Page 87 of The Leaving Kind
“Anyone else here yet?”
“Only Jorge.” He’d told Emma all about his houseguest during one of their phone calls.
“I can’t wait to meet him! When’s Uncle Nick getting here?”
Cam glanced over her shoulder. “He didn’t bring you? I thought he was picking you up from the bus?”
“I called an Uber.”
“Not the car that smells like Chinese food?”
“The very one.”
“Damn, girl. You should have called.”
She shrugged and then turned at the sound of another car rolling down their street. It was Victor’s SUV. Cam’s stomach pinched. Shit, shit, shit. Be cool. Stop sweating. Jesus, fuck, were his hands shaking?
While Emma and Cam watched, Victor got out of the car and retrieved a bag and a box from the back seat. He looked good. Long, lean legs encased in the light denim he preferred, and a loose, billowy shirt in shades of purple and blue. Sorta like his robe.
Cam’s stomach had nearly turned itself inside out by the time Victor reached the front door.
Victor shot him a sympathetic smile and held up the box. “Pie.”
Cam took the box and Victor greeted Emma. “You must be Cameron’s niece. It’s so nice to meet you. I’m Victor.”
“Hi, Victor.” Emma shook his hand before arching one slim eyebrow in Cam’s direction.
“Victor’s my ...”
An awkward pause bounced between the three of them.
Victor licked his lips. Cam waited for his body—which now felt brittle—to explode into a million pieces.
Smiling, Emma touched Cam’s hand under the pie box. Then she turned her smile on Victor and said, “Now I’m really glad you’re here.”
Victor laughed and Cam wanted to die.
Somehow, they got inside the house, where Cam dithered around with the pie, trying to decide where to put it. Now that his and Victor’s relationship status had been relegated to a silence that spoke volumes, he was free to ponder the next quandary: Why the fuck had he invited so many people over?
Jorge put the mower away and then ducked upstairs for a shower.
Soon after, Nick and Ollie arrived with Gray in tow.
“Aaron went hiking with his folks,” Gray explained while shaking Cam’s hand. “I was invited, but hiking with the Ashers is like a forced march up Mount Everest.”
Cam laughed. “There’s a heart-healthy turkey burger in the fridge with your name on it.”
Gray looked crestfallen. “And here I was hoping you’d be my excuse to eat something fun.”
Renata, Estefan, and Beck showed up next. Renata was married to Jorge’s cousin Estefan. She was about his age and built like a bird. But, man, she could work and she had a wicked sense of humor.
Beck also worked hard and had an earnestness that reminded Cam of Nick and Emma when they were younger. They’d been pretty shy at first, and Cam understood that he and Jorge, Jorge in particular, could be intimidating. They were tall men. But by the end of the first week, Jorge’s peaceful demeanor had won Beck over. Now they smiled along with everyone else at Renata’s jokes.
As he’d expected, Emma immediately took Beck under her wing, leading them aside to chat quietly. Cam pushed everyone else outside—he hadn’t swept the damn patio for his own amusement—and went to get the charcoal from the garage. He should have started the grill half an hour ago. Now he’d have to adjust the timer on the oven.
Nick caught up with him on the way there. “Why is Victor here?”
Ah, his brother. So direct.