“Because for one thing, talking about sex, no matter what the context, tends to keep a man’s mind on it. You could have maybe cooled down a little and written him a memo about it.”
“I didn’t think of it that way. I was just so mad. And then,” she glanced at her sister, turning her back to get this part out, “then I had a few scotches.”
Brandy was back to laughing. “You are such an easy drunk.”
“I am not! I never even drink at work functions, and I can’t think of the last time I’ve been in a bar.”
“Now you know why.”
“I need to clean up.” Camilla went to the bathroom and stripped off the rest of her clothes before putting on the robe provided with the suite.
Her sister wandered in as she washed her face with the hotel soap.
“Be sure to put some conditioner on there when you get in the shower. Your hair looks like a bird’s nest.”
She scrubbed at the remaining amount of grime the woods had left on her face. “You know I almost would have preferred Mom in here talking about this to me.”
Brandy leaned back against the sink. “Huh! I still remember when she actually tried to talk to us about this kind of thing. It was painful. You’re so lucky by the time they got to you they passed the buck and delegated this kind of thing to us older girls.”
Patting a towel against her face, Camilla turned on the shower. “Apparently, it’s an emergency I wash my hair, so scoot. Either come back later, or go amuse yourself in the sitting room.”
“Come back later? Are you kidding? I got to hear the rest of this. I wouldn’t leave now if my life depended on it. Or one of my kids called.”
Camilla closed the bathroom door on her. With the steaming hot shower, the muscle relaxing water pressure, and the comforting presence of her sister right outside, very welcome despite the wise cracks, since she needed to talk this out, she felt better altogether. A few minutes later, she came out and went into the sitting room, her wet hair in a towel, the fluffy cotton robe snug and warm around her. Her sister was talking in low tones at the door.
“Brandy? What is it?”
“Just Dad.” She stepped away to show her father hovering in the doorway, giving his older daughter a brief annoyed look. “He’s checking up on us, Cammy. Or more to the point, on you.”
“I wanted to make sure everything was okay, honey. Your sister answered my text saying you were in the shower, and so I thought I’d pop up and just double-check with her you didn’t need anything.”
And undoubtedly make sure she wasn’t having a nervous breakdown. “Daddy, I am absolutely fine.”
“I know, I know. Let your father worry about you a little, under the circumstances.”
“Of course,” she said softly. “Why don’t I get dressed, and we’ll all go to dinner after all?”
He rolled his eyes. “Are you kidding? Your mother would be mad I came up here at all. I told her I was going down to the gift shop for some cigarettes.”
“You don’t smoke.”
“I think she was so grateful to get me out of the room, she didn’t question it.”
Camilla went into his arms, and he patted her shoulder. “Ignore your anxious father.”
“You know us, Dad,” Brandy said. “We’re just downloading. I’ll be back to the room in a little bit, and we can go to dinner and leave Cammy to sleep. I think she does need it. It sounds like the last day has been pretty, ah, strenuous.”
Camilla didn’t even crack a smile.
“Sounds good. Breakfast tomorrow morning?” her father asked her.
“Absolutely,” Camilla answered.
When he was gone, she noticed through the windows that the afternoon sun had mellowed into impending darkness, though it was still early. She turned on a few lamps, resulting in a soft muted lighting presumably meant to foster romance, and then she sat on the couch next to her sister.
“So,” Brandy said. “Before I go do double-duty and calm our parents down again on your behalf—”
“I’ll go to dinner!”
“No, Cammy. You don’t need an Anderson production tonight. You can appear all refreshed tomorrow morning at breakfast and reassure Mom and Dad that you’re a big girl and everything is fine. Tonight you have to take for yourself. To think, or whatever,” she said ambiguously.
Camilla shrugged. “Not much to think about in one sense. I can’t stay at a job where I’ve had sex with my boss, especially since he’s the CEO. It taints everything, my position, my legitimacy as an adviser.”
“I’m not talking about your job, Cammy,” she said with a dismissive shake of her hair, which looked fabulous by the way.