after this night (camren)

27. Camila

"Sure. We'll make it a ladies' night behind the bar"

......

She was beautiful. She could hold her liquor. Abd she'd known her for years.

"Here's your scotch" I said, sliding the glass to Lucy, who brought it to her lips and took a swallow.

I knew I shouldn't be jealous, not after what Lauren and I had shared, but this woman was here. In California. She could see my woman anytime she wanted to. I studied her as she drank, that pretty brown hair, those gorgeous brown eyes, and her body. But I fought back the sliver of envy that snaked through me. I'd never been the jealous type. Had never been the insecure type either, and I certainly wasn't going to start down that road tonight. Women didn't need to battle each other or be bitchy.

"You two seem pretty happy" Lucy offered once we were out of earshot of the rest.

"I suppose you could say that" I said with a grin, "And what about you and Veronica? She'd rather fond of you"

"Oh, she'd great" Lucy said quickly. Too quickly.

"When did you start seeing her?"

"A few weeks ago"

"She'd very sweet. And quite the charmer"

"You and Lauren haven't been together for very long either, have you?" Lucy asked. She clearly had no interest in discussing Veronica.

"Two months"

"That's really not much, is it?"

"I don't know. Is it? Isn't it? Sometimes I think it takes all the time in the world, and sometimes it takes no time" I said.

"You're crazy about her, aren't you?" Lucy asked, and her voice sounded sad.

I rested my elbows on the bar, "I am. Absolutely. In ever way"

"I can tell" she said, casting her eyes down at her glass.

"I'm glad it's obvious. Are you okay, though? You look. . ." My voice trailed off as my bartender instincts to listen to patrons' woes kicked in.

Lucy raised her eyes and fixed them on me, "I want her to be happy" she said firmly, "My sister and I care deeply for her. We've been friends ever since college" then she added, "Lauren and I"

"She mentioned you went to school together"

"She was there for me when I was having a hard time with my parents' deaths"

"I'm so sorry to hear that"

"It was a while ago. But I had a hard time with it in college, and she was there for me" she said, and it was the second time she'd voiced that word - college. She glanced over at Lauren as she chatted with Luis, blowing streams of smoke. Lauren reached for her phone, flicking her thumb across the screen casually. Strange for her to be on her phone, I thought; she rarely was. But then she put it away quickly.

"I'm glad she was there for you" I said, and Lucy simply nodded, barely listening as she looked at Lauren. That's when it hit me - it hadn't been a mere coincidence when Lucy had watched her hand on my thigh earlier in the game. It wasn't a coincidence at all. It was a sign of longing, and now I knew something about Lucy that Lauren didn't know. Something that Lucy had been hiding for years.

Or maybe she did know that Lucy longed for her. Maybe she sim[ply hadn't told me yet.

that possibility pissed me off, but somehow I'd have to use it to fuel the game.

Two hours later, I'd pushed thoughts of Lucy aside. Lauren was with me and only me. I might be possessive, but I was not a jealous woman. How could I be jealous when I was closer to my goal? I was almost halfway to the prize, and Veronica was making bigger and bigger bets. God bless an actor like her. She was simply flush with cash and didn't seem to mind parting ways with it.