by SJ McCoy
Smoke shrugged. If he was honest, he didn’t know. He liked Piper, but she wasn’t from the right stock. That didn’t bother him, he didn’t even think it would bother his parents—not anymore—but, it would bother the people Cam worked with—the bitchy women and the suits. He didn’t have time to reply to Emma, and he didn’t know how to anyway.
“Hey, everyone,” said Cam as he reached the table. “Is there room for two more?”
Smoke moved closer to Laura and patted the space beside him. “Come on, Piper.”
She smiled and slid onto the bench next to him.
Cameron shot him an odd look as he sat down opposite them, next to Pete.
Ben was back in a few moments with two more menus. “If you’re quick, I can put your order in with the rest.”
~ ~ ~
Laura looked around the table as everyone gave Ben their orders. She caught Piper’s eye and smiled. “How’ve you been?”
“Great, thanks. I went back to Texas while you were gone, collected my things, and put the house up for sale. Now I’m staying at the lodge till I find a place of my own.”
“That’s awesome. I’m so happy you’re moving here.”
Piper nodded. “Me too. The guys at the airport are great.”
Laura didn’t miss the way Cameron’s gaze flickered toward Piper when she said that. She had to hope he wasn’t jealous like his brother. But no, that was crazy. He and Piper weren’t even seeing each other. There was just a lot of speculation surrounding them.
When Ben had gone, she looked at Emma who smiled and made a big show of looking at Piper then Cameron and back again before nodding. Laura had to bite back a laugh. There was no hope for Emma.
“Will you have any time this weekend to come over and look at cake designs with me?” she asked.
“No,” said Smoke firmly.
Laura laughed. “Sorry, Em. What he means is, that I’ll come over Monday after he leaves.”
“Oh, of course, sorry,” said Emma.
“No, I’m sorry,” said Smoke. “I didn’t mean to take it out on you. It’s just that we never get a moment to ourselves, and this is our last chance.”
Jack laughed. “I know; I’m surprised you’re out tonight.”
Smoke shrugged. “It’d be rude not to, and we had to check in with everyone.”
“Well, we discussed it before you got here,” said Missy. “Everything’s under control.” She turned to Holly. “Dresses?”
Pete laughed. “Ha. You’re more like me that you realize, Miss.”
Missy laughed. “I just like making sure everything’s taken care of.”
Pete put his arm around Holly’s shoulders. “See, just like me.”
Holly shook her head. “Yes, you’re both bossy boots, is what you are.” She turned to Laura. “And as you already know, the dresses should be here on Monday, and that should give me plenty of time to make any alterations we might need.”
“What about suits?” asked Cameron.
“Ah,” said Pete. “I don’t suppose you could meet us in Seattle on Tuesday, could you? We’re planning to get Smoke fitted up then.”
Laura watched Cameron’s face, wondering how he’d react to that news. He smiled good-naturedly and pulled his phone out of his pocket. “What time?” he asked.
“Afternoon, whenever suits you,” said Smoke.
Cameron tapped away at his phone for a few minutes then smiled again. “I’m all yours from one till six.”
Missy laughed. “Don’t you just love it when things work so easily?”
Smoke shook his head. “I’ve got a feeling that wasn’t easy at all. What I love is how he makes it look so easy. He’s like a duck in the water. All we see is the way he glides. We don’t see the feet paddling like crazy below the surface.”
Cameron smiled and lifted a shoulder. “I prefer swan to duck, but it’s just a matter of priorities. Your wedding is the number one priority right now.”
“Aww.” Missy grinned. “I love that.”
Smoke nodded, surprised at the way he choked up at hearing it. He jumped when Ben’s hand came down on his shoulder, and he turned to look up at him. Ben didn’t say anything—just put his food in front of him—but his eyes said it all. The two of them had had enough heart-to-heart talks in the last couple of years that Ben probably knew him as well as anyone. He understood how much Cam’s words meant to him.
Laura smiled as Ben put her plate on the table. “I feel bad about messing up your Saturday night next weekend.”
Ben grinned. “Don’t. I’m grateful to you, and so’s Charlie. I’ve talked about trying this out for ages now. I mean, I take weekend nights off sometimes because Kenzie can handle anything, but this is a first. I’m not going to be here, and neither is Kenzie and Chase and Eddie. It’s going to be fine. Your wedding is just the push I needed to give it a try.”
“I feel better about it, now you put it like that,” said Smoke.
“Good, you should. You’re doing me a favor.” Ben finished serving their food, then looked around. “Is everyone okay? Do we need anything?”
They all shook their heads. “Okay, I’ll come join you for a drink later.”
“Don’t make it too late,” said Jack. “Smoke and Laura aren’t here for long.”
Smoke smiled to himself, loving the way that everyone was looking out for them in their different ways.
~ ~ ~
The evening flew by. Cameron was thoroughly enjoying himself. He’d wondered how Cole was liking life up here. He couldn’t picture his brother living in a small town with no nightlife to speak of. Now he understood. Summer Lake was a great place. The resort was comfortable, enjoyable. And the people were great. As he looked around the table, Cameron smiled to himself. He’d known Jack, Pete, and Nate for a long time. He’d chatted with Dan and was amazed when he realized that he was the same Dan Benson who’d founded Prometheus before it was bought out by Systech. Gabe was Cameron’s kind of guy, a former New York trial attorney with a keen mind and a huge sense of community, and his brother Michael was the town doctor. And the women, too. They weren’t small town, small-minded types. They all had careers and interests and lives of their own. They were his kind of people. Perhaps not the sort he usually hung out with, but definitely the sort he’d like to. He couldn’t imagine there ever being any backstabbing or bitchiness here. There was no competitiveness, no one-upmanship—well, except between Cole and Laura—there was just a bunch of people who cared about each other and enjoyed each other’s company. He loved it.
He looked up as Cole and Laura got to their feet. He’d been so lost in his musings, he hadn’t heard them say they were leaving.
“Do you want to call me in the morning?” Cole asked him.
He shook his head with a smile. “I’ll wait for you to call me.”
“Thanks,” said Laura.
He knew they rarely got any time to themselves, and he didn’t want to intrude on it. And besides, if he was honest, he was happy just being here. He was ready to help with anything they needed to be done, but he was fine to just hang out, too.
Pete raised an eyebrow at him. “Do you want to come up to North Cove?”
Jack nodded. “We need to get home to Isabel, but we’d love you to come up.”
“Thanks, but I think I’m going to stay here.” He turned to look at the stage where the band was playing. “They’re good.”
“Okay,” said Jack.
His wife Emma grinned at him. Cameron liked her, and she seemed to have a thing about trying to get him and Piper together.
“You two have fun,” she said.
He tried not to smile. He’d thought Cole and Laura were the only ones leaving early, but once they’d gone, the others soon followed. After a while, he and Piper were the only ones left.
“I guess they don’t do late nights around here,” she said with a smile.
“I guess not.” He wondered if she was abou
t to leave, too. Part of him hoped she wouldn’t, part of him thought it’d be better if she did.
Ben appeared and stopped dead in his track when he saw the almost empty table. “They all left?” he asked incredulously.
Piper smiled. “I was wondering if it’s my perfume.”
Cameron laughed. He wasn’t used to women who’d make a joke about themselves.
Ben smiled at her. “I think you’re safe there.” He shook his head. “I was coming to see what everyone wanted to drink. I was about to sit down for a while and chat.”
“Why don’t you?” asked Cam. “We might be new faces, but I don’t think we’re terrible company.” He looked at Piper. “Or are we? Is that why they all left?”
“No, it definitely wasn’t that.”
“Okay. What do you want?” asked Ben. “It’s on me.”
Cameron got to his feet. “No, you sit down, take a load off, and I’ll go find us a good bottle of wine.”
Ben grinned. “If you insist.”
Cameron smiled to himself as he returned to the table with the bottle and three glasses. The girl behind the bar was a hoot. He knew she was a friend of Cole’s, too. She’d made him laugh as he’d asked her to go through all the Hamilton-Groves wines they had until he found what he wanted.
“Did Kenzie give you a hard time?” asked Ben.
“No, she’s funny.”
Ben laughed. “She can be.”
Cameron poured them each a glass and then raised his in a toast. “Cheers. Here’s to making new friends.” He held Piper’s gaze as she brought her glass to her lips. He shouldn’t be watching her lips like that. She pressed them together as she lowered her glass, and a shiver ran down his spine. He needed to cool it. He knew his brother didn’t like the idea of him hooking up with Piper, but damn it was tempting.
“So, what do you think?” asked Ben. “I know Piper’s going to be a new friend, with her moving here and working at the airport and everything, but what about you? Do you think we’ll be seeing more of you even after the wedding?”
Cameron nodded slowly. This was weird. It was Ben doing the talking, but he was asking the question that he’d been asking himself. And judging by the look on her face, Piper was interested in the answer, too. “I like it here. I want to say it’s my kind of place, but it really isn’t.”
Ben nodded. “I’d guess you’re more used to sleek and elegant than rustic and homey.”
“I suppose I am.” He glanced at Piper. She looked disappointed. “The places I usually go to are sleek and elegant. But, you know what? They also feel empty and superficial. Especially compared to this place. I said I like it here, but I was wrong. I love it.”
Ben chuckled. “You sound like the rest of them—Smoke, Jack, Pete, Dan, and Gabe. They all lived fast-paced, high-powered lives in big cities, but none of them ever managed to be truly happy.”
“I was thinking about that earlier. Gabe especially. I mean, to trade the life of a New York trial attorney for this? But then, he grew up here. It’s different.”
“Maybe,” said Ben. “Maybe not.”
“I couldn’t move here,” said Cameron. “I love my work, and it’s in Napa.”
“Maybe you could get yourself a vacation home? Or just come stay when you need to kick back?”
“Yeah, I think I’ll do that, at least. Will you have any of the cabins available on the weekends now the season is quieting down?”
“We should. I’d have to check.”
“Please do.” Cameron turned to Piper. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to hog the conversation. What about you? Are you having any luck finding a place to live?”
She smiled. Damn, she was beautiful when she smiled. “I haven’t really started looking yet. I’ve just been enjoying being here. I took a boat out. I went horseback riding and four-wheeling.”
Ben laughed. “Yeah, and she only got back yesterday.”
“Wow!” Cameron nodded admiringly. “Sounds like you know how to get the most of every day.”
“I do. When you work a job like mine, you have to cram all your fun into the day or two you get whenever you get them.”
“Oh, I know how that goes.” Cameron had taken more days off in the last week than he had in the last few months.
Ben looked up, and the way he smiled made Cameron look over his shoulder.
“You’ve both met my wife, Charlie?” Ben asked as he got to his feet to greet her.
Cameron stood and nodded. “We only met briefly.”
Charlie smiled. “You’re Cameron, Smoke’s brother?”
“That’s right.” He turned to Piper and reached his arm around her to steady her as she stood to join them.
“Nice to see you again, Piper. How are you settling in?”
“So far, so good, thank you.”
“Great. Well, I’m sorry to steal him away from you, but I’d like to take my husband home if you don’t mind?”
“Of course. It was great to see you both.”
Ben nodded. “Are you two going to be okay?”
Cameron smiled reassuringly. “I’ll make sure she gets home safely.”
Piper gave him a puzzled look, but Ben smiled. “Okay, well, we’ll see you tomorrow then.”
“Goodnight,” called Charlie as they walked away.
Piper reached for her purse. “I should get going, too.”
The disappointment settled hard in Cameron’s stomach. “Don’t you want to help me finish the wine?”
She looked at the bottle, then up into his eyes. Damn, he could stare into her eyes for hours. “Do you want me to?”
He nodded slowly.
“Do you think we should?”
“It might not be the best idea, but you have to admit, it’s tempting.”
She smiled and sat back down.
Chapter Eleven
Laura rested her head against Smoke’s shoulder as they sat on the front porch swing drinking their morning coffee. “This time next week we’ll both be scrambling to get ready.”
He chuckled. “You might be scrambling. I’ll no doubt be dressed and ready and wondering what the hell I’m going to do with myself until two o’clock.”
“Do you think you’ll have a headache?”
He gave her a puzzled look.
“I mean a hangover from whatever you’re doing on Friday night.”
“No, I don’t. And I hope you won’t either.”
She shrugged. “I plan to have a good time.”
“Are you going to tell me where you’re going? What you’re doing?”
She shook her head firmly. “No, I am not.”
“So, stop digging for information about what I’m doing.”
“Okay.”
“Are you worried? Is that what it is? Are you scared I’m going to outdo you?”
She laughed. “If anything, I’m wondering if I should dial my plans back a bit, so I don’t make you look bad.”
He laughed with her. “Don’t worry about that. I don’t think there’s much chance of that happening.”
“Tell me one thing?
“What?”
“Are you leaving town.”
“You can bet your ass I am.”
She smiled. She’d thought as much. “And how do you plan on getting wherever you’re going?”
“Err, how do you think? I fly, I have a plane.”
“I suspected as much. So, you’re cheating.”
“Cheating?” He sat up straight and scowled down at her. “How is that cheating?”
“It’s not a level playing field anymore, is it? You get to fly wherever you want.”
He raised an eyebrow and gave her a stern look. “Are you saying you want to use one of the planes?”
“Well, I do have a pilot coming along.”
Smoke pursed his lips.
“Go on. It’s only fair. At least that way you can be sure I’ll be back in time to get married.”<
br />
He scowled. “You’d better be. I’d sooner cancel both our parties if I thought anything might go wrong.”
“It won’t. I’m only teasing.” She reached her hands up around the back of his neck and pulled him down for a kiss. “Nothing’s going to go wrong. Nothing can stop me from marrying you.”
“I know. If you’re not there, I’ll hunt you down and marry you wherever you are when I find you.”
“I’ll be there. But having the use of one of the planes on Friday night would make life a lot easier.”
“Okay. Piper can take Papa Charlie, and you can go wherever you like.”
“I thought you’d take Papa Charlie?”
He shrugged. “I would, but you know what I’m like about that plane. It’s like an old friend. I’ll feel more comfortable if you take it. I know it’ll bring you home safe to me.”
“Aww, you’re a softy at heart, aren’t you?”
“No. I’m a big possessive Neanderthal, remember? I’m not being sentimental; I’m being practical.”
“Yeah, right,” she said with a laugh. “Whatever you say. Have you called your dad yet?”
Smoke shook his head.
“Don’t you think should get it over with?”
“Yeah, but I keep putting it off.”
“I think you should stop torturing yourself. Give him a call.”
“I will.”
“Now?”
He shrugged.
“Go on. I’ll go take a shower, and I might call your mom, too.”
“Is she in on the details of your bachelorette party?”
“She is.”
“What about Chelsea?”
“I don’t know. I’ve left her a couple of voicemails now, but I haven’t heard back from her. I’ll ask your mom.”
“I’ll give her a call; I’ve been meaning to.”
“Call your dad first. Get it over with.”
She stood and rested her hands on his shoulders. “You’ll feel better when you’ve talked to him.”
“I know.” He brought her hand to his lips and turned it over, planting a kiss in her palm. “I’m thinking maybe I should join you in the shower first?”
She pulled him to his feet. “You have to call him afterward, though.” She shivered as his lips came down on her shoulder. “Whatever you say, lady.”
