Look at You

Chapter 13

13

Callie is a treat for my family. She's interested in Alice's knitting, she admires the decorum of my father's profession, and the whole time she is not trying to be anyone else. She is always unashamedly herself. She gets Alice's number on the way out because she claims to have a dying plant in her apartment, and Alice is the resident green thumb. She hangs ivy in every corner of the house and has an entire windowsill in the living room dedicated to cacti. I for one, prefer the Tj-Maxx brand of unkillable waxy succulents.

The next day at work, Callie tells me we're doing another happy hour.

"Tonight?"

She nods. "It's Tuesday, and last time we did it on a Tuesday, so I feel like people are expecting it now."

"I don't think one time qualifies as people expecting it, but okay. Sure. I'll go."

I glance at my watch. It's 9:15 and I haven't seen Cam at all this morning. My foot taps quickly underneath the desk. I put my big focus headphones on to distract myself and get to digging out of my constantly full inbox. I let Today's Top Hits guide me as I convince myself it's better that he hasn't come because I'm still hot sweating from the incident yesterday. Even though he seems to have helped me get through it.

I'm so focused that I don't even see Cameron standing next to my desk until I realize the music in my headphones has stopped. I pause, confused, and look up. I nearly jump out of my skin at the sight of him standing next to me. He sets the coffee down and laughs, but I can't hear it because the headphones are noise canceling. I drop them around my neck.

"Jesus Christ," I shake myself into a normal functioning state and realize he's holding my phone. He must have paused the music.

"I thought if I stopped it, I wouldn't scare you as badly," he's still amused. "But it didn't work."

Callie pops her head around the divider. "I find a tap on the back works the best. Or a forced removal of the headphones. Otherwise, he freaks."

"I scare easily," I whine. "And jeez, I'm right here, Callie."

"Noted," Cam ignores me. "Well, I came to see if—"

"Wait! Cam. I told Simon already but you're on duty tonight for happy hour."

"On duty? At a happy hour?"

She flicks her wrist. "I just mean you kinda have to be there because I'm in charge of getting the bodies there. And I need you two as bodies."

Cam's eyes find me as I swivel back and forth in my demeaning wheelie chair. "You going to this?" I shrug. He sighs and looks up at her. I spin myself in her direction. "Fine I'll go."

I don't miss the eyes Callie flashes at me before she shoots her professional smile at him (quick, bright, doesn't reach the eyes). "Thank you, although it wasn't much of a choice. Yay! We'll be there at 5:30."

"Alrighty," I spin back toward Cam. This time he's the one who flashes eyes at me. "We'll be there."

"Rightio." I wave a pencil in the air for no reason, but it makes Cam laugh, so I guess I've done my job.

"Well, I'll see you two later then."

I nod, chewing on the pencil now. "Pip pip." At this, his lip twitches. Then his hands are on my shoulders and he's shoving me backward in my wheelie chair. "Hey!" I hit Callie's bag, and she squeals.

"Cameron my bag!" I've done no actual harm to it, so Cam walks off snickering to himself, leaving me to deal with the wrath of the bag lady.