“Why would I do that ?”
He didn’t want to stand around and catch up with her. Everything between them was over. It had been for a long time. What she did now didn’t matter to him .
“I need to get back to the office.” He tugged on the old brass knob .
“I heard you’re the mayor now.” She offered a smile .
He didn’t want a fucking trip down memory lane. He wanted off this road, wherever it was headed .
“A lot has changed since Cami Addison packed her guitar and left this town.” It came out as a snarl .
“Evan, I — ”
“See you around, Cami .”
He let the door slam behind him .
Five
Cami
H er knees wobbled as she gripped the ladder for support. Evan Jacobs had waltzed in, rescued her, and disappeared again in a matter of minutes. Cami sank to the floor in disbelief .
That wasn’t how that was supposed to go. She wasn’t prepared. But would she ever be prepared to see Evan again ?
It was as if a train had barreled in through the glass doors and shattered the windows and the walls. The look he gave her was as crushing as the anger in his voice. How would she forget the way it felt when she fell into his arms? The way his fingers curled around her waist. The solid wall of muscle that was his chest .
She sighed, trying to push the image of his body from her mind. That was probably going to be the most impossible part. He wasn’t the eighteen-year old she dated. He was tall and sexy. He had more muscles now than he did years ago. He was gorgeous .
They lived in the same town for the first time in twelve years. And he was the mayor. Cami was going to have to figure out a way to navigate this awkwardness. She crawled toward the bucket on the floor and picked up the scrub brush .
She didn’t have a song to write. She didn’t have a performance to prepare. But she did have a business to open. She dipped the brush in the cool water and started scouring the floors. Her arms dug into the marble with solid strokes until she could see her reflection. Every time she made a pass over one of the squares, she felt a sliver of satisfaction .
It was hours later before she stopped. Not enough time to forget the run-in with Evan, but long enough that she felt tired. Her limbs ached from hard work. The floors were immaculate. The windows shone. But there still wasn’t enough light. She had replaced two lightbulbs. The rest were still untouched, caked with dust and smoky burn marks .
Cami wiped her palms on a clean towel and grabbed her coat and purse. If she was going to make any more progress tonight, she needed working lights. She marched across the street to the only hardware store in town .
The door rattled and she was immediately hit with a strong smell of paint thinner. Nothing had changed in all these years. Cami remembered lighting was at the back of the store. She walked briskly to the rear aisle, hoping she could sneak in and out before anyone spotted her .
“Is that Cami Addison ?”
She stopped in her tracks when she heard her name. She hadn’t made it past the garden section .
“Hi, Mr. Hillson.” She smiled meekly .
“I thought that was you.” The older gentleman removed his baseball cap and scratched his forehead. “Haven’t seen you around here for a while .”
She bit nervously on her lip. “It has been a long time .”
“Thought maybe you would have come back for the Snow Ball one of these years. Or the flotilla.” He replaced the cap on his head. “Eugenie said you were too famous for us now. But I told her you were just busy. You’d be back. And here you are.” His gold tooth was visible when he smiled widely .
She had made a lot of excuses for not making a trip home. It seemed there was always a potential contract looming, or maybe even a show she had to do. There were appearances she had to make, and there were always radio shows willing to let her promote a new single. She doubted she could explain to Mr. Hillson what it took to launch her music career, and he was less likely to understand how hard she had fought to keep it from falling apart .
Cami straightened her shoulders. “You know, I came in to buy some light bulbs. Could you show me where they are?” Sometimes avoidance was the easiest way around things .
He pulled his wooden cane to his side, and hobbled into an upright position. “Right down here. Come on. I’ll show you what we have .”
This was never going to be easy. People were going to want to know why her career had failed. Why she thought she deserved to waltz back into town when she hadn’t traveled its streets in twelve years. And apparently, everyone wanted to know what happened between her and Evan. Cami followed Mr. Hillson to the back of the store, wondering if she was every going to have the answers to any of those questions .