An Unexpected Family

by Jenna Mindel

  They both watched the green sparkles overhead followed by snaps and crackles that soon fizzled out to nothing. Rose sat composed. She glanced out over the bay waiting for that last strip of twilight to dissolve into darkness like the rest of the crowd. At least she hadn’t walked off in a huff.

  Sweet, brave Rose wasn’t like that.

  He wanted to touch her, pull her close and reassure her that they could make it work. After he returned, they’d have more time and he’d do his best to show her that they could make it work.

  Cam patted the spot next to him. “There’s room for both of us to lean against the tree.”

  Rose stared at him, as if torn.

  He stared back. “Please?”

  Finally, she scooted next to him.

  The first set of fireworks went off from the barge in the bay. Three at a time exploded overhead, high in the sky with red, white and blue sparks of light.

  “It’ll be okay, Rose. We’ll figure it out.” Cam wrapped his arm around her. When she rested her head on his shoulder, he relaxed.

  It would be okay. Rose was a keeper and he sure felt like he wanted her for keeps, but he had to redeem his name. It would take work. He wouldn’t force his way into her heart until he proved he was worthy of a place there.

  * * *

  The following morning, Rose held her tongue while Cam showed Sheila, the new cook, the prep station, grill and process for filling orders. Hearing the pride in his voice made it hard not to argue her point. He loved doing this, so why wouldn’t he stay?

  “Thanks for coming in.” Rose breathed deep, hoping to dispel the feeling of a lead ball lodged in her chest where her heart should be.

  He gave her a searching look. “I’ll be back.”

  “Sure.” She wanted to believe him, but what if after he landed the new sponsor he didn’t come back?

  Greg had shown her the professional fishing schedule of years past online. There were tournaments all over and sponsor commitments at trade shows and events. Cam would be gone more than he’d be home.

  Relationships needed time spent together to solidify. Time and care. Two weeks wasn’t enough to carry them, and it wasn’t as if she could go with Cam, not with a diner to run.

  Last night as they’d watched the fireworks together, Rose kept telling herself that Cam wasn’t Kurt. Kurt had promised her the sky and delivered thin air. Cam might prove to be very different, if given the chance. She had to give him that chance.

  Remembering the feel of his lips on hers, she’d never know if she cut him loose now. Not to mention that Greg looked up to him. Could her son get by with Cam as a distant hero?

  “You okay?”

  She felt his warm hand cup her elbow. Rose fought the urge to lean into him when his fingers gently caressed the underside of her arm. Looking into his concern-filled gaze wasn’t good, either. She knew that he cared, just not enough to stay. Not yet anyway. She had to trust that what they had was not only real, but worth the effort to make last. She couldn’t force this.

  She forced a smile, though. “I’m fine, and I see a new table of four just came in.”

  “Let Jess get them. Step in the kitchen with me for a minute.”

  “What for?”

  His blue eyes seemed dimmer and devoid of their usual brilliance. “I don’t know. I’ve got to leave for the airport soon, and I wanted to tell you...”

  What else was there to say that couldn’t be said when he returned?

  “Cam, where’s the goat cheese?” Helen searched the prep fridge.

  “Go help your mom and Sheila.” Rose nodded toward the door. “I’ve got orders to take. Call me later, after your meeting, okay?”

  “Yeah, sure, okay.”

  The bell over the door rang, announcing yet more customers coming in. She turned and her stomach dropped and rolled. Kurt’s brothers entered the diner and they didn’t look like they’d come in for a meal.

  Clenching her hands at her sides, Rose smiled wide. “Karl, Kory, can I help you?”

  “We received your letter, but do you really think your choices are wise?” Karl sounded so arrogant. And loud.

  The noisy level of diner conversations dropped. People listened.

  Rose stepped closer to Kurt’s brothers. She was in no mood to be intimidated. Keeping her voice low but steady, she said, “This isn’t the time to discuss business, but I’ll gladly offer you both our special on the house. If you’d like, we can go over everything later this afternoon at your mom’s attorney’s office.”

  “I wouldn’t eat here if you paid me. And you should be more careful about who you hire.” Kory held up a newspaper folded carefully around an inner page article.

  Professional Angler Disqualified amid Rumors of Cheating.

  Rose stared at that headline and the small picture of Cam that seemed to grow smaller and darker along the edges. She didn’t want to believe it, but knew deep down it was true. It was how he’d gotten by in school. Hadn’t he said that old habits were hard to break?

  She felt Cam’s presence close behind her. The tension in him fell like a curtain drawn around her, too, dousing the light. She stepped aside and stared at him.

  Cam’s features had turned to stone as he snatched the newspaper from Kory. “Where did you get this?”

  Helpless, Rose looked around. Customers were openly staring now. Even Jess stood poised with a pitcher of water, watching with wide eyes.

  “Let’s step in the back, shall we?” Her voice sounded too strong to be her own, but she’d uttered the words.

  “We’ve got nothing to say other than see you in court, Rose Dean.” They uttered her last name with contempt, turned and left.

  They hadn’t been bluffing when they’d first threatened to contest the will. Even if she won, how much cash would they bleed from her in court costs and more attorney’s fees?

  The chatter of customers had fallen silent. She could hear an old song playing on the country station. “Your Cheatin’ Heart” droned on like something out of a nightmare, ringing louder and louder through her head, making it throb.

  Rose grabbed the back of a nearby chair before her knees gave out. The Deans’ threat reverberated in her ears, too. See you in court.

  “Rose—”

  Divorce papers were court papers. She hated the court.

  Once a cheater, always a cheater.

  “Is it true?” Her voice sounded harsh now, and raw, as if she’d slipped under ice into the murky depths of frigid water.

  Her body shook, too, suddenly freezing in the air-conditioned diner. She knew the answer when he struggled to look her in the eye.

  Helen Zelinsky stepped out from behind the counter. “Cam? What’s going on?”

  “In a minute, Mom.”

  “Is it?” Rose wanted to hear him tell her that headline was deceptive and false, but knew he couldn’t.

  He grabbed her arm and walked her to the kitchen. “I can explain.”

  Hopes smashed again, Rose had heard those words before, too, but the damage had already been done. There was always damage. Fury took hold and pumped hot through her veins, dispelling the cold that had made her tremble.

  Rose looked back, over the diner. Jess filled those plastic tumblers that Cam disliked with water. She heard sounds of scraped plates and chatter filled the air once again, hushed at first but nearly back to normal.

  What could he possibly explain? Cam had admitted how he’d stayed under the radar through high school. Even his parents hadn’t known how serious his reading issues were because he’d cheated and hid that fact. He’d carried that practice right along into his profession. It wasn’t too far a stone’s throw to expect he’d cheat on her given the opportunity. He had the smile for it, the flirtatious charm. Her stomach turned. Hadn’t she pegged him correctly when she’d first laid eyes on him?

/>   In the kitchen, she shook off Cam’s touch. “Cheating’s a way of life for you, isn’t it?”

  “Look, Rose.” He let out a deep breath but looked utterly defeated. “Yeah.”

  “Why?”

  “Why does anyone do anything? For the past few years I placed lower and lower in tournaments. One by one, my sponsors starting dropping me. At the time, I didn’t see other options.”

  Rose stared, speechless. It was one thing to cheat in school, he’d only been a kid then, but now? He’d traded his integrity, his very soul, for what? Trophies and prize money.

  “Don’t look at me like that.”

  “How do you want me to look?”

  “You could try understanding. Our pasts don’t dictate our future. I’ve made some bad mistakes, but I’m trusting that God will show me how to redeem them. Will you give me that chance, too?”

  “No.” Her mind burned with the memory of how many chances she’d given Kurt.

  Patterns formed didn’t break easily and Cam had proved that pretty well. Besides, this was not the example she wanted her son to follow. Not by a long shot.

  “I wanted to tell you, but feared this kind of reaction.”

  She sputtered a sarcastic “Oh, really?”

  Cam’s eyes darkened. “Keeping your heart locked up so tight that there’s no room for human frailty is no way to live, Rose. I never meant to hurt you. All this happened before I’d even met you—”

  “That’s supposed to make it okay?”

  “No. That’s not what I’m saying—”

  “I’d hoped for so much between us—” Her throat threatened to close up on her. “You’d better go, you’ve got a plane to catch.”

  “Don’t do this.” His voice was soft and pleading.

  Once a cheater, always a cheater.

  She stared him down. She wanted Cam to see how much this hurt. She wanted him to see what he’d done to her.

  Sniffing back tears, she finally said, “Thank you for your help, but I don’t need you to come back in the fall. I don’t want you to.”

  Cam looked crushed, but nodded. “For what it’s worth, I passed polygraph tests without a hitch. Lies had become truth to me and that was a scary place to be. That was when I knew I needed God. Rose, living in fear steals God’s victory in our lives. I know that now. You need to know it, too.”

  How dare he preach to her! His words rang true even though she didn’t want to hear them coming out of his mouth. Hot tears finally tipped and rolled down her cheeks. “Just go, would you? Please.”

  He did.

  Rose heard the bell on the door ring, announcing more customers. She couldn’t fall apart yet. Jess waited on too many as it was. She exited the kitchen and hurried past where Cam talked quietly to his mom. She knew Helen would remain the rest of the day and that wasn’t going to be easy.

  Entering the ladies’ restroom, Rose glanced at her reflection in the mirror. Pretty makeup and hair color couldn’t hide the hardness in her eyes, the ugliness of broken dreams.

  Once again, she’d traded what she knew for what she’d hoped. Shame on her for thinking she could have that fairy tale with Cam. Shame on her for thinking three times was the charm. She’d just struck out.

  * * *

  Cam tossed the newspaper on the metal table that had pots and pans hanging overhead and walked away from Rose. He’d blown it, all right. He’d had the chance to tell her everything about his past last night and didn’t take it. Would it have even mattered? Maybe, but not now.

  Anger seared his gut. He was mad at the Deans—all of them, especially Kurt for embittering Rose. He was mad at God for letting him lose her, but mostly, he was mad at himself.

  “Cam?” His mom called out from the prep station, her face marred with worry. “Don’t leave like this, honey.”

  “I have to.”

  “No, you don’t. You could stay—”

  “Trust me, I can’t.”

  His mom didn’t look convinced but she gave him a hug anyway. “I love you. Be careful.”

  “I’ll call later.” He returned the hug, knowing he’d have to make things right with his parents, too. No more hiding. They deserved the truth, too. All of it.

  Scanning the customers sitting on the twirling, vinyl-covered stools at the counter, he knew nearly every one. He’d miss waiting on them and making their orders.

  “Where you off to, Cam?” It was one of the elderly guys who liked to fish from the public docks at the waterfront.

  To his knowledge, no one around here knew what was in that article. It had been reported last fall by a small-town paper down South where the tournament in question had been held. Cam wasn’t such a big name in the sport as to have the story picked up by the major news organizations. Although, he’d seen this same story online along with other sport fishing news. He knew many of his peers had seen it, as well. Rumors had been enough to finally lose his biggest sponsor. No doubt rumors would fly around Maple Springs after today.

  Cam Zelinsky is a cheater.

  Cam smiled despite the sour taste in his mouth. “Back to fishing, Earl. Take it easy.”

  “Go get ’em.” The old man fist-pumped the air.

  “Will do.” Cam scanned the diner one last time.

  Where was Rose? The thought of her crying somewhere didn’t sit well. He’d hurt her more deeply than he’d thought possible, tangled up in what Kurt had done to her. She’d wanted him to run the diner with her and now—

  Cam took a deep breath, but the ache inside his chest didn’t ease. He would have liked to have said goodbye to Greg, but that would have to keep for now. He’d be back. He’d promised to take the kid ice fishing. It was a promise he intended to keep, if Rose let him.

  “Hey, Cam. Whatever’s going on, I’m sorry.” Jess touched his arm.

  “Thanks.” He spotted the busboy clearing a table and gave the kid a nod goodbye. “Help her out with the new cook, okay?”

  “Of course.” Jess shocked him by sniffing back tears.

  Cam patted her shoulder. There wasn’t much he could say.

  He checked his watch. Time to go or he’d be late, but he couldn’t seem to make his feet move. He spotted Rose as she exited the bathroom and her gaze slammed into his. She didn’t look fragile or weepy, but hard. Disgusted.

  Whatever chances he might have had with her were gone. Looking into her pretty green eyes, he clearly read the message there. It was over. They were through.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Rose finally locked the doors of the diner and leaned against the glass with a shudder. She’d made it through until close without coming unglued. In less than an hour, she’d be free to have a good cry. Hopefully, before Greg came home.

  What was she going to tell Greg?

  Rose watched Helen help Sheila clean up, stacking food on the silver cart Cam had always used, and those pesky tears threatened. She’d fought them all afternoon. Cam’s mom had made it worse with her sympathetic glances and reassuring touches.

  Helen refused to skip out, even after Rose had told her she’d take care of cleanup with the new cook. Helen wouldn’t hear of it and Rose wasn’t sure if the woman did all this out of guilt over what her son had done or genuine affection. Maybe a little of both.

  When everything was done, the new cook gave her puppy-eyed looks, too. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “Thanks, Sheila.” They’d do all right.

  “Did Cam tell you this wasn’t true?” Helen lay the newspaper article on the counter.

  Rose shook her head. Oh, how she wished that had been the case. Cam’s deceit ran so deep that he’d believed it as truth. How could that happen?

  His mother sighed. “I knew something was wrong when he’d been so miserable this past winter. That kid can smile his way through anything, but not this time. He’d tol
d us he’d lost his last sponsor because of low placements and then the issue about practicing where he shouldn’t have during a tournament. Of all my kids, Cam’s the most private. He doesn’t open up.”

  He’d opened up with her, but only to a point. Rose saw the distress in Helen’s eyes and her heart twisted anew. They were both moms with sons. This was hard on Helen, too. “I’m sorry.”

  “Rose, I know you’re upset but Cam—”

  Rose’s cell phone rang, interrupting whatever Helen was about to say. The number belonged to her attorney. Linda’s attorney. “Hello? Can you hang on a moment?”

  Rose looked at Helen. “I have to take this.”

  Helen gently brushed her back. “Call me tonight if you need to talk. Cam loves you, Rose. Please, give him a second chance. He’s not the same man as before. I can see it.”

  Would you believe that I made a deal with God?

  Cam had said that the first day she’d met him. She’d believed it, too. Tears threatened again at the compassion in Helen’s eyes. The words she offered were sweet, but Rose couldn’t risk it. She’d read the article in its entirety. Other fishermen who’d been proven cheaters had faced huge fines and some had even gone to jail.

  Cam may have invited God into his heart, she didn’t doubt that, but when push came to shove, what would he do? When the pressure was high, would Cam rely on the Lord or slip back into old habits or worse?

  Rose couldn’t take that chance. She couldn’t go through divorce papers again. “Thanks, but I— Thanks.”

  Helen gave her shoulder a squeeze and left.

  Rose drew in a sustaining breath. She had a diner to keep and hopefully Linda’s attorney had some news. “Sorry about that.”

  “I heard you were paid a little visit from Linda’s sons.”

  Wow, news traveled fast. “Who told you?”

  “Does it matter? Listen, that’s harassment plain and simple and I think we should throw down a threat of our own with an order to cease and desist or we’ll sue for harassment.”

  Rose’s mind whirled right along with her stomach. More fees and court papers. “Won’t that make them even angrier?”