Blue was feeling meh—she had a fuzzy head and no energy—just meh.
She guessed it had something to do with all the beer she’d ingested the night before. And that slow dance with Cam Booker hadn’t helped. The beer she could deal with but it was the dancing thing that had kept her up all night. She couldn’t stop thinking about how, in his arms, everything in her world had felt perfect and warm and safe.
She’d been fighting her whole life, it seemed—always a battle to deal with—and always alone. Her mother hadn’t been much help. In fact, most of the time, she’d been part of the problem. Her father had bailed exactly one week after her twelfth birthday, and her brother, Cash, left home two years later when he was eighteen. As much as she understood his reasons, his leaving had devastated her. She hadn’t seen him again until years later and then, well, there’d been Arizona.
She squeezed her eyes shut. God, she didn’t want to think about Arizona. That had been one of the darkest moments in her life, and she’d dragged Cash into it. She would never forgive herself for what had gone down, nor would she forget the guilt and shame and sorrow.
Bluebell Barnes was alone, and she liked it that way because no one got hurt. But, for just that moment, it had been nice to lean on someone, to let Cam’s energy slide over her and sink into her pores.
It had been nice to feel as if, for those few minutes at least, she mattered to someone.
And then it was gone and she was home, alone in this big space that felt more like a prison. She’d gotten up at the crack of dawn and downed two aspirins before jumping in the shower to wake up and hitting the gym for a vigorous workout. She was restless and bored and, well, in a funk. Why else would a person find themselves on a beautiful Sunday afternoon at the mall, wandering the stores aimlessly? She could have taken the boat onto the lake or done just about anything else other than shopping.
Instead, she was at the mall hoping some retail therapy would make her feel better. But nothing she looked at sparked interest. Not the crimson Prada bag or the pink Louboutin shoes with the pretty ribbon. The shoes alone would have brought a smile to any woman’s face. And yet, she’d tried them on and eventually told the salesgirl she wasn’t interested.
Pink. Louboutin. Shoes.
Yep. She was in a full-on funk and had no idea how to crawl out of it.
With a sigh, she took the escalator to the bottom level, thinking a cold iced coffee from Starbucks would be good for the ride home. It was nearly two in the afternoon, and she’d been here long enough. Maybe she’d dig out a good book and at least salvage the afternoon. There was that one with the firefighter and the paramedic. She followed the signs to the food court—it was about a two-minute hike to the other end of the mall, and she hurried along, eyes ahead, sneakers squeaking on the polished tiles. She’d dressed casual for the trip, a simple light blue sundress and the squeaky white sneakers. She’d applied some light gloss and pulled her hair back into a messy knot.
There was a large group of teens in front of a store taking selfies and laughing. She had to alter her course a bit in order to get around them, but didn’t mind. When she did, she nearly collided with a man. And a little girl. The little girl had a very serious look on her face as she pulled on the man’s arm. While the man held on to several bags with his other hand—all of them pink and girlie and so feminine, they looked sort of ridiculous in his possession. Because his arms were impressive. And his muscles.
They both looked up as Blue slid to a halt.
Cam Booker didn’t say a word, but the little girl jumped up and down in excitement.
“Blue!” Tawny dropped Cam’s hand as if it were on fire and launched herself at Blue. “I missed you. Where were you? How come I had to go to Honey’s?” Tawny’s face scrunched up. “Her baby smells nice, but he cries a lot, and it makes my ears hurt.”
Blue couldn’t help but smile. “Babies do cry.”
“I know,” Tawny replied, not letting go of Blue’s hand. “Cam told me he was going to buy me earplugs.” She shook her head, all serious. “My mommy told me not to stick things in my ears. I did it once with a Q-tip and it hurted. So I don’t want earplugs.”
Cam tousled the top of Tawny’s head before glancing Blue’s way. “How were you feeling this morning?”
“Oh. Good.” She swallowed and cleared her throat. “Fine.”
She could tell he didn’t believe her because it looked like he was trying to hide a smile. He shifted the bags from one hand to the other and looked around. “I need a purple dress.”
“A purple dress for me!” Tawny squealed and twirled in a circle.
“I promised the kid, and I can’t find one. There’s just…” He looked around, his frustration obvious. “I don’t know how you girls do this.”
“Do what?” Blue asked.
“This shopping thing. A guy can walk into one store and buy his jeans, T-shirts, boxers…whatever he needs. He’s in and out in less than thirty minutes. Hell, probably twenty. But this, this shopping for little girls is enough to make me crazy. There’s just too much to look at. Too many stores that sell the same shit—”
“Oh…” Tawny said dramatically. “That’s a bad word.”
“It is,” he replied, looking down at her and not skipping a beat. “And I don’t want to hear it coming out of your mouth. But you got to remember, I’m allowed to say it once in a while.”
“Because you’re a grown-up?”
“Yep. Because I’m a grown-up.” Cam looked at Blue, and warmth spread through her. Which surprised her, but maybe it shouldn’t. She thought of the night before and how she’d felt in his arms.
“I don’t suppose you know where we can find a purple dress, do you?”
Startled, she stammered, “Sorry?”
“I need help finding this dress.”
Tawny jumped up again. “A purple one, Cam.”
Blue looked from Cam to Tawny and then back to him again. He looked out of his element, and Tawny was just too damn adorable. How on earth could she say no? Besides, it wasn’t like there was anyone waiting for her back at the house—other than the cat. And Giselle could look after herself.
“I think I know of a couple places we can look.”
Tawny grabbed her hand and began to skip along, taking Blue along for the ride. She assumed Cam was a few steps behind and guided them toward a boutique geared to all things girly.
“Kid-Let?” Cam said as he followed them inside. “Who the hell comes up with these names? Never heard of the place.”
“That’s because you don’t shop, remember?”
Blue’s practiced eyes ran over the racks, and she led Tawny to the back of the store, where one wall was dedicated to all sorts of summer dresses. And, win! They were on sale.
She spied a purple dress with small yellow suns and stars. It had spaghetti straps, and the skirt fell in gentle waves to just above the knee. It was soft and beautiful and the color would look gorgeous on Tawny.
“It’s so pretty,” Tawny said, looking up at the display.
“Do you want to try it on?” Blue asked. She reached for the dresses and searched for the right size. She found one and grabbed matching sandals, a little purse, and a sunhat as well. By the time they got to the changing rooms, Tawny’s eyes were as big as silver dollars. She was quiet as Blue helped her undress and pull on the dress and sandals. When she was finished, Tawny turned and looked in the mirror. Surprise lit her young face, and she inched forward and touched the mirror.
Her coffee-colored skin glowed, infused with happiness. Her hair, left natural, sprang to her shoulders in perfect corkscrews that bounced as she moved. With those beautiful hazel eyes, she was exotic and so precious, Blue couldn’t help but be drawn to her.
“I look pretty,” she whispered. “Like the princess in the story Cam read to me.”
A big old lump formed at the back of Blue’s throat. She nodded and felt tears prick the corners of her eyes. Was it because the little girl’s love of the dress was so obvious? Or was it because the image of Cam reading to Tawny made something inside her twist?
In that moment, she wondered about another little girl. When she’d been this age had someone read to her at night? Was she loved and clothed and fed?
“Why are you sad?”
Blue’s head jerked up at the question, and she swiped at her eyes, forcing a smile. “I’m not sad. I promise.”
Tawny’s sharp gaze was dubious, and Blue quickly changed the subject by asking her if she’d like to wear the dress home.
“Can I?” Tawny twirled and giggled, and it took a bit for Blue to calm her enough to remove the tags. When they emerged from the change room, she spied Cam up near the cash register smiling at something the sales lady was saying. She was attractive, in her mid-fifties, well dressed, and, from the looks of it, enjoying Cam’s company.
Typical. Was there no woman on the planet immune to his charm?
I am.
He turned as they approached, and his eyes softened. “Hey, Peanut, that’s a good look on you.”
Tawny preened at his compliment, and the thread that connected the two was obvious. Blue felt like an outsider and turned away, heading for another display, and busied herself picking out new undies and socks. From what she’d seen, Tawny’s were in sad shape. She returned to the counter and set them down.
Cam gave the woman, Hazel was her name, his credit card, and she rang the purchase up. Hazel handed over the bright orange bag that contained Tawny’s old clothes along with the extra purchases and smiled.
“You have a lovely child.”
Cam didn’t skip a beat. He nodded and gently pushed Tawny toward the door. “Thank you.”
That simple gesture made Blue’s heart constrict. She followed them out, and once more, Tawny had Cam by the hand, chattering constantly as he led the way outside. The little girl looked up at Cam as if he were her world, and Blue supposed that he was.
“Where you parked?” Cam asked suddenly, turning to Blue.
“Oh.” She frowned and glanced around. “That’s me over there.” She pointed to the sleek black Mercedes near one of the light standards and blushed at the look on Cam’s face. “The Honda is still, um, at the Coach House.”
Cam nodded a few rows over. “I’m here.” He paused. “Thanks for helping us out. The dress meant a lot to Tawny.”
“No problem.”
She almost said anytime, but that would imply some sort of relationship. And they didn’t have a relationship of any sort, other than employer and employee. Notwithstanding the dancing. But she wasn’t going to think about that.
“Are you coming for our barbecue?” Tawny pushed a handful of curls from her face and grinned up at Blue.
“I don’t…” She shook her head. “No.”
“Why not?” Tawny turned to Cam. “Can’t she come? Pretty please? We made enough cupcakes.”
“Cupcakes?” Blue’s gaze shot to Cam. “You made cupcakes?”
“I frosted them,” he replied daring her to say something.
Tawny nodded. “He did. And he put unicorn sprinkles on top.”
“Unicorn sprinkles. They must be impressive cupcakes.” Blue hid a laugh.
“Come for barbecue, and I promise you can have one.” Cam smiled wickedly.
Blue’s head snapped up, and her eyes slammed into Cam’s. “Oh no. I don’t want to impose.”
“You wouldn’t be.” His voice was warm with a hint of rasp, and she shivered in the heat, which was absurd. What the hell was wrong with her? “Do you have plans?”
She could lie and say yes.
She should lie and say yes.
But Blue found herself doing the exact opposite. She slowly breathed out and answered quietly. “No.”
“Then come. Let me thank you for helping us out today.” He winked. “What do you say?”
She should say no. Sorry. Can’t make it. But thanks anyway.
Instead, she found words tumbling from her mouth. Words that changed the game. “Okay. Can I bring anything?”
“Nope. Just yourself.” He nodded toward her car. “I’ll pull up, and you can follow us back.”
Cam disappeared before she could change her mind, and she jogged to her car. Her stomach fluttered. Her cheeks were flushed. And a nervous energy slid over her. This probably wasn’t a good idea. Mixing it up with Cam Booker could only complicate things.
Right?She looked at her reflection in the mirror. At the wide eyes, shining with something she hadn’t seen in a very long time. A horn honked, and Cam waved at her from his truck.
He slowly rolled away, and after a few seconds, Blue followed.