Chapter 5 #2
‘So now we just wait,’ Izzi said as she shut the door of the oven, and Cameron saw the two round pans glistening under the glare of the cooker lights.
He took in a deep breath and absorbed the gorgeous chocolatey scent.
He’d been trying hard to maintain control of his sweet tooth recently but realised that might be about to change.
He’d enjoyed watching Izzi make her way around his kitchen.
Admired how efficient she was. Making and serving their carbonara in the cosy glow of the lamplight.
The food had been mouth-wateringly good, then she’d turned her hand to the dog biscuits, which were cooling on the stove while he’d packed the dishwasher.
He at least knew how to use that.
Then she’d moved onto making the pumpkin cake and icing which was more complicated than he’d first imagined.
She’d made a fascinating picture as she’d measured, mixed, blended and stirred – her movements neat, fluid and surprisingly sexy. Almost like a dance.
He shut his eyes and heard Izzi pull out one of the chairs at the breakfast bar again and when he opened them, she was sitting and staring at him, her elbows resting on the shiny marble. She had an expressive face and he could see sympathy there. Wasn’t sure how he felt about that.
‘Everything okay?’ she asked softly. ‘Was it a busy day? You seem…’
He nodded, too foggy-brained to pretend or worry about how she might manipulate the information if he told her the truth. Perhaps she realised, because her eyes slid away from his before resting on the pile of pumpkins on the table.
He’d moved them earlier so they had space to eat.
He preferred sitting at the breakfast bar rather than the large marble table beside the window – even if it was surrounded by handcrafted spindle chairs with feathery cushions that felt like clouds.
Perhaps it was another attempt to avoid more evidence – or reminders – of Sophie.
But that seemed futile now. Maybe it was time to enjoy the fruits of her labour.
It didn’t mean he’d forgiven her, more that he was living in the space designed for him that he’d paid for.
Having someone here was making him see the place in a whole different light. Had his grandma suspected it would?
‘Tell me about the pumpkins,’ Izzi suddenly asked, changing the subject as she pointed to the pile, no doubt choosing something innocuous so she couldn’t offend. ‘There are a lot of varieties there – are they for a special meal?’
‘Nope.’ He shrugged. ‘They’re for my grandma,’ he said, scratching a hand through his hair, wondering why he suddenly felt such an overwhelming need to share.
He’d barely opened up to anyone about what had happened and the guilt was eating at him.
And Izzi was here. Also, if he told her, perhaps she’d share something too?
Show him some of the truth under that smiley exterior.
Her amber eyes widened. ‘Is Maud secretly addicted to pumpkin pie?’ she whispered, perhaps in an attempt to make him smile.
He grimaced. ‘Not exactly. It’s—’ He hissed air between his teeth, and she sat back and waved a hand, looking serious again.
‘Honestly, you don’t have to tell me. You can keep your pumpkin secrets to yourself.’ There was that smile again. The one Cameron didn’t quite trust because he hadn’t earned it – he’d been surly and suspicious and sometimes rude. He deserved her ire.
He pressed a finger to his lips, perhaps in a subconscious attempt to stop himself from talking, but it didn’t work.
‘My business partner, Sophie. When she left, she stole money from me – and it wasn’t just me she cheated.
’ He frowned as Izzi’s eyes widened and he couldn’t stop the curl of hurt clawing inside his gut.
‘You don’t need to—’ she said, but he shook his head.
He’d started, so he might as well finish.
She couldn’t use the information to hurt him.
In fact, it might be good for her to know everything if she was planning to swindle him.
He sat straighter, suddenly enthusiastic; of course it made sense for him to tell her everything, because she’d learn there was no money left to take.
‘Sophie and I worked together for almost a year and became good friends.’ He paused, thinking about how his feelings for her had grown. There had been genuine affection, at least on his side, and for a while he’d wondered if it might turn into something more.
He frowned. ‘Sophie had a grandma. She talked about her all the time, about how close they were and how worried she was living so far away. Her gran lived in a care home down south – I never knew the details, but she used to visit at the weekends. At least that’s what she told me; she could have gone anywhere.
’ He shrugged. ‘She seemed to have so much genuine affection for her gran, it reminded me of how I feel about Maud.’
‘That makes sense,’ Izzi said quietly, and he nodded because it was obvious now that Sophie had used those familiar feelings to manipulate him.
He swallowed. ‘But it turns out it was all a lie.’ He sucked air between his teeth, embarrassed about how easily he’d fallen for Sophie’s lies.
‘She told me the money she’d made selling her grandma’s house was gone and she’d fallen into arrears with the care home, that she was waiting for a bond to mature, but the home was threatening to kick her grandma out unless she paid up.
She asked if I could lend her the money for a couple of weeks so she wouldn’t end up being evicted. ’
He winced. She’d been so genuinely worried, so upset, he’d swallowed every word.
‘It all happened so fast and Sophie was so upset about it, I had no real time to think. Not that I needed to, I just wanted to help.’ What a fool he’d been.