Page 2 of Brides and Brothers
Chapter 2
Camille
Camille Kelly picked up afrying pan and dumped the cooled grease into the garbage. “Gross,” she mumbled. If it weren’t for her last-minute decision to move to Cherish, Montana, she would be living with her sister, Amy, and Camille’s best friend, Daisha, in apartment 206 next door. To make her even more jealous, their other roommates—a sister duo, Macey and Raina, and their friends Emma and Sage—were all equally fun and sweet. If only all the beds hadn’t filled before Camille had even signed her teacher contract. Now she was stuck living with five—yes, five—irresponsible freshmen. Her roommates either had never been taught to clean or were declaring their independence from their parents through their housekeeping rebellion.
It wasn’t her job to pick up after them, but clean dishes were a necessary part of cooking—one of her passions. None of it mattered, though, since she’d be homeless by the end of the semester. Professors couldn’t live in student housing after they turned twenty-seven. She’d been on the phone half the day fighting her case. Over and over she’d heard the frustrating response: “Housing shortage.”
Just her luck.
Where was she supposed to go? There was literally nowhere else to live in the small town unless she freeloaded in a basement apartment with a bunch of druggies or convinced the local nursing home to rent out a bed. The neighboring towns were even smaller in size and too spread out. And on the small chance she could find a place there, she’d be isolated from Daisha and Amy. Since she was working remotely, she could go live with her aunt in Michigan, but she’d much rather stay near her sister and swap dating stories with her friends than her aunt.
Camille pushed the button to start the dishwasher and looked down long enough to notice the ugly grease had splattered across her favorite blouse. She took a deep breath and counted to ten. Her long day was just getting longer.
After leaving the kitchen with her temper barely in check, she slumped down on the couch in the small living room. She pulled her laptop off the coffee table to google how to get grease out of fabric. She hit the power button, and after several minutes of waiting, she realized her evening was about to get worse. Her home screen refused to load.
Great.She restarted the computer twice and even messed with the battery before giving up. Not only was she out a shirt but she was also going to fall behind in her online classes. She shut her laptop and pushed it aside. She needed this teaching job, but nothing seemed to be going smoothly here. Maybe moving to Cherish had been a big mistake. It had felt right in the moment, but now she was second-guessing herself.
She went to her room and changed into a T-shirt before abandoning her apartment, taking her stained blouse with her, to visit Daisha and Amy. They lived just close enough for Camille to be tortured with jealousy. Not bothering to knock, she walked right in. She tossed her blouse onto the counter and opened the freezer to pull out the ice cream.
Daisha waltzed around the corner with one hand on her hip. “Hey, do you live here?”
“I wish,” Camille said bitterly. “But I should be more grateful for my place since my birthday is at the end of January, and then goodbye bed, shower, and roof.”
Daisha wrinkled her tawny-beige skin with her scowl. “Does this mean more of your stuff is going to end up here? I know we’re best friends, but you’re hogging the freezer space with your ice cream.”
“I’m hiding it here. From myself.” Camille savored the ice cream before swallowing. “Mm, Chocolate Fudge Brownie Chunks always does the trick.” She licked the spoon twice before digging back into the carton for more.
“Rough day, huh?”
“Please tell me you know how to get this out.” She pushed her blouse toward her friend.
Rubbing her finger over the stain, Daisha asked, “Grease?”
“Unfortunately.” Camille took a seat on the counter and waited for Daisha’s verdict.
“It might be there to stay.”
Growling, Camille dug back into the ice cream, searching for the biggest chunk of brownie. “I’ll try dish soap or something. It’s fine.”
“Let me guess: there’s more than just your shirt bugging you.” Daisha folded her arms and leaned against the counter.
“Tonight’s one of those times when everything compounds like life is out to get you,” Camille said. “I need a boyfriend so I can go cry on his shoulder.”
“You don’t need a man to be happy. Things will get better.” Daisha gave her a commiserative smile. “When you didn’t get into the doctorate program this summer, I was impressed with how positive you were about changing gears and teaching instead. Your life has taken a different route than you planned, but it doesn’t mean you’re going the wrong direction. Think of it as a temporary speed bump until you can reapply for next fall. Ride it out, Sister.”
“Thanks for the pep talk.” Camille appreciated Daisha’s positive spin. Her own career was contingent on more schooling, but she’d seen this setback as an opportunity to be in the singles’ scene again at her alma mater, hoping for one last chance to find her dreamboat. With her luck, he had probably sailed by and was somewhere on the high seas, far, far away from Cherish. The proof to her theory was evident in the age range of decent, single males in the area. The small four-year college was filled with a primarily young student body. She didn’t have to go to campus to know there wouldn’t be many men old enough for her to feel comfortable looking at twice.
Camille tried to push away her discouraging thoughts. “When I finished my master’s, my head was on straight. I came back here, and my confidence froze before the weather even had a chance to change. But I’m going to keep pushing forward like you said.”
“Can I put the ice cream away, then?” Daisha made a face and attempted to pry the half-empty gallon from Camille’s fierce grip.
“No!” Camille batted at her hand. “I need it to help me cope with my computer problems. It’s the worst timing ever. Do you know anyone who could fix my laptop before tomorrow morning?”
Daisha frowned. “Uh, it’s already six. I doubt it.”
“I know someone!” a voice screeched from one of the back bedrooms.
“Hallelujah!” Camille said without budging, then yelled, “Amy, you’re a lifesaver!”
