"Mina."
"I need to go check on Faith."
"Mina."
"What?"
"Open the front door."
She froze, the door just inches away. "What did you say?"
This time when he answered, his voice was gentle. "Open the front door."
She did, and when she saw him leaning against the porch railing, such a wave of relief washed over her that she had to hold onto the doorframe to steady herself. "You came to babysit."
He took a step toward her. "I came for you."
"Oh."
"You want to go inside? Or should I kiss you here on the front porch where anyone can see?"
Her stomach dropped, but the sensation wasn't unpleasant at all. "Inside," she managed, her voice sounding raspy.
"Good choice," he said, then steered her into the house just enough so that the door closed. Then he cupped her chin, tilted her head up, and kissed her so gently she almost feared that she'd cry.
"Cam, I--"
"We have company," he said, nodding to the little girl who now stood in the middle of the living area, her thumb in her mouth and her eyes wide. "Hey, kiddo," he added, then squatted down and held out his arms.
She raced into them, and he stood up quickly, holding her like a rag doll as she kicked and squealed. It was obviously a game they'd played before, and Mina moved to sit on the edge of the couch as she watched their easy playfulness.
"So what are you doing today?" He aimed the question at Faith, but he was looking at Mina.
"Puppies!" Faith said.
"We were going to the park," Mina explained. "After that, we were thinking lunch."
"Sounds like a good plan." He stood, then held out a hand for each of them. "Shall we?"
Brent had insisted she drive his car if she took Faith out, so she'd traded with him rather than have him use a ride share service to get downtown. Now, they buckled Faith into the pink car seat in the back of Brent's Volvo, then drove the short distance to the park.
There weren't many dogs, but an elderly man with a bouncy mutt that Faith obviously knew from other visits gave her a soggy tennis ball to throw. She spent a blissful half hour playing catch with Barclay the dog before moving on to join some other kids in the sandpit.
Mina and Cam watched her from a nearby bench, and after a while, he reached over and twined his fingers with hers. The last of the tension faded from her. She wasn't sure she completely understood what happened between them over the last twenty-four hours, but she was certain that this felt good.
For a moment, she simply sat there and soaked up his company, then he turned and asked, very simply, "What happened with Zach?"
She blinked, for the first time realizing that she didn't know, and she told him as much.
"He didn't come to the party? Did you ask Darryl why not?"
"No. I didn't think about it." Honestly, she'd been too busy cursing Tiffany to worry about some guy she hadn't wanted to meet in the first place.
Her mouth curved into a frown as she considered that, and she turned to face him more directly. "What was I right about? Yesterday, I mean, when you whispered in my ear?"
His mouth slid into a slow grin. "Wanting me."
She didn't deny it. "Confident much?"