Where There's Hope_A Well Paired Novel

by Marianne Rice

  Back in the day they’d called it the Love Shack. He couldn’t remember how many girls he’d snuck in. Hoping his secret key was still hidden under the fourth brick to the right of the step, he wiggled it and did a mental fist pump.

  Letting himself into the house, he peeked around the corner of the mudroom and listened to the silence. The living area had gone through a makeover since his last party. The setting sun shone through the windows casting an orange light across the pale wood floors. The brown leather couches were bare with only a pile of books stacked on the coffee table to show any life to the room.

  Cameron inched his way into the room and read the titles. Nothing he was familiar with; the girl on the cover of one of the books was young, a teenager at most. The titles didn’t sound like anything he’d read while in prison. Young adult books. Books for a twelve-year-old.

  A noise from above had him pausing.

  “I’m so bored,” came a soft voice descending the stairs.

  “Delaney.” He rushed to the back of the house and reached for her arm. She spun around and shrieked.

  “Don’t. Please.” She scurried away into the dining room putting the table between them, fear rampant in her eyes.

  “I’m not going to hurt you.” Shit. He’d spooked her. Who knew what kind of torment she’d been through? What lies she’d been told.

  “Where’s my mom?”

  “Home. Worried sick about you.”

  “What are you going to do to me?” Her knuckles turned white as she gripped the chair in front of her.

  Cameron didn’t want to startle her anymore. He slowly pulled out a chair and sat down. “Do you know where you are?”

  She nodded. “My grandmother’s.”

  “She told you?”

  “Yes. And you’ve been lying to me. To my mom.”

  “I’ve never lied to your mom.”

  “You killed my father. Are you going to kill me too?”

  His shoulders sagged, and he lowered his head in defeat. “The story you heard is far from the truth.”

  “How am I supposed to believe you?”

  Cameron took off his coat, hoping to appear more approachable, and folded his hands on the table. He prayed he had enough patience to take this slowly, to not force her to believe him. “That’s a good question. I’ve been trying to prove my innocence for a long time. It’ll always be he-said-versus-she-said. All I can do is live an honest life and hope those who matter to me the most will believe in me.”

  “You were in jail for a long time.”

  “I was.”

  “Does my mom know?”

  “Yes. We met a long time ago. When she was dating your father. He did die in a car accident, and I was driving. I take responsibility for that.”

  “You’re a druggie.”

  He had to respect the bravery in Delaney questioning him this way. She may be tiny, but she was fierce. It made him proud to see his niece question him so bravely.

  “I did a lot of drugs when I was a teenager, yes. By the time I met your mom, I was clean. I haven’t done any since.”

  “Your mom, my grandmother, said you were high on cocaine when you killed my dad.”

  Cameron shook his head slowly. This was the same fine line he didn’t want to cross when talking to Hope. While he wanted to clear his name, he didn’t want Delaney to live with the thought of her father being an addict.

  “There were drugs in the car and when we crashed, they got tossed around and I inhaled them. We didn’t crash because of the drugs. Weather was to blame.” That was as close to the truth as he would get without disrespecting her father. And it almost matched the falsified police reports.

  “How do I know you’re telling the truth?”

  “You don’t. You have to decide for yourself what you believe to be the truth.” He sat back in what he hoped to be a casual pose.

  “Why don’t your parents believe you?” Delaney squinted her eyes at him, eyes that matched his, and clenched her jaw.

  “They were sad to lose their son. They grieved by blaming someone. Me.”

  Delaney’s grip loosened on the chair and her eyes narrowed, deep in thought. “She said you were a bad man and my mom asked her to keep me safe here. That you did something to Gramps to give him a heart attack.”

  Cameron covered his face with his hand. This poor girl, manipulated and taken from her mother. She’d be scarred for a long time. Swallowing back his tears of sadness and rage, he sniffed and cleared his throat.

  “What happened that day? You left to say hi to your friend.”

  Delaney looked over her shoulder and blinked rapidly. She was holding back tears as well, he could tell.

  “By the time I got outside she was too far away, and a lady came up to me telling me my mom needed me at the hospital right away. That Gramps was dying. I turned back to tell you to come, but she said you were a bad man and had hurt Gramps. And would...hurt me and my mom if we didn’t get away.”

  And she believed the stranger over him. He wouldn’t guilt Delaney by questioning her decision to go off with the woman, but it stung. Just as much as Hope’s easy acceptance of his guilt.

  “I don’t remember much after that. She gave me a scarf to put over my mouth. She said to protect me from the wind, but then I grew sleepy. When I woke up I was here and Janice, my grandmother, was with me. She showed me pictures of my dad. You look like him. She cried a lot. I felt bad for her.”

  The fact that she freely told him all this meant she hadn’t feared him as much as Janice would like.

  “Did you ask to call your mom?”

  Delaney nodded. “She said my mom was hiding from you and would come get me when it was safe.”

  “Do you feel safe here?” She shrugged. Cameron dug out his phone and slid it across the table to her. “Call your mom. She needs to hear your voice.”

  The front door opened, and Ty’s voice boomed through the house. “Delaney? Cameron?”

  “Ty!” Delaney ran to him and jumped into his arms.

  If his heart hadn’t already been lacerated and burned into ashes, it would have hurt from jealousy.

  All Cameron could do was pick up the phone Delaney had dropped and call Hope.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  “CAMERON?” HOPE’S HEART raced with anticipation. With faith. With fear.

  “We found her.”

  “Oh, thank God.” She rocked in the kitchen chair and breathed so fast she thought she’d hyperventilate. “Is she okay? I need to talk to her. Now.”

  There were muffled noises in the background and then her daughter’s sweet, innocent voice came on the line.

  “Mom?”

  “Baby girl. Sweetie. Delaney. Tell me you’re okay.”

  “I’m fine, Mom. Ty is here.”

  “Ty?” She hadn’t even noticed he wasn’t at the house anymore. When Cameron was hauled off in the police cruiser yesterday morning it was the last straw. She’d been in shock for most of the day and had recently come to, thanks to her mother’s care and Mia’s brandy.

  “He said we can go home soon, but we have to talk to the police first.”

  “Where are you, honey? I’ll come get you.” She found her keys and rushed out the door, not caring that she didn’t have a coat or shoes on her feet.

  “Where are we, Uncle Ty?” She heard Delaney ask as she started the car and backed down the driveway. “We’re in Connecticut.”

  “Connecticut?” Hope slammed on the brakes. “Where? Why? Are you hurt? Who took you?” She didn’t mean to fire a barrage of questions at Delaney so soon, but if she couldn’t hold her, she needed to hear that she was alright.

  “I’ve been at the Smithfields’ guesthouse. Hang on. Cameron wants to talk to you.”

  “No! I—”

  “Hope.”

  “Why is she at your family’s house?” Her accusatory tone made her flinch. “What’s going on?”

  Cameron replied too calmly, “My mother’s been keeping her in the gues
thouse. Fed her a slew of lies, or the truth, depending on who you want to believe.”

  The defeat in his voice was too much for her to bear. “Cameron—”

  “The police are here. They’re going to need to talk to Delaney for a while. I’ll have Ty call you when we’re on our way back. From the looks of her, she hasn’t been physically harmed, just frightened. She’ll call you soon.”

  The line went silent, and Hope was torn between dancing around and rejoicing at Delaney’s rescue or worrying about the future of her relationship with Cameron. She’d hurt him. But Delaney was her number one priority. Once she was safely home and in Hope’s arms, she could work on rebuilding things with Cameron.

  DELANEY’S HOMECOMING later that night had been more than emotional. When Ty drove up, Hope had run out of the house a sobbing mess, clutching on to Delaney as if she were her life support.

  Which she was.

  They cried in each other’s arms and when Hope had looked up, Cameron’s truck, which had been sitting in her driveway for two days, was already turning onto the road.

  Once inside, she couldn’t stop crying, which only stressed her daughter out. Delaney was confused and had many questions about Cameron’s past. Hope didn’t want to talk about it, but she couldn’t refuse her requests for too long.

  There never seemed to be a good time to tell her the story. Family and friends popped in with food and hugs for the next few days. They respected her privacy enough not to ask questions and only offered hugs and casseroles.

  While she was grateful for her friends, the one person she wanted to see hadn’t stopped by or called.

  She didn’t have her boyfriend, but she found comfort in her friends. Mia was a godsend, running the restaurant and training Stacey to open and close so Hope could stay home and spend time with Delaney. She’d taken the rest of the week off from school as well; her teachers and administration were all quite understanding.

  When the police located Thomas Smithfield at his mistress’, he had pleaded ignorance on the kidnapping. He’d made it clear he wanted nothing to do with Cameron, and even though Delaney was Justin’s child, he said she’d been tainted by the murderer. He wouldn’t be coming anywhere near Crystal Cove.

  And then there was Janice. Alone, emotionally and mentally abused for so many years that she went to terrible measures to hang on to any piece of Justin she could find.

  There was no room left inside of Hope’s heart to feel bad for her. Putting Delaney in the middle of her dysfunctional family drama crossed the line. No one messed with her daughter. Ever.

  Like a lioness to her cub, Hope could never forgive anyone who intentionally hurt a child. Especially hers.

  The woman had even admitted to the police she had no clear plan as to what she was going to do with Delaney. “I thought she’d be happy here,” she’d told them.

  Hope shivered in disgust. At least Janice was getting the help she needed and was away from Thomas. The man, even though he had nothing to do with the kidnapping, was pure evil.

  There was some level of comfort in knowing they were no longer a threat.

  The days blended into each other, and Delaney continued to ask about Cameron. And Justin. On Friday night, opting to skip ballet for another night now that her stint with the Nutcracker was over, she curled up next to Hope on the couch and came to her own conclusion.

  “I believe Cameron.”

  Hope had worked hard to relay the facts—as she knew them—to her daughter and let her heart guide her.

  “I do too.”

  “Why would his mom make up those stories? She doesn’t even talk to him. She kidnapped me and blamed it on him.”

  “I’m so sorry, honey.” Hope hugged her tighter. “I wish there weren’t bad people in the world.”

  “Kind of sucks that I’m related to one. Ty said she’s in a psych ward.”

  “If there’s any good to come out of this situation, she’s finally getting the mental help she needs.”

  “That’s so sad, that Cameron’s parents are messed up. And his brother died. I guess I’m the only family he has now, huh?”

  Hope stroked her daughter’s hair, her heart heavy and sad. Delaney referred to Justin as Cameron’s brother and not as her father. Maybe she was old enough to hear the entire story.

  “Will he come over for Christmas? He doesn’t have anywhere else to go. You said he was in jail for a long time, so he hasn’t had a tree or presents since he was a kid.”

  Even then his parents didn’t do much for him. And yet he didn’t live his life moping around, blaming others for his misfortune. He’d turned himself around and made the best out of what he had.

  It had been nearly a week since they made love in his hotel room. Since they touched each other, laughed together, talked. And she missed him terribly. Her days and nights were spent making Delaney feel safe, helping her with schoolwork, and talking with police and counselors.

  At night she willed her phone to ring, to hear Cameron’s voice. She’d left him a handful of voicemails and texts, and he hadn’t replied to any except on the first night to say, “I’m glad Delaney is home safe.”

  His eyes and body language the day he was arrested and his avoidance of her when he returned with Delaney, as well as his brief yet emotionless conversation on the phone when he’d found her daughter spoke loud and clear exactly how he felt.

  Hurt. Betrayed. Unloved.

  Tomorrow, her parents would be spending the day with Delaney so Hope could go to the restaurant. She’d find time to visit him at work or stop by his apartment. The longer they went without speaking, the deeper the fissure between them spread.

  The following morning she kissed her daughter goodbye, trusting she was in good hands.

  “Thanks, Mom and Dad. If it gets to be too much, call me. I don’t need you having another heart attack.”

  “If I didn’t die of a heart attack when I heard my favorite granddaughter had been kidnapped, I surely can handle a day sitting around playing Monopoly.”

  The joke was getting old, but it kept her father in good spirits, so she didn’t roll her eyes at him.

  “I’ll call when I’m on my way home.”

  “Take your time.” Her mom kissed her cheek and held the door open for her.

  The work rush was good for. It kept her mind occupied and busy, with less time to think about Cameron and Delaney. Even though she knew Delaney was safe, she couldn’t help sending texts to her parents every hour to check in.

  It was all too much. Taking the week off work had been necessary, but now she needed some time to herself. And a chance to talk to Cameron.

  The lunch crowd died down, and Hope had a minute to catch her breath. “Stacey, think you can hold down the fort for an hour or so? I need to run a few errands.”

  “No problem.”

  The fifty-something single mom of two high school boys and two college-aged girls was a godsend.

  “Call if there’s a rush. I’ll be close by.” Hope grabbed her coat and put it on while walking down the sidewalk toward the boatyard.

  The ocean air was sharp and biting, and she wished she’d taken the time to grab a hat and her gloves. When she spotted Cameron’s lone truck in the parking lot, she hurried to the side door and let herself into the warehouse. Thankful no one else was working this Saturday afternoon, she followed the sound of the radio over to an enormous yacht.

  She didn’t see him, but heard noises, the banging of pipe or metal, coming from the boat. Not knowing if it was safe for her to climb aboard as it was propped up on the lift, she turned the radio off instead to get his attention.

  “Hello?”

  Not knowing what his reaction would be when he saw her, she stayed quiet until his head popped out from high above her.

  “Hi. Are you busy?” Stupid question. Of course he was.

  “Kind of.”

  “Can we talk?”

  “Now?”

  “Yeah.”

  Cameron hesitated b
efore responding. “Give me a minute.” He ducked below and she waited, twisting her fingers in a knot and pacing back and forth.

  She should have prepared her speech before coming here. When he emerged from the boat, he stomped his feet on the cement floor and pulled a rag from his back pocket, wiping his hands.

  “I’m a mess. Been working on an oil leak.”

  “That’s okay.” They stood in awkward silence, and she knew she needed to speak first. “You’ve been ignoring my calls.”

  “I don’t have much to say.”

  “You’re mad at me.” His silence was his response. “What did I do to turn you around like this? My daughter was kidnapped and I may not have been the kindest person to be around, but I think you’d understand that. Everyone else has.”

  “You didn’t accuse any of them of kidnapping.”

  Hope stepped back in shock. “I never—”

  “Don’t.” Cameron held up a hand to stop her. “I saw your eyes when they arrested me. You believed, even if only briefly, that I’d taken Delaney.”

  “No.” She shook her head. She’d been mad her daughter had been taken while on Cameron’s watch, but she never blamed him for her disappearance.

  “Honesty, Hope.” He turned away and wiped his hand across his brow.

  “I am being honest.”

  “And when I called you when we found Delaney. You believed I had her stashed at my parents’ guesthouse.”

  “No. That’s not true.”

  Again, he held up his hand. “I’ve been down this road before. People will always question my motives, my honesty. I’m a convicted felon. I just thought of all people in the world, you’d be different.”

  “Cameron. I know you had nothing to do with Delaney’s kidnapping.”

  “That’s easy to say now that the guilty party is locked up.”

  “I believed you before.”

  He smirked a disbelieving smile and nodded. “I need to get back to work.” He climbed back into the boat, dismissing her as if she didn’t matter.

  Anger took over her body. How dare he turn away from her, accuse her of betraying him. She never thought he’d hurt Delaney. Sure, she was furious at him for losing her, for letting her slip away during his watch. But when it came down to it, she didn’t think he’d lost her intentionally.