Page 65 of My Brother's Forbidden Friend

She sighs again. No one ever wants to talk to me about my mom’s death or the fact that she wouldn’t have been on that ice had I not wandered off looking for my brothers. She’d be the one I’d be talking to right now. And I wouldn’t be scared of Cam and his intentions. I’d be excited. Everyone but Cam is under the belief that therapy fixed me. And it helped for sure, but there are some things I think you always carry with you, and this is one.

“Can I admit something to you?” she asks.

I nod.

“Matt healed me. I was still in mourning over your mom, fearful of getting close to someone and seeing them taken away again. Your mom was my best friend, my business partner, and I never wanted to trust another person with my heart after I lost her. But I did, and I’m so happy with Matt.”

“But you didn’t kill her.”

A strangled noise comes from deep in her throat. “Chevelle.” There are those sympathetic eyes again.

I shake my head. “It’s okay, I don’t… I mean, I’ll always have my what-ifs. But it’s not on a daily basis like when I was little.”

She sighs. “You like him though?” She doesn’t continue the conversation about my mom because she knows she’ll get nowhere there.

“Yeah. I’m not sure I’m ready yet though.”

“Then you give yourself some time. If he really likes you and wants something long term, then he needs to understand that you need time.”

The bell rings, and from the sound of the number of people, I know Zoe’s gotta go help them. She gives me a look to ask if I’m okay.

“I’m good. You go.” I wave her off.

She leaves me, and I sip my coffee. Her radio is playing the local station, and Nikki and Chip’s Scandals of Sunrise Bay is replaying from earlier this morning.

“I know everyone sees it, Chip,” Nikki says.

“I saw her helping him with the fish costume the other day,” Chip adds and I sit up straight in my chair. Was Nikki talking about me on her show? “He’s still staying at her place.”

“We’ve all seen them walking to work together, laughing and enjoying one another’s company, when before they used to be at each other’s throats. Was it all a facade?” Nikki flares up the dramatics.

“Playground crush?” Chip says.

“I did hear something this morning that I didn’t know if I should share here, but I’ve always promised my listeners the truth. There have only been a few times over the years when I didn’t report on something having to do with my family. I won’t talk about how Chevelle and Cameron got into the situation they’re in, but I do have something to share.”

Thank God she’s not going to talk about Derek. As the weeks have passed, I feel less and less shaken over what happened and grateful I was able to extricate myself from the situation so quickly, but I don’t want everyone talking about it.

“So what’s the gossip?” Chip asks as if he’s salivating.

“Cam might or might not have sat down with all the Greene brothers and asked for permission to date Chevelle.”

My eyes widen and my mouth hangs open. I look around the room, but it’s all tourists who don’t know that I’m the Chevelle my stepsister Nikki is talking about.

“Bye, Zoe.” I wave and dispose of my coffee on the tray she has by the trash can.

Everything I just said about Cam vanishes from my mind because he does not get to go ask permission from my brothers. I’m my own person.

Ugh, that man pisses me off.

* * *

I slam the front door and Cam peeks his head out from the kitchen. He’s wearing an apron and holding a wooden spoon.

I narrow my eyes. “Where do you get off involving my brothers in my business?”

He steps out of the kitchen. “I told you I had to ask their permission to date you.”

I throw my hands in the air. “There is no dating going on between us. I was clear. The sex was a mistake.”

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