Hazel let out a dramatic sigh. "I'm leaving. I can't take this."
"No, you're not," Calvin yelled from the back.
A muffled scream emanated from Hazel's throat. When she finished, she was quiet for a moment, and then sat up quickly, her eyes bright. "Let me pierce your nose, Cami."
I frowned and shook my head. "Hell no."
"Oh, c'mon! We'll do a really tiny diamond. It'll be ladylike, but fierce."
"The thought of my nose being impaled makes my eyes water," I said.
"I'm so bored! Please?" she whined.
I looked over at Trenton, who was shading in his drawing of what looked like a troll. "Don't look at me. It's your nose."
"I'm not asking for your permission. I want your opinion," I said.
"I think it's hot," he said.
I cocked my head a bit, impatient. "Great, but does it hurt?"
"Yeah," Trenton said. "I've heard it hurts like a son of a bitch."
I thought for a moment, and then looked at Hazel. "I'm bored, too."
Her beaming smile spanned from one side of her face to the other. Her cheeks pushed up, making her eyes just two slits. "Really?"
"C'mon," I said, already walking back to her room. She scrambled to her feet and followed.
By the time I left Skin Deep for the day, I had extensive line work on my left shoulder, and a new nose piercing. Hazel was right. It was tiny; dainty, even. I would have never thought to get a nose ring, but I loved it.
"See you tomorrow, Hazel," I said, walking toward the door.
"Thank you for preserving my sanity, Cami!" Hazel said, waving. "Next time we're slow, we'll put gauges in your ears."
"Uh . . . no," I said, pushing the door.
I started the Smurf, and then Trenton jogged up to my door, signaling for me to roll down my window. When I did, he leaned in and kissed my lips.
"You weren't even going to say good-bye?" he asked.
"Sorry," I said. "I'm a little out of practice with this whole thing."
Trenton winked. "Me, too. But it won't take long."
I narrowed my eyes. "When was the last time you were in a relationship?"
The look on Trenton's face was one I couldn't quite read. "A few years. What?" he said. I had looked down and chuckled, and Trenton tucked his chin, forcing me to make eye contact.
"I didn't know you'd ever dated anyone."
"Contrary to popular belief, I am capable of being a one-woman man. Just has to be the right woman."
My mouth pulled to the side in a half-smile. "Why didn't I know about this? Seems like the whole campus would have been talking about it."
"Because it was new."
I thought for a moment, and then my eyes widened. "Was it Mackenzie?"
"For about forty-eight hours," Trenton said. His eyes lost focus, and then they snapped back to mine. He leaned in and gave me a soft peck on the mouth. "See you later?" he asked.
I nodded, rolled up my window, and then backed out of the parking lot, and pulled into the Red parking lot fifteen minutes later. The roads weren't getting better, and I wondered if the Red would be just as dead as Skin Deep.
Everyone's vehicles except Jorie's were parked side by side, leaving one space open between the employees' cars and Hank's. I ran into the side entrance and rubbed my hands together as I hurried to my stool at the east bar. Hank and Jorie were standing on the other side together, hugging and kissing more than usual.
"Cami!" Blia said, smiling.
Gruber and Kody were sitting together, and Raegan sat on the other side of me. Immediately I sensed that she was being quiet but didn't dare ask when Kody was nearby.
"I thought you weren't here, Jorie," I said. "I didn't see your car."
"I rode with Hank," she said with a mischievous smile. "Carpooling is definitely a plus for shacking up."
My eyebrows shot up. "Yeah?" I said, standing up, opening my arms wide. "She said yes? You moved in together?"
"Yeah!" they both said in unison. They both leaned over the bar and hugged me.
"Yay! Congratulations!" I said, squeezing them. My head was between both of theirs, and even though I considered the employees of the Red my work family, they felt more like the real thing than my own family did lately.
Everyone else hugged and offered their congratulations. They must have been waiting for me to get there before they announced it so they could tell all of us at the same time.
Hank pulled out several bottles of wine--the good stuff from his personal stash--and began to pour glasses. We were all celebrating. Everyone but Raegan. I sat next to her after a while, and nudged her arm.
"What's up, Ray?" I asked quietly.
A small smile touched her lips. "Nice tat."
"Thanks," I said, turning to the side, showing my tiny nose ring. "Got this, too."
"Wow. Your dad's going to shit a wildcat."
"Spill it," I said.
She sighed. "I'm sorry. I don't want to ruin the party."
I made a face. "What's wrong?"
"It's happening again," she said, her shoulders sagging. "Brazil's getting busy. He's made it pretty clear that he'd rather be with his frat brothers and at football parties than with me. He had that Abby chick's birthday party at his apartment last month and didn't even invite me. I found out about it from Kendra Collins last night. I mean . . . really? We got into it bad today. He said almost all the things he said last time."
I raised an eyebrow. "That's shit, Ray."
She nodded and looked down at her hands in her lap, and then, for less than a second, glanced over at Kody. She laughed once, without humor. "Daddy loves Brazil. All I hear about at the house is"--her eyebrows pulled together and her voice deepened to emulate her father--"Jason Brazil would be accepted into the Naval Academy in a heartbeat. Jason Brazil would be a contender for the SEAL program . . . blah, blah, blah. Daddy thinks Jason would make a good soldier."
"I wouldn't let that cloud your judgment. Sounds like sending him off to the Naval Academy is a good way to get rid of him."
Raegan began to laugh, but then a tear fell down her cheek, and she leaned into my shoulder. I put my arm around her, and the celebration half a bar away instantly died down. Kody appeared on Raegan's other side.
"What's wrong?" he asked, genuine concern in his eyes.
"Nothing," she said, wiping her eyes quickly.
Kody looked wounded. "You can tell me, you know. I still care if you're hurting."
"I can't talk to you about it," she said, her face crumpling.
Kody put his thumb under Raegan's chin and lifted her eyes to meet his. "I just want you to be happy. That's all I care about."
Raegan looked up at his big green eyes, and then threw her arms around his chest. He pulled her against him, cupping the back of her hair with his huge hand. He kissed her temple, and just held her, not saying a word.
I stood up and joined everyone else while Kody and Raegan had their moment.
"Cheesus Crust, does this mean they're back together?" Blia asked.
I shook my head. "No. But they're friends again."
"Kody's such a good guy," Jorie said. "She'll figure it out eventually."
My cell phone buzzed. It was Trenton.
"Hello?" I answered.
"The fucking Intrepid won't start. I don't guess you could pick me up from work?"
"You're just now finishing up?" I asked, looking at my watch.
"Cal and I were talking."
"Yeah . . . I have to run home to change for work tonight, though . . ." The line got quiet. "Trenton?"
"Yeah? I mean, yes. Sorry, I'm just fucking pissed. It has one of those two-point-seven-liter engines so I knew it was gonna . . . you have no idea what I'm talking about, do you?"
I smiled, even though he couldn't see me. "No. But I'll be there in fifteen."
"Sweet. Thanks, baby. Take your time. The roads are getting worse."
I looked down at the phone gripped in my fingers after I hung up. I l
oved the way he spoke to me. The little nicknames. The texts. His grin with that amazing dimple in his left cheek.
Jorie winked at me. "Must have been a guy on the phone."
"Sorry, I have to go. I'll see you all tonight."
Everyone waved and said their good-byes to me, and I jogged out to the Smurf, nearly busting my ass when I tried to stop. The tall security lights were on, breaking up the darkness. Freezing rain stung where it touched my skin and made tiny tapping noises against the parked vehicles. No wonder Trenton said the roads were worse. I couldn't remember when we'd had this much wintery precipitation so early in the season.
The Smurf resisted for a few moments before starting up, but within minutes of Trenton's call, I was driving carefully back to Skin Deep. Trenton was waiting outside in his puffy blue coat, his arms crossed over his chest. He walked to my side and waited, watching me expectantly.
I cranked down the window halfway. "Get in!"
He shook his head. "C'mon, Cami. You know I'm weird about that."
"Quit it," I said.
"I have to drive," he said, shivering.
"You don't trust me by now?"
He shook his head again. "It doesn't have anything to do with trust. I just . . . I can't. It messes with my head."
"All right, all right," I said, sliding away from him, over the console, and into the passenger seat.
Trenton opened the door and hopped in, rubbing his hands together. "Shit on a stick, it's cold! Let's move to California!" As soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted them, staring at me with both shock and remorse in his eyes.
I wanted to tell him it was okay, but I was too busy handling the guilt and shame that washed over me in huge, suffocating waves. T.J. hadn't contacted me in weeks, but besides a respectful amount of time to wait between relationships, this was particularly insulting--to T.J. and to Trenton.
I pulled two cigarettes from my pack and put them both in my mouth, lighting them simultaneously. Trenton pulled one out of my mouth and took a drag. When he pulled into my parking spot in front of my apartment, he turned to me. "I didn't mean . . ."
"I know," I said. "It's really okay. Let's just forget about it."
Trenton nodded, clearly relieved that I wasn't going to make a big deal of it. He didn't want to acknowledge whatever I had left with T.J. any more than I did. Pretending to be oblivious was much more comfortable.
"Can I ask you for a favor, though?" Trenton nodded, waiting for my request. "Don't say anything to your brothers about us just yet. I know Thomas, Taylor, and Tyler aren't in town much, but I'm not really ready to have the talk with Travis the next time he comes in to the Red. He knows about T.J. It's just . . ."
"No, I get it. As far as Travis will know, everything is still the same. But he's going to know something's up."
I smiled. "If you tell him you're working on me, he won't be so surprised later."
Trenton chuckled and nodded.
We both ran to the door of my apartment, and I shoved the key in the lock. When it clicked, I pushed through, and Trenton shut it behind him. I turned up the temperature on the thermostat, and then started to walk toward my bedroom, but there was a knock on the door. I froze, and turned slowly on my heels. Trenton watched me for some sign of who it might be. I shrugged.
Before either of us could make it to the door, the person on the other side pounded violently with the side of their fist. I winced, my shoulders shooting up to my ears. When it was quiet again, I looked out the peephole.
"Fuck!" I whispered, looking around. "It's my dad."
"Camille! You open this goddamn door!" he yelled. He slurred his words together. He'd been drinking.
I turned the knob, but before I could pull, Dad was pushing through, charging straight at me. I trotted backward, stopping when my back slammed into the doorjamb leading to the hallway.
"I am sick of your shit, Camille! You think I don't know what you're up to? You think I don't see the disrespect?"
Trenton was immediately next to me, his arm between my dad and me, his hand on Dad's chest. "Mr. Camlin, you need to step away. Right now." His voice was calm, but firm.
Surprised to see someone else inside the apartment, Dad backed away for just a moment before leaning into Trenton's face. "Who the hell do you think you are? This is personal business, so you can get the fuck out!" he said, jerking his head toward the door.
I shook my head, pleading with my eyes for Trenton not to leave me alone. My father had spanked me when I was a child, and backhanded me a time or two, but my mother had always been there to distract him, and even redirect his anger. This was the first time I'd seen him physically violent since middle school, because Mom finally stood up for herself and told him that the next time he drank would be the last time--and he knew she meant it.
Trenton frowned and lowered his chin, with the same look in his eyes he had right before he attacked an enemy. "I don't want to fight you, sir, but if you don't leave, right now, I'm going to make you leave."
Dad lunged at Trenton, and they crashed into the end table next to the couch. The lamp crashed to the floor with them. My father's fist was flying, but Trenton dodged it, and moved to restrain him.
"No! Stop it! Dad! Stop it!" I screamed. My hands covered my mouth as they fought.
Dad pushed away from Trenton and stood up, stomping toward me. Trenton scrambled to his feet and grabbed him, pulling him back, but Dad continued to reach for me. The look in my father's eyes was monstrous, and for the first time I realized exactly what my mother had gone through. Being on the wrong end of that kind of rage was terrifying.
Trenton slung Dad to the ground and pointed down as he stood over him. "Stay! The fuck! Down!"
Dad was breathing hard, but he stumbled to his feet, obstinate. His body weaved when he spoke. "I'm going to fuckin' kill you. And then I'm going to teach her what happens when she disrespects me."
So quick I nearly missed it, Trenton reared back and sent his fist into my father's nose. Blood exploded as Dad stumbled back, and then fell forward, hitting the ground so hard he bounced. It was quiet and very still for several seconds. Dad didn't move, he just lay there, facedown.
"Oh, Jesus!" I said, rushing over to him. I was afraid he was dead, not because I'd miss him, but for the trouble Trenton would be in if he'd killed him. I tugged on my father's shoulder until he rolled over. Blood was streaming from a gash across the bridge of his nose. His head fell to the side. He was unconscious.
"Oh, thank God. He's alive," I said. I covered my mouth again, and looked to Trenton. "I'm so sorry. I am so sorry."
He sat back on his knees in a state of disbelief. "What the fuck just happened?"
I shook my head, and closed my eyes. When my brothers found out about this, it would be war.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Oh my God!" Mom said when she opened the door. "What did you do, Felix? What happened?"
Dad moaned.
She helped us carry him to the couch, and then covered her mouth. She ran to get a pillow and blanket, and then made him comfortable. She hugged me.
"He's been drinking," I said.
She pulled away from me, and tried to play off the news with a worried smile. "He doesn't drink anymore. You know that."
"Mom," I said. "Smell him. He's drunk."
She looked down at her husband, and touched her mouth with trembling fingers.
"He came to my apartment. He attacked me." She jerked her head to look at me with wide eyes. "If Trent hadn't been there, Mom . . . he was set on beating the hell out of me. Trent had to hold him back, and he still came at me."
Mom looked down at Dad again. "He was angry you didn't come for lunch. And then Chase started in. Oh, God. This family is falling apart." She reached down and yanked the pillow out from under Dad's head. His skull cracked against the arm. She hit him once with the pillow, and then again. "Goddamn you!" she yelled.
I held her arms, and then she dropped the pillow and began to cry.
> "Mom? If the boys find out that Trent did this . . . I'm afraid they'll come after him."
"I can handle it, babe. Don't worry about me," Trenton said, reaching out for me.
I shrugged away from him. "Mom?"
She nodded. "I'll take care of it. I promise." I could tell by the look in her eyes that she meant what she said. She looked down at him again, nearly snarling.
"We'd better go," I said, motioning to Trenton.
"What the hell?" Coby said, stepping out from the dark hallway into the living room. He was wearing a pair of shorts and nothing else. His eyes were heavy and tired.
"Coby," I said, reaching out to him. "Listen to me. It wasn't Trent's fault."
"I heard," Coby said, frowning. "He really attacked you?"
I nodded. "He's drunk."
Coby looked up at Mom. "What are you going to do?"
"What?" she said. "What do you mean?"
"He attacked Camille. He's a grown fucking man, and he attacked your twenty-two-year-old daughter. What the fuck are you going to do about it?"
"Coby," I warned.
"Let me guess," he said. "You're going to threaten him to leave, and then stay. Like you always do."
"I don't know this time," Mom said. She looked down at him, watched him for a while, and then hit him with the pillow again. "Stupid!" she said, her voice cracking.
"Coby, please don't say anything," I begged. "We don't need a Maddox-versus-Camlin situation on top of this."
Coby glared at Trenton, and then nodded at me. "I owe you one."
I sighed. "Thank you."
Trenton drove us to his dad's house, pulled into the drive, and left the Smurf running. "Christ, Cami. I still can't believe I hit your dad. I'm sorry."
"Don't apologize," I said, covering my eyes with my hand. The humiliation was almost too much to bear.
"We're having Thanksgiving at our house this year. I mean, we have it every year, but we're actually cooking. A real turkey. Dressing. Dessert. The works. You should come." I broke down, then, and Trenton pulled me into his arms.
I sniffed and wiped my eyes, opening the door. "I have to go to work." I got out, and Trenton did, too, leaving the driver's-side door open. He pulled me into his arms to ward off the cold.
"You should call in. Stay here with me and Dad. We'll watch old westerns. It'll be the most boring night of your life."
I shook my head. "I need to work. I need to be busy."
Trenton nodded. "Okay. I'll be there as quick as I can." He cupped each side of my face, kissing my forehead.