Page 66 of Brenna, Brat

“Grace said that I only design for myself,” I told him. “I’ve been thinking about that, and she’s right. I want to make things that I like, in the fabrics and colors and cuts that are best. But other people may not agree that they are. Look what happened to Chic Cathay when the public fell out of love with her style. Her daughter ran away to Laos and she’s cooking in a cauldron.”

“Somebody should write a book about Chic Cathay, because how she designed that name is an achievement just by itself. Ok,I understand what you’re saying,” Campbell answered. “If you want to be successful, then the clothes aren’t about you. They’re what other people want.” I nodded. “Can you do that? Are you interested in trying?”

I was silent, because I didn’t know the answer to either question. “I don’t like compromise,” I noted.

“But you do it all the time. You ate olives on your pizza for years because that’s how Nicola likes it, and green peppers for Juliet. Can you do that with fashion?”

“I’m going to change,” I said, and I meant that I was going inside to take a shower. But I didn’t explain and left it at that.

The other women were apparently showering too, so even in this fancy house, the water pressure was low and the temperature was chilly. I got in and out fast and I decided to let my hair go more natural, rather than enforcing Juliet-style straightness. Despite the sunscreen, hat, and umbrella, I had gotten a little color so I left off the contour and blush that I usually applied. I looked into the mirror and didn’t mind what I saw.

We had a fun night. We went to a little town that was familiar to me from coming to see my grandparents, and we had dinner and then a lot of fudge for dessert. I held the last piece to his lips and he laughed and took it, then checked my fingertips…and to my surprise, he kissed them. We walked on the streets with the other tourists (and probably some annoyed locals) and I thought that I was really and truly enjoying this—I was loving it. I hadn’t been thinking about my bikini, not once. I hadn’t been thinking about more serious things, either, like Campbellmoving to Texas, my sister’s sick husband, my parents’ divorce, my career doubts, or anything else that made me upset.

“This is a good vacation,” I said, and he smiled.

“I agree. I was worried when we showed up, but it turned out well.” He put his arm around my shoulders. “I’m going to say again, it was a lucky thing that I walked into the Alecta Alberne Gallery that day. Although, to be honest, I couldn’t really read the name outside since the sign was missing so many letters. But I saw you through the window.”

“What?”

“It was getting dark already but it was bright inside there. You were standing behind that black table and when I drove past, I looked over and my eyes caught on you. Just for a second. And then, I had the idea that I should stop. I needed the birthday present,” he explained.

“Is that a true story or is it like when you told me that hockey players wear Kevlar suits under their uniforms so they don’t feel the other guys crashing into them?”

“You believed that for at least an entire period of the game,” he recalled. “You seemed worried that I’d taken hard hits and I wanted to put your mind at ease. It’s also fun when you get that expression like something’s confusing you.” He looked down at me and laughed. “That’s it. That’s the one, that cute, mad face.”

I was more than a little confused about many things he’d just said. Like, he’d stopped at the gallery because he’d seen me? I had a cute face? What? I was quiet on the way home, thinking, and Campbell was, too.

The party was on when we returned, and Dion and Carrington were in the middle of it. Apparently, they were still getting ready to hit some bars.

“Who’s driving?” Campbell asked his sister.

“I’m in charge of one car,” Dion answered. He raised his drink. “This is straight-up Vernors and I’m not going to have anything stronger. I’ll make sure she’s with me.”

Campbell looked at him and nodded slowly, like he was agreeing but also assessing. When they made their loud exit, we did some clean-up and then went out to the deck. It was another beautiful night.

“If you’re cold, you can sit here,” he offered from the teak couch (I wasn’t a fan of most outdoor fabrics but I didn’t mind what they had on these cushions). He opened his arm like when we’d been walking together and I did sit against the side of his body, cozy there. It felt perfect and I remembered sleeping close together, too.

“You were hugging me so much.”

“What? When was I doing that?” he asked.

Well, I’d been talking to Cleo again, that thing of speaking out loud instead of keeping my thoughts to myself. “I meant last night,” I explained. “You were upset, so you hugged me in your sleep.”

“Did you mind?”

“No,” I answered quickly, and he pulled me even closer and dropped his head to rest his cheek against my hair.

“Good.”

I must have fallen asleep out there; the beach, with the sun and the swimming, always made me tired, and we had also played a lot of Campbell’s very athletic games. The next thing I knew, I was awakened by screaming, women’s voices raised in what sounded like terror.

I sat up in pitch darkness. “What’s wrong?” I asked, so confused about where I was and what was happening. “Nicola?Sophie? Addie?Juliet?Grace?”

“No, it’s Carrington and her friends coming in from the bars,” Campbell’s sleepy voice told me. “It’s ok.” He tugged my arm until I lay back down, but their noise didn’t stop. “Stay there. I’ll tell them to shut up.” I heard him crash into something in the room. “Fuck! I forgot to leave a light on for you.” He flipped a switch in the bathroom and then partially closed that door so that only a sliver of brightness remained.

He left and I did stay, wondering how I’d ended up in the bed, and if he might have carried me? There were more raised voices downstairs before feet started tramping up to our floor. He also tramped into our room and shut that door firmly.

“They’re done,” he told me, and just like it was the normal, usual thing to do, he got into bed, turned on his side, and settled against my back, his arms around me. “Go to sleep.”

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