by Rita Sawyer
“Breathe and smile or neither of you will make it out of this room in one piece.” Georgie was right, but forcing her lips to tip up into a smile took a lot of effort. “Good girl. Nobody noticed your pause, so let’s go play nice.”
“Hey, Cameron.” Everyone turned to her, and she hoped her voice had sounded normal because she still heard a buzzing in her ears. “What are you doing here?”
He had the good sense to look a little shell-shocked. “Josephine. Hi, um…Alec set me up for a meeting with the best architect firm in town, and they happened to be your brothers-in-law.”
“After our meeting, I insisted he come up here so he could sample Sam’s cooking.” Trent wrapped his arm around Sam’s shoulders and tucked her against his side.
Cameron flashed her a smile, but surprisingly there was none of the sexiness she usually saw. “They refused to take no for an answer.”
After the way she freaked out on him when Alec called, Joey believed him. He probably tried a handful of excuses before he gave in. The harder he tried to politely say no, the more Victor and Trent’s interest in his not wanting to go would have been peaked. He was right to have given in, and she was just going to have to deal with it.
“Haven’t you ever heard the way to man is through his stomach? You might want to stop tempting fate.” Joey was just kidding, but this was one guy she wished he hadn’t brought home.
“She’s just teasing.” Bobbie informed everyone, but their laughs weren’t as boisterous as they had been when she walked in.
“So, Cameron.” Joey knew from Jessie’s tone he was about to be put on the hot spot. “How do you know Joey?”
“He’s the client Alec asked me to take on,” she blurted before he had a chance to answer.
Jessie and Sam glanced at each other and shared a smile. Joey’s error was plain to see even for her. Cameron, unaware to the normal current that ran through her sisters, probably didn’t. Joey should have waited calmly and let him explain their connection himself. She’d jumped the gun. It was as good as waving a red flag in front of them signaling the start of a race. In this case, it would be to find out as much about Cameron as they could.
“Why don’t you guys go commandeer a few tables, and we’ll bring out some food in a few minutes.” Jessie nudged her husband, who took the hint and led Cameron out into the dining room, and Trent followed, leaving the six of them in the kitchen.
“I’m so glad we decided not to leave until the end of the week.” Frankie sounded a little too cheerful. “I was wondering what was bothering you. Now I know.”
“Where’s Hal?” She hoped her question would divert Frankie attention for a few minutes.
“He’s on a business call. I’ll fill him in on the details when he’s done.” Frankie smiled. “Now tell me more about the situation between you and the hottie.”
This time, Joey was smart enough to keep her mouth shut, but Georgie wasn’t. “I thought I was the only one who noticed something was up.”
“Nope.” Bobbie had been loading plates with coleslaw and potato salad, but she paused mid-scoop. “Two misplaced files were a small indication something was up, but after she almost missed a meeting, I knew, whatever it was, she was getting in deep.”
“How involved are you two?” The trace of humor she heard in her other sister’s voices was missing from Jessie’s.
“We’re not involved,” she said.
Georgie added a loud, resounding, “Yet.”
“Cameron is a client.” That one statement should have ended the conversation, but it didn’t even make them take a minute to think it over.
“Do you kiss all your clients?” Bobbie’s question took her by surprise, but not as much as it did her sisters, who all gasped.
“Let’s set the record straight. He,” she pointed at the door leading to the dining room, then at herself, “kissed me.”
Bobbie shrugged her shoulders and smiled. “Okay. Do you let all your clients kiss you?”
“No. How do you even know about that?” Bobbie always seemed to know everything, but Joey couldn’t figure this one out.
“I’m just that good.” Bobbie rubbed her nails on her shirt then blew on them.
Cocky little shit. Joey hoped someday one of them would have a little dirt to tease her with. For now, she was going to have to deal with the aftermath of the bomb Bobbie just dropped.
“Care to explain?” Jessie asked.
Joey knew she didn’t have a choice, because if she said no, they were just going to ask Cameron.
Hell, they were probably going to ask him anyway, but she should tell them first. “We had a slight argument and things got out of hand. I quit, and he said something about since I was already mad, he may as well kiss me.”
Georgie and Bobbie sighed. Jessie, Sam, and Frankie laughed. Their responses made no sense. It wasn’t at all romantic or funny. She shouldn’t be surprised because all of her sisters had strange senses of humor.
“I told him it wouldn’t happen again.” At the time, she’d meant it, but now she wasn’t so sure.
“But you’re still working with him.” Frankie walked over and grabbed a pitcher of lemonade out of the fridge.
“It’s not like he has anyone else up here to help him out.” Even though it was true, it came out sounding like a lame excuse.
“When’s he going home?” Sam stopped making the BBQ chicken sandwiches and turned to face her. “He must be planning on sticking around for a while if he’s looking to make changes to the cabin he bought.”
“I’m not sure what his plans are for the long term.” Joey wasn’t sure she wanted to know, either.
“But you’ve talked about it?” Georgie asked.
“Yeah.” Joey nodded, and a slight smile curved Sam’s lips as she turned back to her task. “But not like you think. He talks to fill the silence. He’s forever asking the stupidest questions just to hear his own voice or something.”
“Joey, did you ever think he might be trying to get to know you better?” The way Jessie was shaking her head told her she didn’t think she had.
“Of course, I did, but I don’t want him getting to know me better.” She wanted to throw her hands in the air or stomp her feet, but it wasn’t the way an adult acted. “That’s why I told him not to come here.”
Everyone stopped what they were doing and spun in her direction. Shit! She couldn’t believe that came out of her mouth. Being surprised to see him was acceptable. Claiming he was nothing more than a client was true to a point. To let them know she’d gone as far as telling him not to come to the lodge was a huge mistake. She’d only been trying to spare him an inquisition, hadn’t she? Okay, so maybe she’d been protecting herself from the questions she didn’t want to answer.
“You actually told him not to come to the lodge.” Jessie’s eyes were wide and so was Sam’s mouth.
“No. Well, kind of. See he’s keeping a low profile, so I told him if he came up here, he’d meet you guys, and you wouldn’t let him get away without making sure half the women in town heard about him.” Joey wasn’t jealous even if she sounded it.
“So, you were happy keeping him all to yourself.” Bobbie’s comment got a few giggles.
“Wouldn’t you be?” Joey figured Georgie’s question was probably lost on her sisters.
“No, I’d want to show him off a bit.” Bobbie’s reply caught her off guard.
“I’d be willing to lay odds that Jake wouldn’t like that.” Bobbie blushed at Frankie’s comment, but they all knew it was true.
Joey knew what she was about to do was wrong in a lot of ways, but she knew Bobbie would forgive her in the end. “I saw Jake in town right before I left. He mentioned stopping by tonight to discuss something with Victor.”
“Jess, you know I’m going to that party tonight.” Bobbie had made sure all of them knew she was going to the English department’s fundraising event tonight.
Jessie flashed Joey a look that promised retribution. “Honey, he�
�s only going to be at the house for a little while. I’m sure he won’t even notice you leave.”
Joey saw the flash of hurt in Bobbie’s eyes before it was replaced by determination. “He’d have to be blind to miss me. Still, I was more worried about his reaction when Mike arrives to pick me up.”
“You have a date?” Sam asked as she loaded the last plate onto one of the trays.
“Sort of.” Bobbie shrugged her shoulders, trying to backtrack out of the hot seat.
Bobbie looked over at Joey as she realized what she’d done. Joey would apologize later, but for now she was glad her sisters had taken the bait. Hopefully, if they were distracted by Bobbie’s issues, they’d let the ones between her and Cameron drop.
* * * *
Cameron tried to act like everything was okay, but he didn’t think the guys were buying it. Trent and Victor kept the conversation flowing. Victor kept asking him about what features he had in mind for the cabin, but Cameron had to keep asking him to repeat the questions, so he finally gave up. After a few seconds of silence, Trent asked him what he did for a living. Even though Cameron knew he was trying to make small talk, the look on Trent and Victor’s faces told him the way he answered was going to mean a lot.
“I’m a photographer.” He watched as Victor’s eyebrows drew together, forming a V between them.
Cameron figured he wasn’t supposed to see the nudge Trent gave him with his elbow before he said, “So, how do you know Alec?”
He wasn’t sure how much Alec had told them, so he decided to keep it simple. “We’ve been friends for years. My uncle and his parents were really good friends.”
The women had been in the kitchen for a long time. Joey was going to kill him. Even though he’d done his best to get out of invading her personal space, he was here. From the way her sisters had been sizing him up, he knew his presence would definitely cause some waves. And if she didn’t get out here soon, he might end up accidently saying something really stupid that would give her brothers-in-law a reason to beat him to a bloody pulp.
“What kind of photos?” Victor asked leaning back in his chair and crossing his arm over his chest.
His movements reinforced Cam’s initial musings that these two were pretty built for being architects. Maybe he should have let Alec sit in on this meeting like he wanted to. Instead, he had refused just to prove he could handle some things up here without his help. He’d pulled enough strings to get Joey to work with him. If Victor and Trent decided to take the job, it was going to be because he hired them, not because Alec or one of the other Mitchells asked them to do it.
“Mostly nature shots.” He wasn’t hiding, but he didn’t think this was the right time for bragging about his job either.
“You mean like animals and stuff?” The left side of Trent’s mouth kicked up in a weird way, speaking much louder than his voice did.
“Yeah.” He nodded glancing back to the door leading into the kitchen.
The loud laugh Victor let loose had both him and Trent jumping. Trent looked at his brother, who said nothing. Cameron didn’t need him to. Somehow, he must have said just enough for Victor to put enough things together and figure out who he was. The question now was would he tell everyone else or wait and let them find out on their own. Hell, it might not even matter. For all he knew, Joey was in the other room telling her sisters all about him.
“What’s so funny?” Trent asked, but Victor just shook his head.
Before Trent could ask him if he knew, the door swung open and the six Brazen sisters came out one by one. Cameron watched them enter in awe. The women ranged in height, but were all within a few inches of each other. It was the same with their hair, which ranged from deep brown to honey gold and onto a lighter blond. They all wore it long, but some had it wavy and some straighter. Even though only Joey and Georgie were identical, they all had a look about them that would tell a perfect stranger they were related.
Each of them was a beauty in her own way, but as a group it was a bit overwhelming. He figured their father must have had his hands full keeping the boys off his porch. His brain kicked in, and he lurched to his feet, remembering his manners. Each woman was carrying a tray covered with plates of food, except for Joey, who came out last carrying two pitchers of lemonade. They joined him, Victor, and Trent at the long table. He waited until the last one of them was sitting before he did.
Without a word, plates were passed out and drinks were poured. Cameron just sat and watched as the sisters took care of business. Trent poured lemonade into glasses that were passed down until everyone had one of those, too. Once everyone had a plate and drink, they all turned their attention to him, except for Joey, who seemed really focused on her potato salad.
Her youngest sister, who looked almost exactly like her oldest sister, launched the first question. “So, Cameron, how long have you been one of Joey’s clients?”
He should have felt some kind of relief that her sisters believed that’s all he was. “Just a few weeks.”
“And are things working out?” Her older sister, Sam, the blondest of them, smiled, and he couldn’t help but return it.
“It’s going great. My records were a total disaster. Somehow, Joey has started to get them straightened out.”
“She’s the best.” Georgie nudged Joey with her elbow and a pretty pink blush crossed her cheeks.
“We all know that.” Jessie’s tone didn’t have the same friendliness that everyone else’s. “So, other than being a friend of Alec’s, what brought you here?”
“I was looking for a quiet place to get away. Alec recommended I come up and check things out. I felt so at home, I decided to stay,” he explained, wondering how many people squirmed under her family’s intense gazes.
“For how long?” Sam asked.
“Must be a while if he’s having Victor work on designs for something,” Frankie suggested.
“My job requires some traveling from time to time, but I’ve decided the cabin is a perfect place for me to come back to when I’m done.” He tried not to react to the way Joey looked at him from beneath her lashes.
“So, you’ll be sticking around then.” Trent refilled his wife’s glass and pressed a kiss to her cheek.
“Yeah. I’ll need to add a few bedrooms along with the studio.” He aimed his comment at Victor, who nodded.
“Are you expecting someone to be joining you?” Jessie seemed really interested in his answer.
“My nieces whenever they can.” He chuckled and added, “They’re already driving their mothers crazy with their begging to come for a visit.”
Cameron wasn’t sure if bringing up his family had been good or bad. Either way, it had given Joey’s sister and brothers-in-law something to talk about. They asked all kinds of questions, which he willing answered, hoping Joey liked what she heard even though she didn’t ask anything herself. Soon, their plates were mostly empty, and he figured it was a good time to make his escape. There was only one problem. He didn’t have a car. Victor and Trent had brought him in their car.
Being at their mercy for a ride he had no choice but to wait until they were ready to drive him home. Asking now would seem ungrateful after such a good meal. Still, the longer he stayed, the more pissed Joey would be. She wasn’t acting mad yet. As a matter of fact, he’d seen a glimmer in her eyes when his sisters asked a few of the more personal questions they’d thrown at him. And when Bobbie had asked if he was single, he’d caught the quick, twisted grin on her lips. Still, he figured once she got him alone, he was going to get an earful.
“Well, as much as I’d love to sit around and spend the rest of the afternoon watching you guys put Cameron through the ringer, we have work to do.” She got to her feet, and he quickly followed.
“I need to talk to Cam for just a minute.” Victor got to his feet, stalling their escape.
“All right, I’ll get my car and meet you out front.” Joey headed for the kitchen.
After a round of goodbyes and hand s
haking, Victor led him out into the lobby. Once they were out of hearing range, Victor put his hand on Cameron’s shoulder and came to a stop.
“Does Joey know who you really are?” If there was any doubt earlier that Victor didn’t, it was gone now.
“Of course, she does. I haven’t kept any secrets from her. It would be impossible for her to decipher my financial document disaster without giving her full access.” Anything she didn’t learn from the files she was going through he was more than willing to tell her.
“So she knows about the work you’ve done scouting dangerous areas for some high profile movie producers.” Cameron didn’t answer right away, and Victor shook his head. “I didn’t think so.”
“I haven’t done that for years. How did you figure that out?” He was either damn well informed, or he made a hell of a guess.
Victor chuckled again and said, “I must be the only guy I know who watches the credits after movies.”
“I’m sure you’re not, but” It suddenly hit him that what he was about to say sounded pretty damn egotistical, and he didn’t want to come off that way. “I don’t mean to sound pompous, but normally people recognize my name or photos from some of the magazines my shots have been in. Or my name from the awards I’ve won.”
“If I remember right, some of those were taken in pretty dangerous places and situations, too.” Victor’s point was coming across with glaring accuracy.
“You can stop worrying that I might ask Joey to do something dangerous.” Hell, if his plans worked out, his life may actually become boring.
“That’s good to hear, but actually I was kind of hoping you would at least bring a little adventure her way.” Victor chuckled.
“Huh?” Cameron figured he must have missed something.
“I think Joey sees herself as the practical, responsible, logical Brazen sister.” Victor smiled and gave his shoulders a little shrug. “I’d like to see what happens when she lets loose a little.”
