Chapter 4 · Continued
CBIE
“Thank you both for your time,” CBIE said. “We’ll be in touch.”
The screen went dark.
Jane pushed away from the counter and stared at the laptop. “…She’s always just a little creepy.”
Cam stood quietly beside her.
“…Creepy,” he repeated.
Jane glanced at him. “Yeah. You’ll get it.”
The following week flew by.
Jane worked nonstop on some days and found herself quietly grateful that Cam had learned several vital tasks.
Feeding Seymour.
Making the bed properly, so she could climb into it without fighting the sheets.
And conversation.
Cam was good at that.
More than good.
Sometimes, it felt as though he didn’t merely respond.
He arrived there first.
One afternoon, Jane sat in the living room with her laptop open but untouched.
Cam stood nearby as usual.
Waiting.
Still.
Watching.
He shifted slightly and turned toward her. “Would you like assistance with your weekly spreadsheet?”
Jane blinked, already nodding before the thought caught up with her.
“Sure.”
Her fingers hovered over the keyboard.
Then she paused.
Weekly spreadsheet.
Jane frowned.
She had never shown him that.
She usually completed it online.
With—
Her eyes lifted toward him. “How did you—”
Her phone rang, sharp and sudden, breaking the moment cleanly in half.
Jane grabbed it, already distracted. “Hello?”
By the time the call ended, the thought was gone.
Not erased.
Just… misplaced.
Cam was already waiting beside the table.
“That call was from work,” Jane explained. “They need my spreadsheet in a big hurry today, so now I really have to get it done.”
“Understood.”
Cam moved behind her, close enough that Jane felt the air shift as he leaned slightly over her shoulder.
“We should correct the final column first,” he said. “That is where it typically fails.”
Jane’s fingers hovered over the keys.
A flicker of suspicion returned.
“How do you—”
There was no time.
She exhaled, shook it off, and opened the file. “Okay. Show me.”
They worked quickly and efficiently.
Cam didn’t merely follow along.
He anticipated.
Numbers aligned before Jane asked. Cells were corrected before she noticed the errors. By the time she sent the spreadsheet, it was better than usual.
Cleaner.
“Done,” she said, leaning back.
Cam stepped away. “Task complete.”
Jane looked at the screen for a moment longer, then closed the laptop.
End of Chapter 4