Cameron smiled at her once more, placed another kiss on her lips, and turned to go, but before she opened the door, she sighed because she really didn’t want to leave. She wanted to stay and fall asleep next to Lacey. She also wanted to do even more than that and wake up next to her and do it again, but she was not about to make the same mistakes as before. This time, she was going to get it right.
CHAPTER 32
River
“She’s cominghere?” Calista asked.
“Yes. So, go.”
“I can’t meet her?”
“No. Not today, anyway. I haven’t seen her since that weekend, and I asked her out. She said no, Cal. I’m trying not to be embarrassed and keep myself together here because she initially said she’d stop by yesterday, but then, she had something come up, and she texted me, like, five minutes ago that she’s on her way here. I’ve only got an hour or so before she gets here, and I don’t want you here when she shows up. You’ll embarrass the hell out of me.”
“I will not. Why would I do that? You like this woman. I just want to meet her. I’ll talk you up, if you want,” Calista replied.
“I don’t. She said no because she needs time, Cal. I don’t want to make her feel like I’m trying to make her want to be with me. I told her she could come by and make candy with me; that it’s good therapy. We’re just hanging out.”
“Then, I won’t embarrass youortalk you up, but come on, River. Let me call Ashton. She can come over and meet her, too. This is Kennedy Gannon. We’re fans.”
“I don’t want her to worry about my friends trying to get selfies or autographs, Cal.”
“Um… River?” Michaela asked, leaning into the back through the door to the front.
“Everything okay?” River asked.
“You have a visitor,” Michaela told her. “She’s… It’s Kennedy Gannon.”
River’s eyes went wide as Calista rushed to the door to peer through it.
“Cal, get back here.”
“I thought you said she’d be here in an hour.”
“She said she left five minutes ago. I thought I had an hour. What the hell is she doing here already?”
“I don’t know, but she’s standing in the front right now, looking around. You should get out there. She looks a little, I don’t know, lost,” Calista suggested.
“Fuck,” she said. “Do I look okay? I thought I’d have enough time to run upstairs and put on decent clothes.”
“What should I do?” Michaela asked.
“Um… Nothing. Just go back out there; tell her I’ll be right there. Thank you.”
The door closed, and Calista chuckled.
“For someone whoisn’tgoing on a date right now, you sure are worried about looking good.”
“Shut up,” River replied and ran her hands through her hair, but she’d forgotten that she’d been wearing a hat, so it fell to the floor.
Calista laughed and said, “I’ll go, but I’m the best friend. I’m going to meet her at some point because I need to know that she’s being good to you.”
“She’s not my girlfriend, Cal.”
“Not yet,” Calista replied and walked to the back door. “Good luck.”
River picked up her hat, put it back on her head, and tried her best to make it sit straight. Then, she took a deep breath,looked down at her white shirt that had a few stains on it and her jeans that were torn at the knees, and decided that if she and Kennedy would ever turn into anything at all, Kennedy should see her at her most normal.
“Hey,” she greeted as she walked out and tried to be as nonchalant about it as possible.
