CHAPTER Thirty Four
When Janelle left the lake, she had no plan.
All she wanted to do was escape from the person who nearly killed her and the place with so many troubling memories.
As more time went by, Janelle’s guilt for betraying Ross and bringing a dangerous killer into their lives intensified, and these thoughts kept her from moving on with her life.
Hopping from place to place without any emotional attachment to anyone or anything, Janelle was floundering.
And her biggest problem was still out there.
She couldn’t get past the fact that Shane Simpson could come out of nowhere and terrorize her again.
This time, she might not be so lucky. He might kill her.
The more Janelle thought about it, the more she realized she could not run from her problems. She knew Ross and Camille were still very much involved in finding Shane, and as strange as it seemed, she thought she would feel safer being closer to them.
That way, she would at least know what was going on and not feel so lonely and vulnerable out on her own.
With ample time to think, Janelle pondered her life so far, and she realized that she was no good alone. She needed people. And even though she and Ross would never have the relationship they once had, she needed him. She longed for someone who understood her, and she knew Ross was the only one.
Even though she thought about it many times, Janelle had not contacted Ross since leaving the lake, and even now, she hesitated.
But this was a matter of survival. She could not keep going down this lonely road filled with guilt and depression.
She needed to be with someone. She needed to be with Ross.
At first, Janelle worried that her attachment to Ross would be misunderstood by both him and Camille.
She had no romantic feelings left for him.
When she truly examined their relationship, the reasons she had strayed remained.
She didn’t want him. He made her feel safe, and he was familiar.
In this time of loneliness and fear, he was the only person she had, and her need to gravitate toward him got stronger.
Even so, Janelle worried that contacting Ross would make waves with Camille. But she had waited long enough. It was time to think about herself and seek the solace and safety she needed, so she pulled out her phone and texted Ross for the first time since they’d parted at the Lake of the Ozarks.
When Ross got the text, he was relieved to hear from her.
Lately, his fears about Shane Simpson had intensified, and hearing from Janelle eased his mind.
But when she asked to move closer to him and Camille, Ross was leery.
His life with Camille was still intertwined with the whole ordeal with Simpson, and they had not really been able to move forward with a normal relationship.
Somehow, he worried that having Janelle around would complicate things, and if it caused problems with Camille, he could not tolerate such heartache and stress.
Additionally, his vindictive side momentarily told him that she had caused her own problem.
She had strayed, and now they were all paying the price.
But Ross was not one to stay jaded. Most of all, he wanted Janelle to be safe.
So, after working it through in his head, Ross thought that having her closer sounded like a good idea.
He just didn’t know how he would explain all of this to Camille.
But he was going to have to figure something out because Camille caught a glance of his phone screen and was instantly curious.
“Is that Janelle?”
“Yeah,” Ross began nervously. “I haven’t heard from her since she left, and now she’s reaching out.”
“Is she okay? What does she want?”
Ross hesitated just long enough for Camille to get a bad vibe.
“She wants to move closer to us. She’s scared and has no one,” Ross explained.
Camille felt as if all of her breath had been sucked out of her lungs.
She didn’t know why she felt this way. She thought she had gotten over her insecurities regarding Janelle.
But jealous insecurities aside, she knew that if she were out there alone somewhere, enduring this mess, she would do the same thing.
She really couldn’t blame Janelle for wanting to be with people she knew and who understood her situation.
And then Camille made a weird connection.
“Isn’t it kind of strange that we ran into Ike today, and Janelle texted you, too? I mean, we hadn’t heard from either one in quite some time, and now we hear from both on the same day.”
“True,” Ross replied.
“So, what do you think about her coming here?” Camille asked. “Awkward, for sure, but I guess for her safety and peace of mind, it’s the right move.”
“Well, Ike is already here,” Camille said with a smile. “Might as well.”
Ross was relieved that Camille was so understanding. She was truly one of a kind, and he often wondered how he’d gotten so lucky.
“You’re amazing!” he said, kissing her unexpectedly.
“How am I so amazing?” Camille questioned with her nose wrinkled up in that cute, little way Ross loved.
“You just are. In so many ways, and I love you for it!”
They had been enjoying their last minutes at the boathouse before walking up to work their afternoon shift, and suddenly neither one had work on their minds. Ross moved in and wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her to him with a gentle but tight tug.
“How awful would it be if we were a little late for our shift?” he asked, flashing that heart-melting smile.
Camille wanted to be naughty, but she also knew they would need Friday off for Shane’s takedown, so she had to be the voice of reason.
“I’d love to, I really would,” she said. “But I don’t want to put my folks in a bind, especially since we already have to ask for Friday off.” Ross knew she was right.
“Besides, today is just happy hour. We’re off at six, and that leaves plenty of time to finish this,” she said, giving Ross a sultry kiss with enough steam to get him to the end of their shift.
When the kiss ended, Ross looked into her gorgeous eyes and made a promise that made her knees weak.
“Don’t wear yourself out working. You’re going to need your strength. I have nothing to do back there washing dishes but think of ways to drive you crazy, Ms. Hargrove.”
Camille felt a familiar pressure, and she knew Ross saw her thighs clinching.
“What’s wrong, Camille?” His eyes had a sexy, naughty glow, and putting him off was a true measure of her strength.
“You know exactly how to light me up, Ross Paine. But your timing sucks.”
“Well, I disagree, Camille. I think my timing is perfect. This way, you have the entire shift to ponder the possibilities as well.” Ross’s voice was that raspy, sexy tone she loved.
He slowly leaned in with his face next to hers.
His warm breath gave her goosebumps before he even said another word, and she wished that they could escape their responsibilities and make love all afternoon.
And Camille was even more torn when Ross hit her with one final, surprising and sexy comment.
“Waiting all afternoon to quench that thirst. My, my … just think how wet you’ll be.”