Whitney couldn’t help but look at Cam then. He was smiling too, looking genuinely happy, and the way he had Didi’s hand on his arm was very sweet and gallant.
Cam had made her grandmother look like that. Wow. He hadn’t just put up with the crazy date idea and taken her out for a quick piece of pie. They’d been out for nearly two hours and they both genuinely looked like they’d had a great time.
Dammit, that didn’t make it any easier to not think about kissing him.
Whitney had to take a deep breath before she said or did anything.
She stood from the couch, trying hard to look as if she’d been lounging and reading, hardly aware of the time.
“Why are you sitting in here?” Didi asked, blowing Whitney’s nonchalant cover immediately however.
“I just… thought I’d read for a bit until you got home.” Whitney waved the book she’d picked up from the coffee table.
“In here?” Didi asked, looking around as if confused.
It made sense that she’d be confused about that.
This room was for looks only. Didi and Dean had occasionally sat in here with someone who had just dropped by. Usually someone wanting a donation to some cause or fundraiser or campaign. This room was for entertaining uninvited guests. For short periods. This room at the front was very pretty. And entirely uncomfortable.
Invited guests and family used the living room and the even less formal family room at the back of the house.
Whitney sighed and set the book she held back on the table. She glanced at the front. It was a coffee table book about neckties.
Neckties. Who put together books about neckties? More, who bought and displayed a book like that?
Dax Marshall would. Whitney actually smiled at the thought. Dax loved crazy ties and had a whole collection.
“You’re reading in here?” Didi asked.
Whitney nodded. “I was thinking about giving this book of grandpa’s to Dax.”
Didi looked at it and smiled. “I like Dax. Yes, give him the book.”
“Great.” Whitney picked it up again and handed it to Cam. “Are you going to see him tonight?”
Cam shook his head. “Actually no.” He glanced at Didi, then back to Whitney. “You can give it to him tomorrow.”
“Okay.” She looked at him for a long moment. “So thanks for bringing Grandma home.”
“Of course.”
There was another long pause where it seemed everyone was waiting for someone else to do something.
“I’m going to make tea,” Didi announced, turning toward the kitchen. “Whitney, take Cam upstairs.”
Whitney blinked. Then frowned. Then blinked again. Her grandmother was not as clearheaded as she used to be and she’d undeniably lost some of her filter. But she wanted Whitney and Cam to go upstairs together?
“Excuse me?” she asked.
“He’s going to pick a bedroom,” Didi said, as if it was the most obvious thing. “Show him the way. He didn’t sneak into this house to see you, so he doesn’t know his way around.”
Whitney heard the little surprised squeak that came from her own throat.
Cam, on the other hand, laughed. “Are you guessing, Didi? You think we’re going to give up secrets?”
“You didn’t sneak into her bedroom? Not even once? What kind of teenage love story was that?” Didi asked.
Whitney opened her mouth but was only able to squeak again.
Cam looked a little offended even as he smiled at Didi. “Of course I snuck into her bedroom. More than once.”
“I figured,” Didi said.
Cam chuckled. “Should I take that as a compliment?”
“Of course.” Didi glanced at Whitney. “Every woman deserves a man who will scale buildings for her.”
Whitney felt her eyes widen and she looked at Cam. He didn’t seem shocked. In fact, he was nodding. And looking at Whitney.
“You’re absolutely right, Didi.”
“Anyway, I don’t want you falling and breaking your neck,” Didi said, turning toward the kitchen again. “You can now use the front door and the stairs. Whitney will get you a key tomorrow.”
Didi headed down the hallway.
When she was out of view, and earshot, Whitney swung to face Cam. She was going to get him a key tomorrow? “What is going on?”
He gestured to something behind him and Whitney moved closer so she could see. But she only got as close to him as was absolutely necessary.
“I need to take my stuff up to my room.”
There was a suitcase sitting in the foyer.
A suitcase.
Whitney propped her hands on her hips. “I leave you alone with my grandmother for two hours and now you’re best friends and moving in here?”
He was watching her with one corner of his mouth curled. “Pretty much.”
“Cam, what is going on?”
“Your grandmother doesn’t like Katherine. She asked me to come and stay and keep her company during the day while you’re at work.”
Whitney stared at him. None of that made any sense.
Well, she knew that Didi didn’t really like Katherine. She’d told Whitney that a number of times. But the truth was that Katherine just made Didi do some things she didn’t like but that were important. Their daily walk for instance. And eating something other than cereal. And not spending the day watching Golden Girls reruns.
Okay, so Didi wanted a replacement for Katherine. But Cam?
“How, exactly, did that come up and why in the world would you agree to that?”
He took a step closer and Whitney had to fight the urge to back up. She didn’t actually want to get away from him. On the contrary, she wanted to get a lot closer. But she couldn’t. That would complicate things enormously.
A lot like having him hanging out here every day and being sweet to her grandmother.
Not to mention him moving in.
“It came up in our conversation,” he said with a shrug as if he didn’t remember exactly how. “And she and I have a common goal, and me being here a lot helps us toward that goal.”
Whitney narrowed her eyes. “What’s the goal?”
“Making you happy.”
That wasn’t exactly what she’d been expecting him to say so it took her a second to really process it.
“You think you being here with my grandma is going to make me happy?”
He nodded. “You want to focus on Hot Cakes and being a part of the team and showing your new bosses that you’re dedicated and valuable. But your grandma being here and needing company is distracting and causes you to need to leave work in the middle of projects sometimes. Like when she sets things on fire.” The corner of his mouth curled again as if Didi starting things on fire was amusing. “If I’m here, Didi is happy and you’re free to concentrate on work.”
Whitney swallowed. She really did need someone to help with Didi if she was going to put in the time and concentration she needed at work. Her father’s departure and the guys coming in and taking over had been a blessing in a lot of ways. Whitney was starting fresh with the guys. Even slightly ahead. They valued her experience with the company over the past ten years.
But the changes and increased demands on Whitney’s time and attention were coinciding with a crucial time with Didi. It was another month before Didi could move into Sunny Orchard where she would have more activities and supervision. Her meals would be provided—and would include vegetables—and she wouldn’t have to use a stove at all.
Whitney had really been hoping that Didi could tolerate Katherine for another thirty days. Surely it wasn’t that bad with Katherine.
“Why would you do this? Really?” she asked. “Why do you care if Didi is happy with Katherine?”
He took a moment to answer. He took another step closer and tucked his hands into his pockets. The movement drew her attention to his arms. He’d always been muscular and solid, but he definitely had the arms—and shoulders and chest and abs—of a ma
n now. The last time his arms had been around her, making her feel comforted and loved and sexy, he’d been a boy. She couldn’t help but wonder how they would feel around her now.
She shook that off quickly though. That was even more complicated than having him getting along with her grandmother. It was one thing for them to see each other regularly and to have something in common with Hot Cakes. It would be a lot more convoluted between them if he was a part of her personal life as well. But if there was a physical connection too, she wasn’t sure she’d be strong enough not to just fall headfirst in love with him. Again.
“I’ve been really clear about what I want, Whit,” he finally said. “I want a chance to see what, if anything, is between us now. It’s been ten years but I wouldn’t say we had a lot of closure. If we spend time together and decide to be friends, great. If we can only manage to be coworkers at Hot Cakes, then, fine. I guess. But if we can be more, then I absolutely want to know that.”
“So you’re using my grandmother to get closer to me?” she asked, crossing her arms, feeling suddenly raw and jumpy.
Her life had been easier when Cam had lived in another city and only came home occasionally. It had always hurt to see him. She’d always wanted more than the few minutes of interaction. She’d wanted more than acting as if they were just acquaintances, like she did with any of the other guys she’d gone to high school with who were home for the holidays and passed her on the street.
It had never felt right with Cam. It had never been enough.
But then he’d leave and she’d forget about him again. Or at least push him to the back of her mind.
Until she heard a song that reminded her of him. Or passed his family’s bakery. Or passed the house where he’d grown up. Or passed the road to the river where they’d spent lots of time in his back seat. Or… any of the other dozens of places in Appleby that reminded her of him and their past together.
Which was almost every day.
Yeah, it was incredibly difficult to forget about an ex-boyfriend in a tiny town where you’d spent a year in love with him.
Especially when you hadn’t really ever gotten over him.
And you hadn’t found a guy who could replace him in any way.
Him moving into her house and becoming a co-caregiver to her favorite person in the world was really not the way to move past any of that.
“I think she’s using me to get out of doing crosswords with Katherine,” he said, lifting a shoulder. “But I’m not going to turn down a chance to be around you more, Whit.”
“I don’t think this is a good idea.” She pressed her arms into her stomach.
“Why not?”
He knew. He knew why it was a bad idea in her mind. It was because it was going to be hard for her to hold herself back from him. But he wanted her to say it out loud.
“You have a job.”
He gave a short laugh. “I own the company. I’m best friends with—and have dirt on—all of the other owners. I can do a lot of my work from here. And if I need to be in the office, it’s a five-minute drive.”
“So you would leave her alone,” Whitney said. “I can’t have you—”
“I would never do anything that wouldn’t be completely safe for her,” he broke in, looking annoyed that she’d even suggest that. “I will handle this.”
“How?”
“You don’t need to worry about it,” he said. “That’s what’s so great about this. I’m taking this off your plate.”
“To get on my good side.”
“Yes.”
He didn’t even try to hedge.
Now she wanted to hear him admit something. He was trying to get her into bed. And he was willing to use her grandmother to do it. Gross.
Though it didn’t really feel gross. It felt… good. Someone wanting to be with her so badly that he’d pull out all the stops? She honestly wasn’t used to people wanting to be with her as much as Cam seemed to.
And it was Cam. There was just nothing gross about him. Period.
“Why?”
“Because I care about you.”
That made her stomach flip in spite of how tightly she had her arms crossed.
“And because you want to—”
“She cried, Whit.”
Whitney stopped and frowned. “What?”
“She cried.” He sighed. “She regrets so many things that happened with my grandma. With your grandpa. With the business. But she’s so glad that we stayed together. I didn’t have the heart to do anything but agree with her.”
Whitney’s frown deepened. “You told her we stayed together?”
“No. But I didn’t correct her, either.” The way he lifted one brow was almost as if he was daring her to tell him he’d been wrong to placate her.
Whitney pulled in a breath. She wasn’t going to tell him he was wrong. Grandma tears were the worst. If he’d been able to resist feeling bad and doing whatever it took to make Didi feel better, he would be a bad guy.
And Camden McCaffery was definitely not a bad guy.
“She believes it though,” he went on. “She thinks that we stayed together and have kept the relationship hidden all this time.”
Whitney pulled in a deep breath, then nodded. “She also probably thinks it’s only been a year or so since you left town.”
That made her heart ache. She didn’t want to lose Didi. Her grandmother was her only family left here in Appleby. But, in many ways, Didi had always been her only family. At least in the make-her-feel-supported-and-comforted way families were supposed to function. Didi was the one Whitney had her best childhood memories with. Now she was slowly losing the bright, funny, sweet woman who had been her advocate and had always believed in her.
Whitney was going to be on her own soon. Maybe the Alzheimer’s would take a few years to steal Didi completely, but already her grandmother was changing. Their relationship was changing. Eventually Whitney would be alone. And there was nothing she could do about it. She felt like there was a sharp, hot poker jabbing her just below her ribs when she thought about that.
She needed her work. She needed to secure her place at Hot Cakes. She needed to be vital there. That was all she had and she needed to be a part of something. Her family was gone, the family business was gone, her grandmother would be gone. Hot Cakes was the one place she could belong.
Of course, even Hot Cakes had changed on her, but she was still there and she had a better chance now at being truly essential to the business. It was the only thing she could control. She could control her work and her performance. Everything else involved other people, and, as she knew too well, other people were out of her control completely.
“Even if that is what she thinks,” Cam said about Didi’s poor perception of time. “It makes her happy. Really happy. She wants us to be together. She wants to know that someone is loving you and taking care of you.”
His words made Whitney’s stomach swoop and then dive. She felt the air between them heat. This was different than how he’d talked to her in her office last night but it affected her similarly. Being loved and taken care of by Cam was absolutely as tempting as being seduced by him. Honestly, with Cam, all of that had always gone together.
“So you’re going to lie to her?” Whitney asked.
That was so stupid. She wanted to hear him say it wasn’t a lie. She wanted to hear him say that he did love her and wanted to take care of her. But what if he said that? That would make all of this so much harder. She had to resist. Hot Cakes was her focus. She couldn’t do anything to jeopardize her position there.
“It’s a month,” he said after a long pause. “Right? A month until she can move into her new apartment.”
Well, he certainly hadn’t said, “Let me be your knight in shining armor.”
And she was glad he hadn’t said that. That would have been ridiculous. He couldn’t love her. He didn’t really know her anymore.
Which was the point he was trying to make when he said they
needed to date and figure things out.
Whitney pressed her lips together, telling herself to stop being ridiculous. She finally nodded. “Right. A month.”
“A month should be enough time to figure out what we are.”
“What we are?” she repeated.
“Coworkers, friends, or…”
Whitney felt that she was holding her breath waiting for him to fill in that last word.
“Or?” she prompted when he just stood watching her.
“Everything,” he said.
Her breath caught again. They were going to find out if they were coworkers, friends, or everything.
“I feel like I’m not getting much say in this,” she managed, noting that her voice sounded scratchy.
She knew that Cam heard it too when he stepped forward one more time. Now they were only inches apart. Close enough to reach out and touch. Close enough that if they didn’t touch, it would be very obvious they were making that choice.
“You can say no to anything I suggest,” he said. “But that doesn’t mean I won’t make the suggestions.”
She wet her lips. “Suggestions like?”
“Like that we should sit on the front porch with a couple of beers and talk. Like that we should sit on the couch and watch old movies. Like that we should go for a midnight swim in the pool out back.”
Those all sounded relatively safe. And tempting as hell. Which made them not safe.
“And like we should make chocolate chip cookie dough,” he went on.
Okay she could maybe do this. Chocolate chip cookie dough and playing in the pool. Maybe they could end up being friends. That was a nice, safe compromise between coworkers and… she swallowed hard… everything.
“And you should let me lick it off your nipples.”
9
Whitney sucked in a sharp breath and her eyes flew to his as he turned the sweet, date-like ideas into sexy and oh-my-God-yes in a blink.
Her nipples definitely liked the idea. They tingled as if he was already covering them with cookie dough and tightened in anticipation of the licking.
He reached up and cupped her face. “Let me stay.”
Semi-Sweet On You: Hot Cakes Series Page 12
