Chapter 16 Nadine
NADINE
It took a few phone calls and emails to put all the plans in place, but it came together perfectly.
Camden arranged for Ava, her parents, and younger brother to be picked up from the airport and transported to a hotel, so they would be able to meet Paisley and me for brunch at our favorite restaurant.
The same one I took her to the first day we went shopping with twenty-dollar salads.
Brunch is my favorite because of the mimosa flights. She likes it for the stuffed French toast, so she doesn’t think anything of it at first when we walk into a private room. It is her birthday after all.
“Your brother wanted to do something special,” I sign and gesture to the flowers, card, and presents all set up in the middle of the table. I’m not sure what he bought for her since he didn’t run it past me, but I’m learning Camden can be quite thoughtful, if a little over the top.
I’d taken her to get her hair trimmed and highlighted again yesterday, this time with pink. Our glittery nails match, and I’m wearing the woven bracelet she made me in pink, purple, and blue.
This morning was really difficult. She woke up crying, her first birthday without her parents. I suspect every first will be difficult, and I pray that I’ll always be in her life to help her through it, if I can.
But seeing her tear open her birthday card from Camden, smiling as she reads it, lets me know she’ll be all right. They both will be.
I hold out my hand so I can take a look at the card. It’s simple with Love you, Sis! on the front in rainbow colors, while the inside contains a few lines of his chicken scratch.
Happy birthday, Paisley. I’m sorry I can’t be there with you right now, but I hope you have fun at your party. I’m so proud of you, and I can’t wait to see what you do this year. Love you, Cam.
I’m not sure what it feels like for ovaries to weep, but I think mine do, and I stuff the card back into the envelope as Paisley opens her gifts.
The first is a new laptop, which has her excitedly hopping on her toes, telling me how she’ll be able to video chat with Ava on it instead of using an iPad, and I have to bite my cheek so I don’t give away the big gift.
Next, she opens a box with the latest trendy sneakers, and then a third with a belt bag that she loves.
She immediately transfers her cell phone, lip gloss, and hair ties to it but promptly forgets about it when the door opens.
When she recognizes who it is, Paisley throws herself across the room at her best friend, hugging and crying and shrieking.
Behind them, Ava’s parents, Hank and Kate, step inside with their eight-year-old son, Bryson.
I wave to them, careful to step around the girls to shake their hands, and formally introduce myself.
“This is amazing,” Kate signs, moving to my side. “I really can’t thank you enough for doing this.”
“It wasn’t me. It was all Camden.”
“I don’t think Ava’s slept the last two days, she’s been so excited to come.
” Her eyes turn glassy as she watches her daughter and Paisley talk, hands moving at the same time, both of them repeating over and over how they can’t believe it and how much they’ve missed the other and that they love each other. Makes me tear up a little too.
“I’m just happy it all worked out. Why don’t we sit?”
Kate nods and motions for Hank and Bryson to sit at the large circular table. The girls follow, but they’re too busy catching up to really pay attention to anything else.
We take our time over our food, since Ava and Paisley do more chatting than eating, both of them only taking a break when the server brings in the cake, and we all sign and sing “Happy Birthday.” We dig into the four layers of chocolate with chocolate mousse in between and cascading flowers on the outside.
I clean my plate of it as Kate explains how Ava and Paisley have been friends since they met at a Deaf camp, and while they’re from Des Moines and the Longs lived in Cedar Falls, they made sure to get the girls together as often as possible.
Kate was born deaf and understands how important it is to build a community for her Deaf daughter.
“We were all so devastated about the accident,” Kate signs, after sipping on her second mimosa. “I think of Paisley as one of my own, and I’ve been sick to my stomach ever since. How has she been doing?”
“Good.” I wipe my mouth with the linen napkin before continuing to sign.
“Or as good as can be expected, I suppose. She’s doing well in school, and I try to keep her as busy as possible with different things around the city.
She started taking an art class on Saturday mornings.
We’ve seen a show at the Kimmel Center. We cook together and watch movies with popcorn every Friday. ”
Kate smiles as Ava shows Paisley something on her cell phone that makes both of them crack up. “And you said you’re a teacher?”
I recross my legs under the table. Aside from the weekly check-in with my parents, no one has asked me about my career. “I was. I taught learning support at a high school in Jersey.”
“You live close?”
I shrug. “About an hour away. I’m living with my brother right now while I help Camden and Paisley out.”
“It’s incredible that you stepped up the way you have.” When I try to wave off the compliment, she taps my wrist for my attention before she signs. “Not everyone would give up their life the way you have.”
I stare at my nearly empty mimosa glass, an orange slice barely clinging to the edge. I didn’t give up much. Besides oncoming depression and my students. Other than that, I didn’t have much else in my one-bedroom apartment. No boyfriend, no pets, not even a plant.
Here, though, I’ve gained so much. I’m happy, and I feel like I can finally see a path for myself in the future, something in special education administration. Making sure every child has their needs met from the top.
“I appreciate you and what you’re doing,” Kate continues. “And I know Lori and Ken would feel the same way.”
I clear my throat of the sudden thickness there, surreptitiously dabbing at the corners of my eyes. “Thank you.”
After a moment, she points to her empty glass and signs, “Do you think it would be okay if I had another mimosa?”
I break out in a big laugh. “Definitely.”
Later, we pile into a limo to take us to the stadium, where we’re met by a woman in a suit, who leads us to a suite only for us, filled with more food, drinks, and a few pieces of signed memorabilia.
Bryson freaks out about the football with the signatures of what looks like the entire Founders team on it.
Hank snaps videos and pictures of everything, including a selfie of him in his Detroit jersey, and when I notice, I volunteer to take it for him, making sure to include as much of the stadium as possible in the background.
“So you’re not a Founders fan, huh?” I tease verbally, handing his phone back.
“Never was, but this might change my mind.” Then he turns to watch the pregame stuff happening on the field, the cheerleaders dancing while the small fife and drum corps plays.
The eagle mascot wearing a colonial military uniform runs around, pumping up the crowd.
On the jumbotron, fans wave and cheer, beer is spilled, and a stomach flashes with Erik’s name painted on it.
Beside me, Hank makes a curious sound. “I didn’t know what to expect with all this. I always thought Camden was…”
“A jerk?” I guess, and he winces.
“I hate to admit it, but yes. I feel bad about that. He’s paying for all of us, being so generous. He didn’t have to fly us all out here. He didn’t have to put us up in a room at the Four Seasons.” He huffs. “I mean… I think my wife likes that hotel room more than she likes our house.”
“I think that has more to do with the housekeeping services than your actual house.”
He puffs up his cheeks, blowing out a breath that turns into a good-humored chuckle. “I don’t know how I can compete with this. Every birthday and anniversary, she’ll think This isn’t as nice as the time Camden Long paid for a weekend away in a four-star hotel.”
“I doubt that, but I’m glad you’re all having a good time.”
“Hey, Dad, catch!”
Hank spins around to catch the football Bryson tosses him, effectively ending our conversation, so I move closer to the window as the team runs out of the tunnel, through a cloud of fog.
Camden really did go above and beyond, and I find him immediately, toward the back of the pack.
He always used to lead in the front, flapping his hands up and down, riling up the crowd, but now he’s more subdued.
Still jumping around, though clearly focused on himself as opposed to the people in the stands.
He does a few lunges, shakes out his arms, then pulls off his helmet, pivoting with one hand on his hip, head up, as if skating his gaze around the stadium. I’m not sure if he knows where we are, but he seems to be looking in this direction, and I lift my hand. Just in case he can see me.
He does, pointing his index finger at me. I grin back before swinging around to Paisley. “Hey, look. Do you see your brother?”
She joins me by the window, waving wildly, and Camden holds up the sign for I love you, which Paisley returns.
Out of the corner of my eye, I notice the camera catches it, and we’re on the jumbotron, Paisley and I.
My smile immediately slips, and I motion for her to sit back down, hoping the attention of the entire stadium is no longer on us.
The camera focuses on Camden then, but he either doesn’t notice or care, his attention on the field.
My attention is on the maroon and gray woven bracelet around his wrist that he idly toys with.
They beat Detroit 42-35.
After the game, Paisley and Ava beg us to let them have a sleepover, which we expected.
I’d already planned to stay at the penthouse, so Ava and Paisley can sleep in her room while I’m right down the hall, and we all hop back in the limo to drop Kate, Hank, and Bryson off at the Four Seasons then head home, where Paisley asks if we can order pizza.
As if they haven’t eaten their faces off all day.
But what Paisley wants, Paisley gets with Camden’s Amex that I’ve now memorized the numbers of.
They settle in the media room with their large pepperoni, garlic knots, two liters of soda, and She’s The Man. By then, Camden arrives, all smiles. “Where is she?”
“Watching a movie with Ava.”
He nods and turns that way while I clean up the mess of gifts, flowers, and bags in the kitchen. A few minutes later, he reappears, hair still wet from a shower, wearing joggers and a hoodie.
“You played well,” I say, trying to find a home for the leftover birthday cake.
But he doesn’t let me stick it in the fridge and plucks the box right out of my hands. “Thanks, and thank you for taking care of everything today.”
I sidle up next to him as he cuts himself a big slice. “It was fun.”
He grabs a fork and scoops a hefty portion of the cake onto it. “You’re wearing your brother’s jersey.”
I pinch at it with a laugh. “Yeah.”
He grunts and then stuffs cake into his mouth.
“Is it a problem to support my brother? Your quarterback?”
He shakes his head, scoops up another piece of cake and then holds it out to me, his hand underneath in case it drops. “Open.”
I mindlessly follow his direction, opening my mouth so he can feed me the cake. It’s as delicious as it was this afternoon, and I lick my lips of the frosting. “This is really good. Where’d you get it from?”
“Same place as the cannoli.” He forks himself a piece of cake. And then one for me.
That’s how we finish the whole slice. One bite for him.
One for me. His eyes on my lips, his hands serving me.
His voice quiet as he asks what we did, interested if Ava’s family enjoyed themselves, wanting to know every detail.
He smiles satisfactorily when I tell him that everyone had fun.
That Bryson said it was the best day ever.
“And I think you’ve won over your sister for the rest of her life. ”
“Yeah?” He wipes his thumb over the corner of my mouth, a smear of pink that he licks off, and my knees go wobbly. “What about you?”
“Have you won me over?” When he nods, I feel myself sinking into him, leaning so far into his space that my hip brushes the knuckles of the hand he has wrapped around the edge of the counter.
His index finger scratches at my maroon jersey with the number 12.
Camden’s number is 88, and I wonder what he would think if I wore it.
If it would make him feel like an electrical current is running through his chest, like it does mine at the mere idea.
If I ever actually put on a jersey with his name and number, I might never want to take it off.
This man I used to hate.
And now can’t seem to stop falling for.
“You won me over today. This one day.”
He saws his teeth over his bottom lip, pressing hard enough that it briefly turns white, and heat pools in my belly, between my legs.
“Take it day by day then, hm? See if I can’t win you over tomorrow?”
He inclines his head, setting down the fork to place his hand on my waist, smoothing it to my back, curling around the hem of the jersey, almost like he wants to rip it off.
I think I would let him if not for the buzzing.
Camden’s eyes close, an audible exhale rushing from his mouth at the interruption that might as well be a bus crashing through here.
I step away, realizing it’s his cell phone when he slides it from his pocket. “It’s Valerie.”
I catch my breath, pressing my hand to my temple, reining in my racing imagination.
He has a girlfriend. One who is currently on the other end of his FaceTime call.
The one I’m obviously on-screen for because instead of a greeting, Valerie snaps, “Why is she there with you again?”