There was some rustling by the door and I wondered if Troy had discovered Sadie. Or if he was doing some kind of bed check.
“Is it okay if I join you?”
Camden.
I sat straight up in bed, getting my face and hair tangled up in the mosquito netting.
“What are you doing here?” I felt stupid as soon as I asked it. If Sadie had abandoned me to be with her groom, they obviously wanted some privacy.
“Dan kicked me out and there’s no other empty cot but this one. Can I crash here?”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
I tried saying no again. Ran it through my mind. No, no, no, no. And no.
Instead my mouth formed the word, “Sure.”
“What happened to my cookies? Dan made me leave mine behind.”
“I ate them and I don’t even feel bad about it. You should know better than to leave me in a room with sweet confections.” I focused on trying to get the netting away from my hair. It was catching on a couple of the bobby pins.
“Do you need help?”
“I’ve got it,” I told him, hoping that was true. If it wasn’t, I was going to have to sleep sitting up because there was no way I could let him put his fingers in my hair. “Why do we even have mosquito netting? There’s no mosquitoes.”
He went over to his cot and lay down, his feet hanging off the edge. “There are, but they’re farther inland. This part of the island has fire ants, cockroaches, rats, sometimes scorpions. The worst, though, is the foot-long centipedes.”
I finally got the last bit of netting free from my hair, but his words made my hands drop down to my sides. “You’re making that up.”
“I’m absolutely not. They have a nasty bite and they’re not afraid of people.”
My eyes went wide and I clamped my mouth shut. I pulled my legs in close and wrapped my arms around them. I started surveying the ground and the tent walls. The ceiling. Centipedes could climb upside down, couldn’t they?
Camden turned his head toward me. “Wait, are you scared?”
“Yes, like any reasonable person would be. Insects should not be twelve inches long!”
“Is it wrong that I find this cute?”
What was wrong with him? “Yes, that is wrong. I’m freaking out. Why would you think that’s cute?”
“Because you always seem so ready to take on the whole world. It’s cute that there’s something that scares you.”
“So many things scare me! Clowns! Crocodiles! Zombies! And now foot-long centipedes with venomous bites!”
He turned on his side, propping his head upon his hand. “The hotels do a really good job when it comes to pest control. I don’t think you have to worry.” He paused a beat and then asked, “Why are you scared of zombies?”
“Because if they ever become real, people should have a healthy respect and fear of them.”
“Logical. I like that about you, too.”
I grabbed for the blanket and shook it out, making sure there were no bugs of death hiding inside it. When it seemed clear, I wrapped it around my shoulders. “Does anything scare you?”
He looked down, like he was considering something. “Dan’s mom dying.”
This. I’d been wondering about this very thing. I knew I had to tread carefully, but I couldn’t keep my question to myself. “What about your own parents?”
“My mom left right after I was born. She decided she didn’t want to be a mother and I’ve never spoken to her. She signed away her parental rights. I don’t even know if she’s still alive. My dad was in a bad car accident and died when I was thirteen and since I didn’t have any other family, Dan’s parents took me in. They weren’t well off, but Dan and I never wanted for anything.”
“Wow. I’m really sorry.” I’d kind of suspected something along those lines. I was struck by the passion in his voice, and how he would share something so personal with me. He had no ulterior motive for telling me about his life—the charade was over. He just wanted me to know, to share a piece of himself. It made me feel more connected to him.
“I feel like I owe Dan and his family. The company going public is my chance to give them the world. To make sure Irene has the absolute best medical care.”
Did he not understand that he was enough for them? “You know you don’t owe them anything. It’s so obvious that she loves you like a son and that Dan thinks of you as his brother. I’m sure that all they want is for you to be happy.”