Page 82 of Under My Skin

“I’m sorry Lia. I’ve been a crappy friend this summer. Listen, we’ve got two weeks before you go back to school. Let’s spend this time doing as much together as we can. Just the three of us, no guys or all the drama that comes with them. We can go dancing and out to dinner and shopping and have sleepovers. Take our minds off everything,” I enthusiastically offer, hoping they agree. It feels like we all need this.

“I thought you were moving to Chicago,” Lia points out, like she’s catching me in a lie.

“What? You are?” Ellie asks frantically.

“I mean, probably,” I respond quickly. “I don’t know yet. I’ll go out for a few days when my next project needs to be delivered and see if I like it.”

“I don’t know what’s going to happen between you and Cam, but I don’t think you’ll have as much free time as you think for us,” Ellie says. Her eyes go big as she looks over my shoulder at the door. “And you’re definitely not moving to Chicago. He’ll literally tie you to his bed to stop that from happening. Judging by the look on his face anyway.”

Shit.

I turn around and head to the door, opening it for Cameron and the girls. Addy and Mackenzie immediately wrap me up in hugs, and I can see that they’re holding the gifts I gave them yesterday.

“Thank you for the stuffed animals, Lizzie,” Addy screeches and then hugs me again.

“Thank you so much, Lizzie. It’s the nicest thing I’ve ever gotten,” Mackenzie tells me in a hushed tone.

I bend down and wrap my arms around her and keep my eyes closed because I can feel the knot in my throat telling me that the tears are coming.

“Please don’t leave us,” she whispers into my ear.

“Never,” I say without hesitation, squeezing her tighter.

“Dad says you’re mad at him but that he’s going to fix it. He even said he was dumb,” Addy adds in my other ear.

“Yes, he said that,” Mackenzie confirms.

I can’t stop myself from smiling. I can feel Cameron’s eyes on me, as well as Lia’s and Ellie’s, but I don’t dare look at any of them. This is my moment with the girls.

After another half minute, we separate, and I lead them to where their artwork is displayed. There areoohsandaahs, and I love seeing how proud they are of what they created. They both talk non-stop to their dad, explaining every piece they made in detail. Why they chose a certain color or did a certain thing to the clay.

Their excitement makes me smile and before I know it, more kids and their families are coming through the door and sharing in all the joy. I try to stay away from Cameron throughout the hour-long art show, and I’m careful not to make eye contact or look in his direction. Whenever Addy and Mackenzie come to speak to me or hang out, Lia talks to Cameron a few feet away and distracts him as much as possible until the girls move on to someone or something else.

I busy myself by taking turns talking to different kids and their family members throughout the small room. Nikki and Cody come by with their gang, as well as Morgan, who shows support for her nieces and nephews. If they suspect something is going on between Cameron and me, they don’t let on, and I’ve never been more grateful for it.

Renee never shows up, so I assume she left town or is busying herself elsewhere. Not being here for Addy and Mackenzie is not surprising in the least, and it also confirms that she didn’t come to Brantley Falls to see the girls. She came to start trouble.

Did I allow her to do that?

Overall, the art show is a hit, and as each family gets ready to leave, I pack up their child’s pottery pieces and send them on their way with thanks and goodbyes.

As the room gets more and more empty, my anxiety peaks with fear that Cameron will try to pull me aside and hash everything out. I’m surprised that they’re still even here, to be honest, considering they were the first to arrive.

I’ve noticed that Cameron is taking every opportunity he can to talk to people and catch up, which I know he hates doing. So, the fact that he’s enduring this can only mean that he’s trying to wait me out.

Maybe I should talk to him now—get it all out there and over with. We can move on, and maybe it won’t be so bad. In fact, the longer we let it go unresolved, the more awkward it will become, right?

Right. Just rip the Band-Aid off.

I turn around and see Cameron staring at me. A look of sadness in his eyes, his body tense, clearly trying to stay away, even though he doesn’t want to. My traitorous body doesn’t want him to either. It tears me up inside, and part of me wants to run to him.

I stuff that part of me down and stomp on it. I should wait until I feel less emotional about it all, so I pack up more pottery and say goodbye to the last few kids and their parents. I took the liberty of getting Addy and Mackenzie’s pieces wrapped up in tissue and putting them in a box right at the start to try and avoid…this.

I smell Cameron’s distinct woodsy scent before I feel his presence behind me. He puts his hand on my lower back and leans down to my ear, and I hear him take a deep inhale before he speaks.

My knees go weak just having him near me.

“Lizzie. Please talk to me.” His voice is clipped, like he’s in pain. I know I am.

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