Page 83 of Sweet on You
“Great, thanks,” Cam said.
Kandi tossed her bag over her shoulder and gave me a wave. “Thanks for kicking my butt today. Text me the details of the doctor’s appointment?”
I smiled at her. “I will. Same time next week for your training?”
Kandi grinned. “You’re the only person I’ll ever pay to make me miserable.” She winked and with a wave was gone.
“She’s nice,” Cam said.
“She thinks you’re hot,” Maddie said.
Cam’s eyes widened briefly. “She said that to you?”
“Well, she actually said that our whole family is good-looking,” I corrected Maddie, even though it was a technicality. There was a line somewhere in there, and Kandi making a comment about our family being attractive is very different from telling Cam’s daughter that she thinks her engaged dad is a DILF. “And trust me… she’s not after you. She likes Noah.”
Cam grunted and rolled his eyes. “Then why isn’t she befriending Callie? Anyone who knows us knows that I am not the way to Noah’s heart.”
I shrugged. “Dude, don’t ask me to dissect female human behavior.”
He lifted a brow. “Even though youarea female human?”
“Barely.” I snorted. Cam knew better than anyone how tomboyish I was.
His eyebrows creased and he reached out a hand placing the backs of his knuckles against my cheek. “Are you feeling okay? You look a little pale.”
I sighed. “I feel okay. My stomach’s a little off, but so was Kandi’s. I think there’s a bug going around.”
Cam nodded. “There is. Maddie was sick two days ago.”
“I barfeda lot,” she said.
“Need us to reschedule this cake thing?” Cam asked. “I can take Maddie to hang out at Mom’s place for the afternoon—”
I waved away his concern. “I feel fine mostly. We’ll be okay. And if I take a turn for the worse, I’ll call Mom to pick her up from Latte Da.”
Cam nodded and his gaze settled over my shoulder. “Hey—” he tapped the back of his hand against my arm. “Look at this place! It’s packed.”
I took a deep breath, surveying my gym. Cam was right. We were packed, and it was a Saturday… usually our least busy day as spring and summer rolled in. For months, this was the sort of crowd we’d see only on the evenings after work. “I started offering weekly memberships for vacationers,” I said. “Since the Maple Grove Inn doesn’t have a gym, they get a week’s access here if they buy a pass. They can purchase at the desk at the inn or here in the gym.”
Cam’s eyes widened. “That’s genius.”
I feigned superstardom and took a bow. When I opened my eyes, my brother was staring at me. “Seriously, Ronnie. You should be really proud of yourself. That was an incredible idea… and look at this place.”
My faux bravado faded and my heart warmed. “Thanks, Cam.”
“And thank you for doing this wedding cake thing with Maddie today. With Lydia in Boston this weekend… and I have two builds that are both behind schedule…”
“You don’t ever need to thank me for hanging out with this kid,” I said, tugging Maddie into a hug again.
Cam bent to kiss Maddie’s forehead, then giving me a kiss on the cheek, he slid a few sheets of paper—cutouts from a bridal magazine—across the table. These are some of the designs Lydia likes. Pretty simple. But the flavor is totally up to you and Maddie.”
He waved and ran out the door.
I stood and held out a hand to Maddie. “Ready to go get our cake on?”
“Oh, yeah,” Maddie said with a grin. “Just don’t barf it all up later. Waste of good cake, you know?”
