It’d been a week since wine tasting, and I’d talked to Carrie. From what she told me, Jade was being his usual asshole self when he went to the Beaver Street Brewery and tried to ruffle Carrie’s feathers. It sounded like he was just shooting in the dark, throwing stuff out there to see if she’d slip up and tell what she knew. She told him she didn’t know anything about a guy named Cam and the last she heard about me was that I’d caught a flight to Ohio, all in an effort to throw him off my trail. I didn’t think Jade would waste time looking for me anyway. That would interfere with MC business. It was like he was married to that motorcycle club.

It was coming up on that time of year for the annual trip the Black Vandals made to Sturgis, every biker’s Mecca. So I doubted he would deviate from that plan to look for me. Besides, I’d made sure to stop using his credit card. I threw it in the trash, but I purposely didn’t cut it up. I laid it in plain view in the trash dumpster at the back end of the parking lot, precariously posed on top of bags of trash. I hoped some unsavory person would find it and charge the shit out of it. Not that such a thing would hurt Jade; he always had his mother pay the bill, however large it might be. Jade was too lazy and stupid to identify charges he had not made and call the credit card company and tell them. . He just let his mother deal with it. to begin with.

Dolt.

I finally realized my credit card purchases were how Jade had found me in Vegas! Stupid mistake, I know, but I’d learned my lesson the hard way.

The day after our wine tasting Sunday, while cuddling in bed, I decided to tell Cam how I felt.

I explained to him how I felt like I was in hiding, just sitting around and waiting for my life to move forward. Don’t get me wrong, we’d been having great sex, and being with him was more than awesome, but I needed to do something with myself all day. I was getting kind of bored. I could only cook so many breakfasts and bake so many cookies before I needed to do something other than prepare food. The thought of giving him up even crossed my mind but that broke my heart just to give it any attention. I was falling in love with him. And he's the best thing I’d ever had in my life. I couldn’t leave him, but his big future was right around the corner and my life paled in comparison to his. I had no grand goal. My life was a mess, and I wondered if I was a burden to him. Of course, if I asked, he always reassured me, said that I wasn’t, but his grades started slipping because he wasn’t spending enough time studying because of me.

Cam began spending more hours at the library on campus and that left me with nothing to do. I felt stuck, captured by the circumstances, like a prisoner. So I got a job. It was only part-time working at a pizza place near campus, but it was something. The place was called Pagliai’s Pizza, an old-school family-owned joint serving thin-crust pizzas made from family recipes.

It was a Monday, late in the afternoon after my shift at Pagliai’s and I returned to the apartment. My hair was a mess. I had flour and pizza sauce stains on my shirt, and I was in a bad mood from arguing with my boss. I didn’t know what bug got up his ass, but he was turning into a real jerk to work for. Someone said he caught his wife banging one of the college student workers in the supply room, and he threw her out. So I guess he was taking it out on all of the employees.

As I opened the door to the apartment, I jammed my nail and broke it back, making it bleed. “Fuck!” I yelled out and bit down on it to stop the pain. As I entered the apartment, I was wincing and looking down at my phone, so I didn’t notice immediately that there was someone in the apartment who undoubtedly had witnessed my outburst.

I knew Cam was at class for hours still, so it couldn't be him. I froze in place just steps inside the door, listening to rattling sounds, like dishes, coming from the kitchen, and then the sound of running water in the sink. Was it a thief who stopped to wash the dishes before he left?

“Hello,” I called out. I purposely left the door standing open, phone in hand, in case I needed to run and call the police. AJ had a key, but he’s a college guy so he’d never do dishes. It couldn’t be him.

When no one answered, I figured they couldn't hear over the rush of the water. So I took a few more steps and raised my voice. “Hello. Who’s there?”

The water stopped and a woman came around the corner into the living room wiping her hands on a dish towel. From the familiar blue eyes, dark hair and shape of her face, this couldn't possibly be anyone other than Cam’s mother. All on a shorter and stockier frame, but the family resemblance couldn’t be missed.

She was dressed in typical mid-west-mom attire, jeans probably from Walmart, tennis shoes, a soft, cotton t-shirt, and the look of surprise she wore on her face was nothing short of obvious.

“Oh, hello,” she said, her voice stiff.

Not the warmest welcome I’d ever heard. Her eyes darted to the door key still in my hand, and I immediately detected the slightest wrinkle of a scowl.

“I’m Sharon Landsborough, Cam’s mother. Are you AJ’s girlfriend?” Her tone and expression made it clear she didn’t like the idea of her son having a live-in girlfriend.

“Oh, I’m not AJ’s girlfriend.”

“I didn't know Cam had a house guest.”

House guest? That's interesting. I guess Cam hadn’t told his mother he had a girlfriend. Well, I didn’t blame him. What would he say? I have a girlfriend who is on the run? Still, it hurt that he didn’t want to tell the world about me. She’d been so quick with the questions, I hardly had time to jump in.

“My name is Allie. It’s nice to meet you. I stepped back to close the door. “Sorry about the outburst when I came in.” I started to say, I broke a nail but realized how stupid that sounded. “I jammed my finger opening the door.” I held it up then stepped to the coffee table where I always dropped my purse.

She just nodded with a weak smile, her eyes studying me, and I realized this wasn’t a very good first impression. I looked disheveled and was cussing like a drunk.

Yay. Great way to meet Cam’s mother.

“I was expecting Cam. I didn't know he had a house guest. I see you have a key, so have you been living here long?”

“Um, well…” I had to make up some lie, or at least be as vague as possible. “Since AJ moved out.” That was sort of true. God, how I wished Cam would come home early. I didn't know what to tell her, considering he hadn't mentioned me. And I was already getting pretty interested in why he hadn't mentioned me.

This was getting worse by the minute. I decided not to say anything right now. I’d let Cam handle that, later.

Sharon seemed uneasy and rather stiff when she said, “This is a surprise, I have to say.”

I set my purse down on the coffee table and noticed a rag and bottle of window spray.

Great.

She felt the need to clean when all I'd been doing with my spare time was cleaning this place. Feeling totally inadequate, I asked, “Did Cam know you were coming?”

She laughed and said, “Heavens, no. This is a surprise visit. Come on into the kitchen.” Then she motioned for me to follow her. “We can have coffee while I finish the dishes.”

So maybe things weren't going so bad after all.

“I tell you, it’s a good thing I came, because this place is filthy.”

Or not.

When her back was turned, my shoulders slumped as I followed her into the kitchen, remembering how Cam made us coffee every morning, half naked in his athletic shorts. If she only knew what went on in that kitchen.

“We can talk until Cam comes home.” She reached for the glass carafe and began filling it with water. “Where is he? Is he at class? I assumed he’d be. Or football training. Well, maybe you don’t know…”

She didn’t seem to know much about her son. “Cam is at class,” I said as I slid into a chair at the kitchen table.

“Well, we can have some coffee and talk while we wait. I'd like to know more about my son's...friends.” Her remark was pointed, and the pause before “friends” was blatantly purposeful.

Well, damn. There it was. She didn't like me. I could tell we were off to a bad start. I slid my phone onto the table and brushed at a splash of hardened pizza sauce on my work shirt, digging at it with my bloody broken nail, but to no avail; it still looked awful.

After filling the coffee maker with grounds and flipping the switch to red, Sharon turned back to me, with a critical gaze. “So, you say Cam is at class right now?”

“Yes, Rocks for Jocks...I mean, Earth Science, I think.”

“What about his football training? It’s the afternoon. Shouldn't he be at his football practice?”

Not knowing what to do with my hands I folded them in my lap. Apparently, Cam hadn’t told his mother about the pro list either. I shifted in my chair, feeling uneasy once again, not sure it was my place to be announcing these things to his mother.

“Um, no. He doesn't go to training...today.”

Stick with being vague.

“Well,” Sharon said, “I don't know why he wastes his time on football. You know his brother, Ryan, is a Marine. And I told Cam he should go into the Marines, too. I mean it's a great job, with benefits, you serve your country and you get to see the world. Football...well, you know, Cam has a dream. He thinks he's going pro someday.”

What did she mean? Thinks he’s going pro. More proof she didn’t understand him. She said it like I was hearing about Cam’s lifelong dream for the first time, like we didn’t know each other well, or at all, for that matter. Did she want her son to be a monk? Or did she just not like me?

Surely she’d figured out that I was his girlfriend. It was pretty obvious. I had a key and I put my purse on the coffee table in a habitual manner. I saw her eyeing my jacket, hanging on the wooden coat tree by the front door, and my strappy sandals on the floor below it.

“Oh, yes,” I said. “I’ve heard it all. He's told me many times about his dream to become a professional player. And he's very good, according to his friends, AJ and Joel. Do you know his best friend, AJ?” I was getting a little cocky and dared to emphasize the words, “best friend,” trying to one up her. Although I knew this was a dangerous game to play, I’d show her who knew Cam the best.

“Well, of course I do.” She gave me a saccharine sweet smile. “Those two have been thick as thieves ever since they started college, and they’re on the football team together to boot. But let me tell you one thing: being on one of those professional football teams and all, that’s such a long shot. Not many players really make it. It’s a very difficult thing to achieve. To be honest, Cam is good, but he’s not that good.”

Poor Cam. He had no support from his mother. “Oh, I think you’re wrong, Sharon.” Her eyes flashed a warning and I may have overstepped my boundaries, but I wasn't about to sit here and listen to her run Cam into the ground. “He’s the star quarterback of the Longhorns. I’ve seen him play, and when he throws the football, it’s like watching magic happen on that field.” Okay, I lied. I hadn’t actually seen him play, but I had to prove my point. The woman was insufferable. “He’s gonna make it, alright. Mark my words.”

There was a pause and that smug smile again. “Well, we’ll see.”

She turned to the coffee pot and poured us both a cup, then handed me one.

“Thank you.” I forced a smile.

She turned back to the dishes, picked up the towel, and continued drying a rack of plates standing in the dish drainer.

There was a stiff silence as I sipped my coffee and she worked. I was willing to drink it black, not wanting to get in her way to get my usual cream and sugar.

This sucked.

Finally, I had an idea and I blurted out, “Why don't I text Cam and tell him you're here so he can come home right away. I’m sure he can’t wait to see you.” I held up my phone, finger poised above it to hit the text messages icon. I already had it unlocked.

Sharon’s hands paused as she dried. “Okay, that would be nice.” Then she turned back to dry another plate.

My fingers flew over the screen. I sent an urgent SOS to Cam.

WTF, Cam? Your mother is here. Having coffee. Not going well. Come home NOW!

“So tell me something about yourself, Allie.”

My head flew up. “Huh?”

“How long have you been going to college here at UT, Austin?”

I slid my phone under the table to my lap so Sharon couldn’t see Cam’s reply. “Oh, I'm not exactly in college this semester.”

Damn.

Think fast.

I’d have to fudge it. “I started college...well, let me back up a little. I've been in college, three years now. Like Cam, I'm in my junior year. But I had a little problem with my financial aid this semester, so I had to sit out a while. But it's just temporary. I'll be taking classes again…” I hunched over my mug and buried the last word in a sip of coffee. “Soon.” Then I straightened. “But I have a job.”

Sharon replied, “That's nice. What do you do?”

With Sharon’s expectations leaning toward the Marines, I had a feeling my answer wouldn’t live up to her standards. With a sinking feeling I said, “I work at a pizza place near campus. Hence the…” I waved a hand at my sorry looking work shirt. “Pizza stains.” I tugged at my hair tie and tried to rearrange my hair, but that just made more strands fall out.

“I see,” Sharon said. “And where are you from, Allie?”

“Arizona. Well, Flagstaff.”

She dropped the dish towel and picked up her coffee and took a drink. “Well, you may know, Cam is from St. Louis. That’s where he was born and raised, he and Ryan. A good Midwest childhood and then Ryan joined the Marines and left me, well, left us...left town that is. Shortly after that their father left me too.” She seemed flustered all of a sudden and then continued, “So you see, I was a little surprised to come for this visit and find a girl here.” She crossed her arms, unconsciously fingering the collar of her top.

“Because, well, it may not be my place to say this, but didn’t Cam tell you he has a girl from St Louis that he sees occasionally?”

My hand tightened around my cell phone. “Um, no, he didn't mention that to me at all.”

“Well, I don’t know exactly what kind of relationship they have now, but Lisa, that’s her name, and Cam have known each other since high school. Actually, she followed Cam to UT Austin so they could be together, but there were some problems.” She fluttered a hand in the air. “I don't know what happened, specifically, but Lisa came back home. At the semester break she didn't return to college. Then, from time to time, she’d visit Cam on weekends, here in Austin. They continued a long-distance relationship, I believe, or that was my understanding anyway. And as far as I know, Lisa still comes for weekend visits.”

I stared at her with a blank look on my face. What the hell was I supposed to do with the bomb she just dropped on me. It was strange, Cam never mentioned this. He knew about my past boyfriends—a little too well I must say—but we’d never talked about his past girlfriends, or recent ones.

Shit.

Was Cam with this Lisa before he met me? Could she even have been right here, in this very apartment, in his bed, the very weekend before we met?

My mind was swimming with possibilities. Was this Sharon’s desperate effort to keep her last son from leaving her? From the sound of it, all the men in her life had left, and she didn’t want to be alone. Or maybe she just didn’t like me.

Why hadn't it occurred to me before? Cam probably had plenty of old girlfriends and tons of women chasing after him. He was gorgeous, built like a Greek god, and one of the most talented college athletes out there. Why would I think there wouldn't be some other girlfriend before me? Or at least one I was coming in on the tail end of. Maybe Cam had to burn his little black book, so to speak, when I showed up.

I felt my face getting hot and just as I opened my mouth to speak, the front door flew open and Cam burst in. “Hey, Mom.” His eyes flicked to Sharon for a nanosecond, then straight to my face. My expression told him instantly that things were not going well.