“So, what do you think?” Hannah tilted her head, waiting for his answer.
“Oh, sorry, I missed what you said.”
The older woman chuckled. “It’s all right. I was just asking if I could bring the rest of the photos in Monday morning around ten.”
“That’s fine. I’ll write it on the calendar.” He moved to his desk and jotted the appointment down, hoping that would signal the end of their conversation.
He turned around just as Rachel walked past outside his window headed toward the parking lot. Her car sat with seven others in the row closest to the building. The rest of the parking lot looked empty except for one car sitting in the far corner in the shade of several tall trees.
His senses sharpened. The night he’d walked Rachel to her car after the co-op meeting they’d spotted a dark sedan parked there. He would’ve forgotten all about it if Rachel hadn’t been so shaken by it. He didn’t want to say anything to her, but he’d seen a similar car parked there a few other times since then.
“Well, I’m off. I have to stop in at Village Books, then I’m going on to my daughter’s to see my darling grandson.” Hannah picked up the framed photos. “Bye, Cam. Have a nice weekend.”
“Thanks, Hannah.” Cam crossed to the window and scanned the parking lot. Rachel opened her back passenger door and placed her purse and computer case inside, then she closed the door and climbed in the driver’s seat.
Across the parking lot, the driver of the black car flicked a cigarette out the window. The dark-tinted car window rose, hiding him from view.
Cam’s heartbeat kicked up a notch.
Rachel backed out of her parking spot and drove toward the exit. When she turned right onto the street, the car in the corner slowly pulled out and followed her.
The hair on the back of Cam’s neck stood on end. He turned, grabbed his keys and phone from the desk and dashed out the door. It might be just a weird coincidence, but if someone was following Rachel, he intended to find out and put a stop to it.
Rachel hummed along with a praise song on the radio as she pulled into the driveway at Cam’s house. As she reached to turn off the engine, her car door swung open.
Cam leaned down and looked in. “Are you okay?”
“Yes. I’m fine.”
He looked toward the street, and then back at her, concern darkening his eyes.
“What’s going on?” She followed his gaze, but she didn’t see anything unusual.
He hesitated and finally gave a half shrug. “You left the Arts Center before me. So when I pulled in and you weren’t here, I was worried.”
“I stopped at the bank.” That didn’t ease the lines from his forehead. “What is it?”
He looked down and wiped his hand on his pants. “Nothing.” Yet he still looked guarded as he opened her car door the rest of the way and watched her climb out. “You ready to go see Kayla’s room?”
“Sure.” She gathered her purse and computer bag from the backseat, pondering Cam’s strange welcome. She appreciated his concern, but it seemed odd for him to be anxious when she was only a few minutes late.
She followed him inside. He greeted his dog, Sasha, then led Rachel down the hall to the spare bedroom. “This is it.”
Rachel stepped through the doorway, and her questions about Cam’s odd behavior faded from her mind. This sparse little room definitely needed a facelift. The white walls, ceiling and woodwork reminded her of a hospital room. A simple maple-framed twin bed was pushed against one wall. A matching four-drawer dresser in the corner was the only other piece of furniture.
“It’s pretty bad isn’t it?”
“Well, let’s just say there’s lots of room for improvement.”
“Right. The old cup-half-full approach.” He cocked his head and grinned.
“Yes.” She smiled. “Do those need to stay?” She pointed to a stack of five cardboard boxes lined up against one wall.
“Yeah. I used to store them in the basement, but I’ve had a little water down there this spring. I need to keep them up here for now.”
“Okay. We can work with that.” She crossed the room counting her footsteps. The floor was bare but beautiful hardwood. “So it looks like it’s about twelve by eighteen.”
He looked around. “There’s plenty of space, it just looks a little like a jail cell.” He stuffed his hands in his pockets. “What do you think I ought to do?”
She pulled a small notebook from her purse. “Let’s draw a floor plan. Do you have a tape measure?”
“Sure.” He left to retrieve one, while she noted the placement of the windows, door and closet on her drawing.
Cam returned, and they took several measurements.
Rachel jotted the numbers in her notebook. “The first thing on the list is picking out a comforter set. That will help you choose a color scheme. Then you’ll need curtains, blinds, sheets, maybe a throw rug and a few things for the wall.” Her enthusiasm built as she began to picture the transformed room. “We could start at the bed and bath store at the mall. I’ve got some twenty percent off coupons. Then I know this great little thrift shop where we might find some used furniture, maybe a desk or bookshelf.”
Cam’s face lit up. “Did you say, we?”
“Yes.” She grinned. “I’m not going to abandon you to do all this on your own.”
He clasped his hands and lifted his eyes toward the ceiling. “Thank you.”
She chuckled, determined to help him, whether he was teasing about the prayer or not. “We’ll make this into a beautiful room Kayla will love. And I promise it’ll be done in twenty-four hours, and it won’t break your bank account.”
“Wow, talk about an extreme home makeover, sounds like you just might give that TV show a run for their money.”
With her laughter bubbling over and a silent prayer in her heart, she followed him out the door.
Rachel fastened her seatbelt and glanced at the remarkable pile of treasure stashed in the back of Cam’s SUV. In a little under four hours they’d found a beautiful aqua, lime and lavender comforter set with matching curtains, a cute area rug, a white wicker nightstand and rocker, a lamp with a shell fringe shade, and a funky wicker trunk—and all for under three hundred dollars.
“You’re quite the bargain hunter.” Cam gazed at the road ahead, a slight smile lifting the corners of his mouth. “I had no idea there were such great deals at thrift shops.” He took the freeway entrance and headed south toward Fairhaven. “It’s wild the way we found everything we needed, and it all looks like it goes together.”
“Pretty amazing.” The afternoon had been quite an adventure as they compared prices at the store and then sorted through all the crazy castoffs at the resale shops. She’d seen a more relaxed side of Cam today, and she found it very appealing.
She shifted in her seat to look at him. “I am a pretty good shopper, but I don’t deserve all the credit.”
He lifted his brows and grinned. “Don’t tell me you had a secret shopper out there scouting out bargains for us.”
“Not exactly. But I did pray and asked God for help before we left.”
He considered that for a moment. “Well, looks like He answered your prayer.”
Her heart lifted. That was a positive response, wasn’t it? She studied Cam’s handsome profile—his square jaw, straight Roman nose and high forehead topped with blond curls. He did have a strong personality, but he wasn’t nearly as fearsome as she’d first believed. Underneath his gruff exterior there was humor and compassion along with a host of other good qualities he was just beginning to let her see.
“It’s almost six. Do you want to stop and get something to eat?” he asked.
Rachel’s empty stomach twisted, but should she turn this shopping trip into a date? What if she offered to pay for her own meal? Would it still be considered a date? Oh brother, she was probably making too much of this. Why not stop and have dinner together? They were both hungry. It made sense…but would that be leading him o
n?
Rachel stifled a groan. Why did she feel so clueless when it came to making a decision about men and relationships? Never having her father around as she was growing up probably had more to do with it than she liked to admit. But knowing his absence left a huge hole in her heart didn’t help solve her problems with men.
Cam glanced her way. “It’s okay if you’d rather not. I just thought you might be hungry.”
“No…I mean, yes.” She pushed away her doubts. “Dinner sounds great.”
His face brightened. “Okay. What kind of food do you like?”
She suggested the Colophone Café back in Fairhaven. It offered delicious soups, salads and sandwiches in a casual setting. He agreed, and they found a parking place nearby.
A cool breeze blew up the hill from Bellingham Bay carrying the scent of the ocean as Rachel and Cam walked toward the café.
“So, how long have you lived in Fairhaven?” she asked.
“I grew up in Bellingham, just north of here. Went to Western Washington University.” He chuckled and shook his head. “The first couple years I majored in fun and games, so it took me five years to get my finance degree.”
She grinned at his confession. “I see.”
“Then my dad passed away when I was twenty. That ended all the partying for me.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know you’d lost your dad.”
“Yeah. It was a tough time. But it made me wake up and make some decisions about how I was going to live the rest of my life.”
She wondered what he meant, but he didn’t say more. “Is your mom still alive?”
“Yes. She is in her mid-sixties and is still going strong. She does a lot of volunteer work and walks every day.” They reached the café, and he held the door open for her. They sat at a table overlooking the Village Green.
“How about you?” Cam asked. “Where did you grow up?”
“I was born in Chicago, but my parents divorced when I was two, and Mom and I moved out to Seattle to be near my grandparents.” The server arrived and gave them menus.
“So, are your parents still living?”
“Mom’s in Seattle.” She hesitated. Her parents’ issues weren’t her fault, but for some reason she always felt guilty whenever she talked about them. “I’m…not sure about my dad.”
Cam looked up from his menu.
She swallowed and forced herself to go on. “He had a drinking problem and he made life miserable for my mom. Things got so bad she decided to leave.”
Cam frowned. “So, do you have contact with him now?”
“No. I never have. Mom was afraid he’d follow us, so she changed our names and kept a low profile.”
He studied her a moment longer, his gaze softening. “That must’ve been hard growing up without a dad.”
“Knowing I had a father I had to hide from was even harder.” She looked away and clutched her napkin in her lap. Why had she said that? Ever since she was a little girl, her mom had warned her to keep that information to herself. How many times had she heard her mother say, Don’t hang your dirty laundry in public?
Thankfully, the waitress returned to the their table. Rachel ordered the first sandwich on the list—a turkey wrap with fresh fruit. Cam asked for a steak sandwich with fries and coleslaw.
Time to change the subject before he asked her any more questions about her father. “How did you get into framing when you graduated with a finance degree?”
“I started out working for a large investment company, moved up quickly, and was making a good salary, but I was putting in more than sixty hours a week. Definitely not a good thing for a man with a family.”
“So you changed careers to have more time with them?”
He shook his head, unmistakable sorrow lining his face. “I wish that was true.” He took a sip of his iced tea. “I didn’t change jobs until after the accident. I couldn’t go back to my old way of life. It all seemed so pointless. Finally, my uncle Ken hauled me down to his frame shop and put me to work. He told me if I kept my hands busy it might help me work through everything.”
“He taught you about framing?”
“Yes, and he probably saved my life in the process.”
His words settled over her heart, bringing new compassion and clarity. No wonder he struggled to see the cup half full. He’d lost his father, wife and son in a few short years, and now he faced losing his sister as well. She started to reach for his hand, but the waitress returned, bringing them their meals.
He cleared his throat. “Sorry, that was a little heavy for dinner conversation.”
“No. I’m glad you told me.” She looked down at her plate. “Would you mind if I prayed?”
“No, go ahead.” He bowed his head.
She closed her eyes. “Thank You, Father, for this meal and for helping us find so many great things for Kayla’s room. Please watch over Shannon and Eric as they travel to Mexico. We ask for Your healing hand to be on Shannon, and we pray for Kayla, too. Amen.”
“Thanks.” Cam smiled at her across the table. They ate in silence for a few minutes, then he asked, “So did you go to college in Seattle?”
“Yes, Seattle Pacific. I majored in theater with a teaching emphasis.”
“Did you move up here to teach after graduation?”
She took a bite and chewed slowly. Her situation was complicated, but she didn’t want to mislead him. “I taught in Seattle for six years. But for the last three summers I came up to Bellingham and worked as assistant director of N.C.Y.T.”
He cocked his head. “So how long have you been the director?”
“Since January. I took over for my friend Suzanne. She and Josh are having a baby, and it was the right time for me to make a move.”
Cam’s eyes widened as he looked past Rachel’s shoulder. “Oh no,” he muttered and ducked his head.
Rachel turned and looked across the café.
Melanie walked toward their table followed by Lilly. “Well, this is certainly a surprise. What are you two doing here?”
Rachel sucked in a breath and almost choked on her sandwich.
“We’re having dinner.” Cam’s tone was cool and even.
“I can see that.”
A nervous laugh escaped Lilly’s mouth. “We just had dinner, too.”
An awkward silence settled around them. Someone had to say something. “Cam’s niece is arriving tomorrow, so we were out shopping for some things to fix up her room,” Rachel said.
Melanie’s eyes flashed. “Shannon’s daughter?” Cam nodded. She hiked her purse higher on her shoulder. “How long is she staying?”
“I’m not sure.”
Apparently Cam hadn’t told Melanie or Lilly his sister had cancer again, or that he’d be caring for his niece this summer.
“Well, bring her by the shop, and I’ll let her design a piece of jewelry while she’s here.”
“Okay.” Cam’s answer didn’t carry much enthusiasm.
Lilly laid her hand on Melanie’s arm. “Well, Mel and I are on our way to do a little shopping. We’ll see you later.”
Melanie shot them one last heated glance then strutted out of the café with Lilly.
Cam focused on his plate and took another bite of his sandwich. His face definitely looked a shade or two darker than it had earlier.
Rachel suppressed a smile, but a giggle worked its way up her throat. She lifted her hand to stifle the sound, but it was too late.
Cam looked up. “What’s so funny?”
“Sorry. I was thinking about the way Melanie’s eyes just about bulged out of their sockets when she saw us sitting here.”
He gave in with a grin, which soon turned into a chuckle. “I don’t know why, but she doesn’t want to let go of the idea that we ought to be more than friends.”
Rachel couldn’t resist pushing him just a little further. “So, you two aren’t dating?”
“No!” He shook his head and actually looked pained by the idea. “Definitely not.”
Rachel smiled. “That’s…good to know.”
Cam led Shannon and Kayla down the hall, then pushed open the door to Kayla’s room. “Here you go.” He stepped back so his sister and niece could enter.
Kayla stood in the doorway, silently staring straight ahead. Her pinched expression and mottled skin made it clear she’d been crying on the drive from Seattle.
When she didn’t speak up, Shannon placed her hand on her daughter’s shoulder. “It’s lovely, Cam. Such pretty colors. Isn’t it great, Kayla?” The forced brightness in Shannon’s voice didn’t fool either of them.
His niece nodded, but she looked about as happy as a patient waiting for a root canal.
Shannon squeezed her arm. “Come on, now. This is a great room, and your uncle went out of his way to make it special for you.” She nodded to her daughter, silently urging her to speak up.
“Thanks, Uncle Cam,” Kayla mumbled, then walked over to the bed and trailed her hand over the puffy comforter.
“Really, Cam, you outdid yourself. Everything looks so pulled together.” Shannon chuckled. “Sorry, I’m just surprised. Did you watch a home decorating show or something?”
“My upstairs tenant helped me pick everything out. She’s got great taste.” He smiled, remembering how Rachel had scouted out the best bargains and matched up all the furniture and accessories. Then she’d spent this morning, helping him arrange furniture and hang curtains.
“She?” Shannon’s brows rose, and she sent him a questioning smile.
“Yes. She runs the kids’ drama program at the Arts Center.”
Shannon nodded and sent him a knowing smile.
“Don’t give me that look. We’re just friends.”
Shannon held up her hand. “Okay. I’m just glad to hear you have a friend.”
He huffed and glared at her. “Thanks.”
Shannon winked. Then she glanced at her watch, and worry lines gathered around her eyes again. “I’ve got to go, Kayla.” She crossed the room and stood next to her daughter. “Dad and I are meeting with our small group for prayer tonight, then we leave first thing tomorrow morning.” She gathered Kayla in a tight hug. Closing her eyes, she rocked back and forth. “I love you, baby girl. Promise me you won’t forget that.”
Seeking His Love Page 8
