Cameron wasn't surprised when Jennica told him Ryan would be at Keeley's informal cookie-decorating party; they were good friends. The biggest problem was that it felt like a double date with only the four of them. If Aaron knew, he'd be furious.

They had been enjoying a peaceful chat on his couch. His girlfriend was lying down with her head in his lap as he fiddled with her hair when she received the invitation.

He would have gone anyway to spend time with Jennica, but learning Ryan would be there was a bonus. Maybe he could discreetly get information about Ryan from her, as he'd been instructed.

He was in luck; she spent the night, and on the way back to her apartment, she gossiped about Ryan without prompting.

"He's been friends with Keeley almost as long as Valentina, so for a while, I felt like the odd one out. He works at a medicinal lab called PharmaGen—he and Keeley are both science nerds. Apparently, they became friends studying together because they had many of the same classes in undergrad."

Jennica's smile became conspiratorial.

"I think he likes her. I've never heard him talk about another girl, and he claims he's always free when she asks to hang out because he has no social life. But I have his number. He gets tagged in Instagram photos all the time; he has a separate friend group he usually hangs out with, but he drops everything when Keeley invites him!"

This was bad news for Aaron, and consequently, for Cameron and Aiden, who would face his wrath. He had to tell Aiden about this as soon as he got home.

He kept a close eye on their interactions at the party, but saw nothing unusual. Was Jennica wrong? She was usually perceptive.

Ryan and Keeley teased each other like friends. At least Keeley didn't seem infatuated—that would be disastrous for Aaron's employees.

"Your Santa Claus cookie isn't half bad," she praised. "I might actually give that one away."

"High praise indeed," he replied dryly. "How many people are you giving cookies to?"

"Not many. You, a couple of neighbors, my faculty mentor, a coworker. The rest are for my family. Unless you want some, Cameron?"

Surprised to be addressed while he was observing them, he recovered quickly and shook his head with a smile. "Nah, we're going to my mom's tomorrow, and she'll overfeed us with sweets. Thanks, though."

Ryan raised an eyebrow. "We?"

"My mom wants to meet Jennica since I talk about her all the time."

"That'll be fun. Driving or flying?"

"Driving. It's not that far," Cameron explained. He'd made the two-hour drive countless times since moving to New York.

Jennica grinned as she frosted a star-shaped cookie. "It's the perfect amount of time to listen to a whole musical and practice all the songs."

She always sang along to the radio in the car, and she had a beautiful voice. Cameron wouldn't mind two hours of his girlfriend singing.

"Hey, isn't that movie you were an extra in coming out on Christmas Day?" Keeley asked.

"Yeah! I'm not sure if you'll even see me; I was in large crowds and wearing heavy makeup."

"I'll find you," Cameron said confidently. He knew her so well, he could recognize her anywhere.

She smirked. "Ten bucks says you can't."

"You don't have ten bucks to spare."

She playfully punched him. "Rude!"

"It's the truth. What if I give you ten bucks if I can't find you, but if I can, you have to…" He whispered the rest in her ear.

Jennica blushed, but a challenge glinted in her eyes. "You're on! We're seeing it the day after Christmas."

"We're such third wheels," Keeley muttered, elbowing Ryan.

"But there are two of us, so we're not third wheelswe're unnecessary training wheels," he whispered back.

"Much better metaphor!"

Cameron and Jennica exchanged a glance. "You realize we can hear you."

"And we heard you earlier, so we're even," Keeley said smugly, waving her frosting-covered knife.

Their banter continued until all the cookies were frosted. Keeley thanked everyone before ushering the men out, saying Jennica needed to pack and Cameron would be with her constantly for the next few days.

She rolled her eyes at her roommate, apologized to Cameron, and kissed him goodbye. Even after many kisses, his heart still raced. Jennica was a great kisser.

He decided to visit Aiden. He knocked, and Aiden answered, still wearing his gaming headset.

"Cam! What are you doing here?"

"I was at Keeley's party and have some interesting news. Are you busy?"

"Give me five minutes to finish my round, then we'll talk. Come in and sit down."

(The final promotional sentence was removed as it was out of place and seemed like spam.)