Chapter 9
1068 Words
Life Lessons According to Camryn:
Running late counts as exercise.
The rush through General Mitchell Airport was something right out of the Home Alone manual. Yjaka Harold insisted on holding the tickets, Baba bitched about having to use a wheelchair, Kuma Viola was applying lipstick while attempting to go through security, and Emily made a guard spit out his coffee when she said he had a big stick.
The Covics never went anywhere without leaving a lasting impression.
Troy closed his eyes and laid his head back just as the fasten seatbelt light chimed off. Thirty thousand feet in an enclosed plane for three hours with the family. Good times. He grabbed a magazine and flipped through it.
Fisher walked past them to take Emily to the bathroom. He nodded at Camryn, avoided Troy, and moved on.
"I don't understand why he's so mad," Cam said.
"You and I both know Fisher's temper."
"But why be mad at you? He should be angry with me. I'm his sister."
"He thinks I'm going to hurt you. My dating history doesn't bode well for changing his mind."
Deep down, Troy figured he and Cam were crossing a proverbial line in Fisher's opinion. A line they shouldn't cross and had. Or he thought they had. Troy wanted so badly to tell his best friend this was a lie. Knowing that would make Fisher feel better. But part of him liked this charade, too. The part of him that still needed to prove he was worthy of something.
"Fisher must know that I'd be more likely to hurt you. I mean, I'm the reserved one here. I'd never let a man get to me."
She had let a man hurt her. She may not realize it, nor acknowledge it, but this Maxwell jerk had hurt her. And Troy wasn't just any man. If this went wrong, everything would change, and he'd be the one left out in the cold.
He set his magazine down and looked at her. "You have feelings, Cam. I don't know why you find it necessary to hide them." She turned her head to stare out the window. "Go ahead, look away. But I know you better than that. For the record, I'd never hurt you. Even if this were real."
She glanced back at him, worry lines wrinkling her forehead. After assessing him, she shook her head. "This is pointless. No one's going to get hurt because this isn't real. Fisher will get over it."
For once, she was more optimistic than him. "In a very dark way, this whole thing is funny. Fisher and I made a promise long ago to never fight over a woman."
One corner of her mouth quirked as her brows rose. "Not quite what you two had in mind."
Understatement.
Emily climbed over him to get to Camryn. Troy was the fun uncle, Heather the aunt who spoiled, but Cam was the little girl's favorite. Probably because she talked to her like an adult.
"You're wearing paint, Auntie Cam."
"Makeup. I usually wear makeup."
Emily gave her a calculated look while Troy smiled. "Not this much makeup. Is it because the Hortons are better than us?"
The Hortons being Justin's family. Troy waited to see how Cam responded.
"They're not better than us, honey. Just different. So we have to be on our best behavior."
Emily leaned against her chest and sighed. "I know. Daddy told me already."
Troy wondered if Fisher had told the rest of the family to be on their best behavior.
"What's Colorado like?" Emily asked.
"Well, it was the thirty-eighth colony added to the States, the state bird is the lark, and the tree is the blue spruce."
Troy laughed. "She didn't ask for a history lesson."
Both Emily and Cam frowned at him, so he shut up.
Emily turned to face Cam. "Daddy said there's mountains."
"The Rocky Mountains. The city we're going to, Boulder, is just east of the mountains. You'll be able to see them. You should ask Uncle Justin about Colorado. He's from there."
Without further delay, Emily hopped down and walked to the back of the plane by Heather and Justin.
Troy glanced around. Most of the family was seated in the back. They could talk without being overheard. "So, tell me about this Max guy."
"Maxwell. He hates being called Max. What do you want to know?"
A lot of things he couldn't ask. "What did he get you for your birthday last month? You didn't come home. It must've been good."
Her gaze darted to the window again. "We went out to dinner the next day."
"The next day?"
She turned her head, but wouldn't look him in the eye. "We were in the middle of a big campaign. We worked late that night, so we went out to dinner the next day."
Code: the dickhead forgot. "Did you love him?"
She sighed. "I guess. Doesn't matter now, does it?"
"Love always matters." And Cam deserved someone who didn't forget her birthday. Deserved more than the card Troy had sent her, even if it did sing.
"What about you? What was your last girlfriend like?"
"Felicia. She was a closet opera fan. Never would've worked out."
Cam smiled, and his stomach did some kind of tilt he blamed on turbulence. "Uh huh. And what was the problem with the one before her?"
He'd only dated Felicia for a couple weeks. Same with the one before her, and the one before that. They all had something wrong with them. Or maybe it was him. Either way, they weren't important enough to discuss. "What did you love about Maxwell?"
Her smile fell, and he regretted asking. "We both loved our work." She shrugged. "He was stable. Reliable."
She sounded like she was car shopping, but he knew better than to say so. "Well, at least I'll show you some fun before you dump me for another boring guy." Those huge hazel eyes narrowed, and he grinned. "Even a fake boyfriend can be fun."
Emily barreled over his lap again and onto Cam's. "Uncle Justin says you're the smarty pants. I'm supposed to get a tutu from you."
Troy laughed until his side hurt and half the plane stared at him. "I'm picturing Cam in a tutu. Sorry. I think you mean tutorial. And Auntie Camryn is the right person for that."
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