by Chelle Dugan
“Even if they love each other?”
“Even then.”
“That’s dumb. Right, Sean?”
Sean just nodded as he always did when his brother asked him if he was right.
“Maybe the law will change and then your uncle can get married.”
“He needs a boyfriend first. Like Aunt Terry. She had a boyfriend and then she got married. We got to be in the wedding, remember, Mommy?” This past June, Randy’s sister Terry had gotten married, and the boys were the ring bearers. It was the highlight of their summer.
“Yes, I remember. Now get this room cleaned up, and then dinner will be in a little while.”
* * *
An hour later, Shannon stuck her head in the living room and asked Cameron if he wanted to stay for dinner. He looked over at Eric and nodded his head. Dinner was a lively affair, with the boys keeping up a steady stream of conversation. Cameron and Eric found out they liked the same kind of movies but disagreed on how the state should take care of its deficit. Shannon watched the two of them. They seemed to be getting along very well.
Eric and Cameron cleared the dishes after dinner. Shannon shooed them out of the kitchen, telling them to go and play with the boys to tire them out. All four of them went to the family room and played bowling on the Wii. When Shannon came in an hour later, she found the twins asleep on the couch, and Eric and Cameron in an intense contest.
Cameron was on his last frame, and he needed a spare to beat Eric. He swung the controller back and then forward, missing the spare by one pin. Eric jumped up and began to dance. It looked familiar to Cameron. He’d done the same dance in the snow after putting on his chains. Cameron smiled at Eric. He looked so cute doing that.
“Eric, you are such a dork! You would think you’d have a new victory dance by now. That’s the one you made up when we were little.” Shannon felt the need to embarrass her brother. Eric put his arms down and flushed a lovely shade of pink.
“I thought it was a great dance. It looked even better in the snow!” Cameron joined in on the teasing.
“Oh, look! The twins are asleep. I better take them upstairs to bed,” Eric said, changing the subject. He picked up Ian and motioned to Cameron to pick up Sean, and together they went upstairs, changed the boys into their pajamas, and tucked them in. They paused at the door after shutting off the light, and looked back at the sleeping angels. They both thought of things that might never be.
Cameron stood on the porch after saying good night to Shannon and thanking her for dinner, and asked Eric if he would like to go out for coffee sometime. Cameron knew the answer before Eric spoke because his face lit up and his smile was blinding. “I’d like that,” was the quiet reply. Cameron bid him good night and walked home.
* * *
“Are you sure you want to do this? I mean, you hit your head a couple of days ago.”
“I am not twelve any more, Shannon. I’m fine. I don’t even have a headache and the goose egg is gone.”
“All right, then. Let’s go, boys. Time for sledding!” Sean and Ian yelled and ran to the garage to get in the truck. “Eric, I think I should drive. You’re new in town and I know where to go.”
“I need to learn and it will be fine. Besides, it’s my truck.”
Shannon rolled her eyes. Boys and their toys. “Okay, so head out of town and the sled hill is on the left.”
“Everyone buckled up?”
“Yes. Uncle Eric? Is Mr. Cameron going to be your boyfriend?”
Eric almost drove off the road at that question. “Why do you ask that?”
“Because he looks at you like Daddy looks at Mommy.”
“He does?”
“Uh huh.”
“Eric,” Shannon tried to interrupt.
“Did he say anything, Ian?”
“Eric! You need to turn here.” Shannon tapped him on his arm.
“No, he didn’t to me. Sean, did Mr. Cameron talk about Uncle Eric?”
“Great, Eric. You missed the turn. I told you I should drive. Now make a U-turn here.” Shannon might as well have been talking to a brick wall.
Sean finally spoke up. “Mr. Cameron said something ’bout a damsel in a dress. What’s a damsel? Do they wear dresses?”
Shannon finally punched Eric in the arm. “Eric! You need to turn around. We are going to end up at the Grand Canyon at the rate you’re going.”
“Ouch. Okay, I turned around. Jeez. Tell me where this hill is again. And Sean, I think he said I was a damsel in distress. Great. He thinks I’m an idiot who can’t take care of himself.”
Shannon interrupted with “All right, we’re here. Time for sledding!”
The twins started to cheer, and they all tumbled out of Eric’s truck. The boys ran to the top of the hill and Eric followed with the sled. “Hurry up, Uncle Eric!” He chuckled and walked a little faster. At the top of the hill, Eric sat on the saucer and sat one boy on each thigh. Then he pushed off. They went flying down the hill, laughing, and fell off at the bottom. Shannon was busy taking pictures. The boys made Shannon and Eric take turns sledding with them. Two hours and a thousand trips up and down the hill later, the boys finally said they were cold. Shannon and Eric immediately loaded them up in the truck and started home.
One mile from home, there was a car pulled over to the side of the road. Eric parked behind it and got out to see what the problem was. He walked up to the car, and the woman inside rolled down her window. “My tire blew out. I was trying to call AAA, but I can’t get a signal.”
Eric took out his phone and looked at it. He didn’t have a signal either. That’s when the baby in the back seat started to cry. “Why don’t I change your tire for you?”
The woman was hesitant. She was alone and somewhat fearful of a stranger. Eric could tell she wanted the help but her instincts were yelling “stranger danger.” She was about to tell him okay when another man’s voice asked if there was a problem here. Eric whipped around to see who had snuck up on him and was stunned to see the frown of Sergeant Gallagher.
Eric began to stutter, “I… I… her tire blew out, and I offered to change it.” Why did he feel like he’d done something wrong and had the compulsion to explain? The frown was not leaving Cameron’s face.
“Ma’am? Are you all right?”
As Cameron finished asking his question, Shannon was at the woman’s door. “What’s going on?”
“I’m fine, Officer. I was going to take up this nice man’s offer,” the woman replied.
“Kathy? Hey, I didn’t recognize your car,” Shannon said as she walked up.
“Shannon. Thank goodness. This is a rental. Mine is in the shop.”
“This is my brother, Eric. He just moved up from Phoenix. Why don’t you bring the baby and come sit in the truck while the guys change your tire?”
Cameron finally smiled as he and Eric looked at each other and rolled their eyes. Women. “Let’s get going. It’s cold out here.”
“What’s with the frown?”
“That was just the cop face. Sometimes I forget I have it on.”
“You had me scared there for a minute. I felt like I was in the principal’s office.”
Cameron had quite a few comebacks for that one, like “I could be the principal and you can be the naughty student,” but he let it go because he didn’t know Eric that well yet. Great, now he was blushing. Thank goodness it was cold outside and his cheeks were always red in the cold. They worked well together and finished in ten minutes.
They walked back to the truck to tell Kathy they were done, and Shannon suggested everyone come back to the house for hot chocolate. Kathy agreed, but Cameron said he had to get back to work. Shannon insisted he could take a fifteen-minute break, so he called dispatch and told them.
As soon as they arrived home, Shannon went into hostess mode. “Boys, take off your wet clothes and put them in the laundry room. Cameron, give me your coat. I’ll throw it in the dryer while you’re here and it will be toasty when you
leave. Let me start the kettle, and hot chocolate will be ready in five minutes.”
The four adults stood in the kitchen, drank their hot chocolate, and made plans to get together on New Year’s Eve. Cameron had volunteered to work Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, so unless there was an emergency, he had New Year’s Eve and Day off. They all agreed to go to the Pinecone Drop downtown together. Kathy said her husband would go too.
Cameron thanked Shannon for the hot chocolate and said he needed to get back, and the twins were sent to retrieve Cameron’s coat from the dryer. He thanked Shannon again and gave a long glance at Eric before he left.
Sean said, “See, Uncle Eric? Mr. Cameron just looked at you. I think he wants to be your boyfriend.”
Shannon and Kathy looked at each other and started to giggle. “Eric and Cameron sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G—”
“Shut up,” was all the comeback that Eric could think of.
* * *
Shannon decided she'd had enough. It had been two days; two days of Eric moping around the house like a schoolgirl whose crush wouldn’t talk to her. It was driving her crazy. She had tried to explain that as a cop, Cameron’s schedule was not set and he worked all kinds of weird hours. She asked Eric if Cameron had his number, and he said no. How was he supposed to call?
Eric and the boys got in the truck and decided to go grocery shopping. Eric wanted to pay Shannon back for letting him live with her until he found his own place. She kept saying she wanted him there, that she liked having a man in the house while her husband was gone, and Eric was enjoying his time with his sister and his nephews. The closest store, Basha’s, was right down the hill from where they lived, and he pulled into the lot and parked. He helped the boys out, told them to find a cart, and in they went. Eric was going to make fajitas for dinner. They headed back to the meat department to pick up some beef and chicken.
Rounding the corner a little too fast, they crashed into another cart. Eric began to apologize and realized he was looking into those hazel eyes he could not forget. Cameron was in his uniform. “Hi, Cameron. Sorry for not paying attention to where we were going.”
“No problem. Hey, Sean. Hi, Ian. How have you guys been?”
“Good. Uncle Eric has been playing with us, but Mommy got mad and told us to go to the store.”
“How come your mom was mad?”
“She said she was tired of Uncle Eric mooning around the house waiting for you to call.”
“Really? Uncle Eric was mooning?” Cameron was looking at Eric when he said this. He’d wanted to call but had been working a double shift. He was just on his way home.
“That’s what Mommy said. Are you going to be Uncle Eric’s boyfriend?”
“Cameron? I was just on my way to your place,” said a man who walked by. He was about six feet tall, had dark blond hair, and looked great in the jeans and leather jacket he was wearing. He had overheard Cameron talking with the two boys and wanted to put this new man in his place. Apparently, Cameron was his.
“Derek? I thought you were going to call first?”
“I just thought I would take a chance on you being there. I was going to pick up a bottle of wine. Maybe we could make a night of it.”
Eric had heard enough. No wonder Cameron hadn’t called. He was seeing someone already. God, he was a chump. He thought that he and Cameron had a spark going. Guess not. “Come on guys, we need to finish shopping.” Eric steered the boys around Cameron and his “date.”
Cameron tried to stop them, but Derek started talking about what they should have for dinner. Eric just started walking faster. His face must be beet red. He didn’t know whether to feel mad or foolish. His sister was always telling him that he was a little naïve about people. Although she had been encouraging him with Cameron. Eric hurried the boys along and they finished shopping. He avoided looking for Cameron, and thank goodness, they did not run in to him again. He must have left with Derek.
Arriving back at the house Eric, Sean, and Ian carried in the groceries. Eric began to put them away and make dinner. Shannon remarked that he was being very quiet. While he was cutting the steak and chicken into strips and placing them in a bowl that contained marinade, he told Shannon about the chance meeting in the store with Cameron and Derek.
“I didn’t know he was seeing someone. We’ve only been friends for a couple of months, but he never mentioned dating anyone.”
“Well, Derek was picking up a bottle of wine and was planning dinner. Sounds like more than friends to me.” When Eric said the name Derek, he made a sourpuss face. Shannon laughed on the inside at his grade-school antics. Cameron had never mentioned anyone named Derek. The boys were right when they said that Cameron had been looking at Eric. It was a look of longing and lust. Shannon had seen it herself.
“Maybe you should go see Cameron and ask him what’s going on.”
“Right, so I can be rejected face-to-face. Look, he didn’t call. That’s man-speak for ‘I’m not interested’.”
“Eric, I’m sorry. I thought he was a really nice guy.”
“Yeah, me too.”
“I have some boxes that need to go to the post office. Randy and his men wanted Christmas cookies. They’re going to be a little late, but I bet they’ll still eat them. Why don’t you take them and get your mind off things?”
“All right.”
* * *
After waiting in line for thirty minutes, Eric finally sent the packages on their way. He came out of the post office, noticing that it was beginning to snow as he got in his truck, and turned the key. The engine did not turn over. Eric put his head on the steering wheel. He could not believe this. His battery was dead. He tried to start the truck again. Nothing but a bunch of clicks. He got out of the truck and opened up the hood. He made sure the battery’s connections were good and that everything looked all right.
“Need a hand?”
Eric banged his head on the hood of the truck looking up because he knew that voice. It was Cameron’s voice. He must have hit his head harder than he thought, because Cameron was busy getting it on with Derek.
Cameron stood there, smiling. Eric really was a damsel in distress around Cameron. Seems like every time he was in trouble, there was Cameron coming to his rescue.
“What are you doing here?”
“I went to Shannon’s to find you to explain about Derek. She said you were here.”
“You don’t have to explain. We’re not going out.”
“I want to explain because I want to go out with you.”
Eric blinked. “Okay, in that case, I’m listening.”
“Derek is someone I dated a couple of times. He just doesn’t get the message that I don’t want to go out with him. He left a CD at my house, probably so he would have to come back to get it. That’s why he came over. That’s it. I have no interest in him. You, on the other hand, I am interested in.”
Eric smiled. “Really?”
“Really. I’m sorry I didn’t call, but not only did I forget to get your number, but I had to work a double shift. Flu season.”
“Let’s trade numbers now so we won’t have that problem again.” They gave each other their numbers, and then Cameron turned to him and said, “So what’s the problem here?”
“My battery seems to have died. But I have jumper cables in the back. Let me get them.”
Eric opened the back door to the truck and lifted up the seat. The well was clean and empty. He was going to kill Shannon. Why did she take all his stuff out of the truck? He poked his head around the corner and sheepishly said, “Sorry, no cables. Shannon must have taken them out.”
“That’s okay, I have some. Let me pull up so we can hook up the batteries to each other.”
Cameron pulled his Jeep to the front of Eric’s truck. It was an old CJ-7, and it had a three-inch lift. Eric immediately felt jealous.
“I didn’t know this was your Jeep. That must mean you live in the red brick house on the corner.”
“
Did Shannon point out my house?”
“No. I noticed the Jeep. I’ve been lusting over it for these last couple of days.”
“All I had to do was show you my Jeep and it would have been a done deal? Jeez. You’re easy.” Cameron laughed. He got out the jumper cables and hooked up the two batteries. “Okay, start her up.”
Eric turned the key, and his truck started right up. Cameron unhooked the jumper cables and began to put them away. He looked like a teenager with the snow in his hair; his eyelashes seemed to sparkle as they were beginning to ice over. Eric looked at Cameron through the windshield and decided he could grow to love that face. He shook his head. Love?
Eric spoke before he lost his nerve. “Are you busy tonight?”
“Well, I was planning on going to this guy’s house and convincing him that I was interested in him, but I could cancel. What do you have in mind?”
“I was making fajitas for the family. Can I ask you to join us?”
“So can this be considered a date?”
“Sure, if you want it to be.”
“Oh, I want it to be.”
“Great! I need to get to the auto parts store, so how about an hour?”
“I’ll be there. Later.”
“See ya.”
* * *
Shannon and the boys retired after dinner to their rooms, leaving Eric and Cameron alone. They sat out on the back deck even though it was cold and there were still some snowflakes falling; they had a propane heater to keep warm and it was quiet. They spoke in low tones, learning about each other. Eric found out that Cameron was twenty-nine, not in his mid-twenties as he thought. They talked about everything from daily things that had to be done to dreams that they had never spoken aloud before. Cameron realized that Eric was what he had been looking for. Was it too soon to tell? He kept it to himself that night. Little did he realize, but Eric was thinking along the same lines.
Around nine-thirty, Cameron said he should be getting home. His cat was probably hungry, and he needed to rest up for tomorrow night; it was New Year’s Eve and they were going downtown. Eric glanced at his watch, surprised that they had been talking for about three hours. They went inside and Eric offered Cameron a cup of coffee to warm up so he could walk home. He really didn’t want the night to end, but he understood that Cameron had to be tired from his double shift. He put the coffee in a Thermos-style cup and walked Cameron to the door.
