Chapter 22

 

Camden sat across from Kenzie as they ate breakfast. The hotel was large, and the breakfast area spilled out into an open area with a water fountain and a glass elevator. Skylights lit the area. They sat by a palm tree that came up through a grate on the floor.

He was so proud of her for getting on the plane. She had amazing courage. He could see how frightened she was, but she pushed through it. For Mason. The thought made his stomach sour.

“I told you my favorite movie. What’s yours?”

“I’m a classics kind of guy.”

She raised her eyebrows at him. “Gone with the Wind?”

“No. Princess Bride.”

She got that funny look on her face, the one where she’s trying to hide a smile, but not quite succeeding. “That’s not a classic.”

“It totally is.”

She rolled her eyes and picked up her glass of water, hiding a wide smile behind it before taking a drink.

Mason came in the breakfast area and strode over to their table. “There you are. How did you get here so fast?” He pulled a chair from another table and sat next to Kenzie.

“My jet.” Camden enjoyed the surprised look on Mason’s face.

“Wait—you have a jet? And you got her to fly?”

Camden admitted that he probably had a smug look on his face. “Yes.”

“Well, all right.” Mason grabbed her hand. “Where’s the ring?”

Kenzie frowned and pulled it out of her purse. She slid it on her finger, but didn’t look to happy about it. Mason’s arm snaked around Kenzie’s shoulders. Kenzie stiffened, but didn’t move away.

Camden tried not to grind his teeth. Kenzie was there to pretend to be Mason’s wife. As much as it annoyed and angered Camden, there wasn’t much he could do about it.

“The family is meeting in the courtyard in a half-hour. I’ll wait here with you so we can walk in together.”

Camden lost his appetite.

“That’s fine,” Kenzie said.

Mason leaned back in his chair and raked his fingers through his blond hair. He was handsome, Camden had to admit it. Handsome and confident. And Camden watched as Mason’s gaze flitted to a woman in a tight dress standing by the elevator. His eyes slid down her body, and Camden felt like throwing up.

“How’s your father doing?” Kenzie asked.

Mason didn’t take his eyes off the woman. “Mm? He’s fine.”

Kenzie’s fork clattered to her plate. “Fine?”

Mason finally looked at her. “What, babe?” When he noticed the fire in her eyes, he straightened. “I mean, fine for being just out of the hospital. Overall, he’s not doing well. But he’s having a good day. A miracle, really.”

Kenzie suddenly stood and Mason’s arm dropped. “Let’s go. I want to get there early.”

Mason shrugged. “Okay.”

They took care of their breakfast trays and Camden trailed behind as Mason and Kenzie walked in front. Camden’s heartbeat pounded in his ears as Mason put his arm on Kenzie’s shoulder. This weekend was going to give Camden permanent heartburn.

They entered the courtyard. Tables and chairs lined the brick. Palm trees and shrubs decorated the area, and a small water fountain sat in the middle. A woman approached them. “Kenzie. I’m glad you made it.” The frown on her face didn’t match her words. She gave Kenzie one of those fake hugs, where her arms were sort of around Kenzie’s shoulders but she didn’t pull her close, and let go faster than necessary.

She turned to Camden. If her gaze could have turned any frostier, snow would have started to fall. “And who is this?”

Mason pulled Kenzie to his side, his arm around her waist. “This is Camden, Kenzie’s assistant. I told you about him. Camden, this is Delores, my mother.”

He shook the ice queen’s hand. “Nice to meet you.”

“Well. When Mason told me about Kenzie’s assistant, I was thinking . . . well. You’re different.”

Camden wasn’t sure what to say, so he simply smiled.

“He just wanted to come meet you. Kenzie got a big jewelry order in this morning, so Camden’s going to be super busy today.” Mason shot him a look. “You might want to go start on that.”

Camden wasn’t about to leave Kenzie alone with Mason. “Actually, I got all that shipped out already,” Camden shot back. “I’m free for the rest of the day.” He hooked his thumbs in his pockets.

Kenzie flashed him a wide smile. “Camden’s very efficient.”

Mason’s mother narrowed her eyes at Camden. “Is he, now?”

Kenzie skillfully shrugged out of Mason’s grasp. She took two steps toward Delores. “Where’s Alfred? Mason said he’s having a good morning.”

“He’s resting in our suite. And yes, I’d say he’s having a good morning.”

“Oh, good. I was worried when Mason told me about his heart attack.”

Mason’s face drained of color.

Delores frowned. “He didn’t have a heart attack.”

Mason swept in and put his hand on Kenzie’s arm. “You misunderstood me. I wasn’t talking about father.”

A couple entered the courtyard and Delores whispered, “Excuse me.” She glided over to them. “So glad you could make it. How was the flight, Irene?”

Kenzie rounded on Mason. “You lied about your father. How could you have done that?”

“I’m sorry, but you weren’t going to come. I needed you here.” His face didn’t look apologetic at all.

“I ought to smack you,” Kenzie hissed.

Camden wished she would. In fact, he started imagining it.

“He’s dying anyway. Why do you care if he was in the hospital or not? You don’t have the right to lecture me on ethics. You destroyed our marriage.”

Kenzie’s cheeks flamed red as she clamped her mouth shut. She yanked her arm away from him and stalked off to the other side of the courtyard. Camden didn’t care what it looked like—he followed her.

More people entered the courtyard and Mason went to talk to them. Camden didn’t dare pull Kenzie to him, so he shoved his fists into his pockets. “You okay?”

“This was stupid. Why did I come?” She blinked, trying to keep the tears at bay. One slipped out anyway, and Camden brushed his knuckles over it. His fingers tingled from the contact with her skin.

“You have a big heart.”

“I have a stupid heart. I’m such an idiot.”

I love your big, stupid heart. Camden pinched his lips together. He couldn’t say the words. Could never tell her how he felt, because as soon as he tried, she would run. He took in a breath, and let it out slowly. How was he going to make it through this without screwing it up?

 

***

 

Kenzie discreetly wiped her cheeks. Tom Hanks’s voice screamed in her head: There’s no crying in baseball. She needed to suck it up and get through this. She was being a baby. Mason was a jerk, and she already knew that. She couldn’t let him past her wall. She needed to build it a little higher. Make it stronger. She could get through this, and then never see him again.

“Kenzie!” Mason called from across the courtyard. “Come meet my cousins.”

She nodded, then took in a deep breath. “Duty calls.”

Camden caught her arm. “Remember, we can leave whenever you want. Just say the word.”

The concern behind his eyes softened her. “Thanks, Camden. You’ve been a great friend.”

He let go of her arm like it had caught on fire. He pressed his lips together and nodded.

Kenzie joined Mason, Camden following behind her. They spent the next two hours being introduced to family members Kenzie had no idea existed. She smiled and small talked while Mason manhandled her. The smell of his cologne sickened her, but she kept grinning like a fool anyway. Just when she thought she was going to lose it, Camden pulled out his cell phone.

“Oh no.”

Everyone who had been ignoring him now looked at him. Kenzie squirmed away from Mason. “What’s wrong?”

“Emergency order. I can’t say who is commissioning this piece—we have a strict client confidentiality clause—but she’s quite famous overseas. And she must have this in her hands before the upcoming party at Buckingham Palace.”

There was a collective gasp.

Camden slid his finger over his phone screen as if he were reading an email. “She’s paying the several-thousand-dollar rush fee, so I’m afraid we have to get back to the room and start on the piece.”

Mason’s Aunt Irene put her hand on Kenzie’s shoulder. “Well, dear, Mason said you made jewelry for some important people, but I had no idea.”

Kenzie could have kissed Camden, right there in front of everyone. Instead, she just smiled. “Yes. The business has taken off and Camden is invaluable. I’m sorry to disappear, but hopefully I’ll get done before this evening’s dinner.”

Delores pinched her lips. “I’m sorry that you’ll miss Alfred. He’s awake and will be down any moment.”

Guilt bubbled up in her chest. “I’ll hurry.”

Camden took a step back. “Nice to meet you all.”

“Bye,” Kenzie said before Delores or Mason could pile on more guilt. She turned and walked with Camden back into the hotel. As soon as the doors were shut, relief lifted her shoulders and she looked up at him. “That was brilliant! Thank you. I thought I was going to die in there. Mason and his arms. I thought he had like seven of them.”

“You looked like you needed a breather.” They walked through the lobby to the front desk. Camden got their luggage and suite key cards. “Let’s go put the luggage in the room, then we can find somewhere to eat lunch.”

“Sounds good to me.”

Kenzie tried not to stand too close to Camden in the elevator, but a large group of people got on right after them, and she ended up pressed against his chest. His broad, well-defined . . . she shouldn’t be thinking about that. And dang, he smelled good. Her hand involuntarily splayed across his chest. “Sorry,” she whispered.

She thought she heard him say, “Don’t be,” but when she glanced up at him he wasn’t looking at her. When they got to the third floor, they wormed their way out of the crowd.

Camden slid his card in the door and opened it for her. She walked into the suite and Camden followed her, placing his suitcase on the couch. “I can sleep on here. You can have the bed.”

She nodded, suddenly feeling nervous for some reason. “Where do you want to eat?”

“I’m open for anything. What are you hungry for?”

She laughed. “That reminds me of the meme I saw the other day. It said, ‘Marriage is just two people asking each other what they want to eat until one of them dies.’ Not that we’re married. We’re not. I know that. Of course.” She clamped her lips together, determined to shut up now. Why did her mouth always go a million miles a minute when she was nervous?

Camden chuckled and politely ignored the fact that she was an idiot. “How about Mexican? We passed by a Mexican restaurant on the way here. I think I can remember where it was.”

“Sounds good.”

Fifteen minutes later she was seated across from him, light mariachi music playing, a bowl of salsa between them. She picked up a chip and dipped it. “Buckingham Palace, huh? Who exactly were you thinking of when you said that?”

“The Queen of England.”

She giggled. “Aim high, I guess.”

“I can’t think of a reason why she wouldn’t order her jewelry from you.”

He looked serious, but she laughed anyway. “Yeah. Good one.”

“You sell yourself short.”

“Maybe because no one ever believed in me.” She’d said it under her breath, but she knew he’d heard her.

Camden pressed his lips into a thin line. He reached out like he was going to take her hand, but pulled back instead. “You don’t know your own worth.”

It was a simple statement, but she watched as he swallowed, then broke eye contact. Almost like he wanted to say more but was restraining himself. And there was something else there, something she couldn’t quite pin down. Something in his gaze before he looked away.

He was a kind man. The thought made her throat feel tight. If she were to imagine herself with a man, Camden would fit perfectly. He was caring and warm. She could see it in his eyes. He took the time to get to know her when no one else would.

Her heart pounded. She shoved the chip into her mouth to avoid thinking about the feelings surging in her. She didn’t want to feel this way toward Camden. They barely knew each other.

And yet, her throat tightened as she realized her feelings for Camden weren’t light. They ran deeper than she wanted to admit to herself.

She had fallen in love with him.