Page 10 of I Loved You First

It had been a minute since he’d walked through the Willis’ front door. Stella had added a couple of plants and changed out the couch in the cozy living room. Otherwise, not much was different.

He moved out of the way so she could tell him about the banister on the far side of the small entryway.

Stella wiggled the newel post. “It’s squeaking and moving. I’m not quite sure how to fix it. Now that I’m trapped in this cast for six weeks, I can’t do it myself.”

Cam stepped closer, giving the post another wiggle, watching the entire banister sway as it squeaked. “This looks pretty classic—like the post came off the original dowels. We see this a lot in older houses. But it’s an easy fix. A couple of structural screws should have you back to good.”

Stella nodded. “I don’t mind an easy fix. The post upstairs feels loose, too.”

“I’ll check it out. Let me grab my stuff from the truck, and I’ll get this taken care of. It shouldn’t take more than twenty minutes.”

“Thank you, Cam. I’m going to make myself a cup of tea and take it to the garden. Let me know if you need anything.”

“I will.” Glancing at his watch, he headed outside, confident he could be gone before Fiona made an appearance.

Grabbing his toolbox and level, he was happy to see that he still had some of the three-quarter-inch stock dowels from the renovations he and his team were working on over on Clarke Street.

He went back inside, hearing Stella fiddling around in the kitchen as he walked up the steps, eyeing the top post when he gave the banister another shake. He paused at the top of the stairs, noting that the door was open to Fi’s room.

Sunshine poured in through the windows as his gaze tracked around the pretty space: Fi’s suitcase tucked away in the corner, her laptop set up on her small desk, and the noisy-ass bed they’d had sex in whenever they were alone in the house.

He grinned, remembering how they’d often opted to sit on pillows on the floor. Because fooling around when Stella had been home hadn’t been an option otherwise.

His smile vanished when he spotted her collage mostly taken down and the photos of the two of them thrown away in the trash.

“Fuck,” he muttered, turning away, trying to ignore the sting. Clearly, Fi had come home to take care of Stella and ditch what was left of her past.

Focusing on his job, he tested the post again, fairly certain the problem would correct itself when he dealt with the issue downstairs.

In a hurry to be gone, he headed back down the steps, set up a drop cloth, and got to work.

five

Not long after he got started, Cam drove a structural screw into one of the pockets he’d created in the newel post. He paused with his finger on the screwdriver’s trigger when he heard footsteps on the front porch. Seconds later, Fiona walked in, stopping short as she stared at him.

He’d seen her in the parking lot less than an hour ago, but up close and personal, she packed a hell of a punch. Her big brown eyes were as fantastic as always. Her light-olive complexion was makeup-free and flawless. And she smelled amazing—like some subtle perfume and the flowery shampoo she’d always used.

He pulled off his safety glasses as he gained his feet. “Fi.”

She swallowed. “Cam.”

He'd hoped to be gone by the time she got home, yet he’d been waiting for this moment since the second she ran away—to finally hear her voice again. “How are you?”

She adjusted the paper grocery bag in her arms. “I’m good. How are you?”

He nodded. “Not bad.”

“I didn’t see your truck.”

He imagined that if she had, she would have kept on driving. “I parked across the street. We got a couple of new vehicles last month. The logos haven’t been painted on yet.”

“Oh.” She forced a small smile as they stood in the tense silence.

“Uh, the railing’s nearly fixed,” he said in a rush when there were so many other things he wanted to say. “The newel post needed a couple of screws.”

She nodded. “Thanks for taking care of that.”

“I’m happy to. Stella’s out in the garden.”