“Well, at least you won’t smell like bird turd,” I casually commented.
Cammy scowled playfully, not at me, but at the situation. “Well, like you said, it’s a sign of good luck, so I’ll be waiting.”
“Just wait and see?” I arched my eyebrows. Please let the universe be on my side and let me be right.
I ordered two turkey avocado sandwiches on rye bread. Turned out, Cammy and I liked the same type of sandwiches and chips—salt and vinegar. She offered to pay, but I stood slightly in front of her and paid the bill. After we settled ourselves at a corner table, we ate in comfortable quiet. Cammy seemed to want to be invisible.
That prick, Cams’s ex-boyfriend—she deserved someone better. I didn’t know him that well, but as an outsider observing, he had blown his chance. Cams didn’t know I saw her walk in just as Lucas leaned into that chick.
Cams sipped her soda and met my eyes. “So, where are you from?”
“I’m from New York. Born and raised here. How about you?”
“Same. What high school?”
“John Marshall High.” I took a bite of my sandwich.
“No shit? Your school was our rival.” Her eyes twinkled, appearing more gold than amber in the sunlight.
“Well, what do you know?” I opened the bag of chips for us and offered her to take the first piece. She reached in. “What a small world.”
“Yup. It sure is. Any siblings?” The chip crunched inside her mouth, and then she reached to take more. “These are delicious.”
I tilted the bag toward her. “I have an older brother. He’s happily married with a son. Want to see a picture of my nephew?” Without waiting for a reply, I took the photo out of my wallet and passed it to her.
“Oh, he’s so cute. Look at those dimples.” Cammy met my gaze. “Your brother has them, too, I’m guessing?”
“Grant does, like me.” I shrugged, feeling shy for the first time. Cammy’s eyes on me had me a bit nervous. “He lives in New York, too. He’s a lawyer at a big firm downtown, and my sister-in-law is a pediatrician.” Too much information, Grayson.
“A lawyer and a doctor? Wow. And your parents?”
“My dad is a business lawyer as well. He’s an in-house counsel for a big investment firm. He was so happy when my brother told him he wanted to be a lawyer just like him. My mom was an elementary school teacher. She retired soon after I was born. How about you?” I took a long gulp of my soda.
“I got accepted to NYU’s teacher certification program.”
“You did? That’s awesome. Congratulations. So, you’ll be here as well.” I raised my arms for emphasis. “The universe is telling us we were meant to be friends.”
She smiled and continued. “My parents are divorced. My mom is a nurse and my stepdad is a doctor. I have a younger sister who’s graduating from high school this year.”
I slightly dipped my head. “Congrats are in order for the Connor family. Two daughters graduating.”
Cammy took the last bite of her sandwich and crinkled the wrapper. “Thank you for my lunch. It was very sweet of you.”
“That’s what friends are for.” Idiotic. I could’ve kicked myself. Couldn’t I think of something better to say?
“Friends.” She paused on the word. “I like that.” She glanced at her watch. “I hate to leave my friend alone, but I have to get to work. Gus, my manager, gets all pissy when I’m even a second late.”
I took her trash and mine. “I’ll walk you there.”
She reached for the wrapper, but then she placed her hand down her side. “You don’t have to take my trash. I can do it. And you don’t have to walk me to work. I’m sure you have better things to do.”
“Nothing is better than spending time with you.”
Cammy’s cheeks gleamed slightly pink. “It’s clear across campus.”
“I know. But I’m just a guy hoping maybe one day we can be more than friends.” I should have punched myself, or I should have let her punch me. I was an ass. She was hurting and I sprung my words on her as if she didn’t have anything else to worry about.
I didn’t mean to remind her of that, but it was so easy to talk to her. Turning my back toward her to toss the trash away, I didn’t give her a chance to reply.
Chapter Twelve
At Work
Cammy
Grayson was so sweet, such a gentleman, but his words surprised me. I’m just a guy hoping maybe one day we can be more than friends.
How could I not swoon over those words? But I wasn’t ready to move on or let Lucas completely go. Confused, I did what I did best when I didn’t want to make a decision: I pretended everything was fine.
“Grayson.” Gus’s smile was too big for his face. “Cammy. You’re here on time.” He waved and attention went to Grayson. “You should walk Cammy to work every day. Are you hungry, Grayson? I can whip you up something. I’ll even pile it on for you.”
I rolled my eyes at Gus, plopped my backpack under the counter, and checked the cash register to make sure it was all good to go. Actually, my nerves were fried. A part of me worried Lucas would find out I had eaten with another guy and might get mad. It was none of his business, I reminded myself.
“Actually, I’m going to skip. Cams and I had lunch, but thank you.”
Gus’s eyebrow hiked higher than I’d ever seen before. “Oh, really.” His eyes flashed to mine with a look that said tell me more.
“Anyway.” Grayson shoved his hands inside his jeans pockets, and his lips perked as if he was either thinking of something to say or was wondering about something. “I had a wonderful time, friend. Maybe we can do it again soon.” The way his hands braced against the counter, his toned biceps were hard to miss when he leaned forward. Even Gus drooled from the other end. “Have a good day, Cams. See you in class. I’ll save you a seat.”
“You too. See you in class.” I tried to sound neutral and not flirty.
“Those were the sexiest words I’ve heard in a long time.” Gus stood next to me, staring at Grayson walk away. “And he’s got the sexiest ass I’ve ever seen.”
I’m not looking. I’m not looking. Shit, I was already gawking.
I frowned. “Don’t you have work to do? Go back to your side.”
I had expected a sly comment, but instead, he was grinning and waving at someone. Grayson had turned back, his eyes set on mine, just before he exited.
The second he was no longer in the building, Gus shifted his attention to me. “What happened? How did you get a date with him?”
I glanced around the quiet foodcourt. “It wasn’t a date. We’re friends. We have a class together, and after the test, we went out to eat.”
I dusted a smudge from the cash register, keeping myself busy. I didn’t want Gus to see any expression on my face.
Gus lightly tapped my shoulder. “Was anyone else there?”
“It’s none of your business, but no.” I checked the containers filled with tomatoes, lettuce, onion, rice, beans, chicken, beef, shredded pork, and sauces.