Catching Cameron: A Love and Football Novel

by Julie Brannagh

  “No. I’ll get it.” Ashley got up off the couch, grabbed the empty glass off the end table, and said to Francine, “Grandma, would you like some more tea as well?”

  “No, honey. I’m fine.”

  Courtney and Whitney were having a whispered conference on their end of the couch.

  “Shelby, would you please point me toward the men’s room?” Chuck said, and gave Cameron a quick nod as well.

  Shelby got to her feet to direct him toward the bathroom. Francesca got up from her chair and walked toward the kitchen. Courtney got up and followed her.

  Whitney got up from her seat and plunked herself down next to Cameron. Dusk was falling. Cameron knew she needed to leave soon if she wanted to spend the night in her dorm room. Also, she had an appointment with Zach at the basketball court.

  It would be interesting to see his reaction when she told him she’d gone to see his sisters on her own. Right now, though, she needed to see if Whitney would consider forgiving her for the mess involving her older brother.

  “It was nice to have dinner with all of you,” Cameron said to Whitney. “Zach talks about all of you so often. I know he misses you while he’s at camp.”

  “We miss him, too,” Whitney said. She was fidgeting a little. Cameron couldn’t imagine what was going through her mind, but she was relieved that Whitney didn’t look quite as antagonistic as she had when she confronted Cameron during practice a couple of weeks ago or earlier that evening at the dinner table. Whitney released a long breath, tucked one leg beneath her, and half-turned to face Cameron.

  “How do I know you’re telling us the truth about what happened?”

  “Ask Zach,” Cameron said. “Or Chuck. He knows the private investigator I worked with.”

  Ashley walked into the room again and set a glass of ice water down on the table next to Cameron.

  “We’re in the kitchen, if you’d like to join us. Grandma just got out the ice cream and chocolate sauce,” Ashley said.

  “I think I’m going to pass on the ice cream, but thank you for offering.” Cameron would sip water and try to pretend like she didn’t want the additional calories. “Want some ice cream, Whitney?”

  “I have some work I have to finish before tomorrow,” Whitney said. She still wasn’t smiling. It looked like Cameron was going to have to accept the fact that Whitney wasn’t ever going to like her, and hope that Zach would give her credit for trying to get along with his family. Ashley walked out of the room again, and Cameron got up from the couch. She extended her hand to Whitney. Whitney shook it.

  “It was nice to meet you, Whitney. Good luck with your project.”

  Whitney stared up at her, opened her mouth to speak, and shut it again.

  “Is there something else you wanted to ask me?” Cameron said.

  “Do you love my brother?”

  They stared at each other for a moment. The look in Whitney’s eyes was wary, but she’d lost the attitude.

  “Yes,” Cameron said. “I love him very much.”

  She picked up her glass of ice water and turned to go to the kitchen. She didn’t wait for a response.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  * * *

  CAMERON AWOKE THE next morning in her dorm room before the alarm went off. Rolling over to face the window, she rubbed her eyes at the pearly-gray, overcast sky she saw through her open blinds, wishing she’d closed them before she fell asleep last night. She’d left them open to see the half-moon and thousands of twinkling stars. She waited for her body to adjust to the idea of getting out of bed.

  She wasn’t BFFs with Zach’s sisters quite yet, but they were at least talking with her and being civil. She’d made the point she hoped to make by showing up at his house for dinner on her own: She wanted to apologize to them herself for what had happened to their family ten years ago when she and Zach got married on a whim. She’d like to be friends, or at the very least friendly, with them. She was trying to come up with a solution for the problems she and Zach encountered in any attempt to renew their relationship. The tears and heartache she suffered when they split up before were minor compared to what would happen now—she knew what she’d be missing out on, and it wasn’t just the sex.

  She was also in love with Butter the puppy. Maybe Zach would let her walk him if she stuck around.

  Speaking of Zach, she missed him like crazy. He’d texted her while she was on the way back to the facility last night and cancelled their late-night basketball date. There was yet another meeting he was expected at. I’LL SEE YOU TOMORROW AT BREAKFAST, he’d written. I HAVE SOMETHING TO TELL YOU.

  She had a few things to tell him, too.

  An hour later, she’d showered, dressed, texted her dad that she needed to talk with him at his earliest convenience, and let herself out of her room. Derrick darted out of his own room seconds later. It was almost like he’d been waiting for her, but that was a little out there.

  “Ms. Ondine,” he said. He caught up with her easily. She was always amazed when the big guys on both sides of the ball moved like cheetahs. She was one-third their size and couldn’t outrun them. In her profession, this was a double-edged sword: If they were not interested in being interviewed, she’d need a car to catch up with them.

  “I’m Cameron,” she told him.

  “Cameron, then.” He heaved a long sigh. “I acted like a real ass the other day at the breakfast table. I’d like to apologize.”

  “You’re not a morning person?”

  “That would be a no. Anderson’s been on my back about it for ten years now. He told me he was going to kick my ass if I ever did anything like that to you again. I told my mama what happened, and now she’s pissed at me, too.” He did his best to imitate a woman’s voice while wagging his index finger in the air. “I taught you better than that, Derrick. I’m ashamed of you. She’s a nice girl and shouldn’t have to put up with your bad attitude.”

  Cameron resisted the impulse to laugh. “Was she here to visit?”

  “Oh, HELL, no. My mama and my grandma ain’t invited to training camp. They’d sit out there on the hill and tell the fans all the things I did as a child.” He shook his head with ferocity. “They’d be hearing about how I drank all the grape juice for Communion at church when I was eight, how I tried to drive my grandpa’s car when I was twelve, and how I got caught feeling up a girl at the school dance when I was thirteen. I wasn’t that bad,” he said, “but my mama is convinced I was some kind of juvenile delinquent.”

  Derrick opened the door to the stairwell for her and slipped one big hand through the crook of her arm as they descended.

  “You be real careful now, Miss Cameron. Let me help you.”

  She had to admit his chivalry was kind of cute. He’d played for his home state’s University of Alabama in college, so she could only imagine what a tongue-lashing he’d received from every woman in his family aware of the breakfast incident.

  He was still chatting away as they reached the floor the cafeteria was on. The Sharks front office employees weren’t in for the day yet. She glanced around at empty cubes and lots of Sharks promotional materials on display. The coaching staff usually arrived by six am, and they would be hard at work in another part of the building. She’d already started her workday, too. She knew other Sharks had friends and family attending their practices; maybe she could interview a few of them for her show. This week’s Third and Long would be all cuts, all the time.

  Holly, the server, greeted Cameron with a bright smile as she walked into the kitchen area of the cafeteria. “Scrambled eggs today? I have some fresh off the grill.”

  “Yes, please. May I also have a few of those roasted potatoes as well?”

  “Of course.” Holly spooned eggs and potatoes onto Cameron’s plate. Holly also spooned sliced fresh fruit into a smaller bowl and held it out to her. “Zach told me you like this.”

  “I do. Thank you so much.”

  “Are you sure I can’t talk you into some breakfast bread or m
aybe a croissant?”

  Everyone wanted to feed her. She couldn’t figure it out. Derrick was about to eat everything Cameron denied herself, as usual. He grabbed one of the croissants with a pair of tongs and dropped it onto Cameron’s tray.

  “I’ll help you eat it,” he said. He loaded bacon onto an already-heaping plate. “It’s time to get some calories.” She saw him wink at Holly, who turned bright red.

  Cameron emerged from the kitchen to see Zach sitting at a table near the huge windows that looked out over the practice field. He waved her over, and her heart skipped a beat. The rest of the cafeteria was deserted. She didn’t see any of the Sharks or the PSN production staff at any of the other tables, which was a bit shocking. They never turned down free—and excellent—food. She knew they were working today.

  Earphones One and Two must have had an urgent errand elsewhere in the building, too, which was a bit odd. They hadn’t told her they weren’t going to accompany her today.

  “Where is everyone?” she asked Zach as she set her tray down on the table. She wished she could kiss Zach hello, but PDA in front of his teammates and her colleagues was inappropriate. Derrick parked himself in a chair across from them.

  “Cuts are happening this morning. Your friend Logan and a couple of other guys are following the assistant coach who is telling the guys.”

  She’d gotten no notice. She was willing to bet Kevin had, though. She remembered the NFL commissioner insisting in the press that roster cut-downs had to be done in a more “humane” manner. According to her colleagues, nothing had changed. Some of the guys that weren’t on the team anymore might catch on with the Sharks’ practice squad or with another team. Some would never play on a pro football team again.

  “Maybe I should go find them.” She started to rise from the table, and Zach put his hand over hers.

  “Stay here,” he said. “Logan will get the footage PSN needs. Let Kevin cover this one.” He pulled in a breath. “It’s not especially fun and some guys don’t react well.” He leaned a little closer to her, and his voice dropped. “Your security guys are trailing Logan right now. We’re keeping an eye on things up here.”

  “Are we in danger?” She looked at him in horror. “What about Logan? Is he safe?”

  “There’s nothing to worry about. The guys getting cut will be upset, but they’re not homicidal. Everything will be back to normal in an hour or so.” He nodded at her plate. “Eat up. You got a croissant, huh?”

  “I put it on her tray,” Derrick said between mouthfuls of his breakfast. “I talked her into a splurge.”

  “I can feed myself—”

  “My sisters said you ate about a cupful of salad and two bites of pizza last night. It’s not enough, Cameron.” He looked into her face. “We’ll talk about your nutrition later. When were you going to tell me you went over to see them?”

  “I thought you’d like my going to visit with them on my own.” She put her fork back down on her plate. “Are you mad at me?”

  Derrick’s head was swiveling back and forth as he watched them and shoveled food in at the same time.

  “Of course not. I’m surprised. And I’m proud of you. I thought you wanted me to go because you were worried about how they’d react to you.”

  She took another bite of eggs and potatoes while she thought of what to say. “There were things I needed to say to them. They deserved to hear it all, and I didn’t see any point in putting it off.”

  “True,” he said. “I heard it went well.”

  Derrick reached across the table, cut the croissant on Cameron’s tray in half with surgical precision, and popped the other half in his mouth.

  “I fixed it for you. Eat the rest,” he said.

  She stuck her tongue out at Derrick, who let out a huge bark of laughter.

  Cameron watched Zach put his fork down and focus on her. He didn’t want his family life exposed to the press, but it didn’t seem to matter to him that Derrick was still at the table listening to every word. She took a sip of her latte.

  “I enjoyed talking with your family. I really like your grandma. I think there’s hope your sisters will accept me one day, or at least I’d like to think so. I did my best to explain what happened ten years ago, and I hope they know how badly I still feel about what happened.” She took a breath. “Speaking of ten years ago, I called my father this morning and asked to talk with him. We’re about to have it out.”

  Zach picked up his fork again and took a bite. “Your dad called me yesterday morning.”

  “He what? What happened?” Her hand stopped halfway to putting the coffee cup back down on the table. “Why didn’t you tell me before now?”

  “Oh, it’s on, buddy,” Derrick muttered.

  Zach pointed a crispy strip of bacon at her and arched an eyebrow. “You have your secrets, and I have mine.”

  “It wasn’t a secret! I just didn’t tell you yet. You were in a meeting last night, and I—” She put her coffee cup back down on the table before it slipped out of her hand. “What did my father say? How did he get your number?”

  Zach took his time polishing off the bacon on his plate. In the meantime an unwelcome thought popped into Cameron’s head. “My father probably thinks we cooked this up between us,” she said. “He’s going to think we’re manipulating him.”

  Derrick picked up his tray with his empty plate and juice glass and said, “That’s it, I’m out. See you later.” He loped off toward the kitchen, and Cameron stared after him.

  Zach tapped her forearm with one finger. “You’re not done yet. Eat some more food.”

  She didn’t answer him and put her fork down on the plate. “What did my father say to you?”

  It was impossible to explain to someone who could have a second career as a professional eater with no negative repercussions that she did her best to find foods that had as few calories as possible, and eat minimal amounts of those. Every calorie showed up on the TV screen, which prompted people she’d never met to write her horrible e-mails about getting fat. She stuck to a diet of lean meats and vegetables and did her best to resist the siren song of carbs. Holly’s seasoned potatoes, though, were delicious. She’d had some at breakfast every day this week. Croissants and bacon weren’t even in her vocabulary before she’d arrived at the Sharks training camp, but she picked up the half–croissant on her breakfast tray and savored a bite.

  She’d “splurged” more in the Sharks’ cafeteria than she had for the past year. Oddly enough, her clothes fit the same.

  She was also wondering why her dad called Zach, and why Zach was being so secretive about it. If he and Zach got into it again . . .

  Zach’s voice broke into her troubled thoughts.

  “I understand you think you’re staying below a certain calorie count when you eat. It’s not helping you, Cameron. You need to eat foods that will give you the energy to get through your day.” He nodded at her plate. “Protein’s good, but you need some balance here. Why are you doing this to yourself?”

  She appreciated the fact he thought he was helping, but right now he was pissing her off. She stood up from her chair, yanked her tray off the table, and turned on her heel to walk away from him.

  “Where in the hell are you going?” he called out.

  “Downstairs. I need to get to work.”

  She heard him shove his chair back. She glanced behind her to see him grab another piece of bacon off his plate before putting his tray into the bus tub by the doorway. She reached out for the elevator’s control panel, punching the “down” button multiple times.

  “It’s not getting here faster because you’re irritated.” He crammed the last piece of bacon into his mouth.

  She ignored him. The elevator door opened. She stepped on. He got inside, too, before she could punch the “close doors” button.

  She was silent during the thirty-second ride to the ground floor of the facility. He reached out to hit the “stop” button on the panel before the doors could open.r />
  She heaved a loud sigh and looked at the floor. She crossed her arms across her chest, too.

  “Maybe you should tell me why you’re flipping out over this,” he said. “Is it the food? Your dad and I talked to each other? What is it that you’re pissed off about? We’re going to stay in here until you start talking. I’d recommend doing so now.”

  “I can handle my own life.” She stared up at him. “I don’t need you monitoring my food intake or telling me how to fix my family problems. Joanna will call the fire department if these doors don’t open in a minute or so.”

  He leaned back against the elevator car’s wall. “She’s not in yet. She doesn’t get here until after 8:30 AM.” He reached out, grasping her shoulders and turning her to face him. She averted her eyes and stared up at the elevator car’s ceiling. “So, why don’t you talk to me, instead of freezing me out?”

  “If you thought that was going to make me want to have a discussion with you on just about any topic right now, you’re wrong.”

  He leaned forward and hit the ‘stop’ button once more for good measure.

  “Listen,” he said. “Let me talk to the team’s nutritionist. I’m not doing this to be an ass. I want to help, and you’ll feel better. Plus, I want to tell you about the stuff I talked with your dad about.”

  In the part of her brain that wasn’t really irritated with him right now, she understood why he was trying to help. He needed to drop it right now, though. She also had a bad feeling she was about to walk into a buzzsaw as far as her father was concerned. She would appreciate some information about what was talked about during what must have been one hell of a phone call. If the two of them managed to be on the phone long enough to discuss her, it didn’t bode well.

  “We can be here all day. It’s up to you,” he said.

  “You’ll get a huge fine if you are late to practice. If you don’t lift and warm up beforehand, you’re risking injury.” She stared into his eyes. She reached out and pushed the “doors open” button, stepping out of the elevator before he could grab her. She walked away without another word.