Page 31 of A Simple Regret

“Done!”

I turn my attention to my son, who is wearing part of his cookie on his face. “You need a bath.”

“More cookie.”

“We’ll have a little more when we get home. We need to let Camden get back to work.”

He turns to Camden. “No work.”

Camden laughs and walks toward him, helping him off the stool. “Sorry, little dude, but I gotta keep going. When you love what you do, it’s not really work. It’s fun.”

“I wike fun. You go swedding too?”

He looks at me, his eyebrow raised. “We’re going to play in the snow tomorrow,” I answer. “We’re going sledding, right, Theo?”

“Yep! Swedding!”

“Sledding’s the best,” Camden confirms.

“You come too,” my son states, reaching for Camden’s hand.

Stepping forward, I give Camden the out he needs. “I’m sure Camden is working tomorrow, Theo. Come on, it’s time for your bath.”

“More cookie.”

“You can have half a cookie, since you already had half with Camden,” I tell him, extending my hand for him to take. I can tell he doesn’t want to. He wants to stay with Camden, and I really hope he doesn’t make a scene. I don’t want to carry him out of here, kicking and screaming, but I will if need to.

“Thanks for the cookies, Theo.”

“Welcome,” he replies, running back over to him and giving him a hug around his leg. “Bye-bye, Cam.”

“Later, little dude.”

I replace his coat and gloves quickly and lead him toward the side door. Just as I reach for the knob, I hear, “Thank you, Shortcake.”

I don’t turn around because I’m not sure I’ll be able to keep the sadness out of my expression. I’m overcome with it suddenly, again hearing the nickname he used to call me and the gentleness in the way he said it is too much. I almost want to go back to when he barely spoke to me, and when he did, those words were hard and filled with hate, because at least then I knew where I stood. This kindness he’s suddenly offering worms its way through the cracks and crevasses of my heart and invokes ideas I have no business thinking about.

He’s just being appreciative and nice because of my thank-you gift.

The sooner my heart catches up with my head the better off I’ll be.

Until then, I need to stay away from Camden. Now that the cookies are delivered, there’s no reason for me to come over here, no reason for us to communicate other than the occasional neighborly wave in greeting.

Stay away.

That’s the goal.

Should be pretty easy, honestly.

I’ve managed to do just that for the last seven years.

CHAPTER

NINE

Camden

What the hell am I doing?