Chapter 16
CAMERON
‘How does it look?’ Izzi asked, brushing a strand of hair back from her face as she finished hanging another fake skeleton from the hook Cameron had hammered into the wall of the castle.
It was the third they’d suspended in the main sitting room today and the place was starting to look more like a haunted house.
Especially since they’d also moved some of the furniture from the second and third floors and had covered each item in huge dust sheets that fluttered in the breeze leaking from the old window frames – which all added to the spooky vibe.
Cameron stared down at Izzi, feeling an odd tightening in his stomach which had nothing to do with being hungry.
She’d been coming here after her shift in the café for the last week while he’d been trying to fit in visits as often as he could.
Lachlan had been helping too. His friend was currently hanging temporary electrical cables and lights in the basement ensuring any visitors would be able to see safely and also creating the perfect ghostly atmosphere.
Everything was really coming together for the Halloween festival.
Their only problem was that his grandma was still planning to go to Edinburgh.
Cameron had tried to talk her out of it a couple of times, but Maud was determined to go.
The Candy Apple Lassies had decided to continue with the plans regardless, but it had been left to Cameron to make sure his grandma was able to attend.
Also, he was worried about her. Maud seemed distracted.
He’d noticed a pile of last-notice bills in the café, and it was odd that she’d met with her accountant so late on the night of the quiz.
Especially when she hadn’t mentioned anything to him.
Was the café in trouble? Did it have something to do with the money she’d loaned to Sophie?
He had a million questions, but when he’d asked her, she’d told him there was nothing wrong.
‘It looks perfect,’ he said as he reached out to tip Izzi’s chin because suddenly he wanted to touch her so badly. He ran his mouth over hers and felt her smile in response as his body heated, treading what was beginning to feel like a well-worn path where this woman was concerned.
Ever since the cabin had leaked a week ago, Izzi had been living in his house and sleeping in his bed and he was finding it increasingly difficult to keep his hands off her.
It was so difficult that he hadn’t quite found the time to order the special cedar shake tiles that he needed to fix the cabin roof and Cameron wondered if subconsciously he just didn’t want her to move out.
‘Erch, get a room you two!’ Lachlan complained and Cameron sprang away from Izzi and turned in time to see his friend wander from the kitchen, screwdriver in hand, his face and dark overalls layered in dust. There was the barest hint of a smile on Lachlan’s face, which told Cameron he wasn’t really annoyed – if anything he might be a little jealous.
‘There are enough bedrooms upstairs, you could take your pick,’ Lachlan finished.
‘We’ve got too much to do here,’ Izzi said lightly, flushing and giving his friend a flash of a smile.
‘Aye, well, you need to tell him to stop grinning so much,’ Lachlan joked, waving his screwdriver and pointing it at Cameron.
‘I’ve never seen him this happy and it’s totally off brand.
Cameron Buchanan has a catchphrase that starts and ends with the word surly.
Not blissed out, not joyful and definitely not this cheesy and loved up.
It’s just wrong.’ He rolled his eyes dramatically, his handsome face filled with mock disgust.
Izzi giggled and Cameron heard a buzz, signalling she’d just received a text.
She’d had at least six since getting up this morning and arriving here – and unless she’d had a minute to stop working at the café which was unlikely – she hadn’t read any of them.
It was very odd, but he was trying not to let his imagination run riot.
He didn’t like that side of himself – wanted to move on from the negative lessons taught by Sophie and what had happened with his mother.
Knew it was time he lightened up and enjoyed what was happening between them, time to let go of his constant need to question whether it was real or Izzi had another motive for getting involved with him. But it was difficult.
‘How about you get back to work?’ he said sharply as worry gnawed at him.
‘Ah there he is.’ His friend cheered. ‘The grumpy face is back. I don’t have to worry about the universe imploding anymore. I suppose I should get back to work before you dock the wages you aren’t paying me because I’m volunteering to do this.’
‘I suppose you should. I’m definitely not avoiding paying you so that you can insult me,’ Cameron said grumpily, although there was enough lightness in his tone to show he wasn’t entirely serious.
His friend grinned and waved a hand before turning towards the kitchen, stopping only momentarily to shout. ‘Have you got any snacks, Izz?’
‘Yep. I baked a batch of treacle scones this morning. I’m trying out recipes for the Halloween festival, and they used to be traditional fare in Scotland at this time of year.
How about we take a break in ten? I’ve made a flask of apple crisp macchiato.
I finally mastered Cam’s machine last night.
Although mostly it involved removing the packaging and plugging it in,’ she said dryly and Cameron tried not to think about how he’d kissed her afterwards, how he’d peeled off her clothes one layer at a time, before—
Lachlan snorted. ‘Sounds good, Izz. Remember I’m available and ready to step in if you ever get bored of frowny face here. I can’t promise longevity, but there will be plenty of laughs.’ With that, he waggled his eyebrows suggestively and disappeared from the room.
Izzi chuckled and went onto her tiptoes so she could gently kiss Cameron again.
‘You’re not really grumpy,’ she whispered against his mouth sending a wave of awareness straight to his groin.
‘You’re just deep and enigmatic.’ The feel of her mouth on his felt right and Cameron leaned into it, trying to ignore the part of him that was telling him not to trust it. That he barely knew this woman.
Her mobile went off again.
‘Aren’t you going to get that?’ he asked, pulling away and staring into her face, checking for tell-tale signs of guilt. But she didn’t look uncomfortable, more frustrated.
‘Not right now,’ she said lightly, drawing the mobile from her pocket and placing it face down on the grand piano he’d covered with a dust sheet.
‘We need to get the rest of these skeletons up on the walls, there’s still an awful lot to do if we’re going to be ready for the festival.
I’ve got more recipes to try out this evening, and we’re supposed to be picking up the pumpkins tomorrow afternoon for the kids at school.
Remember they’re going to carve faces in them for the parade? ’
‘I know,’ Cameron said, reaching out to run a thumb over her lips because he badly wanted to touch her again. He was either obsessed, staking his claim, or perhaps it was just that he hated not touching her. He hardly knew his own mind anymore.
He watched Izzi smile at him again before she grabbed another skeleton from the box of decorations that Flora had arranged to be delivered to the castle the day before.
Izzi wandered to the other side of the room before getting the stepladder and moving it into place, then she climbed the first few steps holding onto the large wobbly figure.
Cameron watched, his eyes glued on Izzi as she stretched.
He gulped and his whole body hardened as her shirt lifted, exposing a slither of creamy skin at her midriff – the toned area of her waist that he’d traced with his mouth multiple times as they’d worked their way around his house, christening each room.
He honestly couldn’t get enough of her – and she seemed to feel the same way about him.
His mobile beeped and he tore his eyes away from Izzi and frowned when he saw who the message was from. He hadn’t heard from his mother for a few months, and he briefly wondered if it was the universe sending him a warning that he needed to be more careful about the people he let into his world.
He quickly opened the text – he knew from experience that it was better to rip off the Band-Aid; ignoring it just meant he’d get more messages and with increasing frequency.
Cam – I need $250 urgently. Car trouble. I’ll pay you back. Love you. Mom xxx
Cameron sighed as he stared at the message for another beat before texting an affirmative and placing the phone back in his pocket.
‘Everything okay?’ Izzi asked and when he looked up, he saw she’d finished hanging the skeleton and was making her way across the room, her eyes fixed on his face. He realised he must be frowning for real this time because there were two deep rifts running across the centre of her forehead.
‘Yes,’ he said, swallowing, unwilling to let Izzi into this part of his life. He didn’t speak to anyone about his mother – not even his grandma – and he wasn’t going to start now. ‘Just a client messaging with an emergency.’
He’d send his mother the money later. His feelings about her were complicated.
She was his mom and he felt a responsibility towards her.
It was those feelings again, sticky, uncomfortable and impossible to ignore – he knew if he didn’t send the money, it would probably keep him up at night.
But it bothered him. Having his mom use him like this every few months.
He’d never been more to her than an easy way to access cash and that hurt. He swallowed.
Izzi stared at him, searching his face, and he could see she wasn’t sure if she should believe him.
‘Okay.’ She nodded after a long silence.
‘Do you have any hooks anywhere? There are some fuzzy spiders in the box, and I was thinking we could try to hang them next. There’s string, but I need a way of—’ She got down from the stepladder and pointed at the ceiling.
He nodded. ‘I’ve got a couple of boxes in the back of my truck. I’ll go,’ he offered, but she shook her head and rested a hand on his forearm.
‘I’ll do it. I’m sure they won’t be hard to find. You’ve done enough for me already today.’ Her smile sent a shiver down his spine, and he had to drag his mind out of the gutter before he treated himself to a blow-by-blow memory of what they’d got up to in the shower before he’d driven her to work.
Instead, he handed Izzi his keys and watched her head in the direction of the hallway that led her to the driveway where his truck was parked. His insides knotted as he wondered again if he could trust her. Wondered if he’d ever get over this feeling that she wasn’t telling him something.
Which is why when he heard her mobile ping again, he couldn’t stop himself from tracking across the dusty room. He stared at the back of her phone, trying to force himself not to pick it up as every cell in his body told him he should just check it. What would be the harm?
Fighting the instinct to walk away, he let out a long breath before glancing over his shoulder to ensure Izzi wasn’t on her way back. Then Cameron picked up the mobile and turned it over, scanned the screen and pulled a face as his stomach dropped. ‘Hell,’ he muttered, disgusted with himself.
Because this wasn’t a furtive communication from a lover, or someone trying to dig dirt on him, and it wasn’t from a stranger talking about how they planned to exploit money from him either.
Instead, there were at least a dozen messages – many from the person he’d called about a reference – wishing Izzi a happy birthday and hoping she was going to have a fabulous day.
He quickly put the phone face down in exactly the same place and grimaced. Izzi hadn’t told him it was her birthday today. He had no idea why – although he’d definitely get to the bottom of that.
The reason wasn’t really important, though – what was, was that there was a lesson here for him about letting go of old hurts and learning to trust before he ruined one of the best things that might have ever happened to him.
A lesson it was way past time Cameron learned.