Catching Cameron: A Love and Football Novel

by Julie Brannagh

  “No, Zach, that’s not what I’m talking about.” She forced herself to look into his eyes. “I’m not sure we should take this any further. You don’t want to move, I don’t want to move, our families won’t get along, I have to deal with my job, and—”

  “If we handle this stuff one obstacle at a time, we’ll be fine.” He squeezed her hand. “It’s not like we have to get married tonight or anything.”

  Just that fast, she remembered standing at the altar in the tiny wedding chapel in Las Vegas. They were a bit buzzed from the evening before. She could still see the shabby decorations and hear the couple in the back pew, who spent the entire time Zach and Cameron were repeating their vows trying to shove their tongues down each other’s throats.

  She also remembered the joy in Zach’s eyes, the way his big hand trembled when he slid the plain gold band onto her finger. He needed a custom-made ring due to the size of his fingers, so they’d decided to buy him a ring later on. She remembered the gentleness of his kiss, and his whispered, “I’m crazy about you, Mrs. Anderson.”

  They weren’t even married long enough to get him that ring. She still had hers. The gold band lying in the bottom of her jewelry box at home was a daily reminder that there was no such thing as a happily ever after.

  “That’s the point. I’m not sure we could get married at all.” She picked up her wine glass and drained the contents. There wasn’t much left in the glass, but she hadn’t chugged alcohol since she was a freshman in college. “Everything is great as long as we’re in bed, but when we get out of it, there’s all this stuff waiting for us.”

  He picked up the wine bottle and poured a serving into her glass.

  “So you think that’s all we have together?”

  “No,” she said. She picked up her glass again and took a swallow. Maybe she should lay off the wine, but she was in pain thinking about what had to be said, and maybe it would be easier if she were drunk while she did it. “It’s even worse that I know what I missed out on before. I also know that I can’t do this again.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “My heart will break in a million pieces if we try and it doesn’t work, and I don’t think I can survive it. I lost you before, and the only way I got through it was to tell myself that it was like a dream, and I woke up.” She made herself look into his concerned eyes. “I have a good life now. I work. I travel on the weekends six months a year. I go to the gym, I get take-out, and I go over my interview questions. Sometimes I do some more research or sit on the couch and watch something on TV. I don’t miss what I never had, so maybe I shouldn’t try for it at all.”

  She picked up her glass again. He took it out of her hand, and set it down next to him. She was a little surprised at his actions, but she didn’t reach out to yank it back.

  “So you’re just going to keep running away from anything in your personal life that’s a challenge?” he asked. “How’s that working for you?”

  “You don’t understand—”

  “Try me, Cameron.” He tipped her chin up with gentle fingertips to look into her eyes. “I’ve loved and lost too. I’ve lost dearly. Your dad made my life a living hell because I dared to get involved with you. But I’m still here.” His eyes entreated and seduced. “I tried to forget you for ten years. It didn’t work. I’d rather see how far we could take this instead of settling for someone else who’s a pale imitation of you.”

  He got up from the table and walked into the bedroom. She heard the sounds of his hunting around for his clothes, water running in the bathroom, and a couple of muttered obscenities when he must have banged into a piece of furniture again.

  She got to her feet and started clearing away empty to-go containers. She left her glass of wine, but dropped the empty bottle into the wastepaper basket. Zach reappeared in the living room.

  “I’m going for a walk on the beach. Want to come along?”

  She nodded. He held out his hand to her.

  THERE WASN’T A lot of conversation during their stroll. Zach was encouraged by the fact she didn’t let go of his hand, though. Earphones One and Two did a great job of giving them some privacy while they watched the sun set over Saratoga Passage. He knew the guys were there, but they must have had invisibility cloaks or something.

  He found a long piece of driftwood that made a great place to sit and admire the pinks, oranges, and purples that washed over the sky as the sun slid behind the horizon. He took a couple of pictures with his smart phone. They saw the first few stars twinkling overhead.

  “So, darlin’, I take it you’re all talked out about our situation right now.” He rubbed her much smaller hand between both of his. “What else would you like to talk about?”

  “Are you going to be able to sleep in a queen-sized bed tonight? Your feet are going to hang off the end.”

  He couldn’t help it. He laughed. She was right: He was squirming around earlier, trying to get comfortable while she took a little nap. Maybe he should bunk on the couch. Then again, he wanted to hold her all night, and he couldn’t do that from the next room.

  “I’ll make it work,” he said.

  She half-turned to look into his face. To his shock, her eyes were filled with tears. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her into him.

  “What’s the matter?”

  “I don’t know what we’re going to do, but I know I don’t want to lose you again.”

  She laid her head on his shoulder. He felt her tears against the side of his neck, but she didn’t make a sound.

  “Shhh,” he comforted. “Everything will work out. I promise it will.”

  He expected her to argue and tell him he was wrong. He waited for her to speak. She brushed the tears off her face with one hand.

  “I’ll have dinner with your family,” she said.

  Chapter Twenty

  * * *

  ZACH HOPPED OUT of the black SUV about a block away from the Sharks’ practice facility the next morning. A slight breeze brushed his skin. He knew it would be a great day for football practice already. A short walk along the peaceful street outside of the facility was a good thing, especially when he knew Cameron was a bit nervous about their arrival together at Sharks headquarters. A cell phone photo of the two of them on the beach in Whidbey Island had shown up on several online gossip sites and trended on Twitter last night. He also had multiple texts from sports media on the subject this morning already. He would do the Walk of Shame, and be a better man for it.

  He’d gotten a one-word text from his sister Courtney already, too: NICE.

  The skies were overcast. He knew this weather phenomenon was called the “marine layer” in Seattle. It wasn’t going to rain, and the clouds would burn off by early afternoon. He wondered what kind of torture Coach Stewart had dreamed up for all of them today at practice. More cuts were coming in a few days. He wasn’t especially worried, but there were a few other vets who were. The average NFL career was three and a half seasons, so guys who stuck around for any length of time made the extra effort.

  His phone was vibrating in his pocket again. It was probably another text from one of those bullshit entertainment shows that wanted to ask questions about his and Cameron’s relationship, but he pulled it out to take a look. If he was really lucky, it might be Cameron instead.

  He saw an unfamiliar New York City number. His cell number was not exactly public knowledge, so it might be worth answering.

  He stabbed at the button with one finger. “Anderson,” he said.

  “Good morning, Anderson. Preston Ondine. Do you have a minute?”

  Zach pulled the phone away from his ear and stared at it. What the fuck? He resisted the impulse to hang up. He strolled over to a large, flat-topped rock engraved with the Sharks’ logo and set into the landscaping at the entry of the facility. He sat down on it.

  “Not especially, but what’s on your mind?”

  Mr. Ondine cleared his throat.

  “My wife is unhappy about m
y behavior toward you the last time we saw each other, Anderson.”

  “Is that so?”

  “Mrs. Ondine and I would like to thank you for what you did the other day for our daughter. You saved her life, and we are grateful. We’d also like to let you know that we are in your debt for your heroic actions on her behalf.”

  The guy sounded like a dictionary fell out of his mouth. Even more, it was somewhat comical that Mrs. Ondine had obviously told her husband off, or he wouldn’t be making a phone call.

  Zach was silent for a minute or so. There were so many things he wished he could say at this moment, but he seized on the most obvious one. “I appreciate it, Ondine. Please tell your wife I care about your daughter, and I would do whatever I needed to do to keep her safe.” He let that one sink in for a moment. “In the meantime, since you’re in my debt, there’s something I’d like to talk with you about.”

  “Okay, then. Let’s hear it.” Cameron’s dad sounded a little nervous.

  “I think life’s too short to hold a grudge, so we’re not going to talk right now about your actions toward me and my family ten years ago. That’s a discussion that needs to happen in person.”

  “You had a golden opportunity a couple of weeks ago, Anderson.”

  “I did, but I was at work. I’m sure you understand that.” Zach attempted to rein in the sarcasm. He couldn’t stand the guy, but he was still Cameron’s father. In the meantime, he had a point to make. “What I would like to discuss, however, is the fact you don’t support your daughter’s career. Why is that? Do you have any idea how hard she’s worked to get to where she is today?”

  “Her mother and I would prefer she didn’t work in the entertainment industry at all—”

  Playtime was over, and practice was in an hour and a half. His teammates were driving by on their way into the facility parking lot. Of course, that didn’t prevent Derrick from half-hanging out of his car window and yelling, “Hey, asswipe, get back to work.”

  Zach pulled the phone away from his ear and shouted back, “Kiss your mother with that mouth?”

  Derrick’s response was to flip him off. He burned rubber into the Sharks’ parking lot.

  “Excuse me?” Preston Ondine said. “Were you talking to me?”

  Zach stifled a sigh. “No. It was one of my teammates.” Hopefully, he could mute the background noise before another of his teammates decided to drive by. “Your daughter isn’t in the ‘entertainment industry.’ She’s a sports reporter. She works hard at what she does, and I know it hurts her that you don’t seem to care about her achievements.”

  “That’s not true—”

  “She thinks so. Maybe you need to do something about this, Ondine. I’m feeling generous today, so I’ll give you a hint. Your golf buddy Ben, program director of PSN, is making her life intolerable right now. Perhaps you could give him a call and tell him to treat your daughter like the other professionals he has working for him.”

  Zach heard some incoherent sputtering at the other end of the phone. Mr. Ondine had evidently forgotten those fancy Ivy League manners and was good and pissed off, like any other father would be if someone was mistreating his daughter. “Is he sexually harassing her? I’ll sue.”

  “No, the scumbag is using her private life to increase ratings.” Zach saw cars in the distance. He had about thirty seconds to get his ass back into the building before more of his teammates arrived. “I know you think I’m going to hurt Cameron, and I’m not good enough for her. While you’re focused on me, though, you’re missing the opportunity to protect her from someone who’s doing real damage—her boss.” Zach wasn’t going to wait around for Cameron’s dad to give him some bullshit answer. “I’m glad we had this talk. Please give my best to your family, and thanks for calling.” He hit “end,” and strolled toward the front doors of the facility.

  Cameron was going to be pissed, but he’d just served notice on her dad.

  LATER THAT AFTERNOON, Cameron packed up her mic and headphones and sagged in her chair. She was happy with the voiceovers she’d just recorded for the latest episode of Third and Long. It had been several hours of work without a break, but there were few things that made her happier than to know she’d done a great job. She felt her phone vibrating in her pocket. Those who had her cell phone number were on her VIP list, so she pulled the phone out of her pocket to answer.

  She saw Zach’s smiling face on the screen, and her heart soared. She hit “answer” and smiled. “Hi there,” she said.

  “Hi there, yourself. I’m going to need to reschedule dinner tonight. Coach is on the warpath. Let’s get together later on, okay?”

  “Let’s do that,” she agreed.

  She’d spent the past couple of days freaking out about spending time with Zach’s family, but now she felt oddly disappointed. She was nervous about meeting his sisters, but an evening with his family meant a little more time with him. Any time away from cameras and prying PSN production staff members and Sharks teammates was treasured.

  “I’ll meet you on the basketball court at ten p.m. Let’s see what kind of game you’ve got, darlin’.”

  “You know I played intramural basketball in college, right?”

  “Oooh. I think I’m scared now.” She heard the bark of his laugh, and he said, “I’ll look forward to that. See you later.” He disconnected his call.

  Cameron gathered up her things to leave. She grabbed her phone one more time and scrolled through “calls received.” She found the number she was looking for and hit “dial.”

  “I must be out of my mind,” she muttered to herself. She originally wanted Zach with her at dinner with his family so he could act as a buffer, but if it went any further between them, she was going to have to face his sisters on her own. Maybe it was time she did that.

  She said, “Hello, Shelby, it’s Cameron Ondine. Is this a good time to talk?”

  Shelby’s voice was brisk, but not unfriendly. “It’s fine. How are you doing, Cameron? Zach just called a few minutes ago to cancel tonight’s dinner.”

  “I’m fine. I hope things are going well for you, too.” Cameron pulled in a breath to steady her nerves. “I was wondering if you all wouldn’t mind if I came over tonight anyway. I’d be happy to order pizza or get some take-out so nobody has to cook.”

  Shelby let out a laugh. “My sisters would love that. We were planning on making something easy like spaghetti or stir-fry, but if you’d like to bring dinner, we won’t say no. Thanks for the offer.”

  “If you have a favorite pizza place, I can go there. I also have a security guy that will be joining us. I hope this will not be a problem for all of you. He’s friendly, but mostly stays out of the way,” Cameron said.

  “Zach told us about him, too. Of course he’s welcome.”

  Cameron scribbled notes on her iPad of the sisters’ favorite pizza place and toppings, which beverages they preferred, and how much pizza Shelby thought they might eat. By the end of the call, she was smiling.

  Maybe this would go better than she thought.

  A couple of hours later, Earphone One picked her up in the black SUV with tinted windows. She’d learned a couple of weeks ago his name was Chuck, and he had a wickedly dry sense of humor.

  “Where are we going, Ms. Ondine?”

  She’d spent almost three weeks being followed around by these guys now. They should be on a first-name basis.

  “Please, call me Cameron.”

  She pulled the phone out of her bag and located both the pizza place and Zach’s address. She glanced up to see a huge grin spread over his face.

  “Will do, Cameron.”

  “Chuck, I have an address, but I’m also wondering if we could stop to pick up some pizza on the way.”

  “Absolutely.” He cleared his throat. “They know to expect me, too, right?”

  “Yes. They do.”

  She worked on show research while he drove. They managed to get three pizzas, a big garden salad and multiple beverages with
out too much trouble, and loaded them into the back of the SUV. Zach’s house wasn’t far from the pizza place. The car slowed, and Chuck turned onto a long driveway framed by a manicured, rolling lawn.

  Zach’s house was a huge, gorgeously maintained, window-filled one-story featuring a carriage house over the two-car garage. A winding path to the front door was framed by carefully-pruned shrubs. A small sign hung over the door: Home is where the heart is. She rang the doorbell once, and heard excited barking, hurrying footsteps, and “Butter, shhh!” from someone behind the door.

  A tall, slender young woman with Zach’s dark blonde hair and sparkling hazel eyes pulled the door open. She crouched down to pick up a barking, bright-eyed, wriggling bundle of yellow fur.

  “You must be Cameron. Come in. I’m Shelby.” She indicated the dog with her head. “This is Butter.” The dog squirmed until he could lick her face. “Okay, Butter. I love you, too.” Cameron had to smile at the irresistible puppy.

  “I hope you like dogs,” Shelby said. She shook her head at Butter.

  “I love dogs. He must be so much fun to play with.”

  She saw Shelby smile. “He’ll play with you as long as you want him to.” She backed up so Cameron and Chuck could get inside the house and then put Butter down on the floor after the front door had closed behind Chuck.

  She reached out for the salad and grocery bag of sodas Cameron carried. “I’ll take that if you’d like.”

  “That would be great. Thanks.” Cameron turned toward Chuck. “Shelby, this is Chuck. He—he provides security.”

  Even with the little dog trying to jump into her arms, juggling dinner for seven, and wanting to observe and mentally catalog every inch of Zach’s house from sheer curiosity, she didn’t miss the “Hi there. Who are you?” look that passed between Shelby and Chuck or the color rising in Shelby’s face.

  Chuck balanced the pizzas on one hand and stuck the other out to Shelby.

  “It’s nice to meet you, Ms. Anderson—is that right?”