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“This was the last day of school before break. There’s no school tomorrow or the day after that and so on for two and a half weeks.”
“Right.” He runs his fingers through my hair. “Something tells me you’re in the habit of waking up early all the time.”
“True. I like to get things done.”
“In that case can I take you to breakfast tomorrow morning?”
No other question in the history of questions has ever made me this happy. “I would love that.”
“Then it’s a date.” He cups my chin in his palm and I’m anticipating a kiss but he just stares into my eyes. “Eight o’clock?”
“I’ll be ready.”
“And I’ll be here.”
We stare at each other, mere inches apart. It dawns on me that I don’t need to just stand around and wait to be kissed. I lean in and brush my lips across his with the gentlest touch.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Beltran.”
He releases me and winks. “You’ll be seeing me a lot more than that, Galway.”
Ben
I hesitate to ring the doorbell because it’s early and for all I know everyone else in the house is sleeping. This mood is new to me, this sense of happiness when greeting a new day because I know I’ll be spending it with a girl I’m wild about.
And I like it.
Earlier my mother was preoccupied with getting ready for work and only nodded when I said goodbye. It wouldn’t surprise me if she never again wants to talk about yesterday. She has a longtime habit of locking painful events into an internal vault and refusing to discuss them.
The front door of Camden’s house is a vibrant blue and includes a tarnished brass door knocker in the shape of a G. I reach for it and hardly get the first knock in when the door opens.
Camden looks beautiful. Well, she’s always beautiful, even when she’s not trying. Her hair is down with a simple part in the middle and she wears a fuzzy pink sweater atop dark jeans that mold to her shape. I feel instantly summoned to put my hands everywhere.
But I find my manners before my hands find her ass and I smile. “Good morning, gorgeous.”
She flushes and tucks her hair behind one ear. Compliments still catch her off guard. That just makes me want to give her more of them.
“Hi.” She glances behind her and then steps back from the door. “Come in.”
Camden’s house is a real home, full of family photos and well worn furnishings and mismatched accent pieces that probably have sentimental value. There’s a pleasant pine woods smell radiating from the squat Christmas tree, which is covered in bright balls, light strings and handmade ornaments. There’s also a woman seated in the middle of the sofa and she’s wearing a terrycloth robe in the same bright blue color as the front door. Right away I can see her resemblance to Frankie. Around her head is a turban-style wrap patterned with bright tropical flowers and I know she wears it because of what her cancer treatments have done to her. But nothing has stolen her luminous smile.
“Ben.” Camden takes my hand. “I want you to meet my mom.”
“Hello, Ben. Please call me Adela.” Her voice contains a distinct Spanish accent. “I am glad to meet you.”
“You already know Frankie,” Camden says and now I see her brother is quietly hovering in the doorway. He acknowledges me with a nod.
Adela is thoughtful as she regards me. “Camden’s father had to leave for work already. He would have liked to meet you too.”
It occurs to me that I’ve never done this before, been presented to a girl’s family as if I’m a person of importance. It’s actually a little nerve wracking.
I put in a sincere effort to come across as upstanding as possible. These are the people who are most important to Camden. Adela is pleased that I’m also a BMA student and that I have a job at Dee’s. We don’t talk for very long because she suddenly sinks against the couch cushions and winces.
Camden darts to her side. “I’ll help you get back to bed.”
Adela must be too tired to argue. She smiles at me once more and then allows her daughter to help her down the hall. She’s petite and only reaches Camden’s shoulder.
With the two of them gone, Frankie and I are left behind to awkwardly stare at one another.
