Jane didn’t know why she bothered to dress up for game night at the assisted living center. It wasn’t like anyone under the age of seventy would be seeing her. This time last week she was anticipating Cameron coming. But all had changed. Last week seemed like a lifetime ago. Everything had seemed so different then, so simple.
Cameron was out of her life now; she hadn’t heard from him since Monday night when she’d gone to the shop to pick up her car. The starter had been replaced, but the invoice had a zero balance. When she confronted the shop cashier, he had raised his hands, saying he wasn’t sure who paid the bill but there was no balance for her to pay.
Jane had immediately thought of Cameron. She’d sent him a text even though they hadn’t had any contact since their goodbye on Sunday.
He’d texted back: Let me do this one thing for you.
In truth, he’d done a lot more than just one thing for her.
This morning as she’d loaded up Sparks in her car and driven him back to her mom’s, she’d thought of the drive she’d taken with Cameron and the excitement she’d felt being around him. She wondered how he was doing with the whole revelation about Crystal being pregnant. Would they get back together after all? Having a child together would be a pretty strong bond to ignore.
She missed him. She missed his laugh, the way he looked at her, even their arguments. But she’d known from the beginning Cameron Vance was too good to be true.
Jane faced her bedroom mirror. She’d gone on a mini shopping spree on the way back from her mom’s. It was probably therapy to get over the incessant questions her mom had asked about Cameron. Jane wore a new pale violet blouse with a tiny print, along with new jeans—which looked old because of the trendy rips in them. But they’d both been on clearance, so Jane was proud of her find.
“Jane?” her dad called.
She’d delayed long enough, and her dad would be driving himself if she didn’t hurry. “Coming,” she said.
Her dad waited by the door, and they walked out together into the cool summer evening.
“Looks like rain,” her dad said.
Jane glanced up at the dark clouds hanging low in the sky. It did look like rain. Yet she didn’t feel like she needed a jacket. The center was always plenty warm. “Do you want me to grab your jacket?” she asked.
“No time now,” her dad said.
Jane hid a smile; her dad was so strict about being on time to game night. They climbed in her newly repaired car, and just like that she was thinking of Cameron again. She wondered how many weeks would have to pass before she didn’t think about him every other minute.
“Is Cameron coming tonight?” her dad asked on the drive to the center.
She wondered if her dad was just trying to get under her skin. “I told you he’s not coming. He’s out of town or something.” She didn’t want to spell it all out for her dad—explain that Cameron’s ex-fiancée was pregnant. She figured if Cameron wasn’t coming around anymore, her dad would eventually stop bringing him up.
Once they arrived at the center, Jane was once again caught up with Bea and the ladies in their art group.
Bea, who wore a pink striped shirt and a pink cardigan, along with her usual silver glittery headband, waved Jane over. “We’ve got water colors!” she pronounced.
“Oh, great,” Jane said, smiling. “You ladies are getting spoiled.”
The women smiled back at her, and Jane went about setting up water cups. “We’ll work off our sketches we did last week. You want to start with the darker colors first, then add bits of the lighter colors.” She moved around the table, getting each lady started on her project. Then Jane settled in her own seat. She’d finished her sketch of the ladies, and tonight they were sitting in a different order. But that didn’t matter when adding color and the sunset background.
She pulled up the picture she’d taken last week on the drive with Cameron. It was a sunrise, and so she decided to paint the colors of a sunrise instead. After all, these women were like a sunrise in Jane’s life. Soon, she became absorbed in her work.
“Is your man coming tonight?” Bea asked, pulling Jane from her concentration.
She looked up. “Um, I don’t think so.”
“My eyes aren’t very good anymore, honey, but isn’t that him sitting by your father?” Bea continued.
Jane looked over at the card table where her dad was sitting with Pete. Her breath caught when she saw who was sitting next to her dad. Cameron was wearing a pale-green, button-down shirt, his sleeves rolled up to his forearms, and a loosened navy tie. He looked as if he’d come from a business meeting and didn’t have time to change.
She knew she was staring, but she was truly shocked. There’d been no communication with him since Monday night, yet... he was hanging out with her dad? She didn’t know whether to laugh about it or be annoyed.
Cameron chose that moment to look up, and their gazes met. Jane had no idea what to think. He gave her a nod of acknowledgment and went back to playing the card game.
“I guess his meetings got out early,” Jane said, realizing the women at the table were watching her. She felt a slow heat creep up her neck, and she refocused on her watercolor. But the colors all seemed to blend together, and she realized she had tears in her eyes.
Oh no. She couldn’t cry here, not right now. Not with Cameron sitting a few tables away. Bea would notice too. She waited as long as she dared, then said, “I’m going to the restroom. I’ll be right back.”
She rose and hurried away from the table. She bypassed the hallway with the public restroom and walked out the front doors. It had started to rain, but she didn’t mind. She leaned against the wall, protected by the awning from the driving rain. Closing her eyes, she wondered why Cameron had come. What was he trying to prove? Surely, he and her dad hadn’t bonded that much over burning rubber.
So, that left only one option. He’d come to talk to her. Did he feel obligated to tell her in person that he and Crystal were going to get back together after all? It was just like him to have the courtesy to tell her in person. Well, then, she’d just have to take it like the adult woman she was.
Something shifted in the air, and the sound of rain seemed to dull. Jane sensed Cameron’s presence. She opened her eyes to find him walking toward her
He stopped next to her. “Jane?” he said, touching her arm, concern in his eyes.
What did he have to be concerned about?
She moved a couple of inches, and he dropped his hand. It hurt to look at his handsome face and the mouth she had kissed and the eyes she’d become so caught up in.
“I was just hot in there,” Jane said. “What are you doing here?”
“I came to find you,” he said, his gaze searching hers.
Why did he have to look at her like that? As if he was still interested in her?
“But you seemed so absorbed in your work, and your dad called me over to play,” he said.
Jane exhaled. “You could have called instead of coming to tell me.” She felt petty for saying it, but the blow wouldn’t have hurt so much over the phone. And there wouldn’t have been the risk of crying in front of him.
“Believe me, I’ve thought about calling you every minute of each day, but I just got back in town an hour ago.” Cameron stepped closer. “This isn’t something I wanted to say over the phone.”
Jane’s heart sank. After Cameron told her what he came to say, she didn’t think she could go back in and face a roomful of people. Maybe she could hang out in the bathroom until her dad was finished.
Or the car. That would be better. “I don’t need to hear every detail,” Jane said. “I’m happy for you and Crystal. Every kid deserves a two-parent home. I understand that more than a lot of people.” She pushed off the wall and headed across the parking lot toward her car.
“Jane,” Cameron called after her.
But she ignored him, just as she ignored the rain pelting her face. She was almost to the car when she realized she’d left her purse and keys inside the center.
“Jane.” Cameron caught up with her and wrapped a hand about her arm. “What are you talking about? Crystal and I aren’t getting back together. I came to tell you I don’t want to do this without you.”
Jane gazed up at him in the rain. “You don’t want to deal with Crystal and your kid without me?”
He exhaled and moved closer. “I don’t want to do anything without you. Whether or not Crystal is really pregnant, it doesn’t matter. I don’t want it to come between us.”
“What do you mean?” Jane stared at him. “She might not be pregnant?”
“My mom has her doubts, and I’m going to Crystal’s next doctor appointment to find out for sure,” he said in a rush. “Even if she is pregnant, I’m going to have a paternity test done when the kid is born.”
“And if it’s your kid?” Jane prompted, folding her arms.
“Then it’s my kid, and I want shared custody,” Cameron said. “But that’s all.” He rested his hand on her shoulder and leaned in. “You’re the woman I want, Jane. Not Crystal. Not anyone else. Whether or not Crystal is having my baby, I want to be with you.”
Jane brushed at the tears on her cheeks that had mingled with the rain. She’d started to tremble. “Are you sure?”
“Yes,” he whispered back. He moved his hands to cradle her face as he gazed into her eyes. “Jane, I want you back. It’s killing me not to be with you. I was shocked, confused, but I never stopped wanting you.”
Jane blew out a slow breath. Then she slid her hands up his solid chest. His shirt was damp from the rain. She raised up on her toes and pressed her mouth against his.
Cameron wrapped her in his arms and kissed her back with an intensity that made Jane feel like she was floating above the ground.
When they both got to a point where they had to catch their breaths, Jane drew away. “Wait. Does your mom know... about me?”
Cameron grinned. “She does. And she’s thrilled.”
Warmth buzzed through Jane. “Really?”
“My dad too,” Cameron said. “You were the first person he asked about before our meetings started. The question is, will your parents be okay with us?”
Jane smiled. “My dad was looking forward to you coming tonight, but I told him you were out of town. And, well, you know my mom.”
“Um-hm,” Cameron said, placing a light kiss on her lips. “We’re really wet.”
Jane laughed. “I think everyone’s going to be staring at us when we go back inside.”
“So, let’s go get hot chocolate or something,” he said, sliding his hands along her arms, then linking their fingers. “I’ll go tell your dad, and then we can come back here to pick him up.”
Jane was tempted. She knew she’d probably kiss Cameron for the next hour if they were in his car. “I need to get back to the art table.”
Cameron nodded, although he looked reluctant to agree. “Okay. Let’s get you out of this rain, then.” He tugged her toward the center, and she laughed as they ran to the front entrance, narrowly missing a growing puddle of water.
Jane made a detour to the public restroom where she used the blow dryer to get as dry as possible. Cameron was waiting in the hall for her when she came out.
She laughed at his appearance. His shirt was damp, and his hair was still dripping. She reached up and flicked away some of the water droplets. Cameron caught her hand and pulled her against him.
“Not here,” she said, although she wanted nothing more than to kiss him again. She gave him a single kiss, then pulled away despite his groan of protest.
“I’ll see you in there,” she said, then went into the main room.
“Looks like you got caught in the rain,” Bea said as Jane retook her seat.
Jane just smiled and continued with her watercolor. She sensed when Cameron came back into the room, but she didn’t turn around to look. Her phone buzzed, and she pulled it out of her purse.
What are you doing later tonight? Cameron had texted.
Jane wrote back: Soaking in a hot bath. My feet are freezing.
I have a hot tub.
Jane’s face warmed. I know.
Do you want to come over?
I probably shouldn’t, she wrote, then added, Tempting, though. The truth was, she hadn’t wrapped her mind around the fact that Cameron was here, and they were pretty much officially dating. Or at least, they’d better be.
The offer stands if you change your mind, he wrote.
She returned to her watercolor, and a few minutes later her phone buzzed again. Jane picked it up from the table. Cameron had texted: Do you want to come to Sunday dinner at my mom’s tomorrow night? It’s sort of a tradition. You can bring your dad too.
Jane looked over at the card table. Sure enough, Cameron’s eyes were on her, and as their gazes met, he winked.
Jane’s heart thumped, and she looked down at the phone. I’ll let you know.
Say yes, Jane.
She couldn’t stop herself from looking over at him again. The heat from his gaze made her feel like he was sitting next to her and not across the room. So, she returned to her phone and wrote: Yes.