I winced. "And you never said anything?"
Cami shook her head. "Nah, it was too depressing to mention."
I knew why, too.We'd been so focused onmyproblems that she hadn't wanted to add hers to the mix.
Now I feltreallyterrible.And guilty. And stupidly helpless.
I said, "Do you have any other offers?"
"Not yet." She tried to smile. "But I'm sure something will come up."
I wasn't so sure.Yes, Cami was truly amazing, but now she was getting a late start compared to everyone else.Probably, all the good jobs had been filled already.
At something in my expression, Cami said, "Oh, stop it. It'll be fine." With a smile, she said, "And if I don't get anything, I'll just go back to school, maybe work on my master's degree 'til next year."
The idea made sense. And yet I knew all too well how eager she'd been to get a full-time teaching job, along with the full-time paycheck to match.
By the time we started walking again, my mind was already churning, trying to think of some way to help.
For starters, I decided, I could try to be better company.
So that's what I did, all the way back, working like crazy to make up for how glum I'd been all week. And who knows, I might've been able to keep it up, too – if not for what I saw when we neared the crew house.
It was Brody's truck in the driveway.
Chapter 61
Arden
I found Brody in his bedroom, gathering up his stuff.
From the open doorway, I watched in agitated silence as he shoved wadded clothing into his duffle bag.
He was working hard and fast, as if the house were on fire or poisoned with toxic waste. Hehadto know that I was standing here. And yet, he kept on going, like I was utterly invisible.
Finally, I spoke up. "So you're leaving?"
He was wearing the same thing he usually wore – jeans and a T-shirt. His posture was stiff, and the muscles in his arms bulged as he turned to face me. In a tight voice, he said, "It's either me or you."
I bit my lip. His words stung even if they weren't exactly surprising.
When I said nothing in reply, he added, "I'll be gone in five."
"Five what?" I swallowed. "Minutes?"
"That's what I said."
"Actually, youdidn'tsay. I mean, youcouldhave meant five hours. Or five days."Or a lifetime.
Shit.
He said, "You knew what I meant."
"I know. I'm just saying…" My words trailed off into silence.
Crap. What was I saying?Okay, I fully realized that we couldn’t be together, not with him refusing to own up to what he'd done. And yet, my heart ached just the same.
Did his?
