Kelly looked at him in distress. “I...”
“Forget it,” Cameron said abruptly, looking a bit chagrined that he’d revealed so much. “I tend to snarl during the holidays. I’ll be glad when they’re over.”
He glanced at his watch. “I need to run by the newspaper for a few minutes. I guess I’ll be going. Thanks for dinner, Kelly. I really enjoyed it.”
“Thank you for helping Shane fix my car.”
Shane snorted. “Yeah. He held the flashlight very well.”
“I’m still grateful,” Kelly said firmly.
Cameron surprised Kelly with a kiss on her cheek. “So am I. Good night.”
With a sketched salute to Shane, he let himself out, leaving Shane and Kelly alone.
“What did he mean?” Kelly asked, turning to Shane. “That he was grateful for dinner?”
“For that—and because you’re still his friend, even after what happened between him and Amber. He was a little worried that the gang would blame him.”
“I wanted to blame him at first,” she admitted. “But it didn’t take me long to realize how unfair that was. Cameron and Amber simply made a mistake.”
“Did they?” Shane toyed absently with one of the glass baubles on her Christmas tree.
“How can you even ask that? Everyone can see what a painful mess it turned out to be.”
“I’ll agree it ended badly, and was probably destined to do so. But was it really a mistake to try? Amber had fancied herself in love with Cameron for years. Until she found out for certain that it wouldn’t work, how could she get on with her life, maybe give someone else a chance? And I think Cameron secretly hopes he’ll find someone someday who’ll really understand him—who can fill the emptiness inside him left over from his unhappy childhood. It might have been Amber—how would he have known for sure if he didn’t give it a try? They’ll both get over this, and they’ll always know they gave it their best shot.”
She stared at him. “I never realized you were such an astute observer of human relationships.”
Shane’s cheeks darkened a bit. “It was just a thought. Everyone keeps saying they made a mistake, but I think they just answered a question. Unfortunately, the answer was painful for both of them.”
“And for their friends,” she murmured.
“Few relationships take place in a vacuum. There are always others involved—friends, family. Children, in the case of most divorces.”
Kelly sw
allowed painfully. Shane had just succinctly summed up her fears about their relationship.
He crossed the room to stand in front of her, his expression suddenly sympathetic. “Still predicting disaster?”
“I...” Her voice trailed off as she bit her lip, uncertain how to answer.
He rested his hands on her shoulders. “We aren’t Cam and Amber. There’s no reason to think we’ll turn out as badly.”
Still biting her lip, she tried to find comfort in his words. But fear still lurked inside her, waiting to tarnish her time with him.
Shane kissed her lightly, teasing her lip from her grasp, rubbing his mouth against hers until she couldn’t resist responding. She slid her hands up his arms, lacing them behind his neck.
He was right, of course. They weren’t Cameron and Amber. But in some ways, the stakes were even higher for them, since their lives were intertwined even more intricately. Amber had a close family to turn to, as well as several good friends outside their “gang.” Cameron had family, though they weren’t close, and a large, loosely constructed network of friends he’d made through his work as a reporter. Cameron and Amber had complete, potentially satisfying lives away from each other.
For Kelly it was different. Every close relationship she had now was in some way connected to Shane. Her best friend—the sister of her heart—was his cousin. The other close friends Kelly had made during the past couple of years—Heather and Amber—had originally been friends of Shane. She had made a few friends at school and at work, but none who were as close to her as the people she knew through Shane.
Losing Shane at this point would be devastating. Losing everyone—being alone again—was an outcome she couldn’t even bear to consider.
She pulled away from the kiss, stumbling a little, but quickly regaining her balance. “Do you want another cup of coffee or something before you go?”
Shane frowned. “I didn’t actually intend to leave just yet.”