Page 45 of See You Again
“I just don’t want you to get hurt again.”
Cami bristled. She and Justin had known each other for a long time, and he had been a constant friend in her life, but he tended to act as if she were a child.
“I appreciate your concern, Justin. You’re very sweet, but I don’t want to talk about this anymore.” Justin looked like he wanted to argue, so she added, “How’s Layla doing?”
“She’s fine. We work a lot.” Justin’s girlfriend, Layla, was a nurse at Justin’s practice. She was always friendly, but Cami had never been able to get close to her.
After a few minutes of stilted conversation during which Justin repeatedly tried to steer the conversation back to James, Cami was done. She walked him to the door, and once he was gone, she let out a sigh of relief. Then instantly felt guilty. She didn’t enjoy lying to Justin.
“That guy has it bad.” Gerry’s voice came from his desk behind her.
“He just doesn’t like James.”
“He doesn’t like James, because he wants to get into your panties.”
“Enough, Gerry,” she said repressively. “Can you do me a favor? Can you pull up our research files on the Alvarez case and send them to James at his office?”
“What for?”
Cami sighed, rubbing her head. “Just do it, please.”
“All of them?” Gerry huffed.
“Just the ones pertaining to thallium. He needs it for a case. I’m heading to Wheaton this afternoon to interview some of Amy’s college friends.”
Gerry frowned. “Isn’t Madison going with you?”
“No, she has some things she needs to take care of here.”
Madison had sounded upset when she’d called to cancel that morning but hadn’t given Cami a reason why. That was worrisome in itself. Madison was extremely reliable.
“You’re going alone? Maybe I should go with you.”
“I’ll be fine. It’s just a bunch of young women. Amy’s parents vouch for them, and we are meeting at one of their homes. I’ll leave the address with you, just in case.”
“Are you coming back to the office today?”
“Probably not. I have dinner plans.”
Gerry grinned. “If Madison isn’t coming in…”
Cami laughed. “You can leave early. Just be sure you check the tip line and the show comments. Text me if anything interesting comes in.”
“No way. Not tonight.”
“Gerry—”
“Lord, woman. You haven’t been on a date in forever, and no one is going to leave something that can’t wait until tomorrow. Go out and enjoy your night.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The drive down I-16 to the small town of Wheaton, was as uneventful as it was boring. As she sped along the heavily forested highway, her mind wandered. Unfortunately, straight to James.
He was wound even tighter than he’d been in college, but she’d been happy that she’d teased a few smiles out of him. It had taken a month into their friendship before James let his guard down with her. Or at least she thought he had.
Again, the sense that something was off about that period irritated her. Now that her emotions were no longer engaged, she could look at it objectively. Maybe she should just ask him at dinner. Confront the elephant in the room, and then they could move on. Who knows? Maybe by the end of the month they would be friends again.
She refocused as her GPS directed her to exit the highway onto a two-lane county road. Cami followed the navigation past the small downtown, and then on to the residential area where Amy’s friend lived.