Page 71 of Slots & Sticks
“He’ll be fine,” Camden says.
I shake my head. “You can’t promise that. Mom was fine, until she wasn’t. I could crash on the drive home, and then what?”
He rubs my back in slow, looping circles. “I could drive, if you want. I know that doesn’t solve the problem, but if it would help—”
“I’m good,” I blurt. Wasn’t I just telling myself that I depend on him too much? “I want a chance to talk to him. See how he’s doing about Mom and everything.”
Camden nods. What I don’t say is that things are about to change for me in a big way. It was great to have Camden around while I was here alone, but I’m going to be taking care of Dad now, and I can’t afford to be distracted. Plus, Dad will be here, and I’m not going to bang my… to bang Camden in the house where my ailing father is grieving the love of his life.
“Dot?” somebody calls. “Where do you want this dresser?”
“Gotta go,” I tell Camden. “The rental bed will be here any minute.”
There are way too many giant guys for this space, but Camden has a plan. I direct Viktor, Lenyx, Bowen, Adler, Owen, and Tristan; Camden taps Knight for a shopping trip; the rest of the guys, some of whom I only know by sight, are given the task of “general cleanup.”
“Way to leave the work to us, Beck,” Viktor grumbles.
Camden winks and aims finger-guns at him. “You were the one worried about your waistline. Think of this as a dynamic workout.”
“And let me guess. Shopping is a dynamic workout, too?” Viktor crosses his arms over his chest.
“Shopping requires planning. I have an idea of what Dot needs.”
Viktor’s eyes dart toward me for a moment, then to Knight. “And you need an assistant…?”
Knight shrugs. “I’m the only one with an Executive Costco membership.”
Bowen gives a theatrical cough. “Hey, Viktor, you’re blocking the doorway. As team captain, shouldn’t you be helping out more?”
“Insubordination!” Viktor bawls.
A scuffle ensues. Camden winks at me as he and Knight make their great escape. Great. He brought these clowns, and now they’re my problem.
Once the guys settle down a little, though, things go pretty smoothly. I wonder if Camden took Knight along for another reason. He and Viktor always end up clowning around and one-upping each other. There’s plenty of teasing and taunting between the rest of them, but it’s not enough to distract from the task at hand.
By the time Camden and Knight return with supplies, the bedroom has been rearranged, all the bathrooms have been cleaned, the backyard has been poop-scooped, and Adler is going to town on the washer and dryer.
“You don’t need to do that,” I tell him.
“Dryer lint can cause fires,” he informs me with a grim shake of his head. “You can’t be too careful.”
He’s so calm, kind, and helpful, sometimes I forget he’s the son of Latham Newberry.
“Hey, guys!” Knight calls from the front door. “Food’s here! Can we get a little help?”
It takes five of them to carry everything in. Camden didn’t just get things for me and Dad; he brought four pizzas, chips, and an ungodly number of Costco hot dogs. He even brought paper plates and paper cups for easy cleanup.
“Anything else you need us to do?” Knight asks, while the rest of the guys go to town on the hot dogs.
I look around, then shake my head. “I don’t think there’s anything else you can do. This is amazing.”
“We’ll clean up our trash before we go,” Camden promises. “I’ll make sure it gets taken out before we leave.”
This is what love looks like. Not the loud kind, not the movie kind. It’s a Costco hot dog and a mountain of paper towels and a room full of guys who will answer his call because he askedthem to. It’s planning for everything I forgot. Picking up all my dropped threads.
“Thanks.” I place one hand on the case of Ensure he bought. In addition to a ton of fresh food, he thought to pick up things like this. Paper towels, bath tissue, detergent, and dog food rest on the kitchen island.
I don’t deserve him.
