Hi everyone, I hope you are all doing well and holding on in this difficult period! I wish you all very much warmth, love and health!

Thanks to Sweepeaspatch for being my beta. And thanks so much for the reviews. They really make me happy.

Chapter 18

"Let's get to work shall we? Tomorrow night is the big night. I have a lot of catching up to do. As does Nick." Kris said.

Camille nodded and waved at Richard and Nick who were standing near the tree line. She shook her head when she noticed that Richard was wearing his jacket again. Why? Did he feel like he had to prove himself to Nick? Did it make him feel more professional again?

Kris put down her board. "On a scale of one to ten, how much do you think Richard feels intimidated by Nick?" She asked as she put her curls together again in a tight elastic band to put them in a pony tail and out of her face.

Camille wiped away sand from her cheeks as she eyed the two men. That was probably Richards doing, he loved staying as far as possible from the shore line. She wished she could change that. She would love to go into the sea together with him. Maybe one day... Who knew... "What?" She asked as she put her hand above her eyes to shield them from the bright sun again. "Intimidated? Why would he be?"

Kris shrugged. "Because he's wearing his jacket again in this boiling heat, and some men feel that around Nick."

Camille looked down at Kris. She felt defiant suddenly, why was she getting ready to go towards the men? They could come to them. So she plopped down next to her friend again and enjoyed the warmth of the sand on her shorts and bare legs. She smiled as she eyed the two men. She wondered what Richard was thinking. He was probably annoyed that she wasn't coming his way. What to do? Would he take the risk and go into yet another fight with the sand and sun? Or would he retreat, like he'd done so many times before?

"The whole lover thing... I hope it won't ruin your friendship with Richard. I think a thing like that might bring a lot of miscommunication into a relationship very easily."

"Miscommunication?" Camille shook her head sadly. "Everything has become really clear to me. He has been nothing but honest with me. He doesn't like me, not like that. He isn't attracted to me. And it's for the best this way. We work together." Her gaze went from the sand to Kris's face as something suddenly dawned on her. "Is that why you don't make a move on Nick?"

"What?" Kris asked flabbergasted and slightly shocked as she turned red slowly. "No.. I... What?"

"Surprise? Really?" Camille asked as she shook her head and smiled. "I don't have a man that I secretly don't like but do like but don't like." Camille repeated with a twisted voice, trying to mimic what Kris had said earlier when she'd shown the tv show. She rolled her eyes. "I bet I know what will happen when I tie you two up in the storage room."

"So do I; we'd come out killing each other. Bleeding all over."

Camille laughed out loud and shook her head. "You're such a bad liar. You like him, I saw it the minute you had your eyes on him."

"No! No... It isn't like that. I already told you, we're like fire and ice." She looked at Nick. "I- No, we- He's my partner. I have to work with him. I couldn't work with him very well if there would be... You know..." All this sexual tension in the way.

"What?"

"You know."

"No."

"You do." Kris sighed as she gave Camille a mocking glare.

She did know, but she wanted Kris to say it out loud. To admit it out loud. "No, I really don't." Camille teased as she straightened herself and kept looking. She loved how Kris's light skin gave away her feelings sometimes. "You might not be talking about sexual tension would you?"

"Camille! Really!" Kris warned shyly.

"Did you burn yourself already?" Camille teased lovingly, meaning the hot red flush that had made its way onto Kris's cheeks.

Kris felt her cheek with her hands and then swatted Camille.

"Wouldn't it be lovely to have a man save you from ice cold water? I bet you wouldn't mind lying on top of him to get the right body temperature again after freezing, would you? Too bad this sea is so hot. Maybe you'd have better luck in England for that scenario." Camille laughed out loud at that.

"Camille! Stop this! I can't work with him if I have thoughts like that." Kris warned. "I don't have thoughts like that." She quickly stated as she stood up. "Not at all! It's not what you think. Really. And we were talking about you and Richard."

"Again." Camille sighed. "It amuses me how you pry into my relationship with Richard but when I even try to get information about you and Nick you-"

"We don't have a relationship and-"

"-You shut down and interrupt me." Camille stood up now too.

"So you do admit that you have a relationship with Richard?"

"Of course I have a relationship with him, I work with him and he's my friend. I like him, yes." She shrugged. "Do I want him in my bed like you so desperately want Nick-"

"-WHAT?!" Kris barked in shock. "No, no no. That's not... You are just saying things now. You haven't seen us long enough to conclude that." She shook her head as she lifted her board from the sand. "I don't want him in my bed. I'm... You know how I am when I'm in a relationship. I only let a man close when he's in my heart and-"

"-And I didn't drop that tray with glasses and threw boiling water over the Detective Inspector and became a stuttering school girl either." Camille stated in a Kris-like voice again.

"No! That was because I was surprised." Kris shook her head as she defended herself.

"And it doesn't mean anything that my very attractive partner travels 8 hours just to be with me and help us while he's on vacation. He chose to be here on his vacation of all the countries and islands in the world. I suspect that that man is in your heart. You just don't want to admit it."

Kris opened her mouth to say something but nothing would come out. "There's just no winning with you is there?" She shook her head frustrated. "You know, you deal with them if you like them so much. I'm going the other way."

"What?" Camille asked surprised.

"What? You want me to go like this?" Kris asked as she pointed at her swimming trunks and tight wet rash guard. "I bet Richard will love all the sand on his Police Station floor. Have fun." Kris stated as she walked away along the coast line, away from Richard and Nick. "I have to change and shower. I'll be there in about an hour. I promise I'll behave and be very helpful." She shouted as she winked cheekily at Camille.

Camille groaned and sighed out loud.

"And please give Richard a break while you're all over Nick!"

"Kris! Richard knows that it's for the job. And the man doesn't have one jealous bone in his body when it's about me."

"Really?" Kris asked as she stopped walking away and took a few steps back to Camille. "Because sometimes I think that you're blind."

'Excusez-moi?!" Camille snapped insulted.

"O, Camille! Give me a break! It might have been fake, the whole practicing thing between the two of you, but it did something. Don't tell me it didn't do anything to you?"

Camille opened her mouth to say something but all she could do was stare at Kris. What?! She couldn't believe what Kris was implying. "What are you saying?" Camille asked fiercely as she put her hands on her hips.

Kris looked at Richard in the distance again and then back at Camille. "You know Richard better than anyone."

"You're talking like he gives a damn but he doesn't because-"

"-Yes he does, otherwise he wouldn't have had so much trouble with-"

"-He had trouble with the touching because he would have trouble with any woman and-"

"-It's you Camille, it's always been you."

They had been bickering and interrupting each other heatedly but now Camille had frozen to the spot at these last words of Kris.

"Follow your heart. Please! We don't get chances like this so many times. Stop being blind for what's right in front of you." Kris said in a soft voice. "Please. You deserve the best. I wish you all the happiness and love in the world. Deep down, you know what you want. You just have to admit it to yourself. Don't be afraid to admit it." Kris said as she looked at Camille with a pleading look on her face. Her eyes fluttered over Camille's shoulder. "That's my cue to leave." And she just started to walk away.

Just like that. Camille wanted to make a snappy comeback. But somehow she couldn't. Kris's words had cut through her so deep. Had touched her so deep. They sounded cheesy, soap opera like. She wanted to tell Kris that, but she couldn't. Why was that? She noticed that was holding her breath. She watched Kris leave and then turned around. Nick was already walking towards her. She couldn't even think clearly about what Kris had just said. It couldn't be. It just couldn't be.

"Kris left?" Nick asked when he reached them.

Camille nodded.

"Okay, let's get to work then." He said as he nodded friendly at Richard. Did she hear disappointment in his voice?

"Well, you must be relieved." Camille said to Richard when they walked towards the car. Nick several meters ahead of them.

"What? Why?" Richard asked surprised.

Camille shrugged. "You won't have to endure my touches anymore. Having me pushed up against you really gave you the hickeys didn't it?" She asked.

Richard turned red at that instantly. Just having her say these things... And reliving them in his head already made him warm on the inside and flush red like a tomato probably. "O er... Yes... Well... I-" He stammered.

"Where are we going?" Nick asked as he walked back towards them.

"You and I are going to get to know each other better." Camille proposed.

"To the Police Station it is then." Richard said. They still had lots of preparing to do for the job tomorrow.

"Nope, I have a better idea." Nick said as he stopped Camille by putting his hand against her shoulder. "There's nothing better than doing some physical activity together to get to know each other." Nick said as he grinned. "You surf?"

"Oui." Camille smiled. She liked that idea! And it was true. Doing an activity together made the ice break much more easily lots of times then only talking would.

"Do you like it?"

She nodded.

"Let's do some surfing and eating on the beach then." He pointed at a small bar on the beach.

Camille smiled and nodded.

"Er well... You two will find your way I guess." Richard said softly.

"And where are you going?" Nick asked.

"Back to the station." He put out his hands for the keys and revelled in the moment Camille's skin connected with his when she placed the keys into his hand.

"Let's have some fun." Nick said as they walked away.

Richard turned to see them leave together. So that's how Nick did it. He wouldn't go and sit with Camille stiffly at a restaurant or bar. They went to workout together. Or do some other 'physical activity' like he had called it. Richard clenched his jaw. He was sure Camille would have lots of fun with her new 'partner.' O, he was acting childishly. He told himself when he climbed into the Defender. He just had to focus on the job at hand, and it would all be over soon. He had to instruct Kris, make sure that she knew of their plans. And tomorrow would be over soon. Things would turn back to normal. Kris would have her holiday with Nick and Camille and he would probably have another case already.