I heard his laughter before I saw him. He had his arm around some girl who was probably fresh out of high school. She looked up at him like he’d invented chocolate.
I gagged.
Instead of waiting for him to get to me, I cut across the hall and stepped in front of him. “Hey, Camden.” I managed a sweet smile, but my words were laced with warning. I kind of surprised myself because I’d never used that tone before—didn’t know I had it in me. But I was on a mission for Mason, and I wasn’t going to back down.
Camden glanced down at the girl. “Why don’t you run in and save us seats?” He nudged her onward.
She glanced at me, her eyebrows low like she was trying to figure out if I was an ex-girlfriend or a current girlfriend.
“Don’t worry.” I held up a hand like I was swearing in court. “I’m not into him at all. In fact, I could give you eight reasons right now why you don’t want him to sit next to you in class.”
Her eyes got even bigger. I didn’t know that look was possible outside of cartoons.
“Hey,” Camden protested. He wasn’t happy with me slandering his name and probably killing his chances with this girl. “There’s no need to get nasty.”
I rounded on him, my finger jabbing into his chest. “Do you want to bet?” I poked him hard, and he backed up a couple of steps.
I advanced, not letting up. “You pawed at me in front of everyone at the bowling alley, got drunk, started a fight, and then got Mason in trouble when he stood up for me.”
He glanced over my shoulder. I didn’t turn to see if the girl was still there. I didn’t care. I wanted her to hear. She needed to know what kind of slimeball she was dating.
“And you know what makes me sick about it all? Mason is a good guy. He served this country and this community, making sure we’re all safe to go about our lives. And you turned on him.”
Camden pulled his head back, giving him a double chin. He pursed his lips and lowered his brows as he stared at me. “I didn’t know that,” he murmured.
I didn’t put up with murmuring with Parker, and I sure as heck wasn’t going to put up with it from this man-child. “What was that?” I demanded, my mom voice loud and revving.
“I didn’t know. I didn’t mean for it to go that far,” he said louder. “He just kept looking at you like—” He cut off and ran his hand through his hair. “You guys seemed to have a connection. I couldn’t help but push his buttons.” He shrugged like that was a good enough answer.
I had no words.
I had to work hard to not press him about the way Mason was looking at me or the connection he thought he saw. I wanted to hear those words so badly, needed them to encourage my struggling heart. I was so in love with Mason that I couldn’t see straight.
Instead of getting into all that, I focused on the one thing I could do for him—right here, right now.
“You need to fix this.”
He lifted his shoulders. “What do you want me to do?”
I panicked for a second. I hadn’t thought that far. “You’re coming with me to the station to talk to Sheriff Potts and tell him that you started the fight.”
Camden backed up the final step, his back literally against the wall. “I can’t.”
“You will.” I grabbed his arm and turned him back down the hall.
“But—class.”
I leveled him a look. “Pah-lease. You’re not worried about your grades.” I was. But I figured I could miss one class and then double up this week to get homework done. I might struggle on the next quiz, but Mason was way more important than a grade. “Mason deserves to have his name cleared.”
Camden deflated. “Fine.”
I released his arm, and he walked easily alongside me to my car. I hit the unlock button, and we climbed inside.
The drive was quiet. Every time Camden tried to lighten the mood, I gripped the steering wheel and ground my teeth together.
“Why are you so tight?” he asked. He lifted his hand as if he were going to give me another neck massage. I yanked the wheel, throwing him into the door.
“Geeze,” he said, rubbing his hand against his neck.
I took a deep breath. “I know. Sorry.” I exhaled and forced myself to calm down. “I just—Mason—We…” Ugh! Why was it so hard to put all this into words? Maybe because Camden wasn’t the one I wanted to spill my heart to.
“I get it.” He slouched in his seat.
“Get what?”
“You love him.”
“Well, yeah. But it’s complicated.”
He nodded. “I don’t do complicated. Mason, he looks like the kind of guy who does complicated.”
What a jerk. To Camden, complicated obviously meant emotions. The fact that he was looking down on the man I loved because he wanted to love me back was disgusting. I gagged as the memory of kissing Camden surfaced. I had no taste back then. Thank goodness, history did not have to repeat itself.
I laughed dryly and shot, “I figured that out,” in his direction.
He gave me a rueful smile. “Are you two together?”
I signaled at the light and then turned into the parking lot. “I don’t know.”
“Because it’s complicated.”
I nodded. “Right. But I want to be with him.”
“Is that why you’re doing this?” He pointed to the sheriff’s office looming over us.
I pulled the keys out and stared at the building. “I’m doing it because it’s the right thing to do. Because Mason deserves to have someone protect him once in a while. And even if he doesn’t want to be with me when this is all over—I have to know I did what I could.”
Camden traced the glove box. “Complicated with a woman like you sounds nice.”
I rolled my eyes. He was not getting all soft on me. “Get out of the car.”
He grinned. We made our way inside and spoke to the officer at the front desk. She called into Sheriff’s Potts’ office, and he okayed us to head back.
The station wasn’t big, but I couldn’t help but take it all in like a kid on a field trip. I expected to see criminals handcuffed to chairs or a holding cell filled with drunks. It wasn’t like that at all. There were several cubicles with low walls and a water cooler in the corner. Deputies pecked at keyboards or talked on the phone.
“Hey!” Holly bounded up to me, a huge smile on her pretty face. Her blonde hair was back in a ponytail, and she wore her uniform. “It’s so good to see you.” She hugged me and then gave Camden a curious look. “What are you guys doing here?”
“I brought this guy in for a confession.” I hooked my thumb at Camden, who was busy trying to draw a line in the carpet with his toe.
She nodded then leaned forward, drawing me into her confidence. “Mason’s not here.”
“I know.” I winked, and she smiled, leaning back. “I’m sorry for the way things went the other night. I hope you’re okay?” I left it as a question, really wanting to know that she was all right.
She batted away my concern. “Honestly, that wasn’t the worst date I’ve been on.”
I groaned. “Then I’m even more sorry.”