Page 14 of Deluge

I lean so quickly out of the doorway that I almost fall backward. I stare at the front door, listening closely.

Did someone really knock at the door, or am I just trying too hard right now to make this house feel like home the way it did before Hailey left?

Knock, knock, knock.

I move quickly, this time determined to find out who the hell it is. I don’t want another note slipped under the door, and if this happens to be the same person thatdidleave it last time, I want to be sure they aren’t looking for me.

I wrap a hand around the doorknob and yank it open. Curiosity takes over when I see a familiar face, even though I can’t recall the name.

“Hey,” she says softly.

Her eyes are a beautiful golden brown, and I’m only now noticing the cinnamon-brown colored hair. She looks as solemn as I feel, but the small smile that tips up the corners of her lips makes me feel a little better.

“I’m sorry for just showing up,” she begins quietly, wringing her hands. “Jessa called me crying and told me that you said, um, some stuff to her? She wouldn’t say what, though,” she finishes in a hurry.

“Okay,” I reply indifferently.Wait a minute.“How did you know where I live?”

A light pink blush colors her pale cheeks, and she suddenly looks a little embarrassed.

“We followed you home that first night Jessa talked to you.”

“But I was driving,” I reply in confusion.

She nods. “Yeah, but not fast enough that we weren’t able to follow your break lights,” she admits sheepishly.

“Oh.”

It should feel a lot creepier than it does, but in this house, it kind of feels normal.

“So, what’s up…”

“Camille,” she offers with a smile as her hands drop to her sides.

That’s right.

“I knew that,” I say with a nervous laugh.

“Nothing, really. Just wanted to make sure that you were okay, too, I guess. She said it was a big blowout but didn’t hear it, you know?”

God, she’s so fucking beautiful,I think as I take in her hourglass figure. She’s short, a least a head more or less than me. Her skin looks as soft as her hair, and—

“Anyway, now that I know both of you seem fine, I’ll head out. It was nice to see you again, Dalton.”

I think quickly as she turns and starts down the few steps that lead back to the walkway.

“Did you want to come in and relax before you walk back to your place?” I offer, stepping to the side, the doorknob still clasped tightly in the palm of my hand.Maybe if I look as inviting as I hope she thinks I am, she’ll say yes.

Camille hesitantly stops, chews her lower lip nervously, and turns slightly to glance at me.

Her eyes flit from me standing next to the open door to the sidewalk. She’s trying to decide what she wants to do right now, and I want someone to talk to.

The fact that she looks like a walking dream doesn’t hurt, either.

Especially since I’ve lived most of my life mired in nightmares.

“Um, I guess it wouldn’t hurt to rest my feet for a little bit,” she finally relents as she tucks a strand of hair behind her ear.

Camille walks back up the steps through the open door, pausing long enough to smile at me.