Brides and Brothers by Anneka R. Walker
Chapter 24
Camille
“Do we have any leftover roast from yesterday?” Benson asked Camille as he opened the fridge. “I thought I’d put some in a sandwich for lunch.”
“It’s in the Tupperware container behind the bag of grapes,” Camille said over her shoulder. She was cutting apple slices for herself and hadn’t even heard him come in. Her mind was a million miles away. “Oh, and there’re still some cookies left from Charlotte that she dropped off yesterday if you want one of those too.”
Benson grabbed the sandwich stuff and dumped it onto the counter next to Camille. He assembled the meat on a piece of bread and then squirted ketchup over every square inch before slapping another piece of bread on top. “What have you heard from Aiden lately?”
Camille snapped her attention back to Benson. “He’ll be home by Thanksgiving. He wants the whole family to go to Island Park for the holiday.”
“Thanksgiving? I thought he was coming home this week.”
Camille wanted to whine in agreement, but the possibility of tears making a sneak appearance reminded her that she needed to be an adult about this. “He signed something in the contract that obligates him to stay longer.”
Benson bit into his sandwich instead of responding. Camille knew he was upset for her, but there wasn’t anything he could do. She didn’t want to talk about it right now.
As though sensing her thoughts, Benson said, “I got a letter from Grant.”
“How’s he doing?” Camille asked, jumping on the change in topic.
“His enthusiasm hasn’t wavered.”
Camille smiled. “That’s great. I’m happy for him.”
“Me too,” Benson said softly. “Can I ask you something?”
Camille realized his other comments were small talk building up to this question. He wasn’t normally overly chatty, and apparently Camille was too absorbed in herself to even notice he’d been wanting to talk about something important.
“What’s up?”
“I have a date tonight, and to be honest, it’s been a long time. I’m planning on taking her country dancing on campus and then going out for hot fudge sundaes. Is that too simple?”
Camille blinked. Who was Benson interested in? She knew Daisha was practically engaged, so why was she disappointed Benson wasn’t holding out for her? “It sounds like a lot of fun. You’re a great dancer, which will help your cause.”
Benson gave her a half smile. “Thanks.”
A few hours later, Camille forced herself back into the kitchen to wash and load the dinner dishes into the dishwasher. Just as she finished, her phone rang a familiar tune. Her heart sank when it wasn’t Aiden. She leaned against the kitchen counter and answered Daisha’s call.
“Guess who stopped by,” Daisha said.
Camille didn’t even notice Daisha hadn’t said hi. She was too curious. “Um, Elvis?”
“Benson!”
“I thought he had a date tonight.” Camille frowned. She hadn’t misheard him, had she?
“He does, with Emma.”
“Emma?” Camille’s eyes widened. “But she likes Easton.” She turned around to make sure Easton wasn’t in the vicinity. The coast was clear.
“It’s not like she’s dating Easton. And if Benson is interested in her, then maybe it’s meant to be.”
Camille hadn’t seen this coming. “I don’t remember Benson even looking at Emma when they’ve been together.” In fact, she specifically recalled when they’d admitted to each other in the barn that they liked different people.
Daisha chuckled. “Benson is sweet. He’ll do a great job at helping Emma get past her ugly breakup.”
Camille twisted a piece of hair as she tried to digest the news. Benson and Emma wouldn’t make a bad couple. Benson was a little more serious-minded than she thought fit with Emma. Emma needed someone to make her laugh and bring her personality out. Not to mention, Benson was several years older than Emma, so there was bound to be a maturity difference between the two of them. It would take time for Camille to get used to the idea.
While she had Daisha on the phone, she wanted a status update on a similar subject. “Have you made a decision about Derek?”
“I think I just did. I want to tell him first, but I’ll call you after I talk to him.”
“I’ll be sitting on the edge of my seat until you call,” Camille said, excited for her friend.
“You always were more of a romantic than me. Well, I’ve got to go finish steaming my carrots. Call you later.”
Camille ended the call. The kitchen was clean, but it was hard to feel satisfied when everyone had someone to be with tonight but her. Every brother-in-law had a date tonight—even Easton. Wendy, the girl Easton was interested in, certainly wasn’t Emma, but at least he was dating. Camille pushed away from the counter in search of her copy of Jane Austen’s Emma. She needed something lighthearted and romantic to cure her mood.