ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝟜𝟞
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I guess all those missed dates and arguments with Cameron were worth it in the end.
Judge Johnson and I had been putting piece by piece together, and it was obvious to say, Justin Deyes was completely innocent. The one that had framed him was his landlord, James Weller.
We would go to see him in the prison again once we finalized all the emails, and details.
Then, we would go back to court.
And finally, after all that, I would maybe get my job back. If I could show Ted what he was missing.
The waiter came around my table, with an annoyed expression on his face.
"Ma'am, you're going to have to order soon. You're holding up this table."
I thought coffee shops were supposed to be calming.
I certainly wasn't feeling calm. Every 15 minutes the same waiter came by asking if I had decided what I'd be ordering.
I mean, was the computer in front of me and papers surrounded on the table not enough to tell that I was working?
"I'm working."
"I understand that, ma'am, but you've been working for almost two hours."
I looked around the coffee shop. There were at least seven free, empty tables.
And he decided to disturb mine.
"Are you running out of tables?"
"Uh, no."
"Then I don't understand the urgency."
He stared at me, but I stared back. Neither of us said anything.
Finally, he sighed. "I'll give you another ten minutes."
"Thank you."
He walked away.
Ten minutes.
I guess I was on a countdown now.
I looked back at my laptop. James Weller's name sat at the top of the document. I clicked into another email and read it for the third time.
There were still a few things that didn't make sense.
There was a strange pattern in the emails between Weller and one of the witnesses. Nothing obvious. Nothing that would immediately scream conspiracy.
I leaned forward, resting my chin against my hand.
"Come on."
I scrolled farther down as I leaned back in my chair.
Perhaps this was worth everything. The exhaustion, late nights..Even the fact that I'd somehow managed to lose my office in the process.
All of it would eventually mean something.
My phone buzzed. I glanced down. My phone vibrated again.
Cameron.
"Hello?"
There was a brief pause before I heard his uneven breathing. A little more breathless than usual.
"Dixie? Hi, Dix."
My eyebrows pulled together. "Cam?"
"Yeah."
t I could hear something in the background.
Voices, and a radio. Someone talking way too fast.
"Where are you?" I asked.
"At the station."
"Okay, so..."
He breathed out slowly. "I got a little banged up."
"What?" I froze.
"It's nothing serious, I'm okay."
"You just said you got banged up."
"I did."
"What happened?"
"I was on a fire call. A pretty serious one."
His voice remained strangely calm despite all of this. I could almost picture him trying to make it sound less frightening than it was.
"Are you hurt?"
"Uh, I..."
"Are you hurt, Cameron." I interrupt.
"Yes." The word came quietly.
My hand tightened around the phone.
"So how bad is it?"
"Not too bad."
"That doesn't answer my question."
He exhaled. "I got a burn. On my side."
My chair scraped against the floor as I stood. "Where are you right now?"
"At the station, I said that."
"Did you see a doctor?"
"They looked at it, said I'm fine."
I grabbed my purse from the chair. "I'm coming."
"You don't have to."
"Yes, I do," I shoved my laptop into its case. "I'll be there."
"Seriously, you don't need to-"
"I said I'm coming."
His voice softened slightly. "Okay just drive carefully, alright?"
My heart squeezed. "I will. Hey, Cam?"
"Yeah?"
"Are you really okay?"
He was quiet for a moment. "I'm okay."
I didn't believe him, but right now, I didn't have time to argue.
"I'll be there."
"Alright."
The call ended. I stared at my phone.
For a second, I couldn't move.
I shoved my papers into my bag, and grabbed my keys. My chair nearly tipped backward when I stood too quickly.
The waiter appeared from nowhere. "Ma'am, your table-"
"I have to go." I told him.
"But you haven't ordered anything."
"Yeah. I know."
"So then why did you sit here for two hours?" He looked offended.
I stared at him.
Like he should be the one getting all frustrated.
"My husband got hurt."
His expression immediately changed. "Oh."
"Yeah."
"I hope he's okay."
"Cool. Great. Goodbye." I didn't wait for anything else.
I hurried toward the exit, the cool air slapping my face the second I stepped outside.
One thing I hated Minnesota for was its awful weather conditions. Especially during the cold winter.
My heart was beating too quickly.
A burn. He said it was a burn. It was a minor one though, nothing serious.
He was fine. Cameron always said he was fine.
That thought made my stomach twist.
I unlocked my car and threw my bag into the passenger seat. My hands were shaking slightly as I got behind the wheel.
He's okay. I repeated it silently.
He's okay.
I started the engine.
~
My fingers tightened around the steering wheel.
A burn!
He'd been in a serious fire and had gotten burned.
How serious was serious? That was the problem with Cameron. He could probably lose an entire limb and still tell me it was "a little inconvenient."
I could practically hear his charming voice say, "Dix, I'm fine."
He'd probably smile too- a stupid, reassuring smile.
I hated that smile sometimes, but I loved it too.
I barely remembered putting the car in park before I was out. The familiar red trucks sat outside, polished and massive beneath the afternoon sun.
A couple firefighters were walking toward the building.
One of them glanced at me before taking a double take.
I ignored it. I didn't care who saw me. I just really needed Cameron right now.
I pushed through the doors.
The station smelled like a big ball of smoke. How do firefighters work in these conditions?
A radio crackled somewhere nearby. I saw people were talking.
Everything looked normal.
My eyes moved quickly around the room. No Cameron.
I stepped farther inside.
"Hey." I said.
Brody was standing near one of the tables. He looked pretty tired, but otherwise completely fine.
His eyes widened when he saw me. "Dixie?"
"Hi, Brody. Congrats on the wedding."
Hunter appeared behind him almost immediately. "Well, damn."
I had known the both of them ever since Cameron and I had gotten married. They were basically stuck to him, like annoying little siblings but 10 times worse.
I guess Cameron was just too sweet to notice.
I looked between them. "Uh, hi."
"Look who decided to visit." Brody grinned.
"I need to see Cameron."
The smile on Brody's face disappeared slightly. "Cam Wam?"
"Yes, Cam Wam." I rolled my eyes at the dumb nickname.
Hunter leaned against the table. "What happened?"
"He called me and said he got hurt."
Hunter's eyebrows rose. "Oh yeah, he got blown pretty bad. He actually called you?"
"Yes." I frowned.
"Wow." Hunter whistled.
"What's going on?" I ask.
Brody looked at him. "Dude!"
"What?"
"I...nothing."
Hunter shrugged before whispering to Brody: "I just didn't know he was still doing the husband thing."
My stomach dropped slightly. I tried not to show it with my face.
"What does that mean?"
Hunter looked at Brody, Brody gave him a warning look but Hunter ignored it. "I thought you two were basically separated."
"We're not." I said quickly.
Had Cameron been talking about me to his work buddies?
I hoped not.
Hunter almost laughed. "Right."
I stared at him. "What?"
"Nothing."
"Then where is Cameron?"
"He's around."
"Where?"
Brody crossed his arms. "Probably in the back."
Hunter laughed. "Brody doesn't know either."
"Then you tell her." Brody turned toward him.
"I would, but I don't know either."
I exhaled sharply. Gosh, were they annoying. I wondered how Cam had managed to work around them every other day.
"Can one of you please just tell me where my husband is?"
They both went quiet, then Hunter smiled.
"He's still your husband?"
My jaw tightened. "Yes."
"Okay," He lifted both hands. "Just asking."
Brody rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm pretty sure he's in the equipment area."
"Thank you." I started walking.
"Hey, Dixie." Then Hunter called after me.
"Yes?" I turned.
He hesitated before grinning. "Don't freak out."
"Why would I freak out?"
Hunter looked at Brody, and Brody looked at Hunter. That was the exact moment I knew I was about to hear something I didn't want to hear.
Hunter scratched his jaw. "Cam's been talking to Rachel a lot lately."
"Rachel? The one that came to Brody's wedding?"
"That's the one." Hunter said.
Brody immediately stepped in. "He's not saying anything happened."
"I'm just saying they talk." Hunter nodded.
"A lot," Brody added.
I stared at both of them. "About what?"
"Normal stuff. Work. Life. Whatever." Hunter shrugged.
Brody nodded. "Rachel's been around a lot."
I forced myself to breathe. Of course she had.
Why wouldn't she be? Rachel was probably nice. She seemed easy to talk to that day. Cameron liked easy people.
She probably didn't argue with Cameron, or make everything extremely complicated. I bet she also probably didn't disappear when he needed her.
I hated where my mind was going.
This wasn't the time.
Cameron was hurt, and that was what mattered. Not Rachel, or anything else.
"Are they friends?"
Hunter laughed. "Yeah."
"Pretty good friends." Brody smiled.
Something hot crawled up my neck but I kept my expression neutral. "Okay."
Hunter glanced at Brody. "What?"
Brody shook his head.
Hunter laughed again. "I'm just saying, if I didn't know better, I'd think those two would make a damn good couple."
Brody burst out laughing. "You're a fucking idiot. You really don't know when to stop."
"I'm not wrong, am I?"
I looked at them. Neither seemed to realize what they'd just done.
Hunter shrugged before turning to me. "Look, I'm not trying to start anything."
"You already did." I mutter.
He went quiet.