Zoe nodded. Then shrugged. “I was pretty stubborn and bitchy about your family and Hot Cakes. Until Aiden.”

Whitney saw the softness in Zoe’s expression when she mentioned her fiancé. “I’m glad that’s changed.”

“Me too.”

“Really?”

“Really. It makes having you and your grandma here for dinner a lot less awkward.”

They all laughed lightly, but Whitney couldn’t help but ask, “Do you think Cam would have brought Didi here if you still felt the same way about Hot Cakes?”

Zoe snorted. “For sure. Cam’s never shied away from something just because it’s awkward or tense. He loves a good confrontation.” She grew quiet, regarding Whitney for a long moment, then said, “Until recently.”

Whitney wet her lips, but didn’t say anything. The attention shifted fully to her.

“Yeah,” Jane said softly. “That’s romantic.”

“What is?” Whitney asked.

“When a man changes because of how he feels about a woman. Not that he becomes an entirely new man, but when he becomes… a better version of himself.”

Whitney felt her throat and chest tighten. Had she done that for Cam? He’d definitely done it for her. She was more confident, more willing to speak up, more willing to believe she was valued.

He’d said that she made him softer. She’d really thought that was Didi but… maybe not. Maybe she was influencing him for the better too.

Josie, the hopeful romantic, sighed happily next to Whitney. “This is nice,” she said, settling back in her seat. “I’m so glad I have you girls.”

And damn if Whitney didn’t believe she was a part of that.

19

They were home and Didi was upstairs listening to an audiobook forty-five minutes later.

Whitney joined Cam in the kitchen after settling her grandmother. She slid up onto the tall stool at the breakfast bar and watched him put the leftovers from Maggie in the fridge.

“I had fun tonight.”

He looked over his shoulder at her with a smile. “I could tell when you came back in that the patio time was good. I’m glad.”

She nodded and ran a finger over the swirl pattern in the marble of the counter top. “So I guess the point of girl talk is to get advice, compare notes, or rant,” Whitney said.

He came to stand across from her. “Makes sense.”

“I didn’t really have any work notes to compare. I do that with you guys.”

“Okay.”

“And I didn’t have anything to rant about. My new bosses are pretty great and things are good with my grandma and my mom and dad are in Dallas and I’ve barely talked to them and they don’t have anything to really do with my stuff anymore.”

“That’s all good.”

She nodded. It was good. Very good.

“And I only need advice on one thing. And I think I have another friend who can give even better advice about that than they could.”

Cam braced his hands on the counter, his muscles flexing, distracting her for a moment. “You got something you need to ask Piper about?”

“Nope.”

“Paige?”

She shook her head. “No.”

“Then who?”

“You.”

He seemed to have been expecting that. One corner of his mouth curled. “You know I’m here for whatever you need.”

That made her heart thunk at the same time it made heat curl through her lower stomach. She nodded. “I know that.”

“So what do you need advice on?”

“Well, there’s this guy.”

That curl to his lip turned into more of a smirk. “I do know something about guys.”

She nodded. “Yeah. I would very much like to know what you think I should do with this one.”

“I think I can come up with a few suggestions.”

The curl of heat turned into more of a swoop. She smiled. “Good.”

“So is he hot?” Cam asked.

She laughed lightly. “Very. Though he knows it so there’s this cockiness about him too.”

“Is that a turn-off?”

She shook her head slowly. “Not exactly.”

He was still smiling but his gaze was more intense. “Have you told him how you feel?”

Her heart thunked again but there was a swirl of nerves along with this one. “Not in so many words. Not lately. But we have history.”

“Good or bad history?”

That was a great question. A year ago she would have said bad. Their time together had been wonderful but it had ended so painfully that the bad had colored the rest for a long time. “Good,” she finally answered. “There were some hard times, but they were important.”

“Yeah?”

“For sure.” She said it with surprising confidence. “I think we both realize that all of that had to happen to get us to where we are now. It’s a part of both of us.”

He gripped the edge of the counter, making his forearms bunch. He nodded. “That’s probably true. But it’s made things better now? Now that you’re back… together?” He met her eyes. “Or are you back together?”

“I think we’re coming back together,” she said softly but with an assurance that swept through her as she said the words out loud. “It’s interesting though… I think we both keep thinking our past has something to do with all this, but I’m not sure it does. We’re different people than we were before. It’s been a long time. A lot has happened to us both. It’s almost like we’ve met for the first time and have gotten to know each other and have… started falling for each other for the first time.”

He looked at her, saying nothing for long seconds, then suddenly pushed back from the counter top, straightening. “You’re falling for him?”

She nodded.

“And you think he’s falling for you?”

She nodded again.

That should have felt scary. He’d said he was crazy about her, but that wasn’t love. Still… she felt it. She felt it in the way he encouraged her with work, the way he took care of her from the little things like the way her room smelled to the way he made her grandmother smile to the way he called her grandmother out when she was being mean. It was in the way he looked at her. Strangely, it was in the way he hadn’t gotten them both naked yet.

“So what advice do you need?” he asked. His voice was gruff now and his gaze was burning into hers. Even across the granite countertop she could feel the heat.

“I guess I just want to know if you think he’ll be annoyed that I’ve changed my mind.”

He arched a brow. “About?”

“I made a big deal about not wanting to get involved because I wanted to focus on work, but… I’ve changed my mind. I’m still very focused on work, and I’m really proud of what I’m doing there, but”—she took a deep breath—“I want him.”

Cam’s eyes flared, and Whitney felt her reaction deep in her belly and between her legs.

She went on before he said anything. Or did anything. Because once he did something, she wasn’t going to want to talk much anymore.