The second the portal closed behind him, Hilly fell onto the small sofa, her knees finally giving out. “Holy shit,” she breathed to herself. “I had sex with Cisco Andera.” The reality was just beginning to sink in. And from what he’d said, Cisco had more than enjoyed their time together, and was interested in adding to the tally.
She felt like her mind was just about to explode.
How? Why? She wished she could see into Cisco’s head.
If someone had told fat little Hilly that she would—in the future—score the hottest guy in school, she’d have labeled them delusional. But the slight, tingling soreness between her legs told her it had all been very real. She hugged herself and grinned. Maybe she’d try not to worry so much.
Right.
The door opened, and her heart danced. Had Cisco returned already?
“Hey girl.”
It wasn’t the guy who’d rocked her world, but she couldn’t keep the goofy smile off her face as Buffy walked in with Nel prancing at her feet.
Nel came over to her, jumped up and gave Hilly love, while Buffy stood in the doorway, eyeing Hilly with a healthy dose of head-tipped-sideways speculation. “Huh. You look pretty pleased with yourself.”
“Mmm, hmmm,” Hilly agreed with a noncommittal grunt, because…screaming to the rafters that she’d just banged Cisco didn’t seem quite appropriate.
Not that Buffy was stupid. She’d figure it out in three, two, one…
“Oh, my God. You just had sex,” she squealed.
There was no way Hilly could lie. She smirked and nodded.
Buffy sprinted across the room, threw herself on the couch next to Hilly, and hugged the stuffing out of her.
“I’m so happy for you. You deserve that hot cop so much,” she rambled, sounding very un-therapist like. “I hope you rocked his world, blew his…well, you know, and that he comes back for seconds.”
“Fourths,” Hilly mumbled next to Buffy’s ear.
“Fourths?” Buffy screeched. “You did it three times? Oh, my God! That means it must have been phenomenal.”
Hilly nodded gleefully.
Buffy was the best of friends, and wouldn’t pump for details, but Hilly—also a good buddy—gave her a small, tantalizing taste. “It was absolutely epic, Buff,” she admitted, and knew her face was bright red. “He was…magnificent. And the thing is? He wants to do it again. He says we have something special together.” She almost hadn’t dared say the last.
“Of course you do!” Buffy cried. “You rock it, girl. High five.”
They slapped palms, and somehow that gesture made Hilly feel a bit more confident that her time with Cisco hadn’t been an anomaly.
Buffy leaped up from the couch as if her ass were suddenly on fire. “Damn. I need to pack quickly.” She took a few steps toward her room, then spun. “I will not be one of those clueless, cock-blocking chicks.”
Hilly laughed, then picked up and hugged a throw pillow to her chest. “There’s really no hurry, Buff. Cisco’s gone to do some scouting in the barn, the sheds, and the woods to see if he can find anything related to Bailey’s peanut poisoning.”
Buffy’s jubilant mood ramped down a few degrees. “Oh. I take it he didn’t find anything in the cabins.”
“Nothing,” Hilly responded. “But he’s not giving up.”
“Good. I’m glad he’s here for you in several ways, now,” Buffy stated solemnly. “Does he have his suspicions on who might be the culprit?”
Hilly sighed. “We talked over the possibility of it being someone who didn’t like Bailey.”
“You mean, like, almost everybody here.” Buffy rolled her eyes. “Not that I agree with them, but the girl was fairly antagonistic.”
“Yeah. I know,” Hilly concurred. “But now that Cisco’s cleared the cabins, he’s leaning toward Nurse Gorner being the bad-guy.”
“What about you?” Buff asked.
Hilly chewed on her bottom lip, finding it delightfully tender. “My money is on Langford Cottins or my sperm donor. They have the most to win if the camp gets shut down.”
“Which it won’t, now that Bailey is okay.”
“Unless her parents really do bring a lawsuit against me,” Hilly said dejectedly, losing all the elation she’d felt just a few minutes before. “I have insurance, but who knows what my new premiums will be if the company has to pay out a settlement? The new cost might force me to close.”
Hilly wasn’t hurting for money. Her Gran had left her a healthy bank account. But if word got out that Hilly had been negligent in any way, enrollment at the camp would plummet, which would eventually sound a death knoll for the place. Not a pleasant thought.
“Don’t borrow trouble,” Buffy told her as she walked into her room to pack, raising her voice to be heard. “I bet once Bailey’s parents see that she’s okay, they’ll change their minds.”
Hilly certainly hoped so, but she wouldn’t hold her breath.
Minutes later, Buffy emerged, duffel and suitcases in hand.
“Okay, girl. I’m outta here,” she stated. “And just saying, I’m jealous as hell. I’ll be sleeping with ten kids tonight, while you’ll have Officer McSexy in your bed, doing unspeakable things to your body.”
“Unspeakable things?” Hilly snickered.
