Chapter 15
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Cam
I stand out on the balcony off my bedroom.
I’m mortified by what just happened. He nearly saw me naked.
And if I’m being honest with myself, I’m more mortified that I liked how his body felt wrapped around mine.
Images of his strong hands holding my hips while I grind down on him danced across my mind for long seconds as we stood in my bathroom with my naked breasts pressed to his chest and his arms wrapped tightly around me.
I hate that I liked the way it felt. I hate that he has these sweet moments that make me like him.
I’m so confused. I should just hate this man.
It should be easy to hate him, but for some reason, it’s becoming harder and harder. I have no idea what to do.
I’ve called everyone I know trying to get advice, but of course, they are all busy. So I’ve resorted to messaging Max. I wish I could just give him details. It’d make life so much easier.
Me: I need advice.
It takes a minute but then I see three dots indicating he’s replying. I sit down on one of the two chairs on the balcony.
Max: What’s up?
Me: What would you do if you found yourself attracted to someone who you shouldn’t be attracted to?
I expect to see those three dots appear right away because Max is great with life advice, but there’s nothing. Several minutes pass and I’m about to give up on waiting and go finish touching up my hair when I see he’s replying.
Max: Entertainingly, I’m in the same boat, so I have no advice for you, only empathy.
Me: Seriously! LOL! What should we do?
Max: No idea. (shrugging emoji)
Me: Wow! Proper use of emojis! Look at you!
Max: (middle-finger emoji)
I smile. I feel the slightest bit better.
Max: Maybe we try to be friends with the person? Maybe they aren’t as bad as we thought.
Me: That’s too adult of us. (laughing emoji)
Max: It might be.
Me: Sigh. I hate being the bigger person.
Max: Same.
Me: Fine. But we have to promise to check back in with each other in a few days to reassess our idea.
Max: A debrief. Done.
Me: Good luck. May the force be with you.
Max: And with you.
I laugh and put my phone away. I glance at my watch and realize the time. Where’s Amber?
I pull my phone out as I walk back to the bathroom to check my hair one last time. And see I’ve missed a call from her. Huh? When did Amber call?
I call her back.
“Oh, thank goodness. I feel so bad. My mom is not doing well and the doctor wants me to take her to the emergency room. I definitely won’t be there tonight, but depending on what happens, I may not be there at all,” she says, her words coming out rushed.
I can hear the telltale sounds of the hospital in the background, the beeping machines, the rolling of carts and beds, and nurses and doctors talking in medical lingo that reminds me of Bray.
“Is Bray there?” I ask.
“He doesn’t come on for another hour, but I texted him,” Amber replies.
“Good. I’ll feel better if he’s there to assess your mom. And don’t worry. I’ll figure it out. You take care of your mom and let me know if you need anything,” I say.
“Thanks, Cam. I really am sorry about all of this. It’s horrible timing,” she says.
“No worries. Friends and family are always more important than business,” I stress as I adjust my hair and walk out of my room.
“Thanks. I’ll let you know what they say,” she adds.
“OK. Good luck,” I say as I hang up and look across the hall.
Fletcher’s door is open and he’s typing on his computer.
He looks every part the serious businessman.
I study him for a moment, not wanting to interrupt his work.
He really is very handsome. His dark, messy hair falls over his hazel eyes.
His jaw tics as his eyes scan something.
He moves his arm and his bicep flexes, pulling his shirt tight against it.
The man definitely is in shape. I can see how women would fall at his feet.
He’s smart and gorgeous. Too bad he can be such a jerk.
If he wasn’t so freaking irritating…then there’s that little issue of his company trying to put mine out of business.
With a heavy sigh, I lean on his doorjamb. “Ready?” I ask.
He looks up quickly and then back at his computer and then back at me. His eyebrows rise slightly. “You clean up well, Tanner,” he says as his eyes peruse my body.
I’m not sure why I feel more naked than I did a few minutes ago when he saw me in only a towel, but somehow I do.
I cross my arms over my breasts because the look he’s giving me makes me feel not only naked but also exposed as if he can see inside my head to my most personal thoughts.
“I’m heading down,” I state, turning to grab my key from the side table in the main hallway of the suite.
“Wait up,” he says and I hear him get up. A second later he’s next to me.
We walk to the door, and when he opens it, he looks around us. “I thought Amber was meeting us here?”
Shit, how did I already forget that. One minute of staring at the man and I forget all the important things. “So…small pickle. Her mom has to go to the emergency room. She won’t know more until the doctors check her. But…uh, yeah,” I say as we begin walking.
He grabs my arm and pulls me into a small alcove in the hallway. “What?” he hisses.
I let out a long breath. “Amber is out for tonight. I won’t know more until later tonight. I can text Adriana. She’s new but she knows some things. If not, I guess I’m doing this solo,” I explain with a frown as I realize what I’m saying. Ugh. I’m going to have to tell Felicity this.
“What?” he says loudly this time.
“You heard me,” I say, my voice rising.
“We can’t compete if you have no assistant. Every other team has two people because the competition is for a team,” he says, emphasizing the last word.
“I know that,” I mutter.
“We’ll figure this out after dinner. I’m sure I can get one of our pastry chefs to help,” he says matter-of-factly.
I roll my eyes. “We’ll cross that bridge later if we need to. No sense worrying about something that might not even be an issue.”
“You know what makes my family’s company successful?” he asks as we begin walking again.
I don’t answer but glance over at him.
He continues. “We constantly are planning for every scenario so when things go awry, and they always do, we’re prepared and not scrambling last minute. You should have had a second person ready to go,” he says sternly.
I stop and he turns to me. Jabbing a finger in his well-muscled chest, I glare up at him.
“You can’t plan your way out of every bump in the road that life has to offer.
You have to be ready to work through them.
And I’m ready. I can do this solo if I have to.
I’ll let Felicity know,” I say, my shoulders sagging a little.
“No. Not yet. Let’s wait to see what happens. We can tell her there was a family emergency and we’re waiting to hear. That’s it,” he says angrily as we continue down the stairs and into the dining room.
The other three teams are all standing around.
Cameras are rolling and the next two hours are a flurry of introductions, food, drinks, explanations, and awkward small talk.
Two of the teams are from bakeries on the other side of the city.
One specializes in cakes and the other in cookies.
The third team is more similar to my store.
They serve coffee and a variety of baked goods.
Their number one selling item is their cupcakes, which they also sell online.
All three teams have been around much longer than I have.
Their businesses are larger and more reputable than mine.
By the end of the meal, I already know that my store is the underdog contestant or at least that’s what the show wants to pigeonhole me as.
The only thing keeping me calm is my slight buzz from the three glasses of wine I’ve had.
It's as we are opening the suite door that I get the call from Amber. I put it on speaker and look up at Fletcher, who has been quiet during the meal. He spoke a bit with the other sponsors but otherwise seemed very busy on his phone.
“Hey,” she says and I know immediately it’s not good.
“How bad is it?” I ask.
“Bad. She’s going to need surgery. Her gallbladder has a stone that could cause a major issue.
It’s what is causing her pain. They want to do it first thing tomorrow and then she’ll need me to stay with her for two weeks.
I’m so sorry, Cam,” she says and I can hear how tired she is.
I want to be mad, but I don’t have the energy and I know it’s not her fault.
“It’s alright, Amber. We’ll figure it out. Go take care of your mom,” I assure her.
“I will. Please let me know if there’s anything I can do,” she adds before we hang up.
I text Adriana without even looking at Fletcher.
Me: Any chance you could join me at the competition? Amber’s mom is in the hospital.
Adriana: Oh no! I’m so sorry but I can’t. Remember I told you that my brother might be able to visit. He flies in tomorrow. I was going to try to take off one day next week to spend with him.
Shit. She’s been homesick for her family for weeks. I can’t do that to her.
Me: No worries. I’ll figure it out.
I finally look up at Fletcher. “I’m solo,” I announce.
His phone buzzes with a text and he looks down at it. “Fuck,” he mutters. “None of my bakers are available for three weeks. We’d have to fly someone in and the earliest they can be here is in ten days.”
I chew on the inside of my cheek as I think. Then something pops into my memory. When everyone was scouring the internet for information on Fletcher, there was an article. An article about a little boy who won a baking competition with his grandmother.
I look up into Fletcher’s eyes. “What if…you did it?” I ask, my voice coming out more breathy than I like. I sound desperate.
I swallow hard as I watch a myriad of emotions play out over his face. Confusion. Skepticism. Annoyance.
“You won a competition as a kid,” I point out.
Now he’s frowning. “How’d you know that?” he asks.
I roll my eyes. “There’s this thing called the internet,” I state with a deadpan face.
“That was years ago,” he says. “I…I was just a kid. Mostly that was my grandmother.”
For the first time since we met, I see something I never thought I’d see on Fletcher’s face. Vulnerability.
I put a hand on his shoulder and squeeze it.
His eyes go from the ground to my face. “But you helped her. You could help me. Please. You’re right.
Those other teams are good. I need an assistant.
I’d ask my neighbors but none of them bake.
Not enough to help me. Drew is the closest one to being helpful but he can’t take off for three weeks. ”
I watch Fletcher as he considers what I’m saying. “Please,” I beg. Now it’s me that feels vulnerable. This man can ruin me. Right now.
He turns and runs a hand through his hair. And slowly he turns back to me.
“OK,” he says.
I release a breath that I didn’t know I was holding.
“OK?” I repeat.
He nods. “OK,” he says again. Then puts up a hand. “But no being obnoxious. And if I’m doing this, then…fuck it, we’re winning this shit. We’ll figure everything else out afterward,” he says and then gives a small shake of his head as if he can hardly believe his own words.
A smile threatens on my face and I finally give in to it. I throw my hands around his neck and hug him. He doesn’t move for a second and then I feel his arms come around me.
“You’re a pain in my ass. You know that, Tanner,” he says.
I giggle. “You haven’t seen anything yet, McDowell,” I reply as I let go and stand back from him.
We both stand there smiling at each other.
And for reasons I will never understand, I lean up and kiss him.
Just a quick kiss. A thank-you kiss. Or at least, that’s what I tell myself as I turn and walk into my room, shutting the door behind me and leaving a very stunned Fletcher standing in the hallway.