“Should I grab her a drink?” I ask.
“Oh, good idea,” Oaklee replies.
After we grab a strawberry refresher for Lizzie, we step outside and prepare to walk down the block to The Tipsy Lizard. It’s not far, so there’s no reason to move our vehicles when it really won’t get us much closer.
The moment we reach the sidewalk, Oaklee’s phone rings. She pulls it from her pocket and taps on the screen. It’s obviously my brother, if the dopey grin on her face is any indication. “Hey, handsome,” she says, stepping to the side to take her call.
We slow our pace to give Oaklee a little privacy, and my brain is still firmly in inappropriate territory with thoughts of Quinn. “He called me Charlotte.”
She glances at me in confusion. “Who?”
“Quinn,” I reply, frustrated. “And you know I hate when someone uses my full first name.”
“Did he do it just to piss you off?” she asks, trying to understand what I’m saying.
“No,” I state. “He did it…when…you know.”
“Oh. Oh! He called you Charlotte while you two were…”
“Yes.”
She takes a few more steps before reacting, “That’s kinda hot.”
I exhale and agree. “It was. Really hot. Something in the way he said it, like a plea and demand all at the same time.”
Sommer fans her face. “Damn.”
Just before we reach the bar, Oaklee stops. “Love you too. Bye.” She taps on the screen, disconnecting the call, and reaches for the door to pull it open.
“Everything okay?” I ask as we step inside, greeted by the soft sounds of Alan Jackson on the speakers.
“Yep. Cam called him and said he and Quinn want to go camping next weekend. I think we’re gonna go. It’s my Saturday to work, but I’m off a little after noon, so we’ll have plenty of time to get out there and enjoy the afternoon.”
Right then, my phone rings. Sommer and Oaklee walk up to the bar to have a seat, while I answer. “Hey, Cam.”
“Hello, sister.”
“Miss me already? You just saw me last night,” I say with a grin.
He snorts. “I miss you, but my aim is getting better,” he teases. “Whatcha doing?”
“Just got to the bar to hang with Lizzie for a bit. Sommer and Oaklee are with me,” I tell him.
“I just talked to Cade.”
“I heard.”
“If you wanna come with us, you’re welcome. We’ll probably go out about noon and set up tents. Q’s doing dinner, and I’ll make breakfast. Sommer’s welcome too.”
“She’ll have to work next weekend at the pharmacy, but I’ll say something to her.” She works every other weekend, so we’ll have to see what she says.
“Good deal. You can crash in my tent,” he offers like always, but this time, I can’t help but feel a little sadness. Not because I’m not appreciative of my brother letting me share his tent, but simply for the fact the idea of staying with his friend holds more weight.
And that has terrible idea written all over it.
“Thanks.”
“I’ll talk to you soon,” he says, and I’m certain I’ll get a text message confirming details when it’s closer.
