Chapter 25 #3
Cami made it to the hallway without attracting any attention, then skittered back to Lenny’s room, ginger ale and chocolate clutched in her hands. When she reached the cusp of the doorway, though, she stopped, turning to lean against the painted stone blocks of the wall.
She ached like she’d been punched in the gut, all the wind knocked out of her lungs.
Part of her raged for that poor boy. He’d been so comfortable with his sisters, and had gone so eagerly to see his ailing dad, but all three of them were lying to him.
Actively keeping from him knowledge that would change his life, probably the way he viewed his father.
Cami had never known her father. It was possible she had long lost siblings out there.
Not likely, sure, but possible. If one of them turned up, she couldn’t imagine how she’d feel.
Still, that woman’s voice echoed in her head: Who would be upset about gaining family?
Cami Sutherland, apparently.
Lenny hadn’t meant to hurt her. She couldn’t prove that, but as much as Lenny’s lies crushed her, Cami didn’t feel the malice in them the way she had with Uncle Archie.
Lenny hadn’t been forthcoming, but she supposed she could see why.
If she thought about it, as much as she didn’t want to.
Some girl shows up on her doorstep looking for her dead son, with nothing to her name but a backpack full of dirty clothes.
Cami could understand being hesitant about that.
Wanting to feel things out, make sure everything was on the up and up.
After all, Cami shared as much DNA with Archie as she did with Lenny herself.
She could have been a con artist or a junkie looking for cash.
Lenny had allowed it to go on for too long, that much was certain. But it was easy for that to happen, to let lies spiral away from you until you thought you might never have to deal with them.
Like with Des and his real job.
“Shit,” Cami breathed.
As she entered Lenny’s room, the old woman’s gaze tracked Cami’s movements until she came to a halt next to the bed. Lenny reached for the chocolate bar immediately, with a “Kiddo, you sure know how to treat the sickies.”
“You’re not sick. Just a little busted up.”
Lenny shrugged, but winced in pain before the motion was even completed.
Cami’s spine shot straight. “Should I get a nurse? Do you need more meds?”
Lenny smiled tightly. “I’m not one to say no to morphine, but I’m all right.”
Cami got the impression Lenny was avoiding her eyes, struggling more with opening the chocolate bar than she would have otherwise. Lenny had never avoided looking at her before, and Cami couldn’t help the pang of guilt that tightened in her gut.
“Listen,” Cami said.
“I’m going to sell the store,” Lenny blurted.
Cami’s mouth clapped slut, her teeth clicking audibly.
“Or the storefront, anyway. And not because Des is manipulating me, or whatever it is you think he was doing. I’ve been thinking about it for a while, and he’s made some good points.” The older woman inhaled deeply, then gestured at her legs. “I’m not as young as I used to be.”
Cami took a long, slow breath to steady herself. “Did you decide to do this because I was leaving?” The store had been Lenny’s dream. She would never forgive herself if she gave it all up because of Cami’s hasty and melodramatic actions.
“No.” Lenny’s response was sturdy and resolute. “I’ve been considering it for a while. The offer Des is brokering is more than generous, and I’m the last holdout in the plaza.”
“What will you do after?” Cami asked carefully.
“I’m not sure. I could look into selling online only, I guess.
It would be cheaper just to rent a warehouse to ship out of than the mortgage on the store.
But you know, I’m not great with computers.
” For a moment, Lenny looked like she was going to shrug again, but she seemed to remember how well that had gone last time and thought better of it.
Cami considered this for a moment while Lenny, still valiantly avoiding her gaze, peeled the wrapping off the chocolate bar and broke a piece off to shove in her mouth.
Finally, she said, “I could...help with that.”
Only then did Lenny look up. “Meaning?”
“I could finish the website for you. Keep it going.” Through the haze of awkwardness in her mind, visions of the site design and the store coding began to spring up.
It would be a lot of work, but it was definitely something she could handle, especially if she wasn’t working at the store any longer.
Especially for family.
Lenny’s brow furrowed. “You would do that?” she asked, her voice taut.
Cami nodded.
For a moment, Lenny was silent. Then she deflated a little and turned her gaze to the chocolate bar in her fingers. “I guess you could do that from anywhere. You wouldn’t have to be in Santa Monica.”
“I could stay.” Cami’s heart thumped in her chest. “I mean, if you’re selling the storefront, I’d have to find somewhere else to live, but...”
“We could work it out, sweetie.” Lenny reached across the bars along the side of the bed and clasped Cami’s hand. “If you’re sure that’s what you want. Don’t do it because you feel guilty I’m in this bed. I won’t have you resenting me for holding you back.”
“I would never.”
“I’m sorry for everything, Camille, darling. I should have been honest with you from the start.”
“I’m sorry, too.” She captured Lenny’s hand and squeezed it between her palms. “I felt betrayed, and I handled it badly. I know you didn’t mean to hurt me, and I understand why you kept the truth from me, at least at first.” Cami swallowed against the lump that was rapidly forming in her throat. “You’re the only family I have.”
“I know, kiddo.” Lenny pulled her into a hug, and despite the awkward angle, the IV tubes, and hospital bed rails poking her in the ribs, it was easily the best hug Cami had had in years.
“But you’re the only family I need.” Just as Lenny’s grip on her started to relax and Cami began to pull away, Lenny added, “There is one more thing I need to tell you, though.”
Cami felt a rush of panic, but it washed away quickly; there wasn’t much Lenny could tell her at this point that would be worse than what she’d already found out on her own. She took a deep, preparatory breath. “Hit me.”
“You don’t have a scholarship, hon. I’ve been paying for your schooling.” Lenny winced as though expecting hard backlash.
Cami frowned. “But—” Now that she thought about it, she’d never received any paperwork from the scholarship committee.
It had been the school administration that had informed her everything was taken care of, and they’d said it was a scholarship based on financial need and merit, but that was all the information they’d ever given her.
She’d never thought to ask for more information.
“Why would you do that? When I enrolled, you barely even knew me.”
“When we first met, I wasn’t ready to tell you about your daddy.
It’s—” Lenny’s mouth tightened, her brow furrowed as she took a moment to formulate her words.
“Losing him was the worst thing that ever happened to me, Cami. We didn’t know about you, and when you showed up out of the blue, I didn’t know how to handle it.
It took me a long while to get my thoughts together, then I kept putting it off, and eventually, so much time had passed.
.. I know. I should have told you who you were to me, but telling you about that would mean talking about a lot of things that are still painful.
So I guess you can blame my lying on a desperate need for grief therapy.
” She snorted mirthlessly. “Paying for school was my way of helping from behind the scenes. And the money I used for it… Well, as you know, he was military. If he’d known about you, you would have qualified for survivor benefits after he’d passed, and that’s to say nothin’ of the child support he would have paid.
He would have put you through school if he could have, Cami.
I wanted to do right by him. And by you. ”
Lenny’s voice had grown thick with emotion. Cami caught Lenny’s hand for a squeeze. “I appreciate it. I wish…I wish I could have known him.”
“Me too, kiddo.” Lenny blinked rapidly, huffed out a breath as though shaking off her emotions, then said, “Now about our little family. You feel like adding Desmond to the mix? We could use a little fresh blood.”
Cami rolled her eyes, lifting a finger to brush away a few stray tears. “That’s unlikely. He was only with me because he wanted the store. Now that he’s got it, he has no reason to see me ever again.”
“Oh, Cami, don’t be dim,” Lenny blurted. She waved one hand dismissively. “That boy’s totally gone on you. Besides, he never mentioned buying the store to you, did he?”
“Well, no, but—”
“He never mentioned you or your relationship when he was talking about the deal. He wasn’t using it to pressure me. And if he wasn’t honest with you about his job, how could he have been using you to further it?”
“He did lie, though.”
“He did.” Lenny conceded with a nod, but her voice was too matter-of-fact for her to be sympathetic. “And if it means he loses you, I’m sure he’ll go to the grave regretting it, especially since this will be his last assignment.”
Cami’s irritation doused as she absorbed these words. “What do you mean, his last assignment?”
“He’s going back to med school. He told me before you got here. I like to think watching me get mowed down like grass gave him an epiphany.”
Cami wasn’t sure which part of this stunned her most—that Des was pulling the trigger on med school so soon, or that he and Lenny were apparently close enough that they talked about their career aspirations.
“He’s going to stay on as a silent partner in the company, but let his business partner handle the day-to-day. ”
“He didn’t tell me,” she exhaled.
”Well, he does think you hate him.”
Cami’s throat squeezed as she remembered the expression on his face when she’d seen him in the hall. How resigned and heartbroken he’d looked. “I miss him.”
“Then forgive him!” Lenny looked about to throw her hands in the air, but seemed to think better of jerking around the IV tubes.
“For Pete’s sake, you’re both making this far too complicated.
He lied. He’s sorry. It’s not the end of the world, dear.
You both seem so determined to be unhappy. It’s honestly mind-blowing.”
For several long moments, Cami was quiet, and Lenny settled back against the pillow supporting her neck.
As much as Cami loathed to give her that much credit, Lenny was right.
Des had apologized, and done his best to explain himself while Cami spit accusations at him.
He hadn’t tried to defend his actions as justified.
And he’d been hurt too; his reluctance to let anyone get close to him was just as valid as hers, just as understandable.
If she couldn’t forgive him for this one mistake, how could she say she’d even tried to let him in?
“I need to go,” she said finally.
“Yes, I believe you do.” Lenny sounded a bit too self-satisfied for someone who’d just been run over.
“Will you be okay here alone? I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“I’ll be fine. Go, please.” Lenny waved a dismissive hand through the stale hospital air. “Your angst is stressing me out.”
Cami shoved the ginger ale she’d been clutching onto the nightstand next to the hospital bed and headed to the door, doing her best not to move too quickly so it didn’t seem like she was trying to escape.
“And don’t come back without my goddamn dog!”