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‘It was true.’ Carrie lifts a shoulder. ‘You should talk to Jules. Apologise and explain and give her space to process. Then ask her out.’
‘Romantically,’ Chloe clarifies.
‘It’s not too late.’
‘Isn’t it? I fucked up. The things I said to her …’ Cameron shakes his head, wishing he’d done things differently that day. ‘I don’t deserve her.’
Carrie raises an eyebrow. ‘Shouldn’t she get to make the choice about who she deserves?’
‘And won’t you regret it if you don’t tell her how you feel?’ Chloe adds.
He already regrets it. They promised each other honesty and he trampled over their vow, acting a fucking hypocrite because he was scared. He sees Jules’s face in his mind, the way it crumpled and her eyes filled with tears before she walked out of his hotel room. He groans and drags his hands through his hair, realising his sisters are right, yet again. He’s already taken the choice away from her once. Twice, if he counts the time he ran to her room to explain himself and she’d already left. And he should count that. He does.
‘You’re right. Of course she deserves that. She deserves anything she wants.’ He’ll count himself blessed if she decides that includes him after he tells her the full story. ‘I need to tell her. Everything. All of it. I can’t let her go without giving us a chance. I don’t want to live the rest of my life wondering ‘what if’.’
‘Of course we’re right,’ Chloe says. ‘You love her, right? Or at least, you want that same chance to?’
There’s a hollowness in his chest that feels Jules-shaped. It’s been part of him since before the conference. Time to see if he can fill it in. ‘I want the chance to love her.’
‘Come on then.’ Chloe starts shoving the food back into the fridge. ‘Do you know where she lives? Let’s go.’
‘What? No. Why?’ Cameron’s heart falls over itself, pulse skittering, then racing. ‘I only just decided this.’
‘You’ve got to go tell her everything. Now.’ Chloe slams the fridge door shut. ‘We aren’t going to let you chicken out of this like you apparently did at the conference when you went for the temporary fling instead of asking her to date you.’
‘Well that was before I realised my feelings.’ His heart is in his throat. ‘So you don’t need to hold my hand now.’
‘Oh no, this isn’t hand holding.’ Carrie grins with a wicked glint in her eye. ‘This is pushing you down the gangplank.’
‘Geez. Alright.’
‘So?’ Chloe prompts. ‘Jules’s address?’
‘I don’t know. But it’s Thursday, so she’s probably at trivia at the Blue Alcott, anyway. I’ll do it tomorrow.’
‘Did you say trivia?’ Chloe perks up like a puppy hearing the word ‘treat’.
‘Yes.’
‘Perfect. No time like the present. Come on.’ Chloe grabs his hand and drags him out of the kitchen, through the living room, and down his front hall. She’s stronger than he remembers. Or maybe he’s not putting up much of a fight.
‘But I haven’t practiced what I’m going to say to her.’
‘This isn’t one of your marketing presentations,’ Chloe says. ‘Speak from the heart. You don’t need practice for that.’
‘I’m not wearing shoes.’
‘I’ve got them,’ Carrie calls from behind him.
‘I left the iron on.’
Chloe yanks his arm, and he stumbles over the threshold. ‘No you didn’t.’
‘The oven?’
‘Nice try.’ Carrie throws his jacket at his head and pulls the door shut with a definite bang behind them.
Cameron pats his pockets down. ‘My house keys are actually sitting on the side table though.’
