He’d thought she might go home with him that night or invite him to her apartment. That hadn’t happened. Then he’d been called back home, and their relationship had come to an abrupt halt.
“Let’s walk around for a bit.” She looped her arm through his, excitement running through her words. “Though every year is much the same, at festivals like these, there are always surprises.”
“Sounds like you’ve been to your share.”
“Oh yeah.” She chuckled. “But it’s been a long time. The summer before my sister’s senior year in high school, we decided to hit all the festivals in the area. It sounds lame, but it actually was a lot of fun.”
The brief mention of her sister chased the brightness from her eyes.
“Not lame at all.” Cameron placed his hand over the one she rested on his forearm. “For the record, I like hearing about your family and your childhood. I like you, Juin, and I meant what I said about wanting to get to know you better.”
“I don’t mind discussing the past, but I also don’t want to be a downer.” She blew out a breath. “I spent the afternoon with my mother. Enough said on that.”
Cameron opened his mouth, then shut it. He didn’t know her well enough to know if she wanted him to ask her questions or not.
“You have, what, a couple of siblings?” she asked.
Her attempt to focus the conversation back on him told Cameron what he needed to know.
“I have four,” he told her. “JR is the oldest, then Nyla, followed by me, then Miles and finally Eve.”
“I know Eve.”
Cameron blinked. “You do?”
“Well, not know her know her.” Juin laughed. “She’s got a huge following on social media. I love her makeup tips.”
His little sister had started building a presence on social media several years ago while still in college. Apparently, Eve’s reach on social media was significant, with lots of sponsors and millions of followers.
“My friend Anson told me she’s a big deal. I guess I should pay more attention.”
“Anson Hawkins?”
For some reason, the realization that she knew his friend surprised him. Though it really shouldn’t. Anson was involved in a lot of civic enterprises and, until he’d decided to throw his hat into the political ring, had dated a lot. “You know Anson?”
Juin shook her head. “Only what I’ve seen on your sister’s channel and in the press. He’s her boyfriend, right?”
Cameron knew to tread carefully on this one. Eve’s followers were convinced Anson was her boyfriend. JR thought it was a publicity ploy. Cameron wasn’t certain if the relationship was real or not. “I guess.”
“You guess?” Juin’s brows pulled together.
Cameron shrugged and didn’t elaborate. Over the years, he’d learned the wisdom of keeping personal information close.
The Driskill family—and, heck, Anson’s family as well—was well known in the Denver community and in Colorado. He’d been burned a couple of times by giving out family information that had then become public knowledge.
Sometimes it was hard to know who to trust.
Until he knew her better, he would heed his big brother’s advice and not let things move too quickly. Still, as he gazed into Juin’s warm hazel eyes, he found himself hoping she would end up being someone he could count on.