She lifted a brow. “Okay. I don’t want Didi with your family.” She wasn’t sure she really meant that. But she was curious about his reaction to her saying it.

He gave her a nod. Then said, “Too bad.”

“What?”

“Didi will be going to my mom’s with me for dinner whenever you work late.”

Whitney’s eyes widened, then narrowed. “Is that just a ploy to get me to not work late or—?” She glanced at the cake. “Do you bake but not cook?”

He shrugged. “You can take it however you want.”

That wasn’t a no. Did Cam want her here for dinner some nights? And if so, why? The friend thing?

“But it’s silly to cook when my mom is already doing it and wants us there,” he added. “And Henry wants to see Didi again. And everyone loves hearing her stories, especially the ones about my grandma.”

Whitney felt her heart flip again, but it was a softer feeling this time. “She might be in a mood one night and tell them bad stories, you know.”

He smiled. “Maybe. But Letty told us plenty of bad stories about Didi. It’s probably only fair that we hear a few from the other point of view.”

“Your grandma told you bad stories about my grandma?”

“Of course. They were archenemies, remember?”

No one in Appleby could forget.

“It’s actually even more likely that you’ll hear the same stories over and over,” Whitney said. “She probably won’t remember what she’s already told you.”

He shrugged. “We don’t mind. Letty did that too.”

There was a sadness mixed with affection in his expression.

“You miss her,” Whitney said.

“A lot,” he agreed with a nod. “I came home to visit, but the last few years I wasn’t around as much and I missed out on a lot.”

“And Didi makes everyone happy because she reminds them of Letty?”

“Yeah. And Letty never played Warriors with Henry so he thinks Didi is especially awesome.”

“Didi is especially awesome,” Whitney said softly.

It was nice to think that her grandmother could fill in some gaps for a family who had just lost someone they loved. And she suspected Didi liked Henry a lot. Her own grandsons would have never thought to have her play video games with them. Whitney would have, but not her brothers. Maybe Henry would let Didi read some of her and Whitney’s favorite books to him. He was eleven, but if he was missing his grandma, cuddling up with Didi for a story or two might be exactly what he needed.

But she wasn’t going to let Cam off the hook quite that easily.

“So when you said that if I didn’t want her spending time with your family to just say so… you didn’t mean that it would matter. But I could feel free to say it.”

He smiled. “Exactly. You can always tell me how you really feel or think about something, even if it’s something that’s my idea.”

“But you won’t listen,” she pointed out.

“I’ll listen,” he said. “But that doesn’t mean I’ll always agree with you.”

She sighed. “Ditto.”

He nodded. “I know. But friends can be honest with each other.”

“Okay. Well, honestly, this is all really weird. All of it.” From them kissing to Henry and Didi becoming buddies.

“Yeah,” Cam acknowledged. “But if the way things were before was ‘normal’ I think I’m in favor of weird.”

He might have a point. It did feel better to think their families could get along rather than thinking she and Cam needed to keep the three-generation-old family feud going.

She sighed. “So you totally know what you’re doing?”

“No. Do you?” he countered.

“No,” she admitted.

Not with work. She’d never led a project before. And not with Didi. Alzheimer’s was a strange disease. There were commonalities among patients, of course, but no two people were alike. Whitney didn’t know for certain if she was doing something right or wrong when she let Didi drink margaritas in the middle of the night or when she said okay to Didi hanging out with the McCafferys. Or anything else, honestly.

“The main thing I’ve learned about having a group of friends who really care about me and my happiness is that if I fuck something up, I’ve got people who can help fix it,” Cam said. He paused, watching her. “Have you ever felt like you could screw something up and it would still be okay?”

Whitney shook her head slowly without even thinking about it. She had definitely never felt that way. Not with her friends in high school. Not with the acquaintances she had now. Not with her family.

“So that’s what you need most,” he said. His voice was a little gruff, but he seemed determined. “You need real friends. You need to have people who have your back.”

Whitney actually felt her eyes stinging slightly. That sounded amazing. She’d been watching these men together for the past couple of months and completely envying their relationships. She envied how comfortable Piper was with them as well. It was clear that even when they disagreed, they cared about one another. And when it came to Hot Cakes, they were all working toward the same goal and trusted and respected one another.

She wanted that.

All of it.

A lot.

Cam was right. Maybe it was because he knew her. Maybe it was because he was really paying attention. Maybe it was because she was not good at hiding her feelings and vulnerabilities after all. But, yes, she wanted all of that. Trust and respect and a team and friends.

“It’s pretty pathetic that I don’t have any friends at age twenty-nine, isn’t it?” she asked softly. “And it should feel uncomfortable to admit to you that I didn’t have a good relationship with my dad and grandpa and brothers.”

Cam’s jaw tightened and his eyes flickered with emotion. “Does it?” he asked, his voice rough.

Did it feel uncomfortable or pathetic? Strangely, no.

“Not really.”

He gave a single nod. “Good.”

“I understand why you want me to feel comfortable at work,” she said. “That benefits Hot Cakes, and you. But why do you care if I have friends?”

He pulled in a breath and wet his lips. “Because I want to be the one who gives you what you need.”

His words were husky and they hit her in the gut. Heat spread and she sucked in a breath. That sounded very protective. Almost possessive. Yet, comforting at the same time.

“Really?” she asked. “You think I need this?”

He met her eyes directly. “Yes.”

“You could feel smug about that,” she said. “You could be happy that I’ve been pretty lonely and unhappy all this time.”

Again, his jaw ticked. “I guess. But I don’t. Not a bit. It makes me crazy knowing that you haven’t had what you wanted and needed.”

She stared at him. Wow. This was all so unexpected. Everything about Cam being back had been unexpected. From the chemistry still between them to how he’d just rolled with everything going on with Didi to… this.

“You wanted me to be happy without you?” she asked, her voice a little husky now too.