Page 14 of I Loved You First

“Are you okay?”

She didn’t know what she was, but she smiled at her mother as she nodded. “Call if you need anything.”

“Okay, honey.”

Cam pulled up in front of the job on Clarke Street, wanting to check on his crew, but mostly, he wanted to talk to Ezra.

His lifelong best friend was the best drywaller in the business. He’d also been dating Fiona’s best friend for the last several months.

During that time, Cam had tried his damnedest to honor boundaries and rarely ever asked Ezra about Fi. On the few occasions he, Ezra, and Melody had met up socially, he’d bitten his tongue, figuring that bringing up Fiona would be crossing some sort of line. Because he understood the shitty situation both of their friends were in. Today, he didn’t care.

Cam walked in through the back entrance, heading down the stairs. He and his team were approaching their third week on the current renovation project. The new apartment space for Stewart and Melinda’s youngest daughter, who sought independence but still needed guidance due to her intellectual disability, was well underway.

“Things are looking good,” he said, stopping next to Ezra as his friend drove screws into the new piece of drywall that had just gone up.

Nearly as tall as Cam and just as broad, Ezra swiped at his forehead, pushing back the black kerchief keeping the worst of the dust off his short dreads. Born into a multiracial family, Ezra had inherited his dad’s Irish blue eyes and his mother’s caramel-colored skin. Lately, he’d been rocking a scruff beard.

“We’ll have things taped and ready to rock and roll by Thursday at the latest.”

Cam nodded, satisfied that they were back on pace after a couple of unexpected complications. On the first day his team tore into the walls, they’d discovered a pipe that had been leaking into the insulation for years. Mold and rot had definitely been a problem.

“I just saw Fi.”

Ezra paused long enough to glance at him. “How did that go?”

“Not awful but not great. I stopped by her place to fix a newel post for Stella. She got home from the grocery store as I was finishing up. She was polite.”

Ezra winced. “I guess that’s better than her telling you to fuck off.”

Cam shrugged because maybe that would have been better. “She met Brady. My mom swung by to say hello.”

“And?”

“Brady invited her to his party.”

Ezra laughed. “Of course he did.”

Cam rubbed at the tension squeezing the back of his neck. “She had no idea Ally and I aren’t together.”

Ezra drove the next screw into the wall.

“She didn’t know,” he repeated, waiting for Ezra to say something.

Ezra kept his focus on his work. “I imagine she didn’t.”

Cam frowned now. “What does that mean, exactly? Because how can that be a thing? You and Melody have been dating for like six months now. My name must have come up.”

Ezra shook his head as he went after the next screw. “No, not really. At least, not the way I know you mean.”

“I call bullshit.”

Ezra stopped, sighing as he looked at him. “Melody may have mentioned that she and Fi don’t talk about you.”

Cam ran his tongue along his teeth as he rocked back on his heels. “They don’t talk about me. You’re going to have to expand on that one.”

“Apparently, it’s an unspoken rule.”

“An unspoken rule.” He huffed out a humorless laugh as he raked his fingers through his hair. Because this kept getting better. “Fi looked at my left hand like she was expecting to see a ring—like I was supposed to be married. To Ally, who’s been gone for a long damn time.”