“This time of year? Slim. Maybe fall.”
“Fine. Find me something for the fall,” she said, pouring the tonic water from the bottle she opened into the glass this time andthenadding gin.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“I’m not okay, Zane.” She took a sip of her drink. “I am far from okay.”
“The double date thing?”
“What do I do here? I love, Cam.”
“I know you do.”
“Yet, we’re here trying to holdustogether, and I hate that.”
“This is supposed to help you two find your way back to each other.”
“Well, I screwed that up by saying something stupid in the car on the way here, so now, it’s all off. We’ve never been this far away from each other while standing right next to each other before, and that scares the crap out of me, Zane.”
“What do you need right now? Because I know you keep fighting for work, and I understand why, but maybe you shouldfight for Cameron right now instead and let me worry about the work stuff.”
“I’m here, aren’t I?” She finished her drink. “I’m a little tipsy already, which isn’t good, but I’m here.”
“Oh, shit. Put the drink down, Kennedy.”
“Too late. I finished it. Fuck. I’m going to be drunk in, like, ten minutes, and they’re going to be here in, like, three, if they’re not here already.”
“Get someone to make you a cup of coffee as soon as possible and eat something. Then, sober the hell up because you can’t be drunk tonight.”
“I know. You’re right. Shit. I need to go, Zane. Just… Call me after this weekend, okay? I need to focus.”
“No problem. Good luck, Ken.”
“Thanks,” she replied and hung up. “I’ll need it,” she muttered to herself before she put her phone on silent and headed back outside, finding no one there.
The French doors to the bedroom were open, though, so Kennedy walked along the deck until she heard Cameron’s voice and stopped.
“I fell in love with her right away. I mean, you’ve seen my girlfriend; she’s gorgeous. But she’s also smart, funny, and kind, and I couldn’t believetheKennedy Gannon wanted to talk to little old me. She’s amazing. I’m lucky to have her in my life, you know. I just love her.”
Kennedy smiled coyly and looked down at the wood of the deck. Then, she inhaled and exhaled deeply and walked into the bedroom.
“There you are,” she said.
“Hey, babe,” Cameron replied from her position sitting on the bed.
“And that’s cut for now,” Jessie said to the camera guy and motioned for him to leave. “I’ll give you two a minute alone togather yourselves before they get here. I’m going to meet them outside.”
“How much time do we have?” Kennedy asked.
“They’re stuck in traffic, according to the text I’ve just gotten, so probably fifteen to twenty minutes. Your stuff was brought in while we were outside, so you should have everything in here, and from now on, no one comes into the bedrooms or bathrooms unless you give them permission to do so, okay?”
“Okay. Thanks, Jessie,” Cameron said.
Jessie nodded and left the room, closing the doors behind her. Kennedy then walked over and locked them.
“Just in case,” she said.
“Ken, you smell like you just soaked your shirt in alcohol. Are you okay?”
