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I assess the situation with all the information I’ve learned and consider the expression on Camden’s face. He looks ill at ease and I don’t want him to associate bad feelings with spending time with me.
“I’m here if you ever want to talk. But I’m also still here if you don’t want to talk about it either.”
The relief on his face is instantaneous and it transfers into his smile. “Fair enough.”
“Okay… let’s get this finished. I’ve got to head out in about an hour to pick up Travis.”
Camden looks at his watch. “I’ve got dinner plans, so yeah… let’s knock this stuff out and then I’ll handle the smoke detectors.”
Dinner plans?
As in a date?
I want to ask but it’s none of my business.
And then something hits me and I’m appalled by how much I’m bothered by it.
What if Camden has a girlfriend?
I suddenly feel terrible for taking up his time. He’s got his own life to live. “You know what… I can finish this all later. And I’m sure I can get the batteries in myself. I’m pretty good on a ladder.”
Camden frowns. “I’m good to stay for a while. I don’t have to leave right now.”
“I know,” I say, turning my back on him and blindly rifling through boxes. My voice sounds unnecessarily shrill. “I don’t want you to waste your time here when you—”
My words are cut off when Camden has my wrist in his large hand and he’s turning me to face him. “Did I say something wrong?”
I whirl the rest of the way and he lets me go. “No. Of course not. It’s just… you said you had plans and I don’t want to disrupt you.”
Camden laughs. “Not a big deal. I’m meeting some of the guys for dinner, so I can be a little late.”
Oh, sweet Jesus. That’s relief coursing through me that he’s meeting friends and not a date.
What the hell is wrong with me?
“Speaking of the guys,” Camden drawls.
I blink away my thoughts, plastering on a smile. “What’s up?”
“They’re throwing me a birthday party Friday night. Have you met Hendrix’s new girlfriend, Stevie?”
I shake my head.
“It’s going to be at her bar. You should come and hang out with us. Stevie’s cool and you’ll know a bunch of people there.”
A trill of excitement buzzes through me. I haven’t gone out in a long time, merely to have fun. And it would be great to celebrate Camden’s birthday.
“Okay… I’d love that. I’ll need to arrange a babysitter for Travis.”
“Awesome,” Camden says, his grin answering whether he truly wants me there or if he’s only being polite. But then it slides a little, not in a way that tells me he’s losing his joy but to a degree that I know he’s considering something serious. “I’m really glad we reconnected, Danica.”
“Yeah,” I say softly, emotion threatening to choke me up. “Me too.”
CHAPTER 10
Camden
It’s a raritythat the season provides almost an entire week without any games. The schedule for the first half of January was heavy with road trips, including a full week on the West Coast where we fit in four games. It enabled us to have this time off—from games but not from practices, team meetings and workouts—and it frankly feels a little weird. Hockey season is always like a nonstop, high-speed train that eats up the distance so fast, you don’t know where your time has gone.
