Hilly sounded more than pleased that her friend would be with her at camp for the entire summer.
“Sounds like the two of you will have fun,” he said, trying hard not to be jealous that he wouldn’t be her “bestie” on premise, which was ridiculous. He had no claim on Hilly.
“We sure will. And she’s the one taking care of Nel right now, although it’s no hardship for either of them. They love each other to pieces, having hung out together at my apartment and hers any number of times since she came into my life.”
“Your apartment?” Cisco countered, finding himself a little surprised. “You mean you don’t live at camp?”
Hilly laughed again, the sound becoming addicting. “Not year-round, no,” she snorted. “First of all, there’s no heat in my cabin, but even if there was, can you see me sequestered that far out of town for the entire winter with the kind of snow we get around here? Doesn’t it seem like it would be too reminiscent of The Shining; me using a snowcat to get to and from my remote location?” She shook her head. “I don’t think I’d be okay with Jack Nickleson showing up.”
Cisco grinned. “I love that movie, but I agree. Being trapped out there, alone or with Jack, wouldn’t be a smart move. So…your apartment? Why did I have the idea you might sometimes stay with your Mom and Dad.”
“Maybe because they’re local?” she pondered. “Papa-J and Mom have their own house just outside of Orono. I actually did live with them for a few years once I was out of college and working freelance jobs from home. But when I inherited the camp from my grandmother, I moved out.”
Cisco nodded. Hilly hadn’t mentioned that she might have also inherited money, but he got the idea that she had, and that’s what had allowed her to move out from under her parents and be more independent.
Good for Hilly.
“Why do you call your father, Papa-J?” he asked, continuing what he considered to be light conversation.
When her entire demeanor changed on a dime and her face slammed shut—just like back at camp when he’d asked her a family question—Cisco winced. What was it that had her closing up faster than a clam when he questioned her about certain aspects of her life? She’d obviously adored her father.
Had someone hurt her in the past?
Was Hilly in some kind of trouble?
Cisco didn’t like how one minute Hilly would be so open and smiling, and in the next, tortured and troubled.
Screw that.
Cisco made up his mind then and there to find out what the hell was going on with her to make her so conflicted.
And if she needed help, of any kind, he’d be there.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Hilly knew she should tell Cisco who she was; that she’d known him many years ago. But she was afraid. Afraid he’d remember her as the pathetic fat girl in middle school, and the appreciative light she believed she saw in his eyes when he looked at her now, would be snuffed out.
She gave an internal sigh. There would, no doubt, come a time over the summer where her past would come to light, but she was determined to hold onto anonymity for as long as she could, not spilling anytime soon when there was still the possibility she might continue to garner Cisco’s admiration.
Which meant a change of subject from her life to his, was warranted.
“How long have you owned your house?” she threw out, and as she figured, she got a narrowing of Cisco’s eyes for her efforts.
“Okay. If that’s the way you want to play it. We’ll talk about me.”
Busted. Clearly, he’d seen right through her diversionary tactic.
“I just want you to understand this, though, Hilly,” he spoke seriously. “I’ll give you today, but that doesn’t mean I won’t keep trying to uncover everything about you as the camp season progresses.”
It was a warning that already had alarms ringing in her head, but Hilly decided she’d roll with it, thankful that she’d been given a temporary reprieve. Maybe, just maybe, she could wrangle a kiss-to-remember out of Cisco before he found out who she really was.
“I know you won’t give up,” she answered, acknowledging out loud that there was something to be revealed, “but I’ll take the deferment.”
Cisco nodded, then continuing to eat his sub, he answered her previously posed question. “I bought this place five years ago, when I was twenty-eight. I’d done the college thing, got my degree in Criminal Justice, then went right to work for the OPD. The job was a good fit for me, as I’ve always been a home-town kind of boy, and I was comfortable staying with my folks during the initial years of my employment, but once I’d saved enough for a downpayment on a house, I knew it was time not only for me, but for them, that I get a place of my own.”
“That’s very considerate of you. I take it you’re still close to your parents?” She remembered Selma and Genero Andera from parent-attended events back in the day, and more recently recognized them around town. If she were being honest, she’d also looked them up on line every now and then over the years to see if she could glean anything about Cisco, who didn’t have a social media presence. One thing Hilly knew for sure? The Andera’s were a very good-looking couple. Undoubtedly, that’s where Cisco had received his handsome mug.
“Yup. I visit them once a week for dinner on a Monday or Tuesday night, but now that I have weekends free like the majority of people in the universe, I’ll probably be seeing more of them, like on weekends for barbeques and stuff.”
“I’m happy for you,” Hilly told him, forking another bite of salad into her mouth.
As they both chewed, the ensuing silence was companionable; not uncomfortable in the least, and she gave a semi-amused, internal eye roll. Of course Cisco was not only smart, funny, and handsome; he was also extremely low-key and easy to be around.
“Do you have any siblings?” she finally asked.
“Nope. Only child.” He picked up a napkin and wiped at a stray onion that had landed on his chin, folding the used paper in half, then in half again, before he laid it neatly aside. “Once my parents reached a certain age without having kids, they began the process of adopting. Which ended up taking so much time and effort that, lucky them, they only got me before they called it quits.”
“Oh. I didn’t realize you were adopted,” Hilly responded, extremely surprised. “You look exactly like your dad.”
A smug grin appeared on Cisco’s face. “Really? You know my father?” he asked triumphantly.
Shit. Now she’d done it. She’d dug herself a hole.
Armed with the piece of intel Hilly had just let slip, Cisco would soon be on the trail to unearthing who she really was.
She prevaricated, hoping to throw him off the scent. “I’ve, uh, seen him a few times around town.”
“But you knew he was my father,” he continued to probe.
