Mom laughed as she pulled back, holding on to my shoulders. “Good to have you home. Your father is starting to get on my nerves with all his ‘going hunting’ talk.” Her gaze drifted to Avery and her smile widened. “And this must be Avery?”
“Oh God no,” I said. “This is Candy, Mom.”
Color spread across her cheeks as she stepped back, dropping her arms. “Uh, I’m . . .”
“I’m Avery,” Shortcake said, shooting me a withering look that made me want to kiss her. “You had it right.”
Mom spun, smacking me across the arm. My skin stung. “Cameron! Oh my God, I thought . . .” She smacked me again, and I laughed. “You’re terrible.” Shaking her head, she turned back to Avery. “You must be a patient young lady to have survived a trip here with this idiot.”
Shortcake blinked and then a laugh burst from her. Of course, she laughed at that. “It wasn’t that bad.”
“Oh.” Mom looked over her shoulder at me. “And she’s well mannered. It’s okay. I know my son is a . . . handful. By the way, you can call me Dani. Everyone does.”
Mom hugged Shortcake before the poor girl could even see it coming, and I don’t know why, but seeing those two together did something weird to my chest. My heart started to pound when Avery seemed to unstiffen, wrapping her arms around my mom.
“Thank you for letting me come up,” Shortcake said.
“It’s no problem. We love having the company. Come on, let’s go meet the guy who thinks he’s my better half. And dear God, I apologize ahead of time if he starts talking to you about how many eight-point bucks he’s planning to hunt this weekend.”
I watched as Mom took over, guiding Shortcake through the house, and my heart still hadn’t stopped pounding like a hammer to a stubborn nail.
Shortcake looked over her shoulder, her gaze finding mine, and she smiled as our eyes met. I winked and . . .
And her smile widened.
Seventeen
Watching Avery with my sister was painful at first. Shortcake was almost unbearably shy and my sister, God love her, had to lead her through almost every conversation, gently pulling her in. But eventually she relaxed, talking to Teresa about dance, and she even volunteered to help my sister get the sides ready for dinner.
The moment Dad and I were alone, he turned to me in the recliner, smiling slightly. “She’s a good girl, Cameron.”
“I know.”
“I mean, she’s a really good girl.”
I glanced at him, brows raised. “I know.”
Dad watched me closely, that strange smile still playing over his lips. “Did she ever go out on a date with you?”
My lips twitched. “What do you think?”
“I think I know the answer.” Dad tipped his head back. “Are you two seeing each other?”
“No. I told you and Mom the truth. She’s not my girlfriend.” I paused, thinking about the conversation I’d overheard this morning between Mom and Avery. I would be bringing her home for Christmas and she would be my girlfriend by then. “Yet.”
Dad looked like he was about to laugh but didn’t. Opening his eyes, he turned his head and looked me dead-on. “Have you told her about what happened?”
Muscles in my stomach clenched. I knew what he was talking about, but didn’t answer.
Dad sighed. “Boy, you know how I feel about what happened. Was it necessarily the right thing to do? No. But if you hadn’t done it, I would have. But you need to tell her if you’re serious about her. Secrets are . . . well, sometimes they are necessary and sometimes they kill things before they have a chance to grow. You get what I’m saying?”