Page 81 of Effortless

Camilla nodded. “Partly, yeah.”

“Don’t leave me hanging, now.”

“I guess … he’s always been like my hero or something. I mean, I remember when we were younger and would fight like cats and dogs. Then one day, that just stopped. He quit telling me to get out of his room every time I looked in the door. He let me play with his guitars even when I scratched the faces or chipped the wood. He would read me books I brought home from school until I fell asleep just because I asked him to. He never let guys treat me like shit, and he made sure I knew how much I was worth, and to demand people treated me like I had worth. It’s a lot of things, Tom.”

“Sounds like your best friend, really.”

Camilla tipped her head to the side, saying, “Yeah, he is. He made time for me, no matter what he was going through, and he’s been through some shit. I couldn’t have asked for a better brother than Cross.”

Tom flashed a grin. “Don’t tell him that, though.”

She scoffed. “Fuck, no. Do you know how big his goddamn ego is? He doesn’t need me filling it with more hot air, believe that.”

Their laughter rang out in the quiet diner again.

Then, Camilla asked, “And what about your mom and dad?”

“Tommas and Abriella are … like a king and queen in Chicago, you know what I mean? They live in this huge fucking mansion that used to belong to my mom’s family, and hold court for everybody like royalty. Sometimes I think it’s strange how they are, but my dad quickly tells me to mind my business. They earned the right to do whatever the fuck they wanted for the rest of their lives. They love each other like crazy, and sometimes fight like they’re going to kill each other. My mom and dad are always keeping an eye out for the other one—they’ve got each other’s backs like nobody I have ever met before. Kind of makes me think, sometimes.”

“About what?”

“Just that it would be nice to have something—someone—like that to be with someday. One person to love and fight with, but know at the end of the day, they’re the only person you can always trust to take care of you, and be there.”

Camilla glanced away. “Yeah, I get that.”

She picked at the two caramel drizzled strawberries on the plate, and then lifted one up for Tom to take a bite. The fruit tasted sweet with a hint of salt from the caramel, but it was nothing compared to the taste of her.

“So, Chicago must keep you busy, then,” Camilla said.

“Busy enough.”

“Work is all you do, huh?”

Tom wiped his thumb across his lip to remove the last bit of caramel, and grinned. “Are you trying to hint at something there, or what?”

“What would I be hinting at?”

“I don’t know. Maybe trying to see if I was running around with somebody over these last six months.”

Camilla cleared her throat. “Not my business to ask.”

“But you could.”

“Not my business.”

“Cam.” Tom grabbed her wrist in his palm, and tugged gently to make her look at him. She did, but he could see she didn’t really want to hear his answer. “I didn’t ask for a damn thing from you—I don’t expect anything.”

“I know. I extended you the same respect, Tommaso.”

He shook his head. “That’s not how I work, though.”

Her brow furrowed. “What?”

“Just because I didn’t expect shit from you while you were here, doesn’t mean I held myself to that standard, Cam. I’ve got an interest in you, and intentions to see whatever the fuck this is through. I wasn’t looking at anybody else.”

She cleared her throat. “Huh.”

“And you don’t need to explain anything to me.”