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“All right. I’ve gotta stock up on supplies and pick her up. Then we can head out bright and early tomorrow if that works for you two.”
“Works for me. We can get packed and pick up some things too.” Cooper smiles at me. “This one’s never been camping before, so it’s going to be an adventure.”
“Never?” Ramsey looks at me surprised.
“Never.” I shake my head. Camping was not a thing in the Xavier household. The closest we ever got was glamping in Montana once, and there was a private chef and cozy mattresses with high thread count sheets. I don’t think it counts.
“Well, then we can give you the whole experience. Keep your mind off things here. Coop can teach you all kinds of things.” Ramsey grins and winks at me.
20
Cooper
“So is he always your wingman?” Trix asks as we set up for dinner together at a picnic table at the campsite.
Ramsey and his friend have taken off to grab dinner at a local diner and left us to have our first campsite dinner. Thankfully, I’ve got a fridge and an outdoor kitchen on the side of Ramsey’s RV to make it a little easier.
“Did he say something?”
“I mean, he’s said a lot of things. If you ever decide to date, I think he might be a good asset.” She glances up to smile at me before she resumes making the salad.
“Should I be worried?” I feel more than a little nervous about what he might have said to her. Besides Quentin, he knows the most about how I feel. I didn’t even tell him. He guessed because, apparently, I’m that transparent when it comes to her.
“No. They were all good things. He looks out for you too.”
“What do you mean?”
“I think he’s worried about what my intentions are with you. Moving into your house. Stumbling out of your bedroom in the morning for coffee. That sort of thing.”
“Ah. Yeah. Well, he’s never seen me let a woman besides Lizzy stay at my house, so I think he’s just a little thrown.”
“He knew I dated Rob. Did you tell him?”
I run my fingers over the bill of my hat. When she questions me like this, I feel like I’m transparent.
“Yeah. Originally, when you moved in. He knew I was trying to date or at least take it more seriously and wanted to know quote ‘how the fuck that was going to happen when I had a smokeshow running around the place.’” I laugh and shake my head.
Her laughter peels through the air, and it warms my heart. Since we’ve gotten to the campsite today, she’s relaxed more than I’ve seen her since she found out about the footprints. She refused to sleep in my room last night and said she had to face her fears, but I spent most of the night in the living room dozing off and watching for lights under her door in case she needed me. I was happy to be somewhere where I could keep an eye on her more easily and fucking thrilled that she seemed to be able to breathe a little easier.
“He is… very blunt. Is he always that way?”
“Most of the time. He doesn’t sugarcoat anything, but I kind of love him for that. The guys on the team love him for it. It’s nice to know you get whatever he’s thinking, good or bad.”
“I don’t know if I could handle quite that much honesty every day.”
“You sure he didn’t say something?”
“He just… warned me, I guess you could say. About you and Lizzy. Just the kind of thing a good friend does. I’m sure Madison would be all up in your business too if she suspected this was anything more than us being friends.”
“She’s a scary one. Quentin’s terrified of her. Should I be worried if she finds out?”
“Quentin’s in love with her, and I’m fairly certain she’s in love with him and just in denial. And no reason to worry. Unless there’s something concerning in your background you haven’t told me about.”
“Well…” I tease.
“There better not be. If I have to sell you as Cincinnati’s hottest eligible bachelor, I need to know.” She flashes me an amused look.
“No, we’re all good.” I’d completely forgotten I asked her for help with that. Now it’s the last thing I want.
