Chapter 7

SEVEN

Ford

“You don’t have to come with us,” Cameron tells me as I open the passenger door of her Ford Focus.

“I want to hang out with you ladies,” I assure her.

“I can sit in the back, dear. I doubt you’ll be able to cram into that backseat,” Fran tells me as she shuffles past me.

“Are you sure?” I ask, reaching to open the back door for her.

“Of course, dear.”

I wait until she’s settled in the seat before I close the door and turn to face Cameron.

“Are you really sure?” She asks me. “I mean, it’s bingo.”

“I can’t remember the last time that I played bingo.”

“Yeah, because you’re twenty-four and not eighty,” she remarks.

“It will be fun.”

She sighs and then heads over to the driver’s side door. When she climbs behind the wheel, I get situated in the passenger seat.

The bingo hall is down on the other end of Main Street and we head that way. There’s no traffic right now so it only takes us a few minutes to get there and we pull into the parking lot right as some of Fran’s friends head towards the door of the old bingo hall.

“Hey, ladies!” Fran calls as I open her door and help her out of the car.

“Fran!” They call.

It’s cute to see how excited they are about seeing their old friend. You’d think that they hadn’t hung out in weeks, when it was really just a few hours ago.

I smile, taking Cameron’s hand in mine as we follow Fran and the other ladies inside. We head up to the table and check in, taking our board and bingo dotter as we head over to the big room to find a table.

It’s surprisingly busy, and we end up splitting up, with Fran and her friends sitting a few rows ahead of us. Cameron and I take a seat at the last table in the back and I reach over, scooting her chair closer to mine.

“Want to make a deal? We split everything if one of us wins,” I offer, and she laughs.

“Oh, are you feeling lucky tonight?” She jokes, and I grin, leaning closer to her.

“I’m with you, so I’m already the luckiest guy in the world.”

“Cheesy,” she says, pushing my arm and I laugh.

“You love it.”

She rolls her eyes, but I can see her biting back a smile.

She seems so relaxed and happy these last few days and I wonder if that’s all because her grandma is here. Or maybe, possibly, she’s happier because we’re together. I mean, I know that I am, but I guess that could just be wishful thinking.

“You look nice,” I lean over and whisper in her ear as the bingo announcer heads to the front of the room. “I meant to tell you that earlier.”

“Uh-huh,” she says like she doesn’t believe me.

“I’m serious. You are always the prettiest girl in any room.”

“You don’t need to say that.”

“It’s the truth.”

“Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to bingo! We’ll be beginning in just a moment so please take your seats and get ready,” the announcer calls out.

Cameron and I get settled in our seats and she looks over at me as the last few people file into the room and find their seats.

“You look nice too,” she whispers, and I want to ask her to leave with me right now, but it’s too late.

“Let’s get ready to BINGO!” The announcer calls and the crowd cheers.

I drape my arm over the back of Cameron’s chair, my fingers toying with the ends of her pale blonde hair as they draw the first number.

She relaxes back against my arm and I scoot closer to her, until our thighs are touching. We’re silent as the numbers are called and I watch as she marks off a few numbers. She’s close to winning and I smile as I see how excited she gets as she marks off another number.

“Did we ever agree on my deal?” I ask her, and she giggles.

“Nope.”

“Pity,” I sigh.

“N63,” the announcer calls, and Cameron gasps, her arms shooting in the air.

“BINGO!” She calls, and I grin, scooting back as she brings her card up to the front of the room to be checked.

“We have a winner! Please clear your board and get ready for the next game,” the announcer says, and I wipe my board clean as Cameron comes back to our table.

“What did you win?” I ask her as she sits down.

“A twenty-five dollar gift card. Donated by Nosh Diner,” she tells me.

Our eyes meet and we both start to laugh.

“Ready to begin?” The announcer asks, and we both try to contain ourselves as the next game starts.

We play for the next two hours, but neither of us wins again. We find Fran when it’s over and walk out with her friends. Cameron ends up giving the gift card to Mrs. Abbot and we wave to them as we head over to her car.

“Well, that was so much fun! Wasn’t it?” Fran asks as we climb into the car.

“Yeah, it was a blast,” I agree.

“And Cameron! You won!”

“I did,” she says as she backs out of the parking spot.

“You two looked so cute back there together,” she adds.

“We always look cute together,” I say, and Fran pats my shoulder.

“You sure do.”

Cameron is smiling and I can’t help but wonder if my plan is working, if maybe she’s falling in love with me too. Maybe she’s already in love with me, I think as I remember the paintings.

We pull up in front of Cameron’s house and I hop out to help Fran out of the car.

“It’s too early to call it a night,” she says. “Why don’t you two go out and have some fun?”

“I don’t want to ditch you,” Cameron says, and her grandma waves her off.

“I’m just going to read a bit of my book and then turn in for the night. You two go enjoy some quality time together. I’ll be fine.”

Cameron looks at me and I nod.

“Alright,” she agrees and part of me is surprised that she’s agreeing.

That has to be a good sign, right?

Cameron unlocks the front door and gets her grandma settled before she comes back over to me.

“So, what do you want to do?” I ask her, and she walks right up to me, leaning against the side of her car so that our sides are touching.

“What are my options?” She asks, and I think for a moment.

“Well, we can go see a movie or go out to dinner… or we could go back to my place and hang out.”

“Alright,” she says after a minute, and I blink.

“Aright? To which idea?”

“Let’s go to your place.”

“Really?” I blurt out, and she laughs.

“Yeah, I have to admit that I’ve always been curious about what your place looks like.”

“Okay, I can drive us,” I tell her, pointing to my truck, but she shakes her head.

“I’ll follow you. That way, you don’t have to make another trip into town.”

“I don’t mind,” I assure her, and she smiles.

“Neither do I, so lead the way.”

She climbs into her car before I can protest anymore, and I hurry over to my truck and climb behind the wheel.

I can’t help but smile as I pull out onto the road and start to head home. I’m about to have my dream girl in my space… I just hope I can convince her that she should never leave once she’s there.