Chapter 12

twelve

Fi sat on the floor in her temporary office at Bennet & Sons, singing along with Camila Cabello on her favorite playlist. Dressed for comfort in a pair of yoga shorts and an old George Washington University T-shirt, she blew up two pale-pink balloons with the electric pump she'd bought at the party supply store earlier in the afternoon. Tying them off by tying them together, she grabbed two more balloons in a darker shade of pink.

The front door opened, and moments later, Brady stopped in her doorway. He wore a blue team shirt and black shorts with his soccer socks pulled up and ready for his shin guards. The blond highlights waking up in Cam's hair were visible in Brady's hair, too. " Wow !"

Cam stopped next to his son in dark-gray athletic shorts and a red sleeveless top, raising his brow as he settled his aviators on top of his head. "Yikes."

"Hey, guys." She grinned as she blew up the balloons. "Welcome to controlled chaos."

Cam's gaze darted from the bags piled in all four corners of the room to the dozens of various-sized balloons scattered around the floor. "I was thinking maybe it was just chaos."

She laughed. "I had to do some shopping today."

"I see that." Cam's gaze wandered around the room again. "Remind me to take out stock in the party store."

Laughing as he grinned, she tied off the balloons. "I needed stuff for Grandpa's party, which is coming right up. And I have a couple of new clients on my planning board."

She gestured to her whiteboard with her chin, where she'd added two new events to her list. Word was getting around that she was helping Ellie, and people were eager for her expertise for their own parties.

"Huh," he said, looking at the board. "Working on your break. That's one way to take a vacation."

She smiled as she shrugged, grabbing two more balloons—white ones this time. "I like working. Especially this type of work."

"I'd say you must."

"Typically, Leo and I share two assistants—Paul and Paisley. It's safe to say they're amazing . We keep them incredibly busy. But while I'm here, I'm on my own." She batted her lashes and turned down her bottom lip in a pout as she tied off the next two balloons.

Brady hurried over, standing before her with concern filling his bold green eyes. "Don't be sad, Fiona." He sandwiched her cheeks between his little palms. "I can go to the party store with you."

Her heart melted. "Aw, thanks, buddy. I'm not really sad. I'm just being silly. I actually like doing this stuff, but I usually don't have time."

She looked Brady up and down. "You look like you're ready to play some soccer."

He beamed. "Yup."

Cam leaned his weight against the doorframe. "It's Brady's first night of practice with his team."

Fi waggled her brow at Cam's little boy. "That's exciting ."

Brady nodded. "Me and Dad have been practicing at home so I'll be ready."

"That's great." She gave him a gentle poke to his belly. "Practice is important."

He nodded again. "You can come watch me at my games."

"I'll definitely watch you at your games."

He bent down to touch a balloon. "Why do you have pink balloons?"

"They're for my new client. She's having a baby shower."

Cam's brow furrowed. "Is that okay for you?"

She nodded, hearing the sudden protective ring to his tone, understanding his concern. She'd been waiting to regret their conversation at the lake a couple of days ago, but confiding in Cam had been incredibly easy. His kindness and support—his reassurances that she was still perfect in his eyes—had been a balm against her biggest heartache. "I'm an event planner. People have babies. It's fun to enjoy their excitement."

Brady touched the balloon pump. "Girls have babies. You're a girl, so you can have one, too."

"Maybe someday."

Cam clenched his jaw, holding her gaze as apology filled his eyes.

Subtly shaking her head, she smiled, assuring him that his son's innocent comment was okay. "Do you guys have a few minutes?"

Cam nodded as he walked in, sitting in one of the extra chairs tucked against the wall. "Practice starts at six thirty."

"Great." She gave Brady her attention. "Do you want to be my helper?"

"Yeah!" Brady sat in the V of her legs, zeroing in on the fruit and cheese she'd brought along for a simple dinner. "Can I have a piece of cheese?"

"Sure."

Picking it up, he turned his head to look back at her. "This cheese is gluten-free."

She smiled. "Yes, it is."

He bit in, started to chew, and grimaced. "I don't like this kind."

She chuckled. "That's okay. That's why we try things, so we know what we like and don't like."

He nodded, shuddering as he swallowed his bite. "Yup."

"You can pop the rest of that piece right in here." She pointed to her mouth.

He grinned as he fed her the slice of Havarti dill.

"Thanks," she said as she chewed.

"You're welcome." He turned back to the balloon machine. "Why do you have so many balloons?"

She blew up a dusty-rose balloon, showing him what to do. "I'm going to make a big balloon garland for a gift table."

Copying her, Brady did a great job, handing her a metallic-pink balloon to tie off. "You can make one of those for me when it's my birthday again. That's when I'll be six."

And suddenly, her happy mood dimmed a little as her gaze darted to Cam's. "I might be able to do that, but I live far away from here. I make parties for people all the way across the country in a city called Seattle. I have to go back there in a few weeks."

Brady blew up another balloon. "You can be in Seattle and here."

It was clear that the country's geography was lost on a five-year-old. "Sometimes I can be."

Cam stood. "I need to grab something from my office." He sent her a small smile as he walked off.

Her gaze followed him down the hall before she gave Brady her attention again as he blew up the next balloon. "You're good at this, buddy."

"Yup," he said with a ring of confidence, smiling as he handed her one of the massive pearl-pink balloons.

Cam walked to his office, not needing anything in particular. There had been no need to stop at the office at all, but when he drove down Fifth Street and saw Stella's old Camry parked in the lot, he pulled in, eager for a conversation with the woman he thought about constantly.

Moving to his window as the sun began to set, he stared out at the distant mountains, listening to Brady and Fiona's voices carrying down the hall.

It worried him some that Brady liked her so much—that his son and his former girlfriend were creating such an easy bond. He didn't want Brady getting too attached when Fi would be gone before long.

And this was why he didn't welcome women into his life. There were far fewer complications when he focused on his career and his son. But the woman down the hall was warm and sweet and everything good that his little boy deserved. Brady's life would always be better for having Fiona in it.

He steamed out a breath when the two people he adored most in the world laughed when a balloon popped. Because he was undoubtedly making this into a bigger issue than it was.

He was the one struggling with the idea of Fiona leaving. No one else.

Fi was a friend. She'd made that perfectly clear, even though there was still plenty left between them—an undeniable snap of electricity that sparked every time they looked at each other. But that undercurrent would undoubtedly always be there. It was impossible to have shared what they had and there not be residual vibes.

"It's fine," he assured himself as he turned and picked up a file at random, then headed back down the hall. Because when it came to Brady, he tended to overanalyze everything .

It was great to have Fiona home again. But he had every intention of regularly reminding himself and his son that Fi's time in Vermont was short.

He stopped in the doorway as Fiona showed Brady how to tie off the balloon. Their heads were tucked close together as Fi's graceful fingers guided Brady's.

"That's it. Now pull on that end piece right there."

Following Fiona's directions, Brady's eyes grew wide as he grinned. "I did it!"

Fiona grinned back. "Yes, you did! You're an official balloon-tying pro."

Brady smiled again. "Uh-huh."

Cam knocked on the doorframe. "We need to head out, buddy. Practice starts soon."

"Okay." Brady stood, wrapping his arms around Fiona's neck. "Thanks for teaching me how to do balloon stuff."

She hugged him back. "You're welcome. Thanks for making this the best part of my day."

Brady eased away, walking over to Cam, still talking to Fiona. "Don't forget to watch me play soccer. Because you're still my best friend."

Fiona grinned. "You and your dad can decide when it's a good day, and I'll come watch."

Brady took Cam's hand. "Okay."

"Bye, guys."

Cam tossed her a nod. "Good luck with the controlled chaos."

"Thanks." Her laugh followed them to the common area.