Beyond the Game (Out of Reach 2)

“So, Cameron, what a coincidence that you live in the same complex as we do,” Willow says once we’re all three seated in the living room with our plates full of food.

“I got lucky there was an opening. I thought it was fate, you know, with the facility being called Baseline Condominiums.” He chuckles.

“My dad thought so too. When we graduated from college, he insisted on finding us the perfect condo to move into since we refused to move in with him and Mom and my two younger sisters.”

“Hey, I would have had no issue with living at Casa de Monroe. Your mom’s cooking skills are on point.” Willow points her fork at me.

“Right. You say that, but we would never have any privacy, and it’s not just because my two little sisters would be running around. My dad, now that he’s retired, has way too much time on his hands. We would never have had a moment to ourselves.”

Willow shrugs. “There are worse things.”

“Stop!” I cringe.

“Wait? What am I missing here?” Cameron asks. His eyes flick from Willow to me and then back again.

“Oh, you know, just the fact that my best friend has a crush on my dad!”

“You’ve seen Easton in those pants, right?” Willow asks Cameron. The look on his face has me cracking up laughing.

“I’ve seen him play, but I’m sorry, Wil, that’s just not my team.”

“Oh, you’re a Blaze player now,” she reminds him.

“Oh, the Blaze is my team, but I’m more team Paisley than I am team Easton.”

Willow tsks at him and points her fork in his direction. “That is no way to win over the parental units. Let me tell you, bud, Easton is fierce when it comes to the ladies in his life.”

Cameron takes a pull from his bottle of water. “Good. I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

“He’s not going to make it easy for you.”

“Nothing in life worth having is easy.”

“Like our girl here.” Willow nods to where I’m sitting.

“Like our girl.”

Something in his tone of voice, the conviction of him referring to me as his girl, sends tingles down my spine. “Cameron and I are just friends,” I tell Willow.

“I don’t kiss my friends like they’re the air I breathe. I mean, we could try it if you want, but to be honest, I’m just not feeling you like that, sweet cheeks.” She winks.

“You don’t know what you’re missing, Willow,” Cameron tells her.

“Thanks for dinner, Willow,” I say to change the subject.

“Always. So, tell me about your day. What was so rough about it?” she asks.

I subtly shake my head, but she just grins. “Cameron? Do you have any idea why our girl here had a bad day?”

“Hmm, maybe it’s because she refused to have dinner with me?” He poses it as a question, but all three of us know he’s being coy.

“Well, looks like luck is on your side.” Willow grins.

“That it is. In fact, my day turned out so much better than I could have imagined. It turns out that I live right next door to two pretty kick-ass neighbors.”

“Next door?” I ask him.

He nods. “Next door.” He takes a bite of his rice and swallows it before speaking again. “Although, there is this woman, she’s gorgeous and pretty much my dream girl, but she refuses to give me her number.”