Into her hair, I asked, "How'd you get here?"
It was a valid question.Since college graduation, Cami had been staying with her parents, who lived nearly three hours away in Petoskey. She had a car, but it wasn't what you'd call reliable. And forget hopping on a plane. Between security checks and the lack of nearby airports, flying would've taken twice as long.
Of course, it would've been better than taking a bus, which I knew all too well from my own pathetic experience.
In reply to my question of how she'd gotten here, Cami pulled back and pointed to the town car, still idling in the driveway. "I took that."
I shook my head. "A town car? Seriously?" Okay, yes, I realized that the unfamiliar vehicle had obviously brought her here.But from where?
The airport?
Or the bus station?
On the porch, Cami glanced toward the vehicle. "Isthatwhat you call it?"
"Actually," I admitted, "I'm not really sure."
The vehicle was long, dark, and expensive-looking. It wasn't quite a limo, but it wasn't a regular car either.
Whatever it was, itwasn'tleaving. In a hushed voice, I asked, "Do we need to pay him or something?"
Cami shook her head. "Nope. It's already paid for."
"But what about the tip?"
She grinned. "That's paid for, too. And it must've been bigger than what he normally gets, because the driver was so happy, he smiled the whole way here."
None of this was making any sense. I felt my brow wrinkle in confusion.So, Cami had tipped him ahead of time?
I felt like I was missing something, but I had no idea what. Absently, I murmured, "Really?"
Cami nodded. "Oh yeah. Like every time I caught his reflection in the rear-view mirror, he'd be grinning like he just won the lotto."
I didn't even play the lotto. But sleepy or not, I was suddenly grinning, too.
Cami was the closest thing I had to a sister, and I'd been dying to see her.
Still, I never would've expected her to travel all this way, especially knowing that her car tended to break down at the worst possible times.
And then, there was the matter of money. Much like myself, Cami was drowning in student debt. And although we'd both recently graduated from college, she wasn't yet employed, even if shedidhave something lined up for the fall.
This begged a serious question.How on Earth had she come up with travel money?
I planned to ask, but now wasn't the time.
She'd obviously gone to a lot of trouble to surprise me, and there was no way on Earth I'd ever ruin it by dwelling on our financial troubles.
So, with a smile, I said, "And youarestaying here at the house, right?"
Whether she realized it or not, her visit had been perfectly timed. Waverly was gone, possibly forever. And Brody was away, too.
This meant that I didn't need to feel guilty or awkward for having a surprise houseguest stay at a place that wasn't truly my own.
But already, Cami was shaking her head. "I'm not stayinghere."
I glanced down at her suitcase. "Oh?"
"Because," Cami said with a laugh, "I'm whisking you away."
