Santa Cam (MyHeartChannel Romance)

by Maria Hoagland

  Cam smirked at her. “You know that’s not why.”

  She ignored Cam and focused on the camera, angling it so all three of them would be in the shot that was already recording. “It’s the connection between Camden’s childhood hometown in Wyoming and his new home in Texas. These ornaments symbolize what being home for Christmas means to him, that maybe it’s okay to have two homes, and it’s okay for both to have his heart.”

  Camden worked not to furrow his brow. He might not have put the feelings into those exact words, but it wasn’t far from the truth.

  He looked over at Jake’s tree, garish and kitsch with its official Shooting Stars merchandized ornaments and huge red and gold glass balls of various shapes. “I see you did the same thing,” he prompted Jake, giving him the opportunity to explain.

  Only a fleeting look of confusion sparked in his eyes before panic hit. He looked at the camera. “Exactly.” He hid his fidgeting fingers behind his back. “I figured since this is my first year on the Shooting Stars, I wanted to show the community how much I appreciate being here with them.”

  “I’m sure it will sell well,” Talia soothed.

  It was a good thing she answered, because Cam was thinking it would only sell well for grade schoolers and superfans, not the sophisticated crowd they would have tomorrow night.

  Talia walked over to the tripod and turned her camera off. “Not bad for your first time on camera, Jake. I can work with that.” She reached out to Cam, and when he offered his hand, she gave it a quick squeeze and release. “I’m going to see if there’s anyone else who wants to tell the viewers about their trees.”

  At the thought that she was leaving and their time alone together was slipping past, the joy Cam had been feeling started to fade into the realm of memory—cherished and unforgotten, but in the past. He’d pull it out again and again, especially the stolen kiss and the fact that she accepted his hands when he reached out to touch her soft skin.

  “Okay.” He smiled at her as she removed her camera from the tripod. She was so graceful, so sure of herself. He could watch her all day. He wasn’t even embarrassed to be staring when she looked up.

  She bit her lip and walked over to him. As if being approached by a butterfly, he stood unwilling to move, and she lifted onto her toes to kiss his cheek. “You can come if you want.”

  Yes, he wanted. “Sure. That way I can introduce you.”

  “Makes sense.” She slipped her hand effortlessly into his, and he never wanted to let go.

  18

  Saturday morning, Talia stuck with the excuse that she was going to record for MyHeartChannel during the race. She might have enjoyed running with Camden—would have enjoyed his company, at least—but she wouldn’t have been able to match his pace unless he held back considerably. Then, as soon as Camden somehow finagled her one of the race crew’s golf carts, running was not even a temptation. Her press pass and golf cart would give her access to everything and everyone.

  “Good luck!” she called from her spot at the steering wheel as he headed to the starting line. “We’ll see you at the finish!” She waved her phone, indicating who the plural “we” referred to.

  Securing the perfect vantage point in front of the starting line, she recorded the gun and the slew of people that took off in Bluebonnet’s 5k Jingle Bell Run. The runners and walkers were a mix of all ages and abilities—some with strollers, some with canine running buddies, but all with some kind of jingle bell on their hats, socks, or ribbons around their necks. It was one of the most photogenic holiday shoots she could have chosen.

  Because the race was a little over three miles—a distance Cam could do in his sleep, literally—Talia knew she didn’t have much time before he made it to the finish line. About halfway through the course, she stopped to interview a family of especially adorable kids, stair steps in ages and heights, dressed in alternating red and green T-shirts and cheering for each runner individually by their bib number.

  “Go, Mr. 304! You’re almost there!”

  “Doing great, 341!”

  “Good . . . run . . . job.” The littlest, a girl somewhere around two or three years old, did her best to join in.

  Only a few runners had come through so far—people obviously out to break either race or personal records—but the bulk of the runners hadn’t even come into view when she’d stopped. Now Talia glanced up the street and saw the beginning of the pack coming. She had no doubt Cam would be in it. She thanked the family and hopped into the waiting golf cart, making the finish line after the leaders. As slow as the cart had gone at top speed, she considered jumping off and sprinting the last hundred yards herself. While she was pleased she hadn’t missed Camden’s finish, she was surprised she still couldn’t see him.

  Keeping an eye on the last block leading up to the finish line, Talia chased down the men’s and women’s division winners. “Good run! I’m Talia Thomas, covering the race for MyHeartChannel. Do you have time for an interview?”

  She interviewed the fastest man and woman in one- or two-sentence clips after they’d finished the race, but when she saw a couple cross the line together, she knew they would steal the clip. The costumes they wore would look fantastic online. When she asked them if they would mind being interviewed, they beamed.

  “Congratulations on your time.” Talia spoke more to the camera set up on the tripod in front of them than to the couple next to her. “The two of you are running partners?”

  They both nodded, and Talia waited for one of them to explain.

  “We met at a race, what—?” The woman looked at her partner to supply the number, but didn’t wait for him to do so. “—thirteen years ago? And we’ve been running together ever since.” She smiled at him. “Even on our wedding day.”

  The woman shifted in her costume. It had to be as challenging to run in, as it was uncomfortable-looking—a rectangular cardboard box with armholes and another for her neck. Talia almost asked how the woman had even gotten her head through. Someone must have added the wrapping paper and ribbon after she was already in the box. To complete the packaging, she wore a Santa hat and over-the-knee socks with bold, colorful stripes.

  “This is our tenth year running the Bluebonnet Jingle Bell Run, so we thought we’d do something fun to commemorate it.” The man, dressed in a dark green, long-sleeved shirt, had an actual Christmas tree strapped to him through a backpack.

  Seriously, how was Camden behind a guy wearing a full Christmas tree and a woman in a box? Had he fallen? Gotten injured somehow? Worry lodged like a spatter of acid on her brain, ever burning in the background even as she tried to focus on the couple she was interviewing.

  “Then the Bluebonnet Jingle Bell Run is one of your Christmas traditions?” She was asking a question that everyone knew the answer to—even her viewers at this point—but because it fit in with her series thematically, she wanted the question and answer.

  “We’ve run in rain and sleet and seventy degrees,” the man said.

  “As long as we’re both still healthy, we’ll still be running the Bluebonnet Jingle Bell Fun Run every Christmas season,” the woman chimed in.

  As the couple finished their answers, Talia thought she recognized Camden turning the corner into the home stretch. It was too far to see his features, and he’d worn the long-sleeved race T-shirt like half the other participants, but his posture and cadence gave it away. Except if this was Camden, he obviously wasn’t giving it his all. He looked like he was running in slow motion or like he was working extra hard to escape quicksand. A child ran near him, and even from this distance, it was obvious they were in fierce competition.

  Talia hit her remote to stop the recording with the adorable Christmas tree and gift pair. “Thank you again for your time.” She pulled a couple of business cards from her back pocket with her contact information and the MyHeartChannel website address. “I should have the footage edited and posted—” She wrinkled her nose. When was she going to have the time? The gala and Christm
as tree auction was that night. She was going to need a few hours to edit, but she also wanted to make sure her appearance was on point for the event. “It might take a few days.” She hated admitting it, but it was better than posting later than she told them.

  Talia grabbed the tripod and rushed to an open spot near the finish line. From here, the camera could pick up a fair bit of Camden and his competitor on their way, as well as giving a clear shot as they crossed.

  Talia zoomed in and pressed record. The two runners bounced one forward then passed by the other, like the two feet on one body taking turns toward the finish line. Cam did a fair job of acting like he was working hard, and the girl next to him bought it completely. Red-faced and pumping her arms with such ferocity, the probably nine- or ten-year-old tossed him a grin and then pushed forward. As they approached the finish line, Cam held back more. The girl was losing her steam, but he seemed determined she would cross first. Sucking in air, the girl started to slow, hands on her side.

  “Keep going, #272!” Talia yelled, unable to control herself. “You’re almost there! You can beat him!”

  The girl looked down at her bib. Seeing the number Talia had just called out, she dropped her hands to her sides and sped up again.

  “That’s it! You got it!” Talia cheered, wishing she could offer more than encouragement. “You’re so close!”

  Apparently, Cam hadn’t known Talia was there, because as soon as she yelled, he did a brief double take. “Don’t give up on me now, Ellie.” Camden’s voice was just loud enough for Talia to catch. “Let’s do this together. You’re doing so great!”

  The girl blew out a long breath and then sucked in a short one and seemed to hold it, the whole time, her legs pumping, pushing her forward. With every cell of positive energy Talia had, she wished the girl determination and hoped she could find it within herself to make it to the finish line.

  Leaving her camera to record the action, Talia took off on a sprint around the onlookers and to the end of the race, where she could meet Camden and his competitor. As she ran, she pulled out her phone and toggled to the video function on the camera app. She went down on one knee, bracing herself with her elbows.

  “Come on, Ellie!” Camden yelled this time. “Don’t let me beat you!”

  Neck and neck, the two pushed across the bright blue chalk line on the asphalt, the girl ahead by the flutter of an angel’s wing.

  It took everything Talia had to keep still long enough to capture the shot and the proud parents who enveloped Ellie in bear hugs and congratulations.

  “Wow!” Cam leaned over, holding on to his stomach and breathing shallowly. “You were awesome. Thanks for keeping me going when I was ready to quit.” Cam held out a hand to the girl. “You beat me fair and square, and I’m proud of you.”

  The girl’s dad clapped Camden on the shoulder. A look of understanding passed between them, and the mom blinked back tears.

  “Did you even try?” The girl eyed him warily.

  He patted his stomach. “I shouldn’t have eaten that stack of French toast and strawberries this morning.” He made a sick face. “It’s so hard to say no to all the good food at Christmas.” He shook his head for the girl, but then gave Talia a prolonged look. “If I keep this up, I really am going to look like Santa.”

  “Wait!” At Ellie’s exclamation, Camden’s attention turned from Talia back to the girl. “You’re that skinny Santa on the computer—Santa Cam!” The moment or two she took studying Talia felt serious and heavy as a rock, until she smiled. “And you’re the elf, aren’t you?”

  “I am.” Talia didn’t want to move the camera, so she waved to the girl from behind it.

  “Does that mean I’m going to be on the computer?” She looked as if she’d earned a prized role on a TV show. “Am I going to be famous too?”

  “Well, I don’t know if you’ll be famous—” her mom started.

  At the same time, Talia answered the first question. “I’d love to put you on MyHeartChannel, if I can have your parents’ permission.”

  “For your #SeeTheGood series?” The hope in the mother’s voice warmed Talia’s heart. Not only did she know the series, she wanted to participate because of it.

  Talia nodded.

  Near the sideline, someone recognized Cam, yelling his name in excited tones. Cam’s eyes darted over out of reflex, and he smiled before continuing his conversation with Ellie and her dad. Now that he knew who he was with, the dad switched eagerly to the topic of Cam’s celebrity, and to Cam’s credit, he looked only slightly uncomfortable.

  “I’ve got to grab my other camera,” Talia said to the mom. “And after we shoot, I’ve got some permission slips in the golf cart, if that works.”

  Hopefully, no one had run off with it while she’d been down at the finish line. Her stomach twisted with worry that she forced away. This was Christmas. People were good, and she was lucky there wasn’t a security guard staring her down when she went to claim her “abandoned” equipment.

  When Ellie’s family went on their way to find the runners’ refreshment table, Camden joined Talia, a bottle of cold water in his hand. “Was there anything else you wanted to shoot, or are you ready to head back? I’m thinking a shower would do me some good.”

  “Did you even break a sweat?”

  “Maybe.” His shrug told the truth. Five kilometers at that pace wasn’t even a warm-up for a man who sprinted, cut, and kicked at one hundred percent for ninety-plus minutes a game. “But I do have to put on a tux tonight, and I bet any dance partner I am lucky enough to have would prefer if I smelled better than I currently do.”

  She lifted her bag, but Camden snatched it from her. She decided to let him. “What about claiming your participation medal?”

  “I can do without it.”

  They climbed into the golf cart to return it. “Thanks for doing that back there—encouraging Ellie.” She could only imagine how much of the race he’d helped the girl through. With as far back as they were, it might have been most of the race.

  Talia’s heart swelled with pride and—no, she wouldn’t call it love, not after knowing him two weeks and a handful of kisses, but something very close to love. Tenderness, fondness, adoration?

  In front of the camera, Camden Sharpe was a great guy—likable, charismatic, August-in-West-Texas hot. Without the camera, he was sweet and encouraging, great with kids, and completely genuine. And Talia was in danger of losing her entire heart to this man. Would that be such a bad thing? If he was as good as he seemed, she’d be a fool not to consider claiming him as her own.

  19

  To believe the movies, dressing up in formal attire was supposed to be every woman’s dream, but from the time Talia zipped up the back of her formfitting gown, all she felt was uncomfortable. Some of that feeling came from the poking wires and iron-infused spandex; that was for sure. Memories of previous times she’d been dressed up like this also shaped her in unnatural ways and kept her from breathing. Times she’d been with Asher, the fiancé from the wealthy, influential family who’d never treated her like she measured up.

  Standing in front of her apartment mirror, Talia tried to look at herself objectively, and when it came down to it, she liked who she was. She didn’t need to stress about uncomfortable memories or Asher’s disapproval. Because of her work, influential people had requested her to be there. She raised her chin and looked herself in the eye. She could do this. It might even be fun since Camden had hinted at dancing.

  She heard a knock at the door, and then Autumn inviting Camden in. It was time. Talia checked her lipstick one last time and grabbed her clutch from her room. From the moment she walked into the living room where he and her roommate were chatting, their conversation stopped and he stood from his seat on the couch, all suave and confident and charming and gorgeous—and completely focused on her.

  He walked over and put a hand on her back, leaning in to place a kiss on her temple. “You look amazing.” His words came out as reverent
as a prayer. “Thank you for being my date tonight.” He stood straight then and offered his elbow. “Are you ready?”

  By the time the limo the Shooting Stars had sent over dropped them off at the gala, she was comfortable and well over her insecurities. It helped that Cam was so opposite Asher as they walked into the ballroom. Never once did he ogle another woman, comment on the style of her dress or hair, or point out how beautiful another woman looked. This should have been common sense, this should have been natural, but the fact that she noticed this reminded her how wrong for her Asher had been.

  She slipped her hand around Camden’s elbow, and he tucked it close to his side. She snuggled in for a moment, feeling how very lucky she was to be there.

  “So how many of these people do you know?” Camden leaned in to whisper. When his warm breath hit her cheek, it sent a tingle of pleasure down her spine.

  Talia licked her lips, trying to focus. “A few.” Mostly politicians and city officials thanks to Asher and his family.

  They were only a quarter of the way through the room, taking turns introducing each other, when a familiar, and completely unwelcome man appeared in front of her.

  “Talia Thomas.” Asher’s familiar voice sent a whole different kind of shiver down her spine, and her hand stiffened on Camden’s elbow. Asher grabbed her free hand and held it, using it to pull her in toward him, where he planted a kiss on her cheek.

  This flutter in her stomach made her feel a little sick. She shouldn’t have been thinking about him earlier. It had been tempting fate. She’d successfully gone almost three years without running into him. She gathered every modicum of composure and confidence she had.

  “Asher,” she said, with the perfect balance of indifference and disdain.

  She ought to introduce the two men, but she didn’t want to encourage Asher into a conversation. She applied pressure on Camden’s side, leading him to turn away, but just before they moved, Asher spoke again.