by Alexa Wilder
“Hey,” she said, picking up the call. “How was dinner?”
“Meh. I’ll tell you all about it in a minute. What’s up with you? You said you had something you really needed to talk to me about.”
Cami exhaled. For a moment, she’d hoped that Maggie had forgotten all about that, and that they could just spend some time chatting about superfluous stuff. But it didn’t seem like that was the case. Maggie was quiet, waiting for Cami to speak.
“I talked to Ken today,” Cami divulged.
“Yeah? He isn’t trying to cancel with Madison this weekend, is he? Because I have plans for us, girl.”
“No, actually,” Cami began. “He…he um…he wants more custody of Madison. In fact, he wants primary custody.”
“What?” Maggie asked. “He can’t even handle the custody he has now.”
“I know,” Cami replied with a bitter laugh. “But he and Natalie are getting married. I guess he thinks that Madison will be the icing on the cake of his perfect little life. Natalie wants to be a stay-at-home mom.”
“Well, then she needs to pop out some kids of her own.”
“Apparently, she can’t have kids.”
“That doesn’t mean she can have yours!” Maggie said angrily.
It warmed Cami’s heart to hear Maggie jump to her defense. “I know. But he has lots of money and amazing lawyers and, now, apparently a stay-at-home wife. I work full-time and can’t even afford the crappy attorney that represented me during my divorce.”
“You’re a great mom,” Maggie said.
“I know that. You know that. I don’t know if I’ll be able to convince a judge of that.”
“He’s not going to take Madison away,” Maggie said confidently.
“How can you be so sure?” Cami asked, feeling the stifling fear from earlier that day sinking back into her chest. “He wants to meet with me and my lawyer next week. I don’t even have a lawyer.”
“Relax. We’ll get you one. I’ll talk to my dad. He knows lots of lawyers.”
“There’s no way I can afford any of the attorneys your family knows.”
“I’m sure they’d be willing to pro-rate their fees. I’ll explain the circumstances. We’ll figure something out together. We will not allow that rat bastard to steal Madison!”
Cami wanted to trust Maggie, but she knew that her best friend was overly idealistic. She meant well, but Maggie didn’t have a lot of experience with the way the world worked outside of her privileged upbringing. Still though, Cami couldn’t help but smile. It was good to have someone in her corner. Someone other than her well-meaning but condescending mother.
“How was your dinner?” Cami asked, trying to change the subject.
“Ugh… if I had taken a shot every time my mother mentioned that I need to lose weight, I’d be shit-faced right now.”
For the first time that day, Cami found herself giggling.
“I know exactly what you mean,” she said. “My mother gave me a talking-to today, too. I’m pretty sure that her exact words were, ‘if you lost weight, you’d be able to catch yourself a man.’ Catch a man…as if they are fish. As if I need a man to rescue me—to take care of me.”
“Shoot, girlfriend, you don’t need no man,” Maggie agreed.
“Damn straight. And the thing is… I have no trouble attracting men. Neither of us does.”
That was the truth. Whenever the two friends went out, they always had guys falling all over themselves to buy them drinks. Lots of men actually wanted a woman with curves on her body.
“I know, right?” Maggie responded. “Our problem isn’t catching men… it’s catching men who aren’t complete dicks.”
“Exactly! I’m beginning to think that they’re extinct.”
“Speaking of, though,” Maggie said, “I have an opportunity for us—an opportunity to catch even more of these rare, elusive men your mother speaks of…though I cannot guarantee they won’t be dicks.”
“Do tell,” Cami said, becoming intrigued.
“So, the family dinner tonight was actually about a party my dad and brother are throwing this weekend at the beach house. It’s gonna be part business, part pleasure. There will be a bunch of rich, snooty people there talking business, but there will also be boating and cocktails and sun tanning.”
“Sounds like fun!” Cami stated.
“Good,” Maggie responded. “Because you’re coming.”
“I am?”
“Yeah. You said Ken has Madison this weekend, right?”
“Yeah, he’s supposed to. And I doubt he’ll cancel, since he’s obsessed with custody right now.”
Bitterness and fear began to seep back into Cami’s chest, but Maggie must have noticed because she quickly moved the conversation away from Cami’s ex.
“Good. Then you’re coming. I’m required to be there all weekend and I cannot bear to do it without you. Grant is bringing some of his friends as well. And I know there will be some other eligible bachelors our age. It’s going to be fun, I promise!”
“First you say that you’re required to go—and can’t possibly handle it without me. Then you promise me it will be fun. You’re sending me mixed messages.”
“It will be fun,” Maggie assures her, a little more confidently. “Especially, if you’re there. And if it isn’t, we’ll just keep drinking until it is.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Cami said, smiling as she thought about sipping cocktails on the beach—or on a boat.
She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been on a boat. At some point, she’d gone sailing with Ken and his family, but it had been miserable because, well, it had always been that way with Ken and his family.
After finalizing their plans, Maggie hung up the phone. Cami sipped her wine as she thought about the weekend that lay ahead of her. She could still feel the stress and fear sitting heavy at the pit of her stomach, but she also felt happy and hopeful for the first time all day. She still had to deal with the lawyer situation and gear up for a meeting with Ken next week, but at least she had something to keep her mind off those things over the weekend.
5
CAMI
The rest of the week passed uneventfully. Cami continued to feel anxious and scared about the future custody battle, but she did her best to push it to the back of her mind so there would be no more almost-mistakes at work.
She dropped Madison off at Ken’s a little earlier than usual on Friday, so she could get ready for her weekend away. Her ex-husband was still at work when she arrived, but Natalie was there to greet them at the door, cooing over Madison in a way that made Cami’s stomach turn. Cami offered her fakest smile before quickly kissing her daughter goodbye. She had the urge to turn around, pluck Madison out of Natalie’s arms, and take her right back home. But she couldn’t be the one to break the custody agreement—not when she was about to fight for it to remain as it is. So she kissed Madison once more and headed home, struggling to hold back tears as she left her daughter with the blonde bimbo.
Thankfully, she didn’t have much time to stew in her own self-pity. Maggie showed up at her house soon after Cami returned home.
“What are you doing here so early?” Cami asked, surprised to see her best friend in her doorway. “I thought I was supposed to meet you at your house in a couple of hours.”
“I told the driver to meet us here,” Maggie said with a smirk, pushing her jet-black hair out of her face as she moved past Cami and into the house. “I knew you’d need help picking out appropriate weekend wear. You never dress sexy enough.”
“I’m the working mother of a three-year-old. I don’t have time for sexy,” Cami said as she followed Maggie through the house towards her room.
“You do this weekend,” Maggie replied with a mischievous grin. “There will be a lot of single, attractive men at this party. We’re going to make the most of it.”
Without waiting for an invitation, Maggie began sifting through Cami’s walk-in-closet, pulling out a few skimpy
dresses Cami had purchased but never really wore.
“Why would I need cocktail dresses at the beach?” Cami asked skeptically.
“For all the cocktail parties,” Maggie replied, as if the answer was obvious. “There will be one tonight and another one tomorrow night on the deck.”
“Exactly how many people are coming to this weekend getaway?” Cami asked, realizing that she may have had the wrong idea about what this weekend would entail.
“A few,” Maggie replied noncommittally as she moved to Cami’s dresser and began to root around in the swim wear drawer. “Thank god I forced you to buy a nice swimsuit!”
Cami smiled, looking at the 50s-style one-piece Maggie was holding up. Maggie tossed it onto the bed along with all of the other clothes she’d picked out—way too many for a two-day trip to the beach. She grabbed the little green dress and pushed it into Cami’s hands, along with a strapless bra and matching panties.
“Shower, then put this on while I pack. The car will be here in an hour!”
After the shower, Maggie fussed over Cami’s hair and makeup, blowing the gorgeous red locks out before curling them into perfect ringlets. Cami’s hair was her favorite feature, though she had very little time to do much with it in recent years, so it spent most of its time up in a ponytail or a bun. Now, it fell around her shoulders, framing her voluptuous chest—which was nearly falling out of the little green dress Maggie had picked out. Thankfully, Maggie agreed to let her go easy on the make-up, allowing her natural peaches-and-cream complexion and large green eyes to speak for themselves.
Maggie got ready with her, before both women took a minute to appreciate themselves in the mirror. Maggie was wearing a little purple dress, her cute black hair adorned with matching amethyst clips. Cami had to admit that they both looked amazing. She wasn’t sure what the weekend was going to hold, but they looked good enough to conquer anything at the moment.
Their transportation arrived right on time—a big black town car, ready with a bottle of champagne for the girls to enjoy during the hour-long drive to the beach.
Cami had never been to the Emerson family beach house before. As soon as the car pulled through the gates, she realized that it wasn’t as much a beach house as it was a beach mansion—a three-story building sprawling along the shore, complete with an enormous lounging patio and a dock where a few boats were anchored. It looked more like a small hotel than a family beach house.
“Of course this is your beach house,” Cami said to Maggie, rolling her eyes.
Maggie just giggled as the car pulled to a stop in front of the mansion. Cami reached for the door, but there was already someone there, opening it from the outside. An older gentleman dressed in a suit smiled as he held the car door for her.
“Welcome, ladies,” he said, nodding his head to Cami and Maggie.
Once they were out of hearing distance, Cami turned to Maggie and whispered, “What was that? You have a door man?”
“Not normally,” Maggie replied. “We have an entire staff for the weekend, since there will be so many guests. But normally there’s just the cleaning lady—and sometimes a cook.”
Cami couldn’t help but feel out of place. It was all fun and games when she was getting ready. Alone with Maggie, she never felt like she didn’t belong. Maggie wasn’t snooty, and Cami never really felt the class difference between them. Here, however, gazing up at the enormous mansion her family owned, Cami began to feel like she maybe shouldn’t have come.
Maggie pulled Cami’s hand, showing her into the house, where a large foyer led to a spiraling staircase.
“Come on,” Maggie said, grabbing Cami’s arm and leading her towards the stairs. “Let’s put our stuff away, then I’ll show you around.”
The girls were sharing a room on the third floor, with large bay windows that overlooked the ocean.
“How many bedrooms does this place have?” Cami asked as she watched the waves crashing against the shore.
“Ten,” Maggie said, coming to stand behind her. “Not including the rooms on the first floor, which are used as offices.”
“And yet, we’re sharing a room?” Not that Cami was complaining. Having Maggie close was a source of comfort in such an overwhelming place.
“Yeah, all the rooms are full this weekend. We even have a few friends staying at a hotel down the road.”
“So, when you said that there would just be ‘a few’ people here this weekend, that was a bit of an understatement.”
Maggie turned back to her, swallowing visibly.
“I didn’t mean to deceive you, I just really wanted you to come and I was scared you wouldn’t, if you knew the truth. It will be fun, I promise. My brother is here, along with his friends Declan and Preston. You’ve met them before, a couple of times. And there are others, too; I know you’ll like them. We’ll just avoid the snootier people who are only here for business.”
Cami nodded, though she was still unsure. But she was here, after all. There was no going back, so she may as well make the most of it. Plus, she had to admit to herself that she really did look fabulous.
By the time the girls made it downstairs for cocktail hour, the deck was already full of people. Cami felt a little self-conscious and out of her league, but she reminded herself that no one knew she was a single working mother.
Maggie pulled her towards the bar for another glass of champagne before directing her through the crowd to a group of people around their own age. Cami recognized Maggie’s brother, Grant, immediately. He gave her a warm smile and a big hug.
“Great to see you, Cami,” he said as he released her. “You remember Declan and Preston, right?”
Cami turned towards his two best friends, whom she’d met on a number of occasions. She nodded and smiled.
“And,” Grant continued, ushering her towards a man she’d never met before. “This is Drew Sloane. He’s another close friend of mine. Drew, this is Maggie’s best friend, Cami.”
Cami looked up into the face of the most breathtakingly attractive man she’d probably ever seen. He had big amber eyes and dark, messy hair. When he smiled at her, dimples appeared in either cheek, and his eyes crinkled in the most adorable way.
“Nice to meet you, Cami,” he said in a deep, buttery voice, putting his hand out to shake hers. His grip was warm and firm around her own, leaving her fingers tingling even after he’d pulled away. It was as if he sent tiny electric shocks up her hand and arm, and then down her spine.
“Nice to meet you, too,” she said after a minute, trying to will herself to stay calm and not become flustered.
“Cami works with me at the hospital,” Maggie said, coming up behind her. Her best friend had obviously noticed that she was nervous, and Cami appreciated the support. “Drew went to business school with Grant. He started his own company that’s now worth two-and-a-half billion dollars.”
Cami felt her eyes grow wide. It was overwhelming enough to be talking to such an attractive man—finding out that he’s a billionaire just made it all the more difficult. She was so out of her league.
Drew seemed to notice her discomfort, as he stepped close to her and placed a hand on the bare spot on her back. Her skin was on fire beneath his touch, but she tried not to show any emotion.
“Don’t listen to her,” he whispered into her ear. “She exaggerates.”
Cami couldn’t help but smile. “So you’re not a ridiculously wealthy businessman?” She arched her eyebrow.
“I’ve had some success, but nothing too out of the ordinary. What about you? You’re a nurse?”
“Yeah, I work with Maggie in the emergency room at Sacred Heart General.”
“That’s so much more exciting than business,” he replied, his face still close enough to her ear for his voice to be heard over the crowd, though he wasn’t speaking loudly.
“Not as lucrative though, I’m guessing,” Cami responded.
“You save lives. That’s so much more meaningful. You can’t put a price tag
on that.”
Cami couldn’t help but smile at that. She looked into his deep, whiskey-colored eyes. She could get lost in those eyes. It was as if the air around them had somehow thickened, even though they were outside. The word she was looking for in her head was chemistry. They talk about it in romance novels all the time, Cami thought, and here it was, completely palpable between her and this gorgeous stranger.
He smiled back and held her gaze for a moment until Cami noticed that they were alone. When had they left the group and moved to the side of the deck, facing the ocean? Cami hadn’t even noticed that familiar faces no longer surrounded her. And, at the moment, she really didn’t care.
The moment was shattered, however, when an older couple approached them.
“Drew,” the man said, putting out a hand.
Drew turned towards them in greeting. The woman, dressed impeccably in a tailored Chanel pantsuit, matching pearls included, looked judgmentally upon Cami.
“I’m gonna go refresh my drink,” Cami told Drew. “Do you need anything?”
“I’m fine, thanks,” Drew replied, offering her a warm smile before she turned to go.
Cami made her way through the crowd towards the bar, where she ordered another glass of champagne. She took a few sips before heading back in Drew’s direction, wanting to give him a moment to ditch the snotty older couple. She could feel a burst of excitement wash through her as she watched the gorgeous man. She hadn’t met anyone this promising since her divorce. Drew was excruciatingly hot, but also sweet and attentive. Cami could barely believe her luck as she reclaimed her spot by his side.
“Now all we need to do is deal with the tax problem,” the older man was saying to Drew.
“I’m just so sick of the poor always trying to make a claim on our hard-earned money,” his wife complained.
