Sierra
I was sitting in my office, staring out the window, when Kirsty walked in.
“I need you to sign these forms.”
I was in deep thought about Cameron and how much I missed him. My God, I didn’t even miss Ryan this much after he left. I missed his smart comments to me and I missed him making me do things that he knew I didn’t want to do. FUCK! I missed him so much that it still hurt as bad as the day he left.
“I love him. I’m in love with him,” I blurted out. “I’m Sierra Adams, CEO of Adams Advertising and Design and I always go after and get what I want. And I want Cameron Cole and the account for Aruelia.”
I pressed the intercom button on my desk phone.
“Sasha, get in here!”
She ran into my office. “What’s wrong?”
“I need you to book me on the next flight out to North Carolina. I’m going after my future.”
“I’m right on it, Sierra. I’m so excited.” She smiled.
“Kirsty, come with me,” I said as I grabbed her hand.
We left the building and I hailed a cab.
“What the hell are you doing and where are we going?” she asked.
“To Aruelia’s hotel. I have a few things to say to her.”
The cab dropped us off at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel and I had the desk alert Aruelia that we were there to see her. After we were given her room number, Kirsty and I took the elevator up to her room and knocked on the door.
“What’s this about?” she asked as she let us in.
“Sit down, Aruelia. I have a few things to say to you.”
“How dare you come in here and bark orders at me,” she said as she stood there with her arms folded.
“Sit, now!” I exclaimed as I pointed to the wingback chair.
“Well, I never,” she said as she sat down.
“I’m not really sure why you didn’t choose my agency to represent your company. But I have a good idea. In our meeting, you asked me if I knew anything about ballroom dancing. I told you that I took a few lessons and you gave me a look of disgrace because I didn’t love it or know a lot about it. Would you rather have had me lie to you and misrepresent you from the beginning? No. I was truthful and you turned away. Just like I did with Cameron.”
“Who?”
“Cameron. The man who told me he loved me that day and I turned away from him. He was telling me the truth and I was hiding. Anyway, life is made up of what you want and sometimes you need to take a risk, even if it scares the shit out of you because it could be the best and most rewarding risk you ever take. I’m asking you to take a risk with Adams Advertising. We aren’t one of the top ten advertising agencies for nothing.”
“Are you finished?” she asked.
“Yes, and now I have to leave. I have a plane to catch and a man to tell how much I love him.”
I began walking towards the door as Kirsty stood there with her mouth hanging open.
“Sierra,” Aruelia called. “Good luck.” She smiled.
“You too. Kirsty, let’s go!” I snapped.
She jumped and followed me out the door. “What the hell was that?” she asked.
“That was me going after what I want,” I said as we slid into the back of the cab and I pulled out my ringing phone.
“Tell me you got me on a flight?”
“The only flight available leaves at midnight and arrives in North Carolina at ten a.m. with one stop in Atlanta. They only had two first-class seats left, so I booked it.”
“Okay. I wanted earlier, but that will give me a chance to pack and get things in order. Thanks, Sasha.”
Kirsty took hold of my hand. “I’m so fucking proud of you and I can’t believe you’re going to get him. That is so romantic.”
Suddenly, a horrific thought came to my mind. “What if he tells me to go to hell or says that he doesn’t love me anymore?”
“Stop it. Cameron would never do that. He’s so in love with you.”
The cab dropped us off at my house and, when we walked through the door, James was in the kitchen, talking to Rosa.
“Do I still have a job?” James asked as he looked at me. “I only ask because it seems that you’ve been spotted in a yellow cab around L.A.”
“Oh, please. I was in a hurry. Don’t take offense. You’re still way hotter than the cabbie. I have a flight at midnight, so I need you to drive me to the airport.”
“Midnight? Where the hell are you going at midnight?” Rosa asked.
“I’m going to North Carolina to tell Cameron that I love him.”
Rosa smiled and placed her hands on each side of my face. “You better bring Builder Boy home,” she said before she hugged me.
“That’s the plan, Rosa.”
****
I stepped onto the plane and could barely wait to land in North Carolina. It had been almost three weeks since I’d seen Cameron and, every day, it was killing me. I couldn’t wait to throw my arms around him and tell him how much I loved him. I knew I was in love with him from the beginning, but I kept denying it out of fear. I now realized how stupid I was and if I’d only admitted to myself and him from the beginning, we wouldn’t be apart. I drank two glasses of wine to calm my nerves and then fell asleep.
Finally, the plane landed and I couldn’t wait to get off and stretch. Shit. I forgot to arrange for a car to pick me up and take me to Cameron’s house. Shit. Shit. I didn’t have Cameron’s address. I exited the plane and threw my head back in disbelief. As I walked to baggage claim, I scoped out where the car rental counter was. Perfect. There was one right across from baggage claim. I grabbed my suitcase and headed to the counter.
“Hello, ma’am. How can I help you?” the brunette asked.
“I need a limo to drive me to Lake Santeetlah.”
“Your name, please.”
“Sierra Adams.”
“I’m sorry, Miss Adams, but there’s nothing showing me that you arranged for a limo.”
“I didn’t. I forgot. But now I’m here and I would like one.” I smiled.
“I’m sorry, but I’ll have to call and it can take anywhere from two to three hours for one to arrive here. These things must be pre-arranged ahead of time.”
I gritted my teeth and now I was aggravated. I hadn’t had coffee yet and I was tired.
“I know, but I forgot. So if you’re saying it will take that long, then I’ll just rent a car.”
“Do you have a preference?” she asked.
“A Porsche, please.”
She looked at me with narrowing eyes. “We don’t have any of those available for rental.”
“Then what do you have?” I scowled.
“If you’re interested in luxury, I do have one Cadillac Escalade available.”
“I’ll take it. Do you think we can move this along? I’m in a hurry,”
She glared at me and then asked for my driver’s license and a credit card. When I handed her my license, she looked at it and then back at me.
“That explains it,” she said.
I rolled my eyes because I knew exactly what she meant. She made a call on her phone and then handed me my license, credit card, and receipt.
“Your rental will be waiting for you outside those double doors. Thank you and enjoy your stay in North Carolina,” she said with a fake smile.
I flashed my fake smile back to her as I grabbed my Louis Vuitton suitcase and walked towards the double doors. Sitting at the curb was a black Escalade. I threw my suitcase in the back and got in. Shit. Where was I even going? I pulled away from the curb and into a parking lot once I drove away from the airport. I needed to think where I was going before I lost any kind of service. That’s it! Jolene gave me her number before I left the last time I was here and told me to keep in touch. I immediately called her.
“Hello,” she said.
“Jolene, it’s Sierra.”
“Sierra! How are you?”
“I’m okay. Listen, I need you to do me a favor and don’t tell anyone in your family that I called you.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m in town and I want it to be a big surprise!”
“Oh my God. Yay! Cam doesn’t know you’re coming?” she asked.
“No. He doesn’t know and I want to keep it that way. So please, don’t mention this to anyone. The reason I’m calling is I need your address.”
She rattled it off as I punched it into the GPS with great difficulty.
“Okay. I got it. Thanks, Jolene, and remember, not a word to anyone about this.”
“Don’t worry, Sierra. Your secret is safe with me.”
I hung up and headed on the road to Lake Santeetlah. As I was cruising down the highway, my phone rang and it was Kirsty.
“Hey, girl,” I answered.
“I just wanted to make sure your plane arrived safely.”
“It did. I did and now I’m driving to Cameron’s house.”
“You’re driving?” she asked.
“Yes. I had no choice. I forgot to tell Sasha to arrange for a driver, so I had to rent a car.”
She burst into laughter and then she handed the phone to James.
“Now don’t forget, Sierra, the brake is on the left and the gas pedal is on the right,” he said.
“Very funny! Can you hear that?”
“Hear what?”
“The sound of me flipping you off. I have to hang up and concentrate. By the way, you’re both fired when I get back.”
James chuckled. “Bye, Sierra.”
It was a tedious drive, but I finally arrived in Lake Santeetlah. I was about ten minutes from Cameron’s house and my stomach was a ball of knots. I didn’t know how he was going to react when he saw me, and I didn’t know how I was going to react when I saw him. Was I going to break down and cry? Was I going to bust out into uncontrollable hysterics? I didn’t know. With me, anything could go. I pulled up to the house, put the SUV in park, and grasped onto the steering wheel so tight that my knuckles turned white. I took in a deep breath, walked up to the door, and knocked. This was it. My future was going to be determined right this second.
“Eeek!” Jolene squealed when she opened the door and hugged me. “I’m so happy you’re here.”
“It’s good to see you, Jolene. Is Cameron here?” I asked nervously.
“No, he’s not. He just left. He took the boat out on the lake to do some fishing. If you go out back, you still might be able to catch him before he gets too far out.”
“Thank you.” I smiled.
I headed to the kitchen and out the door to the back. I walked down the dock and saw Cameron in the middle of the lake. The boat was stopped. This was it. Time to put my big girl panties on and go for it. I. CAN. DO. THIS.
“Hey, I can think of some better things to do in that boat besides fishing,” I yelled to him across the lake.
He turned around and stared at me. He just stood there, not saying a word. Oh no, maybe he’s pissed I’m here. Shit.
“What are you doing here?” he finally yelled back.
“I missed you.”
“Really?”
“Yes! Really!” I smiled.
I couldn’t believe what I was about to do, but I couldn’t wait any longer to feel his arms wrapped around me. I took off my shoes and threw them on the dock. I jumped in the lake and swam towards the boat. Good thing I was not wearing designer.
“Sierra, what are you doing?”
I reached the boat, completely out of breath. Shit. I really needed to exercise. He reached over the boat with a wide grin and grabbed my arm, pulling me up onto it and wrapping his strong arms around me.
“You’re crazy. I can’t believe you just did that.”
“I had to,” I said as I looked in his beautiful green eyes and smiled. “I couldn’t wait any longer to tell you that I love you. I love you, Cameron Cole. I’m so in love with you and I was miserable without you.”
“Really?” He smiled.
“Yes. Do you think I’d jump in a dirty lake just to say hi?”
“I love you too, baby,” he said as his mouth smashed into mine. He broke our kiss and ran his hands down my soaking wet hair. “You’re soaked and you’re shaking.”
“I’m fine as long as I’m with you.”
“What’s going on out there?” Jolene yelled.
Cameron looked at her and yelled to go and get some help. Apparently, the motor stopped working and that was why he only made it so far out.
“Does this mean you’ll be my girlfriend, since you swam in a dirty lake to get to me?” He smiled.
“Are you asking me?”
“Yes, I am.”
“Then, yes. I would love to be your girlfriend. Do you think I did all this for nothing?”
He chuckled. “You’re amazing, Sierra, and I love you so much.”
“I love you more, Cam. We need to hurry up and get off this boat. I’m horny.”
“Are you willing to swim one last time?”
“For real?”
“It’s either that or we’ll be on this boat a while until help comes.”
“Let’s go, then,” I said as I jumped back in the lake.
Cameron followed and we swam back to the dock. Jolene was standing there and handed us some towels.
“I’m confused as to what’s going on here,” she said.
“We’ll explain it to you later. Tell Mom and Dad that Sierra’s in town and we’ll be back tomorrow. We have a lot of catching up to do.”
Cameron took my hand and led me into the house and up to his room. He changed out of his wet clothes and had Jolene bring me one of her sundresses. He threw a few things in a bag and we headed outside. I threw him the keys to the rental car. He looked at the Escalade and shook his head.
“Of course you rented this.” He laughed.
“I tried to rent a Porsche, but the girl looked at me like I was crazy.”
The minute we climbed into the vehicle, he reached over and kissed me passionately. “I’m so happy you’re here.” He smiled.
“Me too. I’m just sorry it took me so long.”
“I would’ve waited for you for forever if I had to, Sierra.”
A tear formed in my eye. “I wouldn’t have made you wait for forever. Now, where are we going?”
“You pick.”
I pulled out my phone and pulled up google. I had only one bar of service and I was going to make this work.
“It looks like the only decent hotel around is the Microtel Inn and Suites by Wyndham.”
“I know exactly where it’s at and it’s only a few miles from here.”
“I just don’t understand why there aren’t any Hiltons or Trump Hotels here.”
He laughed as he picked up my hand and brought it to his lips. “I sure did miss you.”