That First Special Kiss

Kelly felt a bit torn in her feelings about Cameron. She’d always liked him and enjoyed his dry humor, and she knew he was Shane’s best friend. But she was very fond of Amber, too, and she couldn’t forget the misery she’d heard in Amber’s voice earlier. What a sticky mess this had become, she thought, biting her lip.

“Hand me your keys, Kelly, and I’ll see what’s wrong with your car.” There was little expression in Shane’s face as he studied her standing in the circle of Cameron’s arm.

“Shane’s not exactly Mr. Personality today,” Cameron confided. “I don’t think he got enough sleep last night. The cows must have mooed beneath his bedroom window or something.”

Kelly stepped away from Cameron to search for her keys. Her eyes met Shane’s briefly when she tossed them to him. For only a moment, she saw a glimmer of sensual awareness in his expression, and she felt an answering quiver deep inside her. But they must have hidden their feelings well. As sharply perceptive as he was, Cameron seemed to notice nothing unusual.

“You’d better grab a jacket,” Shane advised when she started to follow them out. “It’s gotten cold. Feels like winter out there all of a sudden.”

Both Shane and Cameron were wearing jackets—Shane’s lined denim, Cameron’s battered leather. “I’ll get my jacket and meet you at my car,” Kelly said, turning toward her bedroom.

It was cold, she noticed when she stepped outside. A brisk wind tossed her hair and blew dried brown leaves across the parking lot. The wintry feel in the air reminded her again that Christmas was only two weeks away. She didn’t have much shopping to do, but she needed to get to it soon. She’d drawn Brittany Sample’s name, so she needed to buy something for her. She and Brynn always exchanged personal gifts, regardless of the Walker family drawing they both participated in now. She would buy small gifts for Heather and Amber, and for a couple of friends from her work.

Now she wondered where she and Shane would stand by Christmas. Would they still be secret lovers? Would their affair have become public knowledge by then? Or would it be over?

“Hey, zombie-face.” Cameron waved a hand in front of her eyes. “Wake up.”

She wrinkled her nose at him. “I’m awake. I was just thinking about Christmas.”

He groaned. “That’s enough to make me go zombie. I’ll just be glad when it’s over. The hype and syrupy sweetness is almost more than I can take. And of course I’m a villain now because I ruined Amber’s holidays.”

She winced. “No one thinks of you as a villain, Cameron.”

He didn’t look convinced. “Have you heard from Amber?”

“She called me this morning.”

“How is she?”

Noting that his concern seemed sincere, she answered quietly, “She’s unhappy right now, but she’ll be okay.”

Cameron pushed his hands into the pockets of his leather jacket. His usual insouciance was missing when he said, “I really didn’t want to hurt her.”

There was a part of her that still wanted to be angry with Cameron for hurting Amber. But she couldn’t. She liked Cameron, and she knew how determinedly Amber had pursued him. Once he’d realized what a mistake they had made, he had done his best to rectify it before it had become even more painful. That Amber had been hurt was as much her own fault as Cameron’s—if not more.

Amber had made the mistake of wanting too much, of ignoring reality to concentrate on her fantasies, Kelly thought with a somber look at Shane.

As if he’d felt her eyes on him, he

looked up from beneath the hood of her car. “Looks like you need a new alternator. I’ll run to the auto parts store and pick one up. It’ll only take me an hour to install it—or two, if Cam helps.”

Cameron chuckled.

“I really appreciate this,” Kelly said to Shane.

“It’s no trouble. I’ll just get my tools out of the truck and take this one out first. You going to the auto parts store with me, Cam?”

“Sure. It’s been a while since I’ve been to an auto parts store. Maybe I’ll buy one of those pine-scented things to hang from the rearview mirror of my Corvette.”

Shane pointed a finger at his friend. “You can go with me, but I forbid you to embarrass me.”

Cameron grinned. “Have I ever done that?”

Shane only groaned and rolled his eyes.

“While the two of you are working on my car, why don’t I make dinner for us?” Kelly suggested.

Cameron tilted his head like a puppy who’d just heard an intriguing sound. “Dinner?”