Hometown Holiday Reunion. Mia Ross
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quirked in an almost smile, and he seemed to take the revelation in stride. “Good to know.”
It was nuts, but she couldn’t shake the impression that the mellow timbre of his deep voice was actually making the glassware on the table vibrate. “I’m glad you’re happy. Now, can we please get back to work?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Eager to get away from him, she turned and headed for Parker’s bedroom to pack up his clothes. While she strode down the hallway, she felt Cam’s eyes following her as she went.
What is he thinking? she wondered before she could stop herself. Because, really, she had no business wondering anything about her enigmatic landlord. After he helped her move all this stuff, they’d probably only see each other long enough to trade the occasional “good morning” or for her to complain that there was no hot water. If all went well, she’d buy his building and shove him several steps closer to returning to the life in Minnesota he was so eager to resume.
Logical and practical, that line of thinking should have reassured her. But for some reason it made her feel sad.
“Is this one ready?”
Cam’s voice startled her, and she nearly jumped out of her skin when he appeared beside her. “Are you trying to give me a heart attack?”
“Not hardly.” He cocked his head with a curious look. “Where were you just now? You looked like you were a million miles away.”
Wonderful. Now he was worrying about her. She really had to get it together, or he’d think she was turning into a flake. Not that she cared one whit about his opinion, of course. She just didn’t want to give him a reason to doubt that she was responsible enough to pay her rent on time every month.
“Just thinking about what color to paint Parker’s new room.” On a whim, she decided to have some fun torturing her new landlord. “He really likes black.”
Cam glowered at that. “Not a chance. You know how tough it is to cover—” Pausing, he gave her a long, assessing look. “You’re messing with me, aren’t you?”
“Just a little. It’s fun.”
“For you,” he growled, heaving the large box onto his shoulder as if it was full of feathers. “Truck or car?”
“Truck. Thank you.” His shocked reaction to her comment made her laugh. “What?”
“You thanked me. Y’know, like you’d do with someone you don’t hate.”
“Tell you what,” she suggested with a smile, “if you’re nice to me, I’ll be nice to you.”
“I guess that could work. We could give it a shot, anyway.”
“I’m willing if you are.” That sounded way too personal, and she quickly added, “Since we’re going to be neighbors and all.”
Those dark eyes studied her for a few moments, then drifted away as if they didn’t like what they saw. Without another word he headed into the hallway, and she heard his boots thumping down the front hall before the entryway door banged open and closed.
What on earth is his problem? she wondered angrily, snapping open another flat moving box and forming it into the right shape. While she packed the bedding and books Parker had collected, she went over her conversation with Cam in her mind, trying to determine where it had veered from lighthearted to slam-the-door.
When she realized it had been her reference to them being neighbors that set him off, she was puzzled. She was only trying to establish the fact that their connection to each other was professional, not personal. Since he’d been so clear about his aversion to serious relationships, she figured he’d be glad to know she felt the same way. Judging by his response, he was anything but glad. His swift turn from teasing to intense made no sense to her, and that brought her back to something that, as the only girl in a sea of overbearing brothers, she’d believed for most of her life.
Boys were stupid, and a smart girl never forgot that.
* * *
Cam ended up spending a good chunk of his day helping Erin.
He was shocked to discover that it was a lot more enjoyable than he’d expected it to be when Natalie had volunteered him for pack and schlep duty. Even more surprising was the fact that every time he stopped by to check in at the café, things were running more or less smoothly.
“Sure, boss,” Kyle assured him with a competent nod. “You put on extra staff to help with the after-holiday crowd, remember? Everything’s going fine.”
Lately, things had been going anything other than fine for him, and Cam couldn’t quite believe the change was for real. “What’s the word on the cooler?”
“Just a worn-out doohickey that had to be replaced. Fred didn’t even charge you,” the kid added with a grin. “Said to call it a late Christmas present.”
The cavalier attitude rubbed Cam the wrong way, and he came close to ordering Kyle to pay the repairman, anyway. Then he thought again, reminding himself that he was in Oaks Crossing, not Minneapolis. Against all modern odds, Oaks Crossing was still the kind of place where neighbors helped each other out when they could. While he certainly owed Fred some kind of favor in return, Cam decided that trying to force the generous man to accept payment for his services would come across as rude. So, despite the fact that it bugged him, he opted to leave the situation as it currently stood.
“All right,” he finally said, taking a last look around the orderly kitchen. “I’ll be next door a while longer. Let me know if you need anything.”
“Will do.”
Baffled by the strange twists and turns his day had taken so far, Cam left the restaurant and grabbed the last of Erin’s boxes from the bed of his truck. He hauled it upstairs and found her in the small living room, listening to a local country station and pulling together anything labeled Parker.
“What’re you doing?” Cam asked as he set the box marked Kitchen Stuff on the breakfast bar. While he was at it, he discreetly bumped the volume knob on the small stereo so the music dropped to a more acceptable murmur. Erin gave him a knowing look but didn’t say anything, so he counted that as a victory.
“Parker’s hanging out with Abby at the farm today, and Mom’s going to bring him by in—” she checked the oversize watch on her wrist “—an hour. I want his room to be ready when he gets here.”
The gesture got his attention, and he went closer to get a better look at the rugged piece of jewelry. Nothing fancy, it was obviously designed for a man, with bold numbers inside a cloudy crystal that had seen better days. And then it hit him: it hadn’t always been hers. “Is that your dad’s watch?”
“Yeah.” She tilted it toward her with a sad smile. “I used to like wearing it when I was a little girl, so he left it to me. I’ve worn it ever since.”
“That’s nice.” While he appreciated her down-to-earth tribute, Cam couldn’t help wishing that he and his father had shared the kind of relationship that made him want to do something similar. The truth was, David Stewart had left his son with nothing but icy hatred for the man who’d abandoned his wife and children because their life together hadn’t turned out the way he’d planned.
Eager to embrace something more positive, Cam shouldered a box full of bedding and headed down the hallway. After a few moments’ hesitation, he heard Erin sigh and start dragging another carton down behind him.
When he turned into the smaller bedroom, she called out, “No, the other one.”
“That’s the master,” he argued, turning to face her. “It’s got two windows and a much bigger closet. Plus, it faces Main Street with a view of the park instead of the brick wall from the building next door.”
“I want Parker to have the brighter space,” she insisted in a don’t-argue-with-me tone.