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Even Ravi, sitting in his La-Z-Boy, appeared impressed. “Dude’s smooth.”

“I know, right?” I looked at them both from my spot curled up on the opposite sofa. “He got away with not answering the question at all, and now I’m more confused than ever.” My voice grew whiny, and I turned my face into the couch cushion. “I think I like him.”

“We know,” they said in unison, and Maribel continued, “I can’t believe his dad said those things to you. What a dick.”

“What I can’t believe is that he thinks I’ve been sleeping with his son since high school. Does he imagine I just hiked up to Connecticut on the weekends for a booty call? That I snuck home when he moved back here for a few quickies?”

Maribel and Ravi exchanged glances.

“He’s worried Cam is going to marry you,” Ravi said. “I don’t think he was picturing casual sex. That would be way less threatening.”

Maribel giggled. “Yeah, he’s picturing an entire secret relationship.”

“That’s ridiculous,” I scoffed. “Until recently, I’m fairly certain Cam had a girlfriend. Remember Laney Delacroix?”

Ravi made a sickened face. “She was in so many of my classes. I try not to judge, but that girl was…so dumb.”

Pleased, I shot him a smile. “Well, he was dating her recently.”

“I’m sure Shep thinks she was Cam’s cover,” Mari said, nodding sagely.

I grabbed a throw pillow to cuddle with. Or maybe to use as a shield from their knowing stares. “Well, now Camden is officially off-limits, and I need to decide whether to take a huge bonus and torture myself by working in a place where one boss thinks I’m Lucifer’s daughter and the other one is so sweet I might go insane with want, or if I’ll become unemployed and probably end up on the streets.”

Maribel rolled her eyes. “You won’t be on the streets. Right, Ravi?”

“Hmm? Sorry, I was distracted by the ‘insane with want’ part.” His dark eyes filled with a curious luster. “Shay… You really have it that bad?”

Heat flooded my face as it occurred to me what I’d just admitted. “I— No, I don’t think⁠—”

“Yes, you do!” Maribel sat up at once, her voice sharp. “You can’t take it back now.”

My gaze bounced back and forth between Maribel’s stern expression and Ravi’s quiet interest, and I gave in to the truth. “Yeah, I really like him.”

She bounced on the sofa, eyes shining.

“But it doesn’t matter,” I said. “Remember the part where his dad forbade a relationship between us? Where he’s way out of my league?”

Her shoulders slumped. “He’s not out of your league, but the dad thing puts a damper on things.”

“Just be careful, Shay,” Ravi said. “If you stay there, seeing him every day.” He shook his head. “The deeper you fall, the harder it is to crawl back out.”

I laughed, hoping it didn’t sound as bitter as I felt. “You say that like you know anything about heartbreak, Mister I’ve-been-in-the-same-relationship-since-I-was-fifteen.”

He tilted his head back and forth. “Fair enough.”

Maribel beamed at him, then turned to me. “We only have your best interests at heart.”

“I know. I love you guys.” I stood and cast them both a quick smile. “I’m heading to bed. Maybe sleep will help me with some clarity.”

“The reel’s been viewed about a bajillion times, by the way,” Maribel called as I walked away.

I groaned and turned my phone completely off.

Twenty-Nine

Turned out sleep did not help with clarity. If anything, I was more muddled after a night of dreams involving slow, drifting touches and Camden’s voice whispering my name against my ear. As my eyes blinked open early the next morning, I reached for my laptop.

My application with the city was still only Submitted, and I’d begun to lose hope that anyone would ever look at it. A daily search for new job listings in the area continued to offer a big fat nothing. I powered up my phone—resisting the urge to check TikTok—and called the city at 8:00 a.m., only to be told again that my application would be reviewed in due time, and “calling in every three days ain’t gonna make it go any faster, sugar.”