Yours Truly, Cammie

Silence passed between us and I’m pretty sure she was waiting for me to tell her I was kidding.

But I wasn’t.

I didn’t realize Ryan was standing in the doorway, fully clothed now (thank God), until he chuckled.

“That is not going to work.”

I crossed my arms. “Why not?”

“Cammie, come on. Just face the music. Slap him in the face and then walk away. I’ve been slapped by you before; it stings.” Ryan ran his hand over his cheek as if he could still feel the sting.

I did slap him once when he made JoJo cry, many years ago. No one messes with my best friend, even if they are in a relationship.

I looked around their tiny apartment, shooting down my other plan of moving in with them. That would be awkward. JoJo had informed me on several occasions that she was very…loud in bed, and hearing them have sex would only remind me of how pathetic my love life was.

Even before Luke, my love life was shit.

I’ll just be a crazy cat lad

y. Maybe Ms. Deacon will give me some of her cats to start my collection.

“I have an idea,” JoJo said, looking up from her phone. She pattered over to me and tilted the screen up to my face. My eyes scanned it quickly and I looked back up at her. She smiled convincingly and Ryan rolled his eyes at us. “You can stay here a few nights, then we’ll make you look hot as hell, and we’ll go to the coming home party that…” she looked down at the event on her social media account again, “Ember is throwing for the support team, and you can face him there. You won’t be alone and Ryan will punch him, if need be.”

Ryan interjected, “Hey! I can’t punch him!”

JoJo gave him a pointed stare and he rolled his eyes again. “Fine. I’ll punch him if you want me to, Cammie.”

I thought about it for a second and then nodded, “Okay...but will you guys make a pact to only have sex when I’m at work? I don’t want you to rub salt in my wound.”

They both laughed and looked at each other adoringly. Then Ryan winked at her. They were cute. Why couldn’t I find a love like that?

Instead of this fucked-up marriage debacle that I was in right now…

Twenty-Five

“You know he’s called and texted Ryan, like, five hundred times since he landed back in the States, right?” JoJo said after putting down the curling iron.

My hair was in full-on model mode with my shiny, blonde waves falling gracefully just beneath my shoulders. But it didn’t really matter what I looked like. No matter how beautiful or sexy I looked tonight, it wouldn’t be enough to stop the dread from creeping over my shoulders.

The growing worry about seeing Luke tonight had me contemplating just moving away from New Bern altogether. That way I’d never have to face him again. Let alone be his neighbor!

I spun around in my chair. “And what has Ryan been telling him?”

JoJo smirked. “He told him you weren’t here, obviously. But, I’m really surprised Luke hasn’t come here to bang the door down yet. Where else would you be?”

I half-laughed.

“Why hasn’t he called you?”

I let out a long breath. “I blocked his number right after I deleted my email.”

JoJo formed an “O” with her mouth and then nodded in understanding.

“Do you think this is a good idea?”

Nervousness washed over me. It felt strange for me to be so vulnerable. I didn’t used to be the pitiful, eat-a-pint-of-ice-cream-because-a-boy-broke-my-heart type of girl. I’d never been like that, not even in high school. I’d just deal on my own and move on, burying myself in work until the next thing came along. But with Luke…it was different.

And I hated that.