“Thank you,” I croaked, suddenly realizing just how sore my throat felt.
“She thanks me!” he said with a smile. “I didn’t know such a thing was possible.”
I knew he was teasing, but I was in no mood for it. “I’m a polite person.”
He said something that sounded suspiciously like, “To everyone else,” but I chose to ignore it. I was the debilitated one here. I’d probably just wrecked this hotel’s plumbing with what had poured out of me. The least he could do was not give me a hard time.
“I’m such a hypocrite,” I mumbled, trying to find a comfortable position.
“What do you mean?”
“I have to keep Sadie’s mom from being fall-down drunk and here I am. Fall-down drunk.”
“It’s not the same,” he reassured me. “You didn’t even know you were having alcohol.”
“It’s the same end result.”
“No, it’s not. Nobody’s upset by what happened tonight. You didn’t ruin anything.”
Hadn’t I? I’d had this good, reasonable, and logical game plan where Camden Lewis was concerned. I was going to be professional and courteous and do my job and not worry about him. I most definitely was not going to flirt with him.
It kind of felt like I’d ruined everything.
“So . . . ,” he said, “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow at that party Dan and Sadie are throwing.”
“I can’t believe they won’t tell us what it is,” I grumbled, pulling the covers up to my ears. I didn’t care for surprises. “They owe us.”
“Definitely. I mean, you just threw up half a cake in an attempt to make them happy.”
I smiled slightly underneath my covers. “I guess it wasn’t all bad. Frosting tastes the same coming up as it does going down.”
“I did not need to know that,” he said, sounding grossed out. “I’m taking that as my cue to exit.”
“Wait.” I pulled the blanket higher so that it covered my eyes. “Would you mind staying until I fall asleep?”
I couldn’t have explained what made me ask, but I meant it. It wasn’t like I could blame the rum this time—I had definitely purged all of it, along with most of my internal organs. This was just me. I did want him to stay. I craved that feeling he gave me, the one that I was looked after and things would be fine, to stay until I was asleep.
There was a long pause and I almost risked looking at him but was too chicken.
Finally he said, “Sure.”
I let out a long breath as he turned out the lights. I heard him settle into the armchair that was situated by the foot of my bed.
“Good night, Rachel.”
“Good night, Camden.”
I closed my eyes and let out a deep breath, comforted by him being close by. Just one thing left to say before I lost my courage.
“Camden?”
“Yeah?”
“My middle name is Marie.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
I woke up the next morning with a pounding headache and a fuzzy tongue. It was like something had crawled in my mouth and died. I let out a groan before pushing the covers off my face. I turned to my side and grabbed the aspirin and water and swallowed both.
In that moment, all of last night came rushing back to me.
Camden.
I looked at the armchair, but he was gone. The only sign I had that he’d even been here was the water and medicine. It was almost like I’d imagined the entire interaction. There was a hazy filter over my memories of last night.
Until there wasn’t.
I sat up in bed and gritted my teeth at the jolt of pain that shot through my head. I thought of all the things I’d told Camden, how he’d seen me deposit daiquiris and cake into my toilet. I mentally scrolled through my memories, trying to see if I’d told him too much.
I’d for sure told him that he smelled good and was hot, and I’d attempted to kiss him. All totally humiliating, but I let out a sigh of relief when I realized that I hadn’t told him the truth about my relationship with Sadie. So I’d shamed myself in such a way that I never wanted to see him again, but at least I hadn’t broken the NDA.
It was like I’d become this totally different version of myself. A flirtier, freer, ready-to-spill-her-guts （both metaphorically and literally） kind of woman. I hadn’t recognized myself.
What was I going to say when I saw Camden again? Because despite me wanting to hide in this hotel room for the next three days, that wouldn’t be possible.