartment last night. Having a steady job and a nice apartment does not make you less of a mess.”
“Did you get your stuff back?” Camden asked. He tried not to be the defensive older brother, mostly because Cassie had always been way better at life than him, but sometimes she made it hard to refrain.
“Yeah. She texted me this morning. We have a second date … in an hour.” Cassie laughed, and the sound made him smile. “You’d be good for Theo because you love him and understand him. You’ll be gentle with his heart.”
And there went Camden’s smile. His sister had no idea how her words hurt. “Hawke would be gentle too. He’s a good guy. One of the best. Plus, you know what happened between Freddie and Theo. What would I do if I lost Theo because I couldn’t keep my mushy emotions to myself? It would feel like losing everything in my life that’s worth having.”
“I hate that you don’t see yourself clearly. I get that it’s scary and that you might not want to risk losing Theo’s friendship, but for Christ’s sake, Camden, you don’t have to tear yourself apart by hand delivering him to a Prince Charming either.”
“I know,” he said. “I do, but I promised. I don’t want Theo to walk into that wedding alone. He deserves to walk in with his head held high and an amazing person on his arm. And that person cannot be me.”
“Fine.” Cassie sighed a sigh so reminiscent of their childhood that it made him miss her even more. “What are you going to put in the gift basket, then?”
“Just the normal stuff.”
“What’s normal?” she asked all faux naivety. She aimed to embarrass him. Typical sibling shit.
“I’m not having this conversation with you.”
“You sell sex toys, Camden. Surely you talk about them at work.”
“Yeah, but the customers aren’t my little sister.”
“Don’t call me little. You’re only older by twenty minutes.” She continued to razz him, and he took it because that was how their relationship worked. Eventually, she had to go so she wouldn’t be late for her date.
He missed his sister. She kept him grounded, but she lived in Philadelphia and worked as a flight attendant. They didn’t see each other as often as he would have liked. They’d grown up in a small town an hour away from Laurelsburg, and he’d settled into Laurelsburg with no desire to ever leave. Cassie, on the other hand, had the wanderlust bug. He’d been lucky to catch her on the phone tonight.
