Chapter 22 Cam
Lissa bit the inside of her cheek. It was subtle, but he’d learned the tell meant she was nervous or had a question.
“Out with it.” He didn’t want her worries to derail their fledgling relationship. Concerns were better in the open so they could be addressed.
“Why would you leave a safe and modern place like this to live in a patched-together room at the back of a mansion I hardly use? You have water, electricity, and appliances. I have nothing.”
“It’s no home without you.” He waved a hand toward the rest of the bunker.
“I just live here. It isn’t special, and I’m alone.
In more than thirty years, you’re the first person with whom I can be myself.
Besides, out there, you thrive, even on your own.
You’re smart and work hard. Think what we could do together.
” He flexed an arm, making her smile. It was too soon to tell her he loved her.
She might bolt. “All this extra muscle.”
“Could I stay next to you tonight and just sleep?” The lonely sound to her voice almost broke him. He hated that he’d contributed to this hurt, this uncertainty.
His hand came to his chest as though his heart ached.
“I’d love that. I’ve dreamt of sleeping with you in my arms.” His voice was husky as emotion seeped through.
“I don’t expect anything. I want to be with you as much as you’re comfortable.
We can take things any speed you like. I just want a chance.
” His gaze dropped to her full red lips.
He couldn’t wait much longer before kissing her.
She stepped forward, and leaned in as if to hug him, when a phone rang. Its jarring ring made her jump back, staring back toward the main room. “You have a working telephone?”
He nodded, reluctant to interrupt their conversation. The phone rang again. “I should get that. I don’t get many calls. It could be the Watch.” He headed for the phone blaring on the kitchen wall. “Calls are just between bunkers and the admin buildings. Not with the outside world.”
He glanced over his shoulder, guessing she’d followed, but she hadn’t. He craned his neck to watch where she went.
She picked up her backpack and set it inside the door to his room.
He felt a tug at his mouth as a grin broke free.
He couldn’t help it. She’d come all this way worried for him, and he’d genuinely missed her.
Perhaps mentioning his plan to return had convinced her to try being more than friends.
They had been great together, even during their brief acquaintance.
He wanted her to feel cherished and accepted more than ever before. Not just since the asteroid.
The phone rang again, another shrill blare of noise.
“Hello,” he said, picking up the receiver.
“Took you long enough to answer,” said his mother.
Her voice shocked him while a nugget of anger about her refusal to speak to him for the last four months rose.
“I wasn’t sure you were there, after all.
I’ve decided to pay you a visit.” Cold and to the point.
No “hi, how are you? I’m glad you made it back.
” Sure as hell no, “sorry I said hateful things.” Same old mother.
Cam clenched his jaw so hard it almost dislocated.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” She must have an ulterior motive.
His eyes tracked Lissa’s movement as she emerged from the hallway and sat on his brown leather couch.
She frowned, sat forward, and shifted twice before relocating to the end so she could lean back.
He wished there were pillows to make it more comfortable.
“I want to meet your houseguest.” Ah, there was his mother’s hidden agenda. Her proposed visit wasn’t about seeing him at all. Though he’d known, her indifference still cut like a blade. It also stoked his anger, a red haze rising, making his chest tight.
“She doesn’t want to meet you.”
“Silly Cameron. Of course she does. I’ll say hi to you too. Don’t be jealous.” His mother’s voice had the fake pleasant sound that set his teeth on edge.
“You had nothing to say when I tried to speak with you months ago. Now, I don’t.
” He mouthed to Lissa. “My mother.” He didn’t want her around Lissa with her nasty, spiteful comments.
Maybe he was being too harsh. One of his brothers had died.
Perhaps his mother had reconsidered her stance about Cam.
“I should have known you’d be spiteful,” said his mother, her words biting. “You’ve always been the type to hold a grudge.”
That was rich. Sadly, she was the same as she’d always been. His brief moment of sympathy for her evaporated.
“If we run into you in public, I’ll introduce you.” He raised an eyebrow toward Lissa as he continued his conversation.
“I’ll keep calling until I get my way. Or I’ll show up when you least expect it. I want to see what sort of feral woman you’ve brought here.” His mother made it sound like Lissa must be dangerous simply because she’d lived outside xTerra’s walls. Some things never changed.
“I’d prefer you don’t visit. If you have something important to discuss, you’ve got me on the line now, or I can come to your place.” He paused, smiling at his mother’s silence. The conversation must not be playing out like she expected.
“You’re sure that’s how you want to play it? You must really like her if you don’t want me near her.” He could hear the sneer. At least his mother understood him well enough to know he’d protect someone important from her.
“Yes, I’m sure. She isn’t interested in meeting you.” He shot Lissa another look.
Lissa shook her head, a wide-eyed look of panic on her face. He didn’t blame her for having no interest in getting to know his mother. She hadn’t been kind in his stories.
From the other end of the line came a barrage of shrill noise.
Cam winced and held the receiver an arm’s length from his ear.
He should get this confrontation over with.
When at last the yelling faded, he said, “Fine. Have it your way. We’ll see you in half an hour.
I’ll give you five minutes and then let’s be done.
” If talking was inevitable, he’d rather deal with it now.
He replaced the receiver and turned to Lissa.
“I’m sorry. My mother and I haven’t spoken since before I met you, despite my repeated attempts when I returned.
Turns out she wants to meet you.” That his mother wasn’t interested in him, just Lissa, made him suspicious.
He had a bad feeling about his mother’s visit. At least it should be brief.
Lissa frowned as she stood. “That doesn’t seem right.” She tilted her head. “Why does she want to meet me?”
He sighed. “I’m not sure, but if I don’t allow her to visit, she’ll corner you somewhere else, I’m sure.
She’s relentless. At least here, we’re together.
” His Lissa didn’t care for strangers or confrontation.
He’d learned that when getting to know her last fall.
He would have spared her this visit, but it was unavoidable.
“I’m sorry too.” Lissa rested her hand on his arm, setting his skin buzzing. “It’s her loss. She doesn’t matter. And the nasty things she says are untrue.”
Cam nodded, feeling a shadow cross his face.
No matter how old he was, his mother’s words hurt.
“How about lunch?” He didn’t wait for an answer, removing ham and jars with mustard and mayo from the fridge, then he unwrapped a loaf of fresh bakery bread he’d picked up on the way home from his last shift.
When Lissa had been in Medical, he’d switched his Watch duty to the towers nearest the main gate while Dave took over at the Outpost. Cam didn’t want to be away from her for too long while she was recuperating.
He placed two white plates on the counter, the dishes clinking on the stone countertop.
“Ham okay? I’ve got lettuce, mayo, and mustard.
Both homemade in our xTerra kitchens for the store, but not bad. ”
Lissa nodded. “Sounds great. I haven’t had ham in years, but no mayo, please.”
He sliced the bread and made the sandwiches, wishing he had fresh tomatoes to add.
The greenhouses grew lettuce year-round, as well as other hardy greens, like kale and spinach, but tomatoes liked more heat.
On his last visit to the greenhouses, there had been green ones on the vines.
They might have a few early ones soon. That mouth-watering thought gave him an idea.
Maybe he’d help Lissa build a greenhouse in the corner of her yard.
Or perhaps in her sheltered, hidden garden across the end.
He frowned. Assuming things went okay with the family at Fort Robinson.
If it became too dangerous to stay there, he and Lissa had options: live here, or find somewhere else.
He leaned toward the latter. He was already sick of xTerra’s confining walls.
Cam filled two glasses of water, cut her sandwich into four triangles, which would be an easy size to pick up with one hand, and set the sandwich plates on the table.
“Thank you.” She gestured at the interior of his bunker.
“xTerra is pretty amazing with running water and electricity in all the homes. Phones too. Are you sure you want to leave? Why would you give up a life of comfort like this?” She sat across from him and took a bite of her sandwich, her amber gaze unflinching.
He watched her eat instead of answering, his sandwich sitting forgotten on the plate. He’d missed this. Missed her. He swallowed as his gaze dropped to her collarbones peeking above the collar of her purple t-shirt.
Lissa took another couple of bites. “You’re watching me eat.”