SALT (Summer Nights)

21. Everett

Chapter 21

Everett

" I texted Garrett for drinks to compare notes, and he sent you," I chide as I enter the kitchen and find Colton helping himself to a drink. I can't help but be annoyed. Yesterday, when I invited my brother here for a drink to discuss theories, it was before I let Cameron into my bed. Right now, company is the last thing I want.

"Good to see you too, brother," he mocks as he stirs his vodka and tonic. "The kids were sick, now Garrett is sick. Yet another reason to stay single. No one in my house to pass me their diseases." Pausing to take a drink, he adds, "I'm sure I'm not here to discuss Garrett's health. So what is it you think you know?"

I give him an unimpressed glare as I head toward the refrigerator. He loves to have the upper hand. Being the youngest by over a decade, he's always been super competitive, wanting to top records set by myself and Garrett. This is no different. Some might see it as a character flaw, but I see it as an asset. As important as this conversation is, I'd rather have an empty house.

"Why did Garrett suspect Lauren to begin with?" I ask as I pull out a bottle of water, desperately needing to hydrate after the night I spent with Cameron in my bed. Cognac for breakfast was the last thing I needed, but I had to calm the storm that started raging the second Moira walked into my house unannounced.

"Without knowing whatever it is, you know I'm going to assume the same as you: bad timing. She showed up at the same time Connor's house gets broken into, works at the stadium, which gives her access to you and Cameron, and, to top it off, she's started inserting herself in circles she never belonged to. Why?"

I start rummaging through the fridge for something to put in my stomach when a package of turkey pepperoni catches my attention. My stomach instantly starts to rumble. I hastily pop one into my mouth to quench the hunger pains that have now begun to take root.

"Lauren stopped by unexpectedly a few nights ago. She came with a purpose, which I believe was to deliver Cameron's phone, a detail I didn't find out until the next morning because rather than hand me the phone and take her leave, she wanted to walk down memory lane. Something that seems to be a reoccurring theme every time she's around." I shove another pepperoni into my mouth.

"Hold on, did you say next morning? You let Lauren spend the night?" His eyes widen in disbelief.

"Yes," I answer matter-of-factly. "One, she had too much to drink for me to, in good conscience, allow her to drive home, and two, I was doing my own investigating."

He swirls his drink, seemingly pacified by my response. "How far back did the walk down memory lane go?"

"The better question would be, who are they about." I pause to finish my water.

"Oh hey, Colton," Cameron interrupts with Stormy by her side, now wearing dry clothes. Her eyes briefly flick to mine before landing back on Colton's. "I didn't know you were coming over today. Maybe we should order food since we have a full house."

"I could always eat." He raises his glass toward Stormy. "Who's your friend?"

"Sorry, how rude of me. Stormy, this is Colton, Everett's younger brother." She places her hands on the island. "Stormy is working with me in the team shop for the summer. You might know her aunt, Lauren Rhodes." He raises a brow before taking a long drink of his vodka. His lack of response isn't directed at Cameron. He's in his head, but she doesn't know that. She rolls her lips and reaches to push a strand of hair that isn't there behind her ear. "Well, we're going to head back outside. I'll see what the guys want to order." Her eyes flick to mine disquietly once more before she pulls Stormy out behind her.

"What's going on inside that head of yours?" I ask as soon as the door is closed.

"Two things I'm sure of…" He sets his glass down. "That friendship isn't a coincidence," his eyes lock onto mine. "And… it may not have been true before, but it's true now. You're fucking Salt." I clench my jaw in annoyance. I hate the way he uses the term fucking. I don't know what our future looks like, but she could never be just a fuck. Cameron Salt is anything but disposable. "I don't expect you to argue it. A guilty conscience needs no words." He grips the ledge of the island. "You already know my thoughts, just don't fuck around and hurt her."

My mouth remains shut. He's my brother, and I don't need to give him words. Even if I could, I'm sure saying them out loud would make all of this real, and that's an admission I haven't had a moment to myself to think through.

"Knock, knock. I brought Gioa's Deli," Lauren calls out as the sound of her heels clicking off the hardwood floors draws near.

"Seriously," Colton mutters incredulously as he reclaims his drink.

Lauren rounds the corner with her hands full, and I come to her side to help take the bags off her arms. I may not care to entertain her company, but I'm not rude and am currently very hungry. Plus, with Colton here, I'm sure we'll put our theories to rest by accommodating her antics.

"Perfect timing," I say as I take the paper bag full of salad off her hands. "I'm starving." Setting it down, I gesture toward my brother. "Lauren, you remember Colton, don't you?"

" W hat's your game here? You're sitting poolside while Lauren is, quote un-quote, inside using the restroom, which we both know means she's inside snooping. Meanwhile, you're out here driving yourself mad watching that biker boy over there flirt with Cameron."

I pull my eyes away from the pool ledge where Cameron has been sitting with Stormy for the past hour and give Colton my undivided attention.

"I'm not worried about whatever Lauren may or may not be up to inside. My office is locked, and if, by chance, she were able to get in, I have an alarm on my phone that would send me an alert. There's nothing of importance left for her prying eyes to find. As far as the rest, I'm still trying to piece together a motive. If our suspicions are correct, why now? Why wait all those years? That's why I'm letting all this play out. Something is missing. We have a time frame, and Jenny Busch's wedding puts Lauren in the same place as Damon. Everyone knows Damon married Amelia because he knocked her up and thought it was the right thing to do. He never told me Kelce wasn't his. He was my best fucking friend, and he never said a word. Which leads me to believe it all comes back to Cameron. The timing of when Damon found out about Kelce not being his blood and Cameron being born is crucial." Or at least I think it is. After talking with Cameron about Kelce and what she believed Amelia's truth was, I couldn't help but hear blackmail.

"Wait a minute. Didn't you discuss this with Cameron after I left the last time I was here? What did she say?" I drop his gaze and finish off my drink in answer. "Are you serious right now? I thought when I gave you the news about Kelce, you talked to her about him, about all of it."

"I did." My eyes find her laughing at something Elijah is saying. Her laugh is everything, and I never want to be a reason for its silence. "She doesn't know. She still believes Kelce is her half brother, and I couldn't…" I close my eyes as the memory of Damon's last words refuse to be ignored.

"Did you find it?" I asked when I saw Damon's name flash across my phone.

"Everett," he pants hard. "Everett, I need you to listen to me."

"D, what's going on? What's wrong?"

"Just listen to me. I fucked up, and now I'm answering for that."

I loosened my tie as I searched the room for my keys. I asked him to swing by my home office on his way to the gala to pick up the plaque we were to give out that night for Outstanding Philanthropic Group.

"D, are you at the house? I'll come to you ? —"

"You can't fucking come here. There's no time…" More heavy breathing and spitting came through, and I grabbed the back of a chair. I felt it; something wasn't right. "Promise me, promise me you'll take care of my little girl," his voice cracked, and my heart splintered. My best friend wasn't in the kind of trouble we could fight our way out of, but I couldn't just let it happen.

"D, stop. I'm coming––"

"You can't. It will be too late. I'll be at the bottom of the Mississippi before you get to your car. Take care of her…" My knees hit the floor. This can't be real. I'm not listening to my best friend take his last breaths. "Promise me," he spit with heavy breaths.

"I promise… Of course I will." I tried to keep my voice strong for him. I didn't need him to hear my pain.

"I'm sorry, Everett. I'm so sorry, I wasn't…" The connection started to go in and out, and all I could think was that meant his car was sinking further down. "I need you to protect her. I shouldn't have kept this from you, but I couldn't…" He cut out again. I needed to hang up and call for help, but I didn't want to hang up. How could I hang up? My head was a mess. "You can't let her take my girl. You have to keep her…"

"Who, Damon? I don't understand. Who would take her?"

I never got the answer to that question. Those were the last words Damon ever spoke before his car hit the bottom of the river. The accident made the evening news. A semi-truck jackknifed in front of him, and his speed, coupled with the angle of his swerve, was enough to flip his car over the guard rail as they went over a bridge. To this day, I've never told anyone about that call. It has always been my cross to bear. He chose to call me. It was me he spent his last breaths on, and I've never taken that lightly.

"Cole, I couldn't tell her what I don't know. How am I keeping her safe, protecting her, when I don't know from whom or why? The anniversary of the accident is coming up. It didn't feel like the right time."

"I get that, but you must also realize there will never be a right time."

I clench my fists. "I'm aware, but I'd at least like to have answers… closure."

"You said Lauren mentioned Ramsey the night of the wedding. Maybe you should play a round of golf with the new police chief and see what he remembers."

"Already on it. We're having lunch on Wednesday."

The back door opens, and Lauren walks out with a tray of drinks. Maybe she wasn't inside snooping after all. The night she slept over, I didn't catch her poking around either. I got zero sleep that night as I stayed up worrying about Cameron and watching the security cameras to figure out Lauren's angle.

"After I used the restroom, I took the liberty of making everyone a fresh drink." She hands me an orange drink with a lemon peel on top. "Don't worry, I know you like cognac. They're Remy Martin sidecars." After passing one to Colton, she takes her seat in the chair on the other side of me before asking, "So, Colton, is there a lucky lady waiting for you back in Boston?"

"Nope, I've never seen a reason to tie myself to someone else's drama or give them half of what's mine simply because they warm my bed."

"Wow, I can't tell if you're jaded or cynical."

"Maybe a little of both. Being a lawyer, I see firsthand the shitty nature of humanity." She nods in agreement as she sips her drink but doesn't comment. Leaving me to question her take. "How about you? You're older than me and still single."

Leave it to Colton to read my thoughts.

"Hasn't anyone ever told you you're never to comment on a woman's age?"

"Oh, I wasn't… I mean," he tries to back pedal, and she waves her hand.

"I'm just messing with you. Life experiences have a way of hardening us. Sometimes, we're aware; other times, we wake up forty-six, well past our prime. Mr. Right already warmed our bed more than once, and now he's married to someone else."

"See, that's my point though. You spent all those years doing you. The time when most people are focused on finding the one, settling down, and starting a family, you weren't, and that's because there's more than one way to live this thing called life. We don't have to do it a certain way just because that's the way it's always been done. Society has a way of making women feel like they are not real women if they don't get married and bear children. I don't ascribe to that."

She settles into her chair and sips her drink, her eyes forward on the pool. Technically, she has nowhere else to focus her stare, but I can't help but surmise it's more than just a blank stare. It's fixed on a certain person.

"My spinster advice is this: the world has a way of breaking everyone. There are worse fates than having someone by your side who can help pick up the pieces. As for children, if you have a choice in it…" her eyes flick over to mine, "find your person." Her mouth opens like she has more to say, but then she says nothing.

Colton gives a sideways glance. He tried, but if she is indeed who we believe her to be, she wouldn't easily walk into that trap. When I return my focus to the pool, Cameron is gone. That's when I spot her behind the bar. I don't like the way I left things upstairs. She deserves better than what I can give her, but Cole was right when he said I forfeited my ability to walk away. Now I'm left with figuring out how to be what she needs or showing her that I'm not, but the way her eyes woundedly flick up to mine, I physically can't choose the latter. I don't bother excusing myself. I don't need to explain where I'm going or why.

When I reach the swim-up bar from behind, she doesn't acknowledge my presence. "I thought we were on the same page when we parted upstairs." I didn't nearly say enough, but I also didn't have time on my side.

"I wouldn't say we're on the same page, more like different chapters," she mutters as she tosses a can into the trash.

"What would you have me do right now, Cameron? How can I make this better?"

"Kiss me," she says right before she turns to me like it's just that easy. My eyes soften as my body stiffens. She knows I can't do that, not the way she wants anyway.

"Grab me a beer." Her hand finds her hip, and she looks at me like I've lost my mind, asking her to fetch me a beer after she asked for a kiss. "You asked for a kiss, didn't you?" She furrows her brow but drops to a squatting position all the same, to grab me a beer from the fridge beneath the bar, and when she does, I make my move, crouching beside her before pulling her face to mine. "Different chapters, same book…" My eyes drop to her mouth. "It's a start, right?" I watch her lips say yes before I gently take them in mine. Gentle is the last thing I want to be. I want to crush my mouth to hers, feel her body pressed against mine and feel the peacefulness that holding her in my arms brings, but I don't because I know I won't be able to let go. I pull back and run my thumb over her lip. "Are you sore?"

Her face flushes. "Everett…" she draws out my name as she drops her eyes.

"Just answer me," I say as I pull her chin back to center, forcing her to meet my gaze.

"Yes, but it's the good kind. You didn't hurt me."

"Good. When you see me with her, remember you're sore because I spent hours inside the only person I see. It's you or it's no one."

It's an admission of things I'm not ready to face, but it's real and raw. There won't be anyone after her. As much as the thought of celibacy sucks, I know I wouldn't feel anything with anyone else. It would be meaningless. I'd walk away from it feeling worse.

"Stand up, sunshine." My hands grip her thighs, and I place a kiss on the pubic bone before peering up at her. "Help me empty this house."

E veryone stayed much later than expected. Elijah broke up with Annie recently, and after golfing with Kipp a few weeks ago, I know it hasn't been easy on him, especially living in a small town. He didn't just break up with a girl, he broke up with her whole family, but while it may hurt now, I think, in the long run, it will be worth it for both of them. When it's right, when it's love, it doesn't wear off. Seeing him have a good time with the girls had me stilling my hand and letting the night ride, even if it meant I had to watch the biker boy incessantly hit on Cameron. After watching them together in the pool, I understood how hurt she was seeing me sit beside Lauren. I had to grab my chair several times so that I didn't fly out of it and knock him out just for touching her.

Everyone stayed until it was time to go out to the bars. I was going to call them an Uber when Lauren offered to drop them off, which was perfect. I killed two birds with one stone. Since Lauren drove separately, I no longer needed to think of ways to kick her out. I'd like to say I'm freshly showered, with an empty house, and Cameron all to myself; however, that is not the case. Colton stayed. He had too many drinks and apparently gives zero fucks that he's been hogging Cameron's attention ever since everyone else vacated the premises.

Grabbing my phone off the dresser, I sit on my bed and send off a text before I can talk myself out of it.

Everett: What are you doing?

I click into the security camera app to see where they are while I wait for her reply. When I excused myself to bed, they were sitting in the living room, laughing their asses off about some show I know nothing about.

Cameron: Lying in bed.

My fingers hover over the keypad. I know precisely what I want to say, but if I open this door, there will be no closing it. Fuck it. I'm already fighting demons that came from the consequences of choices I've made. What's a few more?

Everett: Want to come to mine?

Cameron: Is that a serious question?

Everett: I take sleeping very seriously.

Cameron: What if I'm not tired?

Christ. I can't tell you the last time I flirted with a woman. The women I've been with since my divorce have been a different breed. The ones who were my age weren't looking for anything more than a good lay, and anything younger than ten years was going to sit on my dick for a shot at landing a wealthy husband. That's not arrogance. It's just the truth. In the end, both parties were using the other. It's that thought that gives me my next line.

Everett: I could come up with a few ways to help with that.

Cameron: Colton is downstairs.

Everett: Then you better be quiet.

After I hit send, I realize the double meaning in that last text. I wasn't going for sexual, but I'm pretty sure that's exactly how it landed. I meant she needed to be quiet while sneaking into my room. The last thing I want is her quiet in my bed. The door to my room slowly opens, and she steps inside, gently closing it behind her. But then, instead of striding across my room and crawling onto my bed as I expected, it's as if the floor grew roots. Cameron Salt is anything but shy. However, you wouldn't know that looking at her now. She's currently the embodiment of the word.

"Is something wrong?" I ask, setting my phone on the nightstand beside my bed. She rises on her toes before pressing her back to the door and rolling her lips. "You had no problem helping yourself to my covers last night." I try to keep it light, not knowing where her head is. She wouldn't have walked down the hall and let herself in if she didn't want to be in here. I didn't force her hand.

"Last night, you weren't watching me walk to your bed," she answers with a shrug before gesturing between us and adding, "This feels different."

"That's because it is." I nod toward the spot next to me, "Come lay with me so we can see how it feels together."

"Okay," she says as she bites back a tiny smile before it spreads, and she steps off the door.

"Cameron." She pauses as though she's done something wrong. "Lock the door this time."