Page 42 of Best Laid Plans
“Well then it’s settled,” Chelsea said triumphantly. She shot Cam a flirty smile. “Will you be around? Let’s say, Friday?”
Cam coughed and shifted uncomfortably in his chair. He knew whatever was happening was clearly above his pay grade. “I’ll be in the kitchen prepping for the event.”
Chelsea pouted again. “Boo. Well, Elle and I can still play. And she can tell me all about where she found you.” Chelsea scanned her eyes up and down Cam, missing how he was looking at Elle pleadingly.
“Is Grant in town this summer?” Elle forced the words out through the bubble in her throat.
“So sweet of you to ask,” Chelsea said, holding her hand up to her chest. “He comes up for the weekends.” Elle had made the mistake of moving one of her fists onto the table, which Chelsea now grabbed with her perfectly manicured hands and squeezed. “I’m really glad everything can be water under the bridge between all of us. Life’s too short, you know?”
Not what Elle had said, but sure. “Life has a way of working out,” she said, giving Cam a moony-eyed look. If Elle could make Chelsea believe that her professional life was exactly where she wanted it to be, why couldn’t she do the same for her romantic one?
“Oh,” Chelsea said, her mouth falling open. “Business and pleasure.” Elle was thankful when Chelsea released her grasp, only her relief was short lived when Chelsea squeezed Cam’s arm and didn’t let go. “Hope she can keep up with you.”
Chelsea was the queen of back-handed compliments and subtle jabs. Elle had just never realized it until she’d been left on the outside, looking in.
She’d thought that Cam was disassociating from the level of cattiness he’d found himself in the middle of, surprised when he gave Chelsea a smile that clearly conveyed she should remove her hand, which she did with a confused look at being rejected. “She does. I can’t believe I got so lucky,” he said, his voice softening as his green eyes landed on Elle and lingered.
Elle felt that look all over her body, and she gulped, knowing they were playing a dangerous game.
“Okay, well… I’ll let you two get back to lunch,” Chelsea said, obvious that she was the third wheel as Cam continued to focus his attention solely on her. “Friday, Elle?”
“Sounds good,” Elle said, still caught in Cam’s mesmerizing stare. And for just a second, with his eyes on her, the current flowing between them, she let herself indulge that it was real.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CAM
For the first night since Cam had come back to Rock Harbor, he’d slept in Wyatt’s apartment alone. After the country club, Elle had gone straight to her parents’ house. It had been for the best. Cam knew that, on some level. There was no good to come from staying in the apartment alone with Elle, who was becoming a temptation too hard to resist.
Cam knew that he shouldn’t have slept with her, but somehow, he couldn’t really regret it. And that was a big, big problem. Because it meant that it had a probability of happening again.
He shook the thoughts away and continued prepping his breakfast, nowhere to be and no one to look at like he was undressing them with his mind. Which was a much needed respite, honestly.
But still, Jim Pierce was having his surgery today, and that definitely warranted a few check-ins with Elle to make sure she was okay and that the surgery was going as expected.
He scrambled his eggs with one hand and texted Elle with the other.
Cam
How’s everything going? Make it to the hospital okay?
Elle
So far so good. He was taken back for pre-op about an hour ago. Surgery should be starting soon.
Cam
How long is the surgery?
Elle
About four hours. Give or take. And then he’ll be in the hospital for at least a few days to recover.
Cam
You doing okay?
Elle
