“What have you two been up to?” Kennedy asked her girlfriend.
“We were downstairs in the game room for a while and then on the beach until Jessie came–”
Jessie cleared her throat from behind Kennedy.
“Take two, I guess,” Cameron said. “We were downstairs until we smelled whatever she’s cooking back there. It smells amazing. Right, Lacey?”
“Oh. Yeah,” Lacey spoke, trying to keep up with Cameron’s change in script and doing a decent job at it for a rookie.
“Itdoessmell good,” she replied. “I’m going to go check out what they’re making in there. Meet you two at the table?”
“Sure,” Cameron said and offered her a small smile that Kennedy knew was genuine, too.
Her girlfriend seemed happy right now, which was great but also interesting because Cameron was happy around another woman and didn’t seem at all interested in whatevershehad been doing with a woman who wasnother.
Kennedy went to the kitchen and found River standing next to someone in a white chef’s coat.
“How hot do you get it before you pull it off?” River asked before she looked up and smiled at Kennedy when she walked in.
“Am I in the way?” Kennedy asked.
“No, Ma’am,” someone else in a white chef’s coat said.
Kennedy took that as good enough, so she sat down at the same stool she’d occupied earlier and watched River be completely engrossed in the dessert-making process, asking questions and listening intently when the chef answered. Kennedy could tell that River wished she had a notebook to write some of it down, so she got up, walked to the small desk in the corner of the kitchen that she hadn’t even noticed before, and found a small yellow legal pad and pen. She walked it back over and held it out to River, who looked at her in surprise.
“Thank you,” she said.
“Didn’t want you to forget anything.” Kennedy winked at her and immediately felt horrible about it. “I should get out of your way; let you soak all of this up. I’ll see you at the dinner table.”
She walked outside as quickly as she could and leaned over the balcony railing, focusing on her breathing, because she’d obviously just flirted with a woman who was not only someone else’s girlfriend, but also not her own.
???
“So, what was the hell wasthat?” Jessie asked as Kennedy and Cameron entered their bedroom.
“What waswhat?” Cameron asked back.
Jessie closed the door behind them, leaving the cameras, as well as River and Lacey, outside after dropping them off at their own bedroom.
“You two. You just spent all evening trying to getawayfrom the cameras with people you’re not dating, when you were supposed to beoncamera, showing the world how in love you are and that there isnodrama. Instead, I catchyoudownstairs, sitting outside, talking to Lacey, whileyouare in River’s bedroom on the floor, sorting through candy.” Jessie took turns pointing at them. “And at dinner, you hardly spoke to each other. You were all wrapped up in River and Lacey.”
“Aren’t we supposed to be paying attention to them?” Kennedy asked as she sat on the end of the bed and kicked off her shoes. “God, I’m exhausted.”
“Youaresupposed to talk to them, but together.”
“Together? All four of us have to be together the whole time? Should we invite them in here now?” Cameron replied as she sat down on the bed next to Kennedy. “It’s a big bed, but I’m not sure all four of us could fit.”
“Cam, come on… Don’t be an asshole here. I’m just doing my job. Actually,Iam going above and beyond here, and you two don’t seem to care.”
“Jessie, it’s fine. We just met. We spent some time with them tonight,” Cameron said.
“Yeah, we were getting to know them. That had to look good for the cameras,” Kennedy added. “We have breakfast tomorrow. If you want, I’ll sit next to Cam, and we can have our hands all over each other. So much so that it would get a PG-13 rating if it were in the theater.”
“You’re mocking me,” Jessie said. “You’re mocking me right now.”
“I’m not. Cameron, sweetheart, would you please feel me up at breakfast in the morning? Just hands everywhere to prove we’re really–” Kennedy stopped talking when she saw Cameron’s expression, which was not a happy one.
“We made a deal,” Cameron said softly.
