Page 40 of Camera Stays On

“Not tonight. I’ve been trying to keep my wits about me.”

We drove through town. I looked away from the free store, just in case his mom was working. Thinking of Daphne Delambre sent me down a path of contemplation. What life might have been had Sawyer and I gotten to our vows.

What would we be doing now? House, two and a half kids? He probably would have had me pregnant before I finished college, and knowing him, he would have wanted me to stay home with them. I shuddered at the thought of minivans, bake sales, and babies crying. That kind of stuff wasn’t something I ever envisioned for myself.

The very idea of a “let me talk to a manager” bob was sending me into a depression.

“Andi?” Ash called, and I pulled myself from the dark thoughts.

“Yeah?”

“Do you need anything before we head back?”

I shook my head, and he pressed on the gas, taking us toward the trail.

When we got back to the house in the middle of the woods, we found the other men from the movie unloading a trailer.

“What’s all this?” Ash asked after we parked and went over to them. Sawyer’s gaze dropped to all the shopping bags in our hands, and he snickered.

“I could say the same. Looks like you fucked off all day.” He turned back to the trailer, going inside it. I peered over the side and saw them dragging out a piano.

“What’s that for?” Asher’s brows furrowed as he watched them bring it up the stairs.

“The ceremony scene. Don’t worry, after we wrap, you can have it for the haunt. Out-of-tune pianos are all sorts of creepy.”

“Thanks. I bet this has nothing to do with the hassle it is to get that in and out of my house,” Ash snapped.

“You gonna help or what?” Sawyer demanded. With a sigh, Ash handed me the bags and went to help the men.

“I’m going to take this upstairs, I’ll be back,” I said as I left them to it.

As I walked through the house, I wondered where all the women had gone. A nervous discomfort seeped into my belly as I went upstairs with the bags of clothes I hadn’t bought. I was sure Sawyer—or anyone else from Collingwood—had given them some kind of story about me.

Would this only make it worse? Would they think I was some money-hungry whore who used and abused men to get things? I hurried to my room and shoved the bags into the closet, now ashamed that I’d given in to Ash’s pressure and let him buy me all these things. It wasn’t in my nature to take handouts so brazenly.

Would I even wear these clothes now? I didn’t know how I could with the guilt that came attached. I felt silly that I’d allowed myself to be so carefree and unconcerned for those few hours.

All because of a hot guy with a slutty mustache.

I sighed deeply and steeled myself. Maybe none of them had seen me come in, and I was just overly conscious about the generous gifts. Maybe no one had told them about Sawyer’s and my history. I needed to get over this.

I dug into the closet, pulling out the clothes. It was nearly evening now, and almost a waste to change, but I needed to do it for myself. I put on a new pair of distressed jeans, a cheetah-print tank top, and a cropped leather jacket. Even I could admit I looked great. Everything fit the way it was meant to, framing my figure just right. Nothing was faded, stained, or torn.

Everything smelled new.

I left my room again. I breathed in and out, trying to embrace the confidence I wanted to feel. I could be just like the others. Hell, maybe we could all be friends. During our childhood, Sawyer had me wrapped so closely to him at all times, I hadn’t had many opportunities to make other friends, let alone girlfriends. I’d had some in Chicago, but I wasn’t there anymore. It felt like time to start forming those kinds of relationships. Maybe finally, I could be Andi here in Collingwood. Listening for voices, I heard feminine chatter from one of the rooms on the other side of the hall. I read the names written on the doors. Juliet was directly across from Sawyer, Mick across from me, and Lux across from Ash. The noise was definitely coming from Juliet’s room.

I stepped up to the door and knocked. The chatter softened, and what sounded like Lux called out.

“Come in!”

Nervously, I opened the door and pushed it open. Lux and Bea greeted me pleasantly, and I relaxed, stepping inside the doorframe.

“Hey, guys! What’s going—” I froze when Juliet stepped out from behind a partition, and before I could think, I blurted, “That’s my dress!”

Chapter 18

Andi