Page 100 of See You Again
“Mr. Bloom! Ms. Messina!” A photographer pointed his camera at them, shouting for their attention. James’s fingers in her hand tensed.
Noticing their arrival, several other photographers turned their lenses in the couple’s direction. In an instant, she was swarmed by bursts of light. The photographers pushed closer, and it felt like she was being herded, the photographers each yelling their names along with questions.
With a vicious curse, James dropped her hand to tuck her body tight against him and held up his free arm to shield their faces from the onslaught. Two security officers rushed up and pushed the crowd back, ushering them inside.
“That was insane,” Cami said once they were inside.
“It’s the first official public outing of JamCam. Did you know you’re a hashtag now?” Luke greeted them.
“You never mentioned you were coming to this.” James glared at his brother.
“Didn’t I?” Luke raised an eyebrow, his lips twitching. “Dahlia is in town until after the holidays, and she heard the news about your new girlfriend. You look lovely, Cami.”
She gave him a smile. “Did they swarm you, too?”
“Nah. Dahlia and I are old news now.”
“James!” A stunningly gorgeous woman with long, bouncy, auburn hair threw her arms around James in a tight hug. “Luke said you would be here tonight. I couldn’t believe it when he said he wanted to come to Kip’s opening.” She turned her bright green eyes to Cami. “And you’re Camellia Messina. I am a huge fan!”
Cami blinked, trying to follow along. Did a movie star just say that she was a fan? But Dahlia was still talking. “Luke filled me in on your and James’s history, and now everything makes so much more sense! Ow!” Dahlia swatted at Luke’s hand where he’d pinched her waist. “All I was trying to say was I’m glad James is happy.
“I’m totally taking credit for this, too!” Dahlia said, reaching forward to clasp Cami’s hands. “I’m the one who told them about your podcast.”
Cami flushed with pleasure. “Wow! Thank you. Please, call me Cami.”
“Come with me to the bar! I want to hear all about the case you’re working on. Your episode the other night was so good. I know first-hand what a snake Matt Crawford is.” Her lip curled. “I’m glad you’re exposing him.” Dahlia hooked Cami’s arm and pulled her away from James. “Relax, James, I don’t bite. I promise I’ll take care of her. He's got it bad,” Dahlia muttered, as she grabbed two champagne flutes from a passing server and handed one to Cami.
“I don’t actually want to stand at the bar. I just wanted a chance to talk to you alone,” Dahlia admitted. “So, you and James. What’s the story? Luke gave me zero details. These Bloom men are annoyingly loyal sometimes.” She took a sip of the bubbly drink. “Luke said you guys were together your senior year of college, but there was some sort of misunderstanding, and when James joined the Navy, you lost touch.”
Cami choked on her drink. She hadn't expected the woman to be so direct. What the hell had James said to his brother?
Dahlia handed Cami her glass and quickly signed a couple of autographs for people who approached her, saving Cami from having to answer right away.
“Luke said James and I dated?” she asked when they were alone again.
Dahlia watched her shrewdly. “Not exactly. He said James and you were good friends and obviously there were feelings. James is insanely tight-lipped about his personal life…”
“We were friends, but we never dated.”
“Something tells me that’s not the whole story.”
Cami took a sip of her drink, and Dahlia sighed. “I’ll get it out of you, eventually. Besides, I guess it doesn’t matter now that you’ve found each other again.” It was obvious that Dahlia was caught up in imagining the romance of it all. “It must be pretty serious, too.”
Cami raised her glass to cover her mouth and made a small noncommittal sound. “James doesn’t date. For him to be so public with you, especially with press here, must mean he cares about you a lot.”
Cami’s stomach sank. She wished it were true. The sexual chemistry between them was unreal, but that didn’t mean that James had feelings for her.
“I have to admit it’s a relief, too.” Dahlia continued, oblivious to how her words tortured Cami. “Luke has been traveling so much to be with me. I know he feels guilty about leaving James in Atlanta. Particularly since James just moved here, and well, you know how he is. James has a hard time making friends because he’s so grouchy and always wants everything so neat and under control?—”
“James isn’t grouchy. He is just reserved, but when he opens up, he’s a lot of fun.” Maybe not lately, but she had plenty of memories of having fun with him. “He’s always been quiet, but it’s just because he’s cautious. There’s nothing wrong with that…” Her words trailed off as Dahlia beamed at her.
“I didn’t mean it as a criticism. James has been good to me, and I just want him to be as happy as Luke and I are.”
“I admit,” Cami said, the corner of her mouth quirking up, “he can be difficult.”
“I can imagine. Luke is…” Dahlia shook her head with a laugh, but her expression quickly blanked.
“Lia!” a man bellowed over Cami’s shoulder. When she pivoted to face the newcomer, she kept her expression neutral. She recognized Matt Crawford from his picture. In person, his skin was blotchy and his eyes glassy.