Page 5 of Camera Stays On

“No, a beer sounds great,” she blurted. “It’s almost over anyway, and I don’t know anyone in there.” She waved at the funeral home. “Plus, I could use the company. Let’s all go.”

She knew that if she didn’t agree to something, Sawyer would keep at it until he got her alone. Considering the last time they were in the same room he was publicly shaming her in front of half the town, it was smart to have a third party around.

“Fine, let’s go. I’ll drive us.” He held out his hand. Andi pretended not to see it and turned away, keeping a smile on her face.

“Do you have a car here?” I asked her, pulling the attention again. She brushed her hair back and shook her head.

“I t-t-took a train here and then got a ride to the funeral home.”

“Cool, you can ride in my truck. It’s got more room than the Mustang.” I rolled my eyes, and Andi perked up.

“Yeah, let’s do that.” She stepped toward me, then turned to Sawyer. “Thanks for the invite.”

His jaw ticked as he huffed. “Right. All right, see you at Rialto’s then?” He glared at me.

I nodded. “Sounds good. Let’s motor.” I put my hat on my head and dug my keys out of my pocket. Together, Andi and I went to my truck. I opened the door and assisted her up. Walking over to my side, I caught Sawyer standing next to his car, watching us. I gave him a curt nod and hopped into the driver’s seat.

“Thanks for that.” She sighed after I’d closed my door. I glanced over and watched her relax into the seat, her shoulders falling. With a deep breath she added, “I knew there was a chance he’d show up, but...”

“You’re welcome.” I chuckled and started the truck. Sawyer’s Mustang drove out of the parking lot first, and I put the truck into drive and followed behind. “That’s why I came. Figured you could use a helping hand.”

“He hasn’t changed, has he?” she asked.

Shaking my head, I smirked. “Not even a little. Now, let’s go see how many drinks he’ll pay for.”

Chapter 2

Andi

RIALTO’S WAS THE only bar in Collingwood, and like everything in this fucking town, it was a ten-minute drive. That didn’t leave much time to regroup and prepare for seeing Sawyer again. My mother’s funeral was stressful enough. Having to deal with Sawyer was just the cherry on top.

“We can ditch him if you want.” Ash interrupted my stress-filled thoughts.

I turned to him, furrowing my brows. “What?”

“I can drop you off somewhere. Where are you staying?” He knew just as much as I did how toxic Sawyer was. He’d tried to warn me years ago, but I was already in too deep.

“I booked a hotel out of town. It’s fine, really. Sawyer is being… Sawyer. It’s better to get it over with so I can get out of here without more drama. I’m not staying long.”

“Makes sense. I wouldn’t have come back at all.” He drove on in silence, and I took the few minutes we had alone to take him in. Both Delambre brothers were extremely handsome. With their hazel eyes—Sawyer’s more blue, Asher’s more green—and their dimpled smiles, they drove girls wild when we were in school. Viewing them from behind, you’d almost think they were twins, since they shared the same height and muscular frames. The only thing that truly set them apart, aside from the eyes when you looked really closely, was their hair. They both kept it longer, curling at the shoulders, but Sawyer’s hair was a light ash brown, while Asher’s had always been more of a light golden brown. Now, however, Ash had bleached the underlayer of his hair so light it was blond. Something about the subtle change made him seem like the edgier, more fun brother.

Especially with the addition of a mustache.

It was…kind of hot.

My face flamed at the idea of finding Ash hot.

I mean, he was, but—he was off-limits. He had been this close to being my brother-in-law.

Painful memories of my wedding day flooded my mind, and I pushed them back, forcing myself to enjoy the present moment, here, in Asher’s truck.

I sighed, relaxing again, thinking about the three of us when we were younger. It was great, before it got complicated. Before the night Ray was murdered.

We pulled into the parking lot, and Asher slid out of the truck and jogged over to my side to help me out.

“Ever the gentleman,” I teased.

He grinned, his dimples popping.