The Thing About Trouble (Crystal Lake 1)

“I held on once, so tight that it left scars.” The doorbell tinkled just then, and Poppy smiled, a sad, tremulous thing. “I’ll tell you my story one day, and you can tell me yours.” She exhaled and squared her shoulders. “But right now, you should go. Don’t keep that delectable man and his little girl waiting.”

Poppy greeted her customers, and, dismissed, Blue grabbed her purse and slipped her coat on over her genie costume. She had questions, but she knew that now wasn’t the time. Instead, she said goodbye and headed for the parking lot out back. The air was crisp, full of late autumn cold with a hint of rain. Shivering, Blue slipped into her car and headed for Cam’s. It was five o’clock, and already she saw kids out, bundled warmly, but in costume.

She got to Cam’s just as he was heading out the door, a beautiful young princess holding on to his arm while dragging the biggest bag behind her. Tawny hadn’t spied Blue yet, and her face was turned up toward Cam, her expression earnest as she chatted away.

“Hey,” she said huskily as she approached the pair. “Don’t you look pretty.”

Tawny broke free of Cam and nearly knocked Blue over with the strength of her hug. “Blue, I’m a princess.” The little girl twirled in a full circle, kinky curls bouncing, sparkling hazel eyes flashing in the early evening gloom. They widened when she spied the purple-and-gold material that peeked from underneath Blue’s coat. “What are you?”

“I’m a genie,” she replied, glancing up at Cam. The man literally took her breath away. Dressed in dark denim and brown boots, he wore a thick black turtleneck with a heavy red-and-black-plaid button-down that hung loose. He hadn’t shaved in a few days, and his dark eyes settled on her with an intensity that made her knees weak.

“Hey,” he said softly. He bent forward and pressed a kiss to her cheek. “Thanks for handing out the candy. It’s in a bucket by the front door.” He pulled away, and she noticed some strain around his eyes. She hadn’t seen him since Saturday. He’d invited her to dinner at his parents on Sunday, same as he’d done for the past month or so, but she’d declined.

“You look tired,” she said, hand on his cheek as she stared up at him.

He was silent for a few moments and then offered up a smile that made her heart leap damn near out of her chest. “I’ll see you in a bit, and trust me, it won’t be sleep I’ll be thinking about.”

The two of them headed off to Mrs. Eddy’s place, and Blue walked into the house. She didn’t bother doffing her coat, because she’d spied a group of kids two houses down. When they rang the doorbell, she was ready.

Two hours later, just as she’d run out of candy, Cam and Tawny showed up. The princess was full of excitement and kept the conversation running nonstop as Blue helped her out of her costume and into her pajamas. Cam took her to the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face, and then she kissed them both before Cam tucked her into bed. There was no argument, no whining to stay up. The day had tuckered Tawny out, and she grabbed her teddy bear, fluffed her pillow just so, and was probably asleep before Cam and Blue made it back to the living room.

“You want a drink?” Cam asked.

“No, I’m good.”

She watched him from beneath hooded eyes. He ruffled the top of Rufus’s head and stared out the large bay window, into the night.

“How did it go with the town council meeting last night?” she asked, coming up alongside him.

“Good.” He shrugged. “They accepted my bid and liked the plans I had drawn up for the project. Now we just have to wade through the red tape, and hopefully, I’ll hear something soon.” He glanced at her. “What about you? How did the thing with your designer go yesterday?”

This wasn’t them. Small talk about work.

“It went well.”

“That’s good,” he murmured, turning back to the window.

“Cam,” she said hesitantly. “Are we okay?”

“What?” He was distracted, and she was pretty sure he hadn’t heard the question. Blue moved until she stood in front of him.

“Are you okay?”

Cam blew out a long, slow breath. “I’m just tired. Slept like crap last night.” He attempted a smile. “Didn’t get my Blue fix yesterday.”

“You want to talk about it?” She knew there was more to it. Cam was never this quiet. Never this serious.

He stared down at her for a few more moments and then shook his head. “Not yet.” He reached for her, and she melted into his arms. There was a weird vibe in the air, and Blue didn’t care for it one bit. Something had felt off since she’d arrived, but here in Cam’s arms, she c

ould pretend that it didn’t exist. That the cocoon they created was enough.

“Stay the night,” Cam said suddenly.

Blue squeezed her eyes shut, burrowing even closer to him, if that was possible. She felt the hardness of his chest against her cheek and heard the slow, steady beat of his heart in her ear. His arms were warm, and they held her tightly. But there was a tenseness to him, like he was a tightly strung rubber band about to snap.

He needed her. She felt it in her bones. And she thought that maybe she needed him more.

He kissed the top of her head and rested his chin there. “Don’t go. Just stay.”