Page 31 of Call It Home

I nodded. This time, when she smiled, it reached her eyes. Then it turned into a little gleam just before she launched herself at me, flinging her arms around my waist. I had no choice but to catch her, and this time, I was sure I was going to have a heart attack. All of her softness was crushed against me.

I forgot how to breathe. A piece of me wanted to revel in her touch, to beg for more of it. To demand more of it.

But I couldn’t. I wouldn’t.

Her light had no place in my world. I had nothing to give back to her, and she deserved everything.

* * *

I stepped outside the camper and stretched. I couldn’t complain about the bed; it was surprisingly comfortable. But between visions of Cameron’s sweet little body in that almost-nothing pair of shorts and tank top and the memory of how she felt pressed against me, it had taken a long time to talk my dick down. And I couldn’t even rub one out this morning in the shower for fear I wouldn’t be quiet enough with her getting ready in the attached room with nothing but a flimsy plastic wall between her and the bathroom.

It was a little cool, so I pulled the sleeves down of the cheap army green Henley shirt. It was the only shirt I could buy four of in the same size and color. We were supposed to wear the same clothes for the next six weeks while the cameras were filming so everything looked seamless when the editors pieced together snippets of film. A “uniform” they called it. They had washers and dryers on-site, but knowing how dirty my clothes got in half a day, I knew I’d need several versions of the same outfit.

The door to the camper popped open, and Cameron stepped down. She had on a pair of pants that clung to her legs and a V-neck sand-colored T-shirt that, while not exactly tight, put her curves on display. She had a tan-and-white-checked flannel shirt tied around her waist.

Inwardly, I groaned. “Is that what you’re wearing every day?”

She glanced down, then back up. “Why? What’s wrong with this? It’s comfortable, and I can move freely.” As if to push me to my limits, she bent over and touched her toes, then stretched a leg forward and bent over again.

How the hell did I think it was cold out here?

“It’s fine. Let’s go.”

If she thought there was anything odd about my behavior, she didn’t let on. Instead, she skipped a couple of steps in front of me, turned around, and continued to walk backward. There was no sign of the uncertain woman from last night.

“You ready to kick some butt, Goliath?”

I couldn’t help but chuckle. “Not sure Goliath is who you want to compare me to, Smurfette. As I seem to recall, he was conquered.”

Her lip twisted. “Right. Bad vibes. I’ll have to think of another name.”

“How about you just call me Mac like everyone else?”

“Sounds good, Big Mac.”

I rolled my eyes, not sure being compared to a hamburger was much better, but I didn’t feel like raining on her good mood. She fell back to walk beside me as the other teams came out of their trailers.

The Barbie and Ken dolls came out with smiles, but I wondered if they’d been formed into place with too much botox. The Gentry couple gave a quick wave but walked ahead, talking quietly. Mitch and Myles were the last ones to stumble out, coffee mugs in hand and enormous yawns flexing their jaws.

“Why does filming have to start this early?” Mitch whined. “I need my beauty sleep to look my best on camera.”

We all laughed and continued moving.

Cam poked the side of my stomach with her elbow. “The cameras are gonna love you.”

“Yeah?”

“I mean, come on. You got the whole sexy but moody vibe going. The audience is going to love you.”

“You think I’m sexy?”

She rolled her head. “Don’t forget moody. Just play nice on camera, okay?”

I sighed. “As long as they stay out of my way.”

Today, we’d have our first chance to see the houses in person and make rapid decisions on the major changes we wanted to make, such as moving walls or plumbing. It was also the first day of filming.

As explained to us, cameras would follow us around the house while we pored over architectural plans, reconfigured each room, and submitted permit requests to the on-site inspectors to make structural changes. Each team also had an assigned plumber and electrician, as well as a tiling and flooring expert at our disposal. Paying them would be part of our expenses, so anything we could do ourselves would save us money.

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