Free Twelve Truths and a Lie by Christina Lee Page B

couldn’t help thinking of the improbability of a match between her and Maddie based on that quality alone. I mean, even on a bad day, she looked dolled up and blinged out.
    As if wanting to embarrass Cameron in return, Maddie suddenly asked, “Who did you go to the movies with last week, Cam?”
    “You had a date?” Michael said, narrowing his eyes.
    I tried not to make eye contact with Cameron, but it was nearly impossible. So I lifted the pitcher of beer and began refilling glasses.
    “No big deal,” Cameron said, nudging my foot beneath the table, and my entire body grew warm from that contact alone. “A group of co-workers met at the theatre.”
    “He was home at a reasonable hour like a good boy,” Maddie said, smirking.
    “Screw you,” Cameron said, barking out a laugh, though there was a tone of seriousness beneath it. I held my breath, hoping he didn’t mention that Maddie hadn’t even been home that night.
    “Whatever,” Maddie said into his beer. “I’m proud of you, buddy. Getting your act together.”
    “What am I, a dog?” Cameron snorted. “ Good boy . How about you get your act together now?”
    Maddie’s mouth twisted into a frown. “How so?”
    “Never mind,” Cameron grumbled, and I realized that these guys acted more like brothers than anything with their teasing and quibbling. But what was Maddie saying that I was missing? Or was I just reading into it too much again? Cameron wasn’t excessively drinking or sloshing his beer around, so maybe my warning flags were way out of sync this time around.
    The same bouncer from the other night walked by in his sexy kilt, and Sydney nudged me as we made googly eyes in his direction.
    “What is it about women and kilts?” Michael asked, shaking his head.
    “Maybe it’s the question of what’s underneath?” Sydney suggested, waggling her eyebrows. “Our friend, Aurora, here needs to do some investigating.”
    If a hole had opened up beneath the table, I would’ve crawled in right then.
    “Yep,” Nicole said. “Then the dude would fall under her spell, and they’d run off to Scotland and have kilted babies.”
    My cheeks heated up and I could feel Cameron’s eyes on me.
    “Ugh.” I dropped my head to my chin dramatically. “Stop it right now, people.”
    “Maybe guys just know she’s a good catch,” Cameron said, and our gazes clashed across the table. My heart was thrashing in my chest, and I could feel the heat climbing my cheeks. He was being a good friend, saving me from mortification, but I could tell my friends were shocked that he had said anything at all.
    “Well, at least somebody sticks up for me,” I responded, cutting my eyes away and playing it off.
    “Oh, stop,” Nicole said, rolling her eyes. “Of course you’re a good catch. The best. That was never the issue. Now, the guys on the other hand…when the right one comes along, we’ll all know it.”
    “Whatever,” I said, desperate to move away from naming any of those guys or their issues. “Besides, I discovered I like being alone.”
    “Told you so,” Sydney replied. I noticed how desperately she was avoiding eye contact with Maddie, and I felt bad that she was struggling for a wholly different reason.
    “Right,” I said, continuing my point. “Nobody’s needs to cater to. I can even eat a bowl of cereal for dinner while watching a sappy Lifetime movie whenever I want.”
    I heard Cameron snort, but I ignored him, because if he caught my eye, I’d probably burst out laughing.
    “Hear, hear,” Nicole said, and we toasted with our plastic beer cups.
    I certainly learned more about Cameron from his friends’ point of view as the night wore on, mostly that he was dedicated to his job and family. But the truth was, I kind of missed my one-on-one time with him, and I’d have to wait until next week to get my fix again. And yeah, that logic right there was a hundred shades of messed up. I’d just blame it on the therapeutic effects of the