9. Lizzy
With Milli’s love of books, I had to take her to story hour at Booked at the Beach.
Having worked there for the last few summers, I know the effort Sophie, the owner of the store, takes into creating the experience for children of all ages.
Since it only happens a few times a week, today is the perfect day to start our new summer routine.
As soon as we returned from her swim lesson in Astoria, I quickly grabbed a snack for Milli and loaded her into her stroller. With some brisk walking, we made it just in time to see Sophie start the story.
Today’s book is about a frog princess who lived in a castle by the sea. Sophie had a frog hand puppet dressed as a princess, and she brings the story to life with her fabulous voices for each character.
My heart fills with joy watching Milli roar with laughter at Sophie’s dramatic storytelling. After reading with Milli during my interview, I knew Sophie would have the adorable child beside me eating out of the palm of her hand.
Sophie never disappoints.
Wide-eyed Milli sits beside me the entire time, completely engrossed in everything Sophie says.
She cackles at the humor, gasps with the drama, and tries to warn the princess of danger like the rest of the children when the dark moment comes.
My heart nearly bursts with joy watching Milli cheer on the frog princess when she doesn’t wait for a smelly old prince to save her.
No, this frog princess uses her bravery and courage to save not only herself, but the entire town.
As the story comes to an end, I realize I’m more entertained from watching Milli’s reactions than Sophie’s theatrics. This girl loves her books, and I’m happy I found an activity we’ll both enjoy this summer.
Hopefully, Cameron can make it to story hour because his daughter’s enthusiasm for books is priceless. I’d hate for him to miss something this memorable.
Once the story is done, I stand and offer, “Want to look around the store before we leave?”
“Uh-huh.” Milli nods quickly and darts in the direction of the children’s books.
Before I can say anything, she gasps, “Look, that’s the story!” when she spots the exact book Sophie read to us. “We get it for our house?”
I’d already planned on letting her pick out one book today.
Who goes to a bookstore and doesn’t come home with at least one?
“Are you sure this is the one you want? There’s a lot of other ones we can choose from,” I counter, letting her know she has options.
“No. I want this one. I llooovvee Princess Thea!” The smile she beams my way as she hugs the book against her chest is the spitting image of her father.
“So do I, Mills. Let’s go pay for this, then go home for lunch.”
Milli hugs the book and bounces from foot to foot as we wait in line to pay.
This girl loves reading. Who am I to get in the way? It’s one obsession I can get behind. Most of my books are electronic now, and now that school’s out for the summer, I hope to get plenty of reading in myself.
As we exit the store, I ask, “Do you want to walk or ride in the stroller?”
Placing the book in the basket beneath her seat, she proudly states, “I walk.”
“Hold onto the handle and help me push then,” I suggest so she won’t get separated on this busy street. Tourists are out in full swing, even for a weekday.
The moment her chubby little hand grasps the stroller, I ask, “What sounds good for lunch?”
“Grilled cheese?”
“I think I can do that. Hold on tight; we’re about to cross the street,” I warn as we approach a light.
As soon as we cross, Milli shouts, “Daddy! Look, there’s Daddy!”
Chills run down my spine, as my eyes follow the direction she’s pointing. Sure enough, the man sitting at an outside table at the next restaurant is indeed Cameron.
Reaching for her hand so she won’t run ahead, I notice he’s alone. Hopefully, we’re not interrupting anything important. He mentioned something about meetings today.
Milli’s energy is palpable, and I swear it ricochets through me just as much. Tugging on my hand, she can barely contain her excitement. As if I’m not getting the message, she shouts, “Daddy! Daddy! Let’s go see Daddy!”
Her shouting gets his attention, and he darts his eyes around to find her. The moment Cameron spots Milli, his eyes widen, matching her energy. Standing quickly, he closes the distance between us and scoops her into his arms. “Hey, Mills. Fancy meeting you here!”
Pointing at her stroller, she squeals, “Look, Daddy. I got a new book!”
“A new book? I don’t think we have any of those at our house. What are books?”
Her brows adorably pull together, and her lips purse. “Daddy! We have lots of them!”
“But do you think we really need one more?”
Rolling her eyes as if it’s the most ridiculous thing she’s ever heard, she says, “Uh… yeah. This one is about a frog princess who’s strong and brave and saves the day! We heard the bestest story! You missed it!”
“I did, did I? You’ll have to tell me all about it,” Cameron asks as he looks toward me. “Have you eaten?”
“She had a snack earlier, but we’re on our way home for lunch.”
“I just sat down. Care to join me?”
“Grilled cheese?” Milli asks hopeful, looking between us.
“I’m not sure it’s on the menu, but we’ll find something. I think I saw some chicken nuggets. I know you like those if grilled cheese isn’t an option.”
To me, Cameron asks, “Are you okay with lunch?”
Knowing his time with his daughter is limited, I offer, “Are you sure you don’t want it to just be the two of you?”
“And what are you going to do? Sit in the corner and watch us eat? I don’t think so. There’s plenty of room, and I’ve only just ordered.”
“I’ll never pass up a meal from Hop’s.” I grin widely and follow him to his table.
Once I’m seated, I state, “Fun fact… did you know this is where Jax Cartwright got his start?”
A low chortle escapes as Cameron’s head shakes. “Nope. I knew Sloane found him locally but had no idea where.”
“Yep, my oldest sister Lanie worked here that summer… so Sloane pulled some strings with Joe, the owner, to get him some stage time before the competition.”
Before he can say anything further, I lean in and pretend to cover one side of my mouth conspiratorially, “Don’t let Joe know you know anything about Jax…
or Ruby Frax for that matter. I’m not sure if he’s working, but we’ll never hear the end of it.
He’s pretty proud he “Found” Jax …” Yes, I use air quotes to punctuate my point before adding, “You and I both know… Jax’s road to his musical success was all Sloane’s doing. ”
With his voice full of wonder, Cameron states, “Could our worlds get any smaller? I swear it’s a wonder our paths never crossed before they did.”
“No kidding.” I laugh.
Before I can add anything further, the waitress comes. She offers Milli some crayons and a kid’s menu to draw on. When Milli finds she can indeed get a grilled cheese sandwich, she squeals with delight, “I llloooovvve grilled cheese! Thank you.”
Once the waitress finishes with our orders, she dashes off to her next customer.
Needing to fill the silence before things get awkward, I say the first thing on my mind. “Milli’s got eyes like a hawk. I’m not sure I would’ve seen you had she not pointed you out.”
“She notices everything. Trust me. Not much gets past her. I think it’s all those times we play I spy in the car.”
“We played that and the alphabet game when we rode with Nana… She loved road trips.”
“I only have one. I can’t imagine trying to entertain four girls at once. Your nana must’ve been a saint. Did you travel often?”
“Every summer, we went on at least one trip. Her goal was to drive in every state around the US. It didn’t faze her one bit, to hop in a car full of kids and drive.
Once my sisters went off to college, Nana and I flew to a random destination and would road trip from there during my spring break.
I think it helped my parents because Mom worked long hours as a nurse and well… Dad was busy being a pilot.”
The waitress returns with our food, and the next few minutes is filled with silence as we enjoy our meal.
Eventually, Cameron stops eating and leans his corded arms on the table and lifts a brow. “So… Did she make it to all fifty states?”
“Technically…” I draw out for suspense. “She’s been in all fifty states.”
His thick brows pinch together. “Technically?”
“Well, my dad likes to tease she never really drove in Alaska. She was there on a cruise. It was an inside joke between them.”
“Did you inherit her love of traveling?”
“The teenager in me would say, there’s a reason some states are fly-over states . But honestly, I wouldn’t trade my time with Nana for the world. She always had a way of making things memorable.”
“Have you traveled much outside of the States?”
“Does visiting my dad while he was stationed overseas count?”
This earns me a sexy smirk. If the situation were different, I’d kiss that expression right off this gorgeous man’s face. “Yes… I suppose it does.”
Shit, where did that come from?
Milli, focus on Milli.
Forcing myself to flip the script, I ask, “What about you? Have you traveled much?”
Exhaling heavily, he leans back in his chair and studies me.
“When I was younger, yes. I got my start at Smashing Waves Records much like Sloane. I toured all over the country, promoting various bands. I also spent a lot of time overseas. I love seeing new places. It was invigorating waking up in different countries all over the world.”
“So… what changed? How did you end up in Seaside?”
Looking at his daughter, he explains it with one word, “Emilia.”
Duh… I should’ve known this. Why the hell did you ask him that?
He mistakes my silence as judgement.
“Emilia is hands down the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I know my time with her is precious, so when she came along, I took the more stable route and focused on working my way up at the label.”
I’m dying to ask about her mom but think better of it, especially in front of Milli. That’s a conversation for another day.
Quickly changing the subject, I ask, “Speaking of work, how did you manage to be here of all places today? I thought you were booked with meetings.”
That devilish smirk that melts my panties with one glance returns. “A man’s gotta eat…” With the way his eyes roam over me, I could swear he’s talking about something else entirely.
My body flushes with heat in reaction to his smoldering navy blues being sent my way. Millions of thoughts swirl through my brain like a hurricane, and none of them are appropriate—especially with his daughter right here, obliviously coloring beside me.
This man is dangerous.
Leaning in like I did, before he cups his hand on one side of his mouth, he admits, “Fun fact… I actually went home for lunch, but you weren’t there.”
Snap.
Just like that, he breaks the sexual tension that had been building between us.
“Seriously? Why didn’t you call?”
An impish expression flits across his features, and he looks to his hands for the briefest of moments.
“I uh…” He darts his eyes to his daughter and back to me before adding, “Guess… I… didn’t want you to think I didn’t trust you.
It’s hard enough being away from her, but I knew you needed to form your own bond together and didn’t want to interrupt. ”
“That’s…” Ridiculous… sweet? I love that he thought of me, but this summer isn’t about me, it’s about Milli.
What the hell do I even say?
“Well… that just won’t do. You said your hours are going to get crazier as it gets closer to the festival. If you’re free during the day, you’re welcome to join us on any excursion I might have planned.”
“Good to know…” He nods, then squeezes an eye shut. “But sometimes I won’t have a lot of notice if a meeting is canceled and who knows where you’ll be in town.”
“Are you such an old man that you forget technology exists?”
The hard lines of his jaw drop open in shock. “Wha…”
But I cut him off, and it’s my turn to smirk. “Uh, there’s an app for this… Grandpa .”
“He’s my daddy , not a Papa, Iz!” Milli admonishes me, and we both burst out laughing.
“You’re right, Mills. I may be old , but I’m certainly not that old. I think I may have heard a thing or two about a tracking app.”
This only makes me laugh harder.
When I finally get myself under control, I reach for my phone, quickly open my locked screen, and tap out a text with a link to share my location.
“There. Now you’ll never have to wonder where we are,” I state matter-of-factly. “I can’t believe I didn’t think of it earlier. I should’ve offered it this morning.”
Our eyes lock, and he holds my gaze for the longest of moments.
His eyes darken, and my body heats.
And just like that, the tension between us is back.
His darts his tongue out to wet his lips as a slow grin forms.
“Thanks. Now, I’ll never have the excuse of not knowing where you are.”
Oh, boy, this man is dangerous.