Page 130 of Saints & Sailors

“Cameron?” I asked, curious.

The silence lingered, making me sit up.

“I kissed Bonham!” Cameron suddenly blurted out.

Shock took over as I was left near speechless. “Um…what?” There was no way I’d heard her right.

“I know,” Cameron went on, sounding hysterical. “I couldn’t help it. He’s not like I thought he was. He’s super sweet, kind, and patient. He makes me laugh without even trying. And as tough as he is, I intimidate him. I make big bad Bonham Church nervous, Saylor. Can you believe it?”

I could. Bonham may have been all devil may care about everything else, but when it came to Cameron, I couldn’t miss how he paused and considered her feelings. He had a huge crush on her for who knew how long, and yet because he respected her, he didn’t push.

“This is huge,” I said.

Cameron squealed, and for a moment she faded out, holding the phone away from her ear. When she came back, she spoke in a hushed manner. “I’ll say. I don’t know what came over me.”

“Hey,” I assured her. “It’s okay. There’s nothing wrong moving on and liking Bonham. If you think he’s a good fit for you, that’s okay.”

“Yeah?” I could tell she was unsure of herself by how quiet her voice got.

“Yes. He’s a great guy, and it’s okay to like him.”

“He is great,” Cameron agreed. “It’s just that⁠—”

The doorbell rang in the background.

“Hey, someone’s at the door. Call you back,” I said as I stood up and put aside the quilt I’d been lying under.

“Better yet, I’ll grab some bad food and come over to decompress,” Cameron suggested.

Part of me wasn’t ready for more visitors, but then another part of me wanted to feel something other than dread. Hanging out with Cameron and rehashing her sudden spark of feelings for Bonham sounded like the perfect escape from the hell my life had turned into. “Deal.”

I hung up and padded over to the foyer. Behind the frosted glass I saw a figure I didn’t recognize.

“Who could that be?” I mumbled to myself as I unlocked the door and pulled it open.

To my surprise, it was Aidan. He was standing there carrying a drink tray with what looked like shakes or smoothies. One look at him and I found him offering a kind smile and a shrug, as if to say, Yeah, I’m surprised I’m here too.

“Uh, hey?” I let out, still confused.

“I know it’s out of nowhere, but I thought you could use a pick-me-up.” He gestured with his drink tray. “Can I come in? I brought smoothies.”

Up until now, I wasn’t even sure if Aidan liked me. Deciding not to be rude, I stepped back and let him into the house.

Aidan took one look at me and quirked a brow as he angled his head. “Isn’t that Dreux’s shirt?”

I looked down at the navy Horton High Baseball tee I was wearing with my sleep shorts. One thing led to another last week and I’d lost my shirt at Dreux’s house and had taken one of his to walk back home in.

“Yeah,” I said with a shrug.

Aidan snorted softly. “St. Julien’s had the hots for you since day one.” He grabbed one of the large cups from the drink tray and held it out. “Tropical mango. Can’t go wrong.”

I accepted the smoothie and led him over to the living room. “Thanks.”

We sat on the sofa and I took a sip of the smoothie. It was bitter. Not like the ones from back home. I wondered briefly if it was one of those healthy protein smoothies people got before or after a workout.

I set it down on the coffee table and grabbed the quilt to fold. “So, what brings you by?”

Aidan hung his head, fiddling with his smoothie. “I was thinking about what a bad time you’re probably having. Everyone can’t stop talking about Monday.”