"That," Kelsey said softly.
Noah frowned, confused. "What?"
"Whatever you were thinking that gave you such a wistful look. Just go tell her that."
"Easier said than done."
She gave him a gentle shove. "Sure it is . . . if you never do it." She cut a glance toward Kiki, who was laughing as Mina bounced away. "See? She's free. So, go."
So he went. And, what the hell. Maybe it was time.
"Hey," he said, moving to her side, his heart flipping a bit when she flashed that sweet smile before turning her attention back to the guests, her eyes skimming as if looking for someone.
He put a hand on her arm. "I thought we could run inside and get a drink."
"Sure." She tilted her head toward him. "Can you believe Mina's here? She said Cam is, too, but I haven't seen him."
"Cam? Your brother?"
"Yeah, I know. Small world, right. But he's--oh! Cam!"
She lifted her free hand and waved, and a familiar twenty-something with dark-brown hair and an earring hurried over.
"Wait. That's Cam? The bartender at The Fix is your brother?"
She nodded as Cam scooped her into a hug. Not that her acknowledgment was necessary. Now that Noah knew, he could see the child from Kiki's old photos in the face of the man Cam had become.
Noah realised he should have connected the name of Cam-the-bartender with Cam-the-brother-who-interrupted-in-the-alley. But he cut himself some slack. He'd been more than a little distracted that night.
"Why are you here?" Kiki asked him.
"Griff told Mina she could bring a guest, and her boyfriend's out of town. I'm a huge fan of Griff's show, so she thought I'd get a kick out of it, and invited me."
"I'm so glad. You might as well have moved to Dallas when you took that apartment by campus. I hardly see you anymore."
"Gee, Mom."
She rolled her eyes, though Noah knew that Cam was only half teasing. Long ago, Kiki had told Noah about their mother's abandonment and how she ended up being half-parent, half-sibling, especially after their grandmother's death.
"Listen," she said, "you two never actually met, but I talked about you both all the time. Cam, this is Noah. Noah, my brother Cam."
Noah felt the chill the instant Cam turned to face him with a bland, "Hey."
"We're working together," Kiki explained, apparently not feeling the frost.
"Hmm," Cam said. "Listen, there's something I've been meaning to call you about. I know it's a party and all, but can I borrow you for a sec? It's kind of important."
Immediately, concern flooded her face. "Of course." She reached for Noah and gave his hand a quick squeeze. "I'll find you in a bit."
"Sure," he said, wishing he could grab the hem of her shirt and pull her back to him. Because as much as he hoped that Cam was telling Kiki that she was an idiot for not throwing herself into Noah's arms, workplace romance be damned, that probably wasn't the case. After all, Cam had watched from half a continent away as Noah and Kiki had fallen in love . . . and as Noah had walked away.
No way was Cam telling his sister to give Noah a break. More likely, he was telling her to run for the hills.
And considering all the baggage that Noah now carried, maybe her brother was right.
16
"Noah?" Cam says, sounding much older than his almost twenty-three years. "Seriously? You're back with Noah after what that bastard did to you?"