Page 25 of Southie
“I’m not.” I stammered over my words a little and cleared my throat. “I’m not too busy to drive you wherever you need to go. It’s no problem.”
Her eyes widened, and I grinned from ear to ear.
Damn. I could get used to looking at her every day.
“It would be my pleasure, Camilla.”
“I don’t want to inconvenience you. I’m just headed to campus, and it’s not too far for me to take the bus.”
“It’s not an inconvenience.”
Itwasan inconvenience because my meeting with Gerald this morning and the campus were in the opposite direction of where I needed to go, but I wouldn’t tell her that though because I wanted to learn more about her.
I pulled my focus away from Camilla back to my grandmother and kissed her forehead. “I’ll come by later to fix your meals for the weekend and make sure the fridge is stocked. I’ve got to go out of town tonight and won’t be back until tomorrow.”
“All right, son. Just be careful. Same time tomorrow, Camilla?”
My eyebrows drew together in concern at my grandmother’s question, and I made a mental note to check with the nurse to see how she was truly doing. The nurse hadn’t reported having any major concerns with her, but lately, she’d been forgetful and repeating the same things as she’d just done with Camilla.
I wasn’t sure if she was just lonely and making sure her friend returned, if it was something more, or if it was just me being apprehensive because she was older and alone often. An uncomfortable sensation in my gut surged when Camilla glanced at her with a pained look.
It was something more.
Camilla quickly masked it with joy. “Same time. Make sure you get enough to eat Mrs. Daugherty,” she warned with a soft smile. “You have my number. Call me if you need anything.”
“You sound like Liam. Don’t worry about me, honey. This old woman will make do. Have a wonderful day. Oh, and I want to see some pictures.”
“Sure thing,ifyou let me get a couple of shots of you?” She pointed at my grandmother.
My grandmother rolled her eyes. “I don’t understand why you want to take pictures of an old hag like me, but I guess if that’s the only way.”
Camilla smiled and winked at her. “I’ll bring my portfolio and my camera when I stop by tomorrow morning.”
After we said our goodbyes to my grandmother, I escorted Camilla the short distance to my truck in silence. She looked nervous when she accepted my offer, but I jumped at the chance to have her in my presence for a little while longer.
I did the gentlemanly thing and opened her door when we made it to the passenger side. She looked surprised at the gesture, and I laughed to myself. I might have been an asshole raised by two addicted pieces of shit, but Nana would cut my nuts off if I disrespected Camilla by not opening her door. I was sure she was looking through her blue lace curtains to make sure I’d done it.
After shutting the door, I glanced at my grandmother’s house. As I’d suspected, she was peering through her window.
I gave her a slight wave.
She responded with a wink and a thumbs up.
My grandmother was playing matchmaker. This time, I didn’t mind. From what I could see, Camilla Jennings was perfect.
I shook my head at my grandmother’s antics, made my way to the driver’s side, and got in. Camilla was anxious and I couldn’t blame her, but I still didn’t like it.
She twisted her hands in her lap and kept her eyes forward.
“You’re headed to campus, right?”
She nodded.
As I headed towards her school’s campus, I knew the drive wouldn’t take more than twenty minutes this time of day, but I wanted to know more about her.
Would that be a good thing?
That was the question I constantly asked myself since the meeting in her father’s office. It wouldn’t be a good thing, but something drew me to the woman who was sitting in my truck, scared I may hurt her.
