Chapter Eighteen
Natalie
"Who taught you how to make this?" I asked, taking a sip of my hot chocolate. It was thick and rich. Some whipped cream and marshmallows, and it would have been perfect, but I hadn't thought that far ahead shopping for him. It was still delicious though.
"My mother."
"Oh, I'm sorry."
"Why? Is it bad?" he asked lightly.
"No. It's delicious. About your parents."
"Thanks. It's not like I'm trying to get over it or anything." I flushed, looking down.
"Cameron, I'm sorry. I didn't mean—"
"Don't," he said with a small smile. "It's okay. Really. I haven't talked about it much is all. Not like this, I mean. As soon as they died, people were more interested in interviews and discussing wills. I don't really have a lot of people to reminisce about them with."
"You were close to them."
"Yeah, but it was just me," he said. "I don't have any siblings, and the rest of the family was never that close to us."
"Guess the grass is always greener on the other side. I used to wish that I was an only child. Being born last, there was a short time before I left for college when I was the only one still at home, but so often it felt like a competition since we outnumbered my parents by three."
"My mom used to make this stuff for me when I came to their bedroom at night because I couldn't sleep. At some point, I just started getting up and going to their room because I knew she'd get up and spend time with me even though I was meant to be asleep." He paused, swirling the liquid around in his cup. "My dad told me when I was fourteen why I was an only child."
"What did he say?” I asked cautiously.
"After having me, they had wanted more children, but my mother had a cancer scare when I was about two or three. It was in her uterus. She couldn't get pregnant again after going through treatment, even though they had detected it early enough for her to have fully recovered."
"That must have been painful for them."
"I asked him why they hadn't adopted or used a surrogate or done something about it. I knew that they could have if they had wanted to."
"What did he tell you?"
"He said he hoped I would never have to choose between what I already had and what I hoped I could get when I was an adult." I didn't know what to say to that, so I didn't say anything. I took another sip of my hot chocolate, watching him. He had been looking down this whole time into his cup like he was watching his memories play out inside of it. "I used to wish that I had siblings but not because I was lonely. I don't remember ever feeling like that. I wanted them because if there had been more of us, I wouldn't have had to be the one to take over the company. If my parents had had three or four kids instead of just one, at least one of them would have wanted to follow in my dad's footsteps since I hadn't."
Do you think that was why your parents had you, I started to ask before the vibration of my phone on the coffee table interrupted. I picked it up to see who was calling me.
"Sorry, do you mind if I take this?" I asked. He told me it was fine. I took the phone and walked to the front door, letting myself out before answering. "Hello?"
"Natalie?" It was Brett. Mr. Brett Hamm, who had been waiting to hear back from me since Friday. I hadn't said anything about the initial visit I had made to Cameron's cabin because we had agreed to talk about it on Monday at work. Yeah, work. The place I would not be going tomorrow because I was stuck here.
"Brett. Hi," I said. Oh shit.
"Natalie? I'm sorry for calling you like this, but I think we have a problem."
"What?"
"I heard a news report. There was a snow storm yesterday that rolled in from the mountains. I think Cameron's cabin is right in its trail." My stomach unclenched but just a little.
"Brett, I have something to tell you." I started at the beginning skipping over the embarrassing details, particularly the one where I had had a dream about Cameron and I having sex. He listened silently until I got to this morning.
"When were you going to tell me all this, Natalie?"
"I was going to call in tomorrow to say that I wasn't coming in. Neither of us were hurt, and the cabin's stocked with enough supplies to last us the few days it will take for the snow to clear. There was no immediate danger, so I didn't say anything."
"No immediate danger?" he repeated. "When did you find out about the storm?"
"I heard the weather report Friday morning and told Cameron myself, but he didn't care. He was resolved to stick it out on his own up here, so I did the next best thing and brought the supplies to him myself."
"Goddammit, Cameron," he said to himself. "Where is he now?"
"Inside the cabin. He's fine, Brett. He has enough firewood and food to make sure he doesn't freeze or starve to death. The snow's too deep for him to think of trying to take his truck out, and despite everything, I think he actually likes it out here."
"Oh no. Don't tell me that, Natalie."
"I'm sorry, Brett. I think he found whatever it was he came out here looking for."
"That's well and good unless he decides he prefers chopping firewood and spearfishing to his actual job. This little vacation of his is supposed to be temporary." I swallowed. Finally, he had gotten to the point. I had had a chance on Friday to talk to him about the company, and I hadn't done it. I had had another one yesterday, and I hadn't done it then either. We had talked about my family, his family, my ex, basically nothing that I had actually needed to say to him.
"I realize that, Brett. I'm pretty sure he does too."
"Reminding him won't hurt. He said he needed time to think; he can spend his time thinking about that."
"Okay," I said quietly, wishing that I hadn't picked the phone up. I didn't want to go back in there and bring that up with Cameron. It was clear what he wanted; why were the people around him so adamant about trapping him in a job he didn't want? I felt bad being here knowing I had promised to come on Friday to talk to him about it. But then, I felt bad about not doing what Brett had asked me either. This whole situation was one big gray area. Each side was right and wrong at the same time, and I didn't know who I was supposed to support.
"We need him."
"Has there been more trouble with the stockholders?"
"There will be the longer it takes to coax him down off that mountain," he said. "How's he doing up there?"
"Surprisingly well," I said honestly.
"Perfect... Just great," he said. "I didn't think he would stick to this scheme of his so long. I've never known him to be a quitter, but I had wanted to chalk this whole thing up to him losing his parents. Cracking under the pressure and not knowing how to cope. He always disappeared into himself, but he's never isolated like this before. I don't know whether I should be worried." This must have been hard for him too, I realized. Brett was worried about the business, holding it together for his dead friend while the man's son hid out in the mountains because he had to. He had promised Cameron and probably promised the late Mr. Porter, too. At the same time, he cared for Cameron, past just his value to the company.
"I think he just needs time."
"We all do, but he's running out. He needs to know that. It's not fair, but it's what had to happen if Porter Holdings is expected to have a future."
Why was I out here? How had I gotten roped into this? All this inheritance and duty stuff was like another language to me. I could sympathize, but I couldn't relate. Why did he think I would have an impact on whether or not Cameron finally came to his senses? I had no idea what I could say to convince him and just thinking about goading him into going back to something he clearly didn't want made me feel disgusting.
"I'll do what I can, but I can't make any promises."
"Just do what you can. Oh, and take care of him out there. I don't know what he was thinking heading up there in the winter. Now you're stuck up there too." I knew a thing or two about dealing with sub-zero temperatures in the middle of nowhere, but I decided to keep that to myself.
"I'll do my best," I said weakly. He didn't need a caretaker. I didn't know what he needed, but it wasn't me or Brett breathing down his neck to go back to Salt Lake City. I had told Brett that I would talk to him about the company, and I hadn't. That had been wrong, but even he had to have known asking me to do that how reluctant Cameron was about all this. I didn't want to be another person pushing him towards a future he didn't want, but who was I kidding? That was exactly who I was. We wouldn't have ever spoken if I hadn't been part of the plan to put him at the head of Porter Holdings where he didn't want to be. I reassured Brett again that I would talk to him, and we hung up.
I had been outside a little while and had been getting cold. The snow wasn't falling anymore, and I had a couple layers on under my sweater but not enough. I walked back into the warmth of the cabin and saw Cameron kneeling in front of the fireplace, feeding two big logs into it.
"That took a while," he commented.
"Yeah," I said, almost apologizing.
"Can I ask who it was?"
"It was Brett." He was facing away from me, so I didn't see his reaction to the news if he had had one.
"Did he ask about me?"
"Yes."
"What did he want?"
"He wanted to know how you were. He heard about the storm and was worried about you." He made a noncommittal sound, and dusting his hands off, he stood back up. God, you should have just told him it was Kasey wanting to talk about eyeshadow or something, I thought. Great. Yeah, add some lies into the mix, like it isn't already bad enough what you're doing to the guy.
"Maybe I should have brought that phone with me," he said, almost to himself. "Is he sending a rescue chopper?"
"No. He just wanted to know you were okay."
"Was that all he wanted to know?" he asked.
"He asked me to take care of you. I think he thinks you're half-starved up here. He supports you, but he knows how rough winters at this elevation can be." He made another noncommittal sound. Shit, he knows, I thought.
"The old man wants me to go back. He probably has money down on how long I'd be up here."
"Is there any more of that hot chocolate left?” I asked, desperate to change the subject.
"Yeah. Your cup got a little cold while you were out. I can heat it back up for you if you want." I said I did, anything to get us away from Brett and the company. I'd tell him—but not yet. I wouldn't have a choice at some point, but just then, I did. I was looking at at least a couple more days before I could leave. I didn't want to spend them badgering him about the company. I wanted us to talk. I liked talking to him. I was beginning to like him, the person he was behind the image, the famous family and the massive fortune. He was just a guy under that all, one who was more interesting than I had ever given him credit for. When would I ever have him in this position again? Once the snow cleared, it would be over. I'd do it. I would, just not yet.