Page 9 of Indiana Idealist
I nod my head and sink down onto her couch. Normally, I wouldn’t be so presumptuous as to make myself at home, uninvited, but I need to catch my breath.
Camille seems to take pity on me by going to the kitchen and getting me a glass of cold water from the tap. When she hands it to me, I take a sip before saying, “I’m relieved to see that you didn’t bring me a single-use plastic bottle of water.”
Letting out an annoyed huff she sits down beside me on the sofa and says, “I’m not the terrible, non-green monster that you seem to believe me to be.”
As she stares at her lap, I take a good look at her. She’s still in her tattered robe, or she has already put it on again, which seems out of character for the sophisticated, fashionable woman. Her face is also red and puffy as if she has been crying.
Hoping that nothing is wrong, I ask, “Are you okay?”
Her angry gaze darts in my direction before she snaps, “No, I’m not okay. Believe it or not, I’m not used to having my sexual advances shunned. Most men would be thrilled to have me make a move on them.”
“I’m sure that’s true,” I respond carefully, trying my best to keep my tone steady, even though I want nothing more than to lunge in her direction.
When she keeps staring down at her lap as if she is embarrassed or ashamed, I can’t keep myself from adding, “And I’m one of them.”
She makes a harrumphing sound of disbelief, so I scoot closer to her on the sofa and lift a palm to her cheek. After I gently turn her face in my direction, I wait until she lifts her gaze to make eye contact with me, before saying, “I don’t want to want you, but I can’t seem to help myself.”
I’d been expecting her gaze to soften at my bold admission, so I’m startled when she stands up, points at the door, and shouts, “Get out!”
11
CAMILLE
Leo looks completely stunned by my sudden outburst. He blinks up at me from his spot on the sofa, frozen and seeming uncertain what to do.
I can see from my peripheral vision that my loudness has roused Charlotte from her restful slumber. Beyond furious with Leo for making me fall for him and his lovable pet, I say between gritted teeth, “Take your pig and get out of my house––now.”
I’m practically seething by the time I get to the last word. My hateful tone does the trick because Leo stands up in an obvious snit and rushes for the door. He calls over his shoulder, “Come on, Charlotte! Let’s get out of this crazy lady’s house.”
Charlotte must sense the heightened emotions because she immediately gets up and follows him toward the door.
“Oh, I’m the crazy one?” I half-shout.
Leo whirls around. His eyes are blazing with fire when he responds, “Yes, as the matter of fact, you are. I finally admit my feelings to you, and you kick me out. If that isn’t crazy, I don’t know what is.”
My eyes widen and my mouth falls open before I respond, “Oh, you telling me that you don’t want to want me is supposed to make me swoon? You truly have no idea what a judgmental jerk you are.”
“Why? Because I don’t want to be with someone whose business goes against everything I stand for and believe in?” he fires back.
“No, because you won’t even give me the benefit of the doubt. Ever since you told me about the runoff issue, I’ve spent my nights researching and making plans of how to remedy it. Sure, it was careless and irresponsible of me not to realize beforehand what our fertilizer chemicals were doing to the local waterways, but now that I know about the problem, I’m fixing it.”
“You’re fixing it?” He sounds completely dumbfounded by my revelation.
“Of course, I’m fixing it. In fact, I’m working on arranging a massive cleanup effort that will leave the ecosystem and water quality better than it has been in years. I would have told you sooner, if you’d given me the chance, but you always jump to conclusions about me and assume the worst.”
His eyes are shining with a warmth I’ve not seen before, except when he looks at Charlotte. He repeats in a more confident tone, “You’re fixing it.”
I chuckle before asking, “Did I break you?”
He shakes his head. “No, I’m just so relieved to hear you say it. It has really been weighing heavily on my mind.”
Wanting to make my motives clear, I cross my arms over my chest and say, “Well, I’m not doing it for you. I’m doing it for all of the fish, frogs, turtles, and pigs that rely on that water.”
We both grin down at Charlotte. She is blinking back and forth between us, obviously confused by our yelling.
Softening my tone, I say to the animal, “It’s okay, sweet baby. Mommy and Daddy are just having a disagreement, but we both love you very much.”
I hadn’t meant for the ‘Mommy and Daddy’ comment to emerge, but now that it’s out there, I can’t take it back. When I look at Leo to see if the reference freaked him out, he’s beaming at me.
