Changing the Rules

by Erin Kern

  Two hours later, she’d finally gotten Piper out the door, but only because Audrey had told the kid that Jellybean wanted to look at new toys.

  When in doubt, use the stuffed cat. Worked every time.

  She seemed to calm down after that. But it had been short-lived, when Audrey had mentioned the football game. Piper had shut herself in Audrey’s bedroom and refused to go, and hadn’t opened the door until Audrey had promised ice cream on the way home. Every mom in America would probably smack her wrist for using bribery, but it had worked, so win for her.

  So here they were, both tired and cranky and wanting to go home. But she was here for Cameron and Piper and furthering their bond, and all that sappy shit. Yeah, she was in a bad mood, but not all of it was because of her day with Piper.

  No, most of it was last Sunday’s encounter with Cameron in his kitchen. He’d gotten to her. Again. And she’d allowed him.

  Yes.

  He’d whispered it into her ear with such passion. Such conviction. For a flicker of a second, she’d contemplated saying yes in return and allowing him to whisk her away and do delicious things to her body. Of course, it would have been a mistake. She’d known that even as she’d stood in the cradle of his thighs while he’d skimmed his lips over her ear and inhaled the scent of her shampoo.

  The man was good. He’d had her whimpering and reduced to a puddle of mush without her even realizing what had happened. That made him dangerous. Then again, she’d known that about him since clapping eyes on his blue gaze shaded by a low baseball cap.

  The game moved on to the fourth quarter, and Piper started griping about how bored and tired she was. Normally Audrey wasn’t a huge fan of giving a kid an electronic device for entertainment, but she decided to make an exception. She passed her cell phone over, and Piper pulled up a coloring app.

  “How’s she adjusting?” Stella asked.

  Audrey ran a hand over Piper’s downy soft hair, trying to remind herself how little she still was. It was easy to get caught up in the everyday activities of settling into Cameron’s guesthouse and worrying about Piper starting school that sometimes Audrey forgot to cut Piper more slack. She was such a sweet girl who’d taken everything in stride. Sometimes Audrey would catch a flash of grief in the little girl’s eyes and it would take all of Audrey’s strength to hold herself together.

  “Today’s been tough, but overall she’s been an angel,” she answered Stella.

  Annabelle spun around on the bleacher. “Cameron’s never really talked about his sister before.”

  Audrey shrugged and tried to follow the action on the field. “They weren’t very close. She was a lot younger than him.”

  “His dad taking off probably had a lot to do with that,” Brandon commented.

  “To be honest, Dianna was pretty tight-lipped about it,” she told them. “She was really close with her mom, but she and her dad…” Audrey shook her head. “I don’t know, they had a complicated relationship. Her dad wasn’t your typical affectionate, hands-on type. And then when she found out she had an older brother, it changed their relationship.”

  “She didn’t find out about Cameron until later?” Annabelle wanted to know.

  “No, she always knew about him. From what she told me, he’d come to visit once every few months when she was little. But by the time she was eight or nine, he stopped coming around.” Audrey glanced at Piper to make sure she wasn’t paying attention to the conversation. “She told me she thought Cameron was a distant relative or maybe just a family friend. Her dad didn’t let the cat out of the bag until she was a teenager.”

  “Guy was a selfish asshole,” Brandon commented.

  Stella ignored her husband’s comment. “So you and Dianna were friends, but you never met Cameron?”

  “I didn’t meet Dianna until high school, and by then Cameron had been out of the picture for years. All I knew was that she had an older half brother who lived hours away.” She shifted a look from Stella to Annabelle. “She never talked about him.”

  “That had to have been really hard for her,” Annabelle commented.

  Audrey pondered Annabelle’s words for a moment. “I think she felt like she’d been cheated. I mean, she had this whole other family that her dad had kept from her. She and Cameron could have been really close if the situation had been handled better. But instead she died never really knowing him. He wasn’t even at her funeral.”

  “That’s not Cameron’s fault,” Stella pointed out.

  “Oh, I know,” she agreed. Then she blew out a weary breath. “Actually, at first, I did sort of blame him. I kept thinking, ‘What sort of brother doesn’t come to his own sister’s funeral?’ I hated him on principle because I’d see Piper crying herself to sleep with no other family to comfort her. All I could think was how unfair it was.” Audrey wrung her hands together, trying not to go back to that dark time. “But then the fog of grief lifted, and I realized that it was probably just as hard on him as it was on her.”

  Annabelle placed a comforting hand on her knee. “Piper’s really lucky to have you.”

  “What about Piper’s dad?” Stella wanted to know.

  Around them, the crowed went crazy as the Bobcats scored a touchdown, bringing them ahead of the other team. Audrey clapped on cue, but didn’t stand with the rest of the fans. “He took off when he found out Dianna was pregnant. He’s never expressed any interest in Piper.”

  “What about Cameron’s dad?” Annabelle questioned. “Is he still around?”

  “Yeah, but his health is really bad. He’s on oxygen and lives on state assistance. And Dianna’s mom died a few years ago, so Cameron’s really the only family Piper has.”

  “That’s not true,” Stella said as she nudged Audrey’s thigh. “She has you.”

  Piper would always have Audrey no matter how far apart they were, but her heart still squeezed at the thought of leaving. She loved Piper and wanted what was best for her. She didn’t want to think about going to bed without reading a bedtime story first or getting five drinks of water. Or checking in the closet for monsters. Or leaving the hall light on.

  “I think you’ve been good for her,” Stella added. “Just look how well she’s adjusting.”

  Audrey exhaled. “The real test will be after I leave. I feel like I need to leave Cameron an instruction manual.”

  Annabelle chuckled alongside Stella. “Don’t let his brooding nature and animal grunts fool you. Cameron’s smart, and he’s a good guy. I think he’s probably catching on faster than you realize.”

  Cameron was good with Piper, despite Audrey’s doubts when she first arrived. He got down to her level and talked to her, instead of talking around her. He didn’t constantly ask if she was okay, like most people had after Dianna had died. Getting back to a normal routine and not having people tiptoe around her had been good for Piper. Cameron got that. Audrey had a feeling a lot of that had to do with his dad leaving. He identified with Piper’s grief and confusion, and part of Audrey kind of loved him for that.

  “He kept trying to get me to take Piper back to Boulder with me,” Audrey admitted.

  “Not surprising,” Stella agreed. “But that was because he was scared. Once you have Cameron’s loyalty, you have it for life. He won’t let Piper down now.”

  “Even if he does end up moving,” Brandon cut in.

  Audrey’s head jerked toward the big man who’d just been elbowed by his wife. “I’m sorry?” she demanded. “Moving?”

  Stella opened her mouth to cut off Brandon, but he beat her to it. “I wouldn’t worry about it. Even if he does leave, he’ll take Piper with him.”

  “Do you have a death wish?” Stella hissed at her husband. She turned to Audrey and placed a soothing hand on her arm. “I’m sure Cameron’s not going anywhere. He loves Blanco Valley too much.”

  “But he’s thinking about it,” she concluded as she tossed a desperate look between Stella and Annabelle.

  Stella only stared straight ahead, as though
she was suddenly interested in the field action. Annabelle opened her mouth, then shook her head as she shut it again.

  “I’ve spent the entire day with a cranky six-year-old,” Audrey asserted. “If someone doesn’t start leveling with me right now…”

  Annabelle turned all the way around. “I’m sure it’s nothing.”

  Audrey waited for her to continue. “But?” she prompted.

  “But…” Stella began. “I think maybe Cameron was toying with the idea of relocating. But I’m sure he’s changed his mind now that he has Piper,” the woman concluded in a rush when she got the look of panic on Audrey’s face.

  Of course, Audrey didn’t have a say in it. But Piper had been uprooted too much, had been through too much to move again. Another new neighborhood. Different friends. Different school. The girl needed some continuity in her life. But what could she do? Demand Cameron stay put forever?

  And maybe it wasn’t even true. Annabelle and Stella seemed unsure, and Cameron would have said something if he had plans to move. Wouldn’t he?

  “In all honesty?” Annabelle went on. She must have taken Audrey’s silence as distress. “I don’t think Cameron has confirmed anything. And I think it was more him just exploring some options rather than making plans. If you’re that worried about it, you should ask him.”

  But would he give her a straight answer? He was mysterious and secretive to a fault, and he’d have to know that Audrey wouldn’t take well to him moving Piper again.

  Why did this whole thing have to be so exhausting? Every time she thought she had Cameron Shaw figured out, he threw her a curve ball.

  Cameron stood at his back door and watched as Audrey sipped wine straight from a bottle. She was perched on the top step of the guesthouse, with the light of the full moon shining down on her loose blond hair and highlighting her cheekbones. She really was beautiful. Cameron was used to being with beautiful women, and yet Audrey was different. Something in the way she held herself, and the wary way she watched everyone around her, as though waiting for the bottom to fall out.

  He knew that feeling all too well. But everything else about Audrey was a total mystery to him. What bothered him even more was his desire to figure her out. She wasn’t going to be in his life very long, so why should he care? Why did he want to know the story behind the shadows in her eyes? Who had wronged her? And why did he want to beat the shit out of them?

  Audrey lifted the bottle of wine to her lips. Cameron tightened his grip on the sweatpants dangling from his hand.

  When he’d returned home from the football game, which they’d won, he’d found his sweats folded in a neat pile on the kitchen counter. On top of them was a yellow Post-it with Audrey’s neat handwriting informing him she’d mended them. As he’d stared down at her note, something had shifted inside his chest: an unfamiliar tightening around his heart that he didn’t recognize. They were just sweatpants, for chrissake. But for some reason, it felt like more.

  A peace offering?

  That had been his first thought. His second thought had been why the hell the gesture meant so much to him. So she’d mended his pants. So what? His mother used to mend his clothes all the time, and he’d never had the wind knocked out of him.

  He should go out there and thank her.

  Except ever since that night in his kitchen, when they’d almost kissed, he’d tried to keep a respectful distance, to give her the space she seemed to need around him. He’d needed the space too, because inappropriate thoughts were always crowding his mind. Like how it would feel to shove her against the wall and explore her mouth with his tongue. Or maybe tunnel his hands in that silky hair, to feel the cool strands sifting around his fingers. She’d be soft and curvy where women were supposed to be soft and curvy. The polar opposite to his hardness and scuffed hands and scabbed knees.

  His phone vibrated, and Cameron withdrew it from his pants pocket.

  I’m back in town. Want to hook up this weekend?

  Tessa.

  Normally he’d text back for her to stop by whenever, because why not? He was single, she was single, so why not indulge? But as he shot a quick glance at Audrey, something stopped him. His thumb hovered over the keypad as multiple responses tumbled around his mind. Finally, he answered without giving himself too much time to ponder it.

  This weekend isn’t good. I’ll call you later.

  With that, he tucked his phone away and opened the sliding glass door. Audrey’s head jerked up at the sound, tracking his movements as he set the sweatpants down on a porch chair and crossed the yard.

  “Have room for one more?” he asked.

  She blinked at him, then scooted over. He sat, ignoring the groaning of the wood beneath his weight.

  “I see you got your pants,” she observed.

  He grinned at her. “Yeah. Maybe I should hire you to mend the rest of my clothes.”

  Her brows knitted together. “Are all your clothes in that sorry of shape?”

  Great. Now he sounded like a bum. “No. I just don’t shop that much.”

  She slanted him a look as she lifted the bottle of wine to her lips. “Somehow that doesn’t surprise me.” He watched her throat work, thinking how he’d like to place his lips there. She lowered the bottle and offered it to him. “Want some?”

  He gazed at the opening of the bottle and thought, Yeah, her mouth was just on that. Then he thought, What the hell? Close enough.

  Her brows lifted when he pulled a sip. “What?” he asked after lowering the bottle.

  “I just wouldn’t have pegged you for a wine drinker.”

  “I’m not.” He handed the wine back to her

  “But you’ll make an exception for me, right?”

  His mouth twisted. “Actually, I was thinking free booze.”

  She shook her head at him. “I should have known you’d be that simple.” They passed the wine back and forth in silence, until Audrey cleared her throat. “Congratulations on your win,” she told him. “So what’s your goal? To win a big playoff game or something?”

  A playoff game? Cameron slanted her a look. “The state championship,” he corrected. “And yeah, we’d be pretty happy with that.”

  “No need to be sarcastic,” she chastised. “I know as much about football as you probably do about home staging.”

  “Home staging?” He couldn’t even make a guess at what that was.

  Audrey took another swig of the bottle and handed it to him, while taking the opportunity to explain her business.

  “And you make a living doing this?”

  She chuckled as though he’d underestimated her. “We do okay.”

  “It’s not an easy thing to run your own business,” he pointed out. “Your parents must be proud.”

  Something dark flashed across her eyes as though he’d touched a nerve. “It’s just me and my dad, and we…” She paused as though searching for the right words. “We have an odd relationship.”

  He waited, giving her an opportunity to explain if she felt comfortable.

  “My mom disappeared when I was eight, and ever since then my dad has spent most of his time in his dental practice. I don’t see him that much.”

  “What do you mean, disappeared?” Cameron wanted to know. “Did she leave?”

  Audrey shook her head. “No, my mother never would have left us. My brother and I were her world. She went missing during a camping trip she and my dad were on.” She gazed out over the moonlit lawn. “Every year, my parents would go camping in the Rockies for their anniversary. Like, seriously roughing it. Nothing but a tent, some sleeping bags, and food. My dad said he woke up one morning and my mom was gone. She’d taken her backpack, rolled up her sleeping bag, and gone for a hike.” She glanced out of eyes full of grief. “At least that’s what my dad told the police.”

  His gaze dropped to her mouth. Dammit, he should not be thinking about kissing her while she was confiding in him. “You don’t believe him?”

  She opened her mouth, then l
et out a humorless laugh. “I honestly don’t know. I mean, my dad would never have hurt my mom, but there were things about that morning that didn’t make sense. Like, she’d left her compass and her cell phone. And she never would have just up and gone hiking that early in the morning without my dad and leave her compass behind. That was totally out of character for her.”

  “You said your dad threw himself into his work. He was never arrested for anything?”

  “No, the police had almost no evidence to go on. There were no signs of violence, no trace of her body, no witnesses, no nothing. Plus my dad had no reason to want my mom dead. They weren’t going through a divorce, there was no life insurance, and my dad makes six figures a year, so there was no financial motive.” Audrey pulled in a deep breath. “It’s like she just got up one morning, walked away, and vanished.” She turned to gaze at him. “How does that happen?”

  Unable to help himself, Cameron tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I don’t know. Maybe she really did go on a hike, somehow fell and hurt herself, then succumbed to the elements.”

  Audrey’s brows twitched as though picturing the scenario, and Cameron wanted to kick his own insensitive ass.

  “My mom was a skilled hiker. She never would have gone without her phone and compass. The lead detective once told me he’d never had a case keep him up at night like my mom’s.”

  “They never solved it?”

  She shook her head and spun the wine bottle around in between her legs. “No, it’s still an active investigation. They think…”

  He waited for her to continue, but she only bit her lip. “What?”

  She exhaled a shuddering breath. “They think she left and started a new life somewhere.”

  “But you don’t believe that,” he guessed. Hell, he wouldn’t have believed it either. Not all parents were worthless asswipes like his old man.

  “No way,” she said with conviction. “Setting myself aside, she and my brother had a really special relationship. She never would have abandoned him. Especially since he and my dad didn’t get along. My mom was the only reason they tolerated each other.”