Cameron Shaw sat on the other side of the desk from the athletic director, Drew Spalding. The two men hadn’t bothered to hide the loathing that had gone all the way back to their competition on the high school football field.
After high school, the two had gone their separate ways, and Cam had been happy to leave the prick behind. But a few years ago, old animosities had resurged when Cameron had an affair with a woman he only later realized was Drew’s wife. She’d worn no wedding ring, made no mention of a husband. Needless to say, the second he’d learned her identity, he’d immediately broken things off, despite her desperate pleas otherwise.
A few months later Drew’s marriage had ended, and he’d blamed Cameron for its demise.
That, in a nutshell, explained why Drew tried to drill lasers into Cameron’s head every time the guy looked at him, as though he wanted Cameron to drop dead.
Drew hung up the phone call he’d been on and leaned back in his chair. He pinned his dark, soulless eyes on Cameron, probably trying to intimidate him. “I don’t like you bringing JV players to the varsity team.”
Okay, then. Guess they weren’t going to beat around the bush. Fine with him. “Your displeasure is noted,” Cameron commented.
Drew stared for a moment, then apparently decided to try a different tactic. “Do you think it’s in the team’s best interest to be starting younger players?”
In the beginning of the season, a few of their starters had injured themselves, forcing Cameron and Blake to be creative with their backups.
“I think it’s in the team’s best interest to have our best players starting,” he informed Drew. Cameron placed his hands on the arms of the chair and motioned to leave. “Is that all?”
Drew held his hand up. “Not so fast. I have a message here from a man named Heath Junger. I believe you’re familiar with him? He called to discuss your current contract.”
Well, shit. Heath Junger was the athletic director in Denver who’d offered Cameron the coaching position. But they’d already offered him the job, meaning they’d already checked references. Drew knew Cameron was contemplating leaving, so the news was no surprise to the man. In fact, Cameron wouldn’t be surprised if Drew had gone out and bought himself a cake to celebrate.
Cameron bided his time and waited for Drew to get to the point. “Apparently they’re so desperate to have you, he doesn’t want to wait until next season. He wants to bring you in now.”
What the hell? “Why didn’t Heath talk to me about that himself?”
Drew gave a careless shrug. “He wanted to see if I’d release you from your contract early. I haven’t called him back.”
“But their current coach isn’t retiring until the end of the season,” Cameron pointed out. And why wasn’t he more excited? This was what he’d wanted, to get out of Blanco Valley and coach his own team. What did it matter if he left now or later?
Audrey and Piper flashed through his mind, whispering that he couldn’t just up and go. Dammit, this was why he didn’t want anybody depending on him. He wasn’t in a place in his life where he could care for a kid. He lived for himself, and he liked it that way. Somehow he needed to make Audrey understand that.
“All you have to do is say the word, and I can have you gone,” Drew offered.
Yeah, he just bet Drew would do everything he could. Problem was, Drew was a slimy bastard and Cameron didn’t trust the guy as far as he could throw him. Drew would find a way to sabotage the opportunity for Cameron, then turn around and fire him at the end of the season, and Cam would be up shit creek.
“Don’t do me any favors,” Cameron told him.
Drew’s eyebrows flew up his forehead. “Sure? It’s really no trouble.”
Slick asshole. Cameron stood, then leaned over Drew’s desk and got in the man’s face. “I would love nothing more than to stay for the rest of the season and make your life a living hell.”
Drew’s face turned a nice shade of strawberry red. “Be careful, Cameron. I can ruin this opportunity before it even gets handed to you.”
Cam stood and shrugged off Drew’s veiled threat. Drew wasn’t going to do shit, because he wanted Cameron gone too badly.
“Am I going to go with my uncle now?” Piper asked as Audrey parked the car in front of a place called the Bobcat Diner, where Cameron had asked her and Piper to meet him for dinner.
The thread of fear and uncertainty in Piper’s voice tugged at Audrey’s heart. Since Dianna had died, Audrey had tried her best to cocoon Piper from more grief and insecurity. Sometimes she felt like she was fumbling around in the dark, because Piper would look up at Audrey with such unadulterated trust. But the thing was, Audrey didn’t know what the hell she was doing. Sure, she’d been around Piper enough in her six short years, but raising a kid? Being with one all the time, taking care of her every need? The whole process was still a learning curve for her, but she didn’t want to let Piper down.
Audrey got out of the car and opened the back door. “I told you I’d be with you a little while longer, and I meant it,” she assured the girl as she unbuckled Piper’s seat belt and helped her climb out of the car. “Hey.” When Piper glanced up, Audrey pinched her chin. “You trust me, right?”
Piper hopped out of the car and nodded. “Yep.”
“I’m not going to go home until you’re comfortable with your uncle Cameron.”
They entered the diner, which was about half full of people eating an early dinner. It was just past five o’clock, and Cameron was already there. Audrey attempted to steady her pulse as he watched them approach from his casual sprawl in a booth. One heavy arm was draped along the back of the booth, and one hand was loosely cradled around a glass of soda. He’d removed his ball cap, revealing rich, too-long dark hair that made Audrey’s fingers itch just looking at it. His gaze tracked hers with a steady perusal that made her feel like an organism under a microscope.
The man had some serious intensity that probably drilled fear into the hearts of his players.
As they approached the table, his attention briefly touched on Piper. His eyes softened for a second, but long enough to have Audrey wondering. Maybe he wasn’t the hard-ass he wanted her to think he was? Maybe there was hope for him after all?
“Have any trouble finding the place?” he asked as he lifted his glass for a sip.
Audrey opened her mouth to answer, but was momentarily distracted by his throat muscles. How could a throat be sexy? She’d never noticed a man’s throat before. But something about the way Cameron sipped his drink, slow and unhurried, carefully swallowing each sip before taking another. Yeah, something about that was just…worrisome for her.
One of his dark brows lifted when she didn’t answer. “Audrey?”
She blinked herself out of her trance. “Sorry. And no, it was no trouble.”
Cameron chanced another look at Piper, who’d crawled into the booth after Audrey, dragging Jellybean with her. “The two of you hungry?”
“No—”
“I’m hungry,” Piper cut in as she bounced in her seat. She pinned an excited look at Audrey. “Can I have pizza with garlic bread? And I want a Shirley Temple with extra cherries.”
Audrey glanced at Cameron to find his mouth curled in a half smile. Did he think the whole thing was funny? “Uh…”
“They don’t have pizza here, squirt,” he quipped. “But I’m sure they can whip up a Shirley Temple.”
Piper bounced in her seat some more. “Well, what do they have?”
Cameron set his drink down and reached for a plastic menu at the end of the booth. “Let’s see…” His dark blue gaze moved over the menu. “They’ve got grilled cheese, chicken nuggets, and a cheeseburger.”
Piper made a face. “Ew, I hate cheeseburgers.”
His mouth quirked again. “What about a grilled cheese? They use the really good bread.”
Piper shook her head. “I don’t really like cheese.”
Cameron shot Audrey a quizzical look, but she just shook her head. “Don’t ask,” she said.
“Chicken nuggets it is, then,” Cam said as he tucked the menu away.
“I want jelly beans with my nuggets,” Piper announced.
Audrey patted Piper on the head. “Restaurants don’t serve jelly beans, sweetie.”
Cameron looked at Piper, then back at Audrey. “What’s with the jelly beans?”
“They’re her favorite thing,” Audrey explained.
Cam stretched his arm along the back of the booth, revealing a thickly muscled bicep. “I thought the cat was her favorite thing.”
Audrey smiled. “And the cat’s name is Jellybean.”
Piper held the cat up. “Yeah, and Jellybean loves jelly beans too. That’s why I need some with my dinner. She’s hungry.”
“Why don’t we stop at the store after we leave, and I’ll get a bag of jelly beans,” Audrey suggested.
Piper considered that for a moment, scrunching her face up in thought before nodding. Audrey couldn’t help but smile because the kid was so damn cute and full of expression.
A dark-haired waitress approached their table. Cameron ordered Piper’s nuggets, then glanced at Audrey in question. She shook her head, mostly because her stomach was tied in too many knots to eat, partly because the big man seated across from her kept stretching his long legs against hers, and partly because she knew she had a battle ahead of her. He thought he couldn’t take Piper in, because for whatever reason he’d convinced himself he was no good for kids. Maybe Cameron was one of those people who didn’t give themselves enough credit. Maybe he thought he wasn’t good enough for Piper.
Either way, she needed to change his mind.
“Here,” he said abruptly, bringing one hip off the bench seat to retrieve something out of his pocket. He tossed a small folded piece of paper on the table. “For your trouble coming down here.”
A punch of nausea settled in her stomach as she stared at the folded check. He couldn’t be seriously thinking he could just pay her to go away. Did Piper mean that little to him? What about his sister? Was their relationship so meaningless that he couldn’t give his own niece a chance?
With reluctance, Audrey grabbed the check and opened it. He’d left the pay to the order of blank, and filled in the amount for one thousand dollars. Never mind the fact that Audrey could use the money to dump back into her home staging business, the very idea was so beyond insulting that she couldn’t even think of a decent response. All she could do was set the check down and glance around the crowded diner.
“What’re you doing?” Cameron wanted to know.
“Looking for the hidden camera to see if I’m being punked,” she answered.
She heard his heavy sigh before settling a glare on him. “Audrey, I’m serious.”
“And I’m not?” she tossed back. “You think this isn’t serious?” she questioned with a gesture toward Piper, who’d pulled out one of her books to read.
Cameron held up a hand in defense. “I didn’t say that.”
She crossed her arms over her chest just so she wouldn’t reach across the booth and strangle his sexy ass. “Why don’t you tell me what you are saying?”
Audrey felt a moment of mild satisfaction when Cameron opened his mouth to respond, only to shut it again. Had she rendered him speechless? She should only be so lucky.
“I’m saying what I’ve told you from the beginning. I. Can’t. Take. Her.” He probably thought spacing out his words all dramatic and stuff would really drive his point home. Like she was supposed to collect Piper and head out of town. Fat chance.
“And I’m. Not. Leaving.” Yeah, he wasn’t the only one who could do the theatrical word spacing thing. She could match him. “You think I’ve been annoying so far?” She resisted yanking him by the collar when he snorted. Man, she had some major self-control tonight. “You haven’t seen annoying yet. I’ll continue to show up at practices. I’ll be at your house, all your dates—” Because she was sure he had tons of those. “Everywhere you turn, we’ll be there.”
“You will, huh?” He made a show of taking a long, drawn-out sip of his soda before replacing it on the scarred Formica table. “You don’t know where I live.”
That’s all he had to say? “I’m sure I can find it.” When he didn’t respond, because he was just smirking at her like the whole thing was a big joke, Audrey leaned forward. “You have no idea how much she’s been through,” Audrey whispered, fighting to keep the tears back that had morphed from anger. “You seriously can’t be that heartless.”
Cameron gazed at her, his dark blue eyes, once hard and unforgiving, now searching and full of…sympathy? Was that what she was seeing? Audrey couldn’t be sure because he was a difficult man to read. Unless he was undressing her with his eyes—then she knew good and well what was on his mind.
Piper’s food was delivered, saving Cameron from having to respond right away. And dammit, she didn’t want to give him a chance to calculate his answer. She wanted some impulse and passion.
“Where’re you staying?” he finally asked.
Audrey blinked. “The Sunset Inn.”
Cameron made a face. “You can’t stay there; the place is a fleabag.”
She wasn’t going to argue with him on that. “It’s what I can afford.” Actually, she could afford way better, but she tended to be frugal about anything not having to do with fashion. Or her business.
Cameron switched his attention to Piper, who’d emptied half the bottle of ketchup on her plate before digging into the nuggets. “I have a guesthouse,” he blurted out.
Say what?
Cameron gazed at her while turning his drink in slow circles. “You can stay there until we figure something out.”
“What’s there to figure out besides which of your bedrooms she’ll be taking?” Yeah, good argument.
Cameron lifted a brow at her. “You want to work something out, you can stay with me.”
She didn’t want to stay with him, because being in that close proximity to him wasn’t something she was prepared for. At least in the motel room she had a place to retreat and gather her thoughts. Regroup after having all her senses shaken up by the man leaning so casually across from her. Yes, Cameron was definitely dangerous. He’d touched on a weak spot that had been tucked away for years. Audrey wasn’t sure what to do, because it had taken months of self-evaluation to refocus her priorities on something else. She needed to steel herself against him and his compelling stare.
“I’ve already unloaded all our stuff into the room,” she pointed out.
“So come by tomorrow,” he said with a shrug, as though it didn’t matter one way or the other to him.
Audrey glanced at Piper as the child inhaled one nugget after the other. She made a play of feeding a nugget to Jellybean, then put the same nugget into her own mouth. Yeah, the motel was going to take a sizable chunk out of her savings, but it helped her maintain independence. A lot of people wondered why she didn’t go to her father for money. Richard Bennett ran two successful dental practices, so Audrey had never wanted for anything growing up. They’d lived in a large home and taken expensive vacations every year. But Audrey preferred to make it on her own.
On the other hand, staying in Cameron’s guesthouse would give Audrey the opportunity to see what kind of man he was, and Piper would have an easier time developing a relationship with him before Audrey had to return to Boulder. And that was more important than Audrey’s need for independence or fending off her reaction to Cameron.
Before she could answer, he snagged a napkin out of the holder and jotted something down with a pen he’d made appear out of nowhere. “Here’s my address,” he commented as he slid the napkin across the table to her. “You can come by anytime tomorrow. I have practice first thing in the morning, then again after school. I’m usually home by five-thirty or six.”
Audrey took the napkin, unable to squash back the surprise at how neat his handwriting was.
He’s offering you a place to stay and all you can think about is his handwriting?
“I’ll leave it unlocked for you,” Cameron added.
“Okay,” she answered with a nod. “Thank you. But just so you know, I’m not going anywhere anytime soon.”
His mouth curled in a smile meant for dark corners and salacious whispers. “We’ll see about that, Audrey.”