Sugar Crash by Elena Aitken Page B

Taylor's been missing it desperately."
      "Mom!"  
    "I thought I'd bring Abby this afternoon, Barb needed to run some errands," Cam said. "I hope that's okay."  
    Darci met his eyes and smiled. "Of course. Thank you."
    "Hey," he said. "Why don't we leave these girls alone to giggle and do all the things that girls do." He dodged and laughed when Abby turned and punched him in the shoulder. "Darci, let me buy you a cup of cafeteria coffee."  
    Darci knew she couldn't say no without looking ungrateful, besides, she could use a coffee and a distraction from her day.

    "Thank you," she said a few minutes later, when he handed her a steaming paper cup.  
    "You looked like you could use it." They walked side by side down the hall and out the front doors into the sunshine.  
    "It feels nice to be outside," Darci said. "I guess I've been spending most of my time either at the hospital, the shop or sleeping. It doesn't leave much time for anything else."
    "Why don't we walk then and enjoy the fresh air?"  
    She nodded and together they made their way slowly down the sidewalk. Neither of them were in a rush, and the silence between them was nice. Darci didn't feel any pressure to make conversation and with every step they took, she could feel a little more tension release from her body.  
    "You know," Cam said after a few moments. "Whenever I feel like things are too much and I can't handle it, I go for a run. It's a great stress reliever."
    She chuckled. "Oh, I don't run."
    "That's silly. Everyone runs. It's a basic human action."
    "Not for me." She took a sip of the bitter coffee. "I only run when being chased by a large animal. And that doesn't happen on a regular basis."
    Cam looked at her and smirked. "No, I don't imagine that it does."  
    Darci laughed and kept walking. His free hand brushed against hers and a shiver shot up her arm. Before she could stop herself, she pulled back and tucked her hand into her pocket. If Cam noticed, he didn't show it.  
    A few minutes later, he said, "Taylor's doing great. Not that I'm surprised. You handle everything so well, it must have rubbed off on her."  
    "She's a very strong girl."
    "Like her mother."  
    Something in his voice made her stop walking and turn to face him. "What do you mean by that?"
    "Just what I said." Cam tossed his half empty coffee cup in a nearby garbage and tucked his hands into the front pockets of his jeans. "With such a tough mom, I'm not at all surprised that Taylor's doing so well. Ever since I've known her, she's always been a strong force on the team. But you know what the difference between you two is?"  
    "What's that?"  
    "Taylor also knows the importance of having a team behind her. She's smart enough to know that she can't win the game by herself."
    "I'm not trying to win the game by myself, Cam."  
    A challenge sparked in his eyes, and the corner of his mouth turned up in a smirk. "Aren't you?"
    They stared at each other for a moment. Frustration flared in her. She wanted to tell him he was wrong. That he didn't know what he was talking about. She wanted to tell him to back off and leave her alone.
    Instead, she took a gulp of her coffee and burned her tongue. She straightened her shoulders and turned away, unable to face him. "We should get back."
    She threw the cup into the garbage and started walking back towards the hospital. She'd only taken a few steps before Cam jogged to catch up. "Hey." He grabbed her arm and spun her around. Before she knew to stop him, he pulled her into his arms and his lips met hers. The kiss was gentle and her lips yielded easily to his. But it was over before she could even register it had happened at all. She touched two fingers to her mouth and stared at him with wide eyes.  
    "It's okay to need people, Darci." He took her hand gently from her mouth and held it in his. "And I'm here when you need me."  

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

    On Thursday afternoon, Taylor was given the go ahead to go home and start back to