I looked away, pretending interest in the customers out on the small dance floor. I wondered if Malcolm felt that way about Becca. And if he did, how did I fare in comparison? Unexceptional and insecure?
God, I hoped not.
‘You okay, Jo?’ Joss asked, bringing my gaze back to them. They were all staring at me, including Cam.
I nodded, giving Joss a soft, reassuring smile. ‘Sure.’
Her brow furrowed. ‘Is Cole okay?’
I flinched inwardly, aware of Cam’s body tensing at the mention of Cole’s name. I didn’t want him to know the truth about Cole. If he was so determined to see what everybody else saw when they looked at me, then I didn’t want to change his misconception. ‘He’s fine.’ I didn’t elaborate, hoping she’d drop the subject.
Of course Joss didn’t. ‘He seemed quieter than usual on Sunday. Is everything okay with him?’
Yes, now shut up! ‘Of course.’
Ellie threw me a sympathetic look. ‘When Hannah hit fourteen she went into classic teen mode. Moody and quiet. It’s worse when they’re shy like Hannah and Cole because when they’re feeling down about something they become so introverted.’
Crap.
Cam straightened to his full height so that he stood a few inches taller than me. His eyebrows were raised in question. ‘Fourteen?’
Thank you, Joss and Ellie.
‘Cole,’ Joss explained to him, seeming way too eager to share information about me with him. I was seriously considering giving both Ellie and Braden a lump of coal for their Christmas present this year as a thank-you for turning Joss into a normal person who annoyed her friends with her terrible matchmaking skills. ‘Jo’s little brother. She takes care of him.’
Cam’s gaze sliced to me, his eyes sharp as he took me in, in all my new colours.
Yes, Cam, I read and write and I have a pretty good vocabulary. I’m not cheating on my rich boyfriend. I’m being a responsible adult to the teenager under my care. There go all your little preconceived notions. Asshole.
I shrugged at the questions in his eyes.
As for Joss, she could not be stopped. ‘We all let Jo keep her phone on her in case Cole needs her, so cut her a little slack if you see her checking it obsessively. She’s a little overprotective. She’s a really good sister.’
Would you stop pimping me out! I threw an accusatory look at Ellie, whose eyes grew round with confusion. ‘I blame you,’ I told her.
Ellie sighed, the confusion melting from her gaze as understanding dawned. ‘Would it help if I trained her better?’
‘It would help if you hit the RESET button on her.’
‘Hey,’ Joss protested.
Ellie shook her head vehemently. ‘No, I like the new Jocelyn.’
‘Well, I’m lost.’ Cam’s gaze bounced back and forth between us.
Yeah, if only you’d stay lost. ‘Never mind.’ I shook my head and looked at Joss. ‘What are you doing here tonight anyway?’
Joss smiled wickedly. ‘Just checking in.’
I couldn’t help the irritation that settled into my eyes and Ellie choked on her laughter. ‘I think it’s time we checked out.’ She took hold of a reluctant Joss and tugged on her arm.
‘Fine,’ Joss muttered, her calculating gaze shifting between me and Cam. ‘Jo, tell Cam about Cole’s comic books.’
I groaned inwardly. ‘Goodnight, Joss. ’Night, Els.’
Ellie waved and ushered Joss out of the bar.
Even though the conversation around us was a wordless babble of noise above the music, silence reigned within the bubble containing me and Cam behind the bar. No noise could penetrate the thick tension between us.
Finally Cam took a step towards me. For the first time since I’d met him (and it was weird to realize that I’d met him only twice, since it seemed like we’d known each other a lot longer), Cam looked uncomfortable. ‘So … Cole’s your wee brother, then?’
Screw you. I stared at him blankly, trying to decide what I should say. Finally, I came to the conclusion that it would be better if Cam and I remained at a distance. No matter how much Joss wanted him to see me in a different light, I didn’t want him to. He’d jumped to his conclusions like everyone else, and frankly I didn’t want to be on friendly terms with someone who had taken to tearing me down, and that was before he had got to know me. I sighed and strode past him. ‘I’m going on my break.’
Cam didn’t answer me.
And for the rest of the night he endured my cold-shoulder treatment in tight-lipped silence.
6
As I had been on every Wednesday that had come before it, I was shattered the next day. My Tuesday shift at Club 39 followed by my Wednesday day shift at Meikle & Young was the worst part of my week. I shared the job as personal assistant to Mr Meikle with another girl called Lucy. I had never met Lucy, but we left little messages all the time to let each other know what had been done and what still needed to be done, so I felt like I knew her. She always put smiley faces at the end of any request so it didn’t come off as a demand. I thought that was nice and often wondered if Mr Meikle was pleasant to the girl with the smiley faces. I hoped so.
He certainly wasn’t pleasant to me.
That morning I’d almost managed to get everything right. With three hours to go in the workday, I had been sitting franking mail that was to go out that night, trying to get Cam’s stupid, arrogant voice out of my head, when Mr Meikle came out of his office and obnoxiously waved a letter in my face.
As I gazed up at him from my seat I wondered for a second if his problem with me had something to do with my height. I was a good three inches taller than he was, and he always looked rather nonplussed when we were standing together, and smug whenever I was sitting and he was standing over me. ‘Sir?’ I asked, my eyes crossing as I tried to make out what the bloody hell he was dangling before me.