More than Neighbors

by Shannon Stacey

  He looked around, thinking it was fairly obvious. “I had a yard sale.”

  “A yard sale.” She put a finger to her temple and rubbed for a moment, as if the concept of her child having a yard sale was something she couldn’t process.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “Your father’s patience with your absence has come to an end.” Maybe it was just his imagination, but it sounded as if she stressed the word father. “Naturally, he’s blaming me for this situation, so I’ve come to bring you home where you belong.”

  As she said the last words—where you belong—she turned her head to look at Meredith, who was watching them with concern and confusion clouding her expression. “And is this my future daughter-in-law?”

  Cam’s brain froze for a few seconds as he panicked, not sure how his mother could have known about his feelings for Meredith and that he’d been spending more and more time thinking about how they could have a future together.

  And then he remembered the lie he’d told his parents when he got the letter from Carolina’s lawyer—that he was going to spend the summer with a prospective wife’s family. She’d known practically the entire time that it was a lie, so the question was a deliberate move to remove a potential obstacle to getting what she wanted—Cam back in New York City so they could pretend this summer never happened.

  She was looking at Meredith when she asked the question, but there was no warmth or welcome in her tone or expression. Just a cold, judgmental assessment that had Meredith’s wide eyes locking with his.

  “No, and you know it,” he said to his mother, and Meredith’s gaze narrowed. She was probably in the process of jumping to the conclusion he had a fiancée he hadn’t told her about. And there wasn’t a thing he could do to assure her that wasn’t the case while his mother was in the room. “This is my neighbor, Meredith Price. Meredith, my mother, Melissa Maguire.”

  “Your neighbor.” She nodded sharply, then turned away from Meredith, dismissing her. “The yard sale had me wondering if you’d lost all sense and were actually considering staying here.”

  “Of course not,” he snapped, lashing out against the accusation he’d lost all sense.

  But he saw Meredith’s face when he said the words—the color draining away as her lips parted slightly from the shock. His mind, shaken by his mother’s arrival, scrambled to come up with words that could explain what he’d meant.

  She didn’t wait for an explanation. “Obviously you two have a lot to talk about. What a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Maguire. Goodbye, Cam.”

  She turned and walked out the door, her spine stiff and her chin high, and Cam itched to run after her. But there was no use in that as long as his mother was still in this house. Once he got rid of her, he could make things right with Meredith.

  Goodbye.

  It was the first time she’d ever used that word, he realized. Good night. See you later. See you in the morning. Never goodbye.

  One problem at a time.

  “You did that deliberately,” he said, the accusation leaving his lips in a tone that could have cut through granite.

  “Did what deliberately?”

  “You knew I was here, and you know why. So you threw my lie about being involved with a woman at me and baited me just to get rid of Meredith.”

  “I don’t want anything—or anybody—holding you here. This is done and now it’s time to take your rightful place at your father’s side.” She held up her hand as he opened his mouth to speak. “The father who raised you and has given you everything in life.”

  “Everything?” He chuckled, but it was a sound totally without mirth. After spending the summer in Blackberry Bay, he knew exactly what Calvin III hadn’t given him. “Everything money could buy, you mean.”

  “He accepted you as his own, and he didn’t have to.”

  Cam looked at his mother for a long moment, wondering if she actually believed that or if keeping up the pretense was something she was compelled to do. “The worst thing is not knowing if he can’t show me love because he’s incapable of it or because I’m not really his son.”

  “You are his son, in all ways that matter,” she snapped. “And he deserves better than this, so go pack your personal belongings. We have people who can handle the disposition of everything else.”

  He recognized the dismissal in the way she lifted her chin and turned to walk away, but then her gaze snagged on the framed photo of Michael Archambault hanging over the armchair and she nearly stumbled. Cam reached out a hand with the intent of catching her, but she steadied herself.

  She didn’t look away, though. He felt the seconds ticking by as she stared at the face of the man she’d known so long ago. And for the first time, she looked vulnerable to her son. He saw the cracks in her hard veneer and the surprising sheen of tears in her eyes. A slight tremor of her hair gave away the fact she was trembling slightly, and he almost stepped forward to put his arms around her.

  But then she sniffed once as her spine straightened and, just like that, his mother was back to her typical self.

  “It’s time to come home, Calvin,” she said, and the use of his given name again told him she meant business. And her tone was more brittle than usual, even for her. “This business is finished and it’s time to put it behind you. The car service will drop me at that shabby, overpriced inn next to the public docks and then be dismissed, so when you’re ready you may pick me up there. Please don’t keep me waiting long.”

  He stood in the same spot for at least two minutes after she’d gone, trying to process the swirl of emotions running through him. Shock that this day had played out this way. Fear for the hurt they’d caused Meredith. Anger that his mother was moving him around like a pawn on a chessboard.

  Going back to New York was a given at this moment. As tempting as it was to let his mother sit at the inn until it became her permanent address, this wouldn’t stop until he stopped it. He had to deal with his family and their expectations. And he had to figure out how he could make the life waiting for him and the life Meredith wanted blend into one.

  He’d talk to her before he left. He’d do his best to make her understand his anger at his mother had twisted his words into something he hadn’t meant. But right now, with his emotions running high and anger still leading the way, probably wasn’t the time.

  Packing first, he thought. A mindless activity that would allow him time to cool off so he could have a clear head when he tried to convince Meredith he was going to come back. That he wasn’t walking out on her.

  * * *

  “You came back.”

  “One of the more inconvenient things about being a parent is that it’s almost impossible to have a private conversation in your own house.” She stepped inside just far enough to close the slider behind her. “She’s talking to my mom on video chat right now, even though they got home from dropping her off not too long ago, just so I could get a few minutes.”

  “I can explain.”

  “That’s why I’m here.” It was probably her imagination, but it seemed as if she could still feel the chill in the air his mother had left in her wake.

  “I told them I was spending the summer at a lake house with a prospective wife so I could get to know her family.”

  “Prospective wife? Are you kidding me?” She couldn’t believe somebody in this century would actually use that phrase. “And they believed you? Had you been dating somebody that seriously? Do you have a girlfriend waiting for you back in the city right now?”

  “No.” He stepped toward her, but she crossed her arms and shook her head to keep him at bay. She couldn’t deal with him touching her right now. “I was single when I got here, and had been for a while. I lied to them, but not to you. I’ve never really shared details of my personal life with my parents and, at that point, I think all my dad cared about was that the fake woman I was dati
ng came from a family who maintained an out-of-state summer home.”

  “I’m sorry you and your family aren’t close. I really am. But you did lie to me, Cam.”

  “I’ve never told you anything that isn’t true.” He sighed. “And when I said ‘of course not,’ I was referring to losing my sense, not what my mother said. I didn’t mean that how it sounded.”

  “It’s not what you’ve said. It’s what you haven’t said.” Unable to bear looking at him, she looked away, and that was when she spotted the luggage and boxes stacked in front of the stove. “You’re leaving. You’re actually going.”

  “I have to. I’ve pushed my parents as far as I can, and it’s time.”

  “Were you going to tell us?”

  “Of course I was.” He pushed his hand through his hair, blowing out a breath. “You knew I was here for the summer.”

  There it was. The blunt reminder that she’d gotten her own self into this mess. She had known all along he was only here for the summer, and the fact she’d begun hoping his plans were changing—that he might decide to stay—wasn’t his fault.

  He hadn’t lied to her. She’d lied to herself.

  “I did know that,” she said quietly.

  “Maybe I can come back. I need to get things straightened out but I can come back and—”

  “And what? Your life is in New York City. You’re always going to have to be there, and Sophie and I are very happy here. It was a fun summer. Drive safe and have a good life.”

  “Meredith, don’t. Please.”

  “I’m going back to my daughter and you’re going back to New York. It’s over.” She grabbed an envelope off the counter and then pulled open the slider before turning back to face him with the last reserve of strength she could muster. “And we’re keeping the cat.”

  There was no way to slam a sliding glass door, so she didn’t get to punctuate her exit as strongly as she wanted to, but she could still feel the finality as it slid home in her hand.

  She scooped Elinor off the deck rail as she left, and she was surprised she managed to make it down the deck’s steps and across the lawn without tripping. Tears were burning her eyes, and she had to stop and wipe them away before she went inside.

  “Mommy’s back,” she heard Sophie tell her grandmother. “Mommy, do you want to talk to Grandma?”

  “Not right now.” She was amazed her voice sounded so steady. “Tell her we’re going to have lunch now, but I’ll call her tomorrow, okay?”

  She barely had time to set the cat down and grab the kitchen towel to do a better job of wiping her cheeks before Sophie disconnected the video chat on her tablet and walked into the kitchen.

  “Mommy, what’s wrong? Do you have a cold?”

  Her breath caught in her chest, and she closed her eyes against a fresh wave of pain. This was going to be hard. “Nothing, honey. Just a few sniffles. So Cam has to go back to New York City for a while. We’re going to take care of Elinor.”

  “Again?” Sophie rolled her eyes. “For how many days?”

  “I’m not sure. Can you put more food in Oscar’s bowl, honey? It’s empty.”

  She wasn’t ready to tell Sophie that Cam wouldn’t be coming back this time. Her daughter would cry and maybe even cling to him, trying to keep him from going. It would be brutal for everybody. Maybe it would be easier to let him go, and then tell Sophie he was busy and couldn’t come back yet. And Sophie would find other things to fill her time and maybe it wouldn’t be such a big deal when Meredith finally had to tell her Cam was staying in the city.

  It probably wasn’t the healthy way to do it. But she wasn’t sure how Cam would react to that kind of emotion from Sophie and he might say something that inadvertently hurt her even more. And Meredith knew she wasn’t strong enough to get through a painful goodbye without breaking down. And if she broke down, so would Sophie.

  Trembling, Meredith started the process of making lunch. Once she’d fed Oscar, Sophie pulled up a stool to help. They made tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches because Meredith wanted cooking and eating the meal to take long enough so Sophie wouldn’t go running next door while she tried to regain some emotional equilibrium.

  Meredith knew from experience that the trembling would fade away at some point. She could keep her chin up and make sure she has a smile on her face, but the hurt needed an outlet and the shaking that was imperceptible to others was her body’s way of coping. It was a stress response she’d had since childhood, and there was nothing she could do about it.

  Nothing but pretend she was okay while she waited to get over losing Cam.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Cam made two stops on his way out of Blackberry Bay. The first was at the office of Carolina’s lawyer because he’d been dragging his feet on finalizing the estate. He hadn’t been ready to make a final decision. But now it had been made for him.

  He couldn’t keep the cottage. Even if it was the sort of place his circle kept as summer homes, he couldn’t drift in and out of Meredith’s life. Seeing her on random weekends would only prolong the pain. He wouldn’t see her enough to heal their relationship, but he’d see her enough to keep himself from moving on.

  And there would come a weekend in the future when he’d show up and there would be a man in the backyard, playing with Sophie and kissing Meredith. They both deserved that happy future, but Cam didn’t want to be there to see it.

  He was in the office for no more than fifteen minutes to give the man contact info for his assistant, who would be handling everything remotely going forward, except for the final signatures. They’d figure out how to handle that when the time came because he wasn’t coming back.

  “There will be crews going in to finish emptying it out,” Cam said. “And then some minor updating. I want it in the paperwork that it can’t be torn down. We’ll find a seller who loves the cottage, who can also afford the taxes and upkeep.”

  “I don’t specialize in real estate law, but I’m not sure you can dictate the buyer’s intent after the purchase.”

  “Then we’ll bluff, so at least we’ll know the buyer doesn’t have that intention when they sign the papers. I don’t want it torn down.”

  The second stop was at the inn to pick up his mother, who’d actually hired a car service to bring her to town and then dismissed it, making it a one-way ride. She was so sure he would cave to her demands that she’d left herself no way home other than riding shotgun with him.

  He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel after sending her a text letting her know he was parked outside, letting his anger at her keep his pain down to a dull but persistent ache.

  Maybe if things had gone differently with Meredith, he could have left his mother waiting at the inn until she finally surrendered and recalled the car service. But without Meredith, there was nothing to keep him here.

  He hadn’t been able to say goodbye. Meredith had made it pretty clear she didn’t have anything else to say to him. And just the thought of Sophie’s tears had made him unable to cross the lawn to her yard. Once everything of importance to him was loaded into his car, he’d seen Elinor curled up in Meredith’s kitchen windowsill and realized he wouldn’t even get that goodbye.

  At some point he would probably call Tess Weaver, he told himself. She’d been kind to him and he should have seen her again before leaving Blackberry Bay. There were a lot of things he would regret about leaving today, but hurting Meredith and Sophie would be the thing that haunted him forever.

  When his mother stepped out onto the sidewalk, his manners overrode his attitude and he got out to take her leather tote. His belongings filled the trunk and a good part of the back seat, but there was space behind his seat for it. Once she’d gotten into the passenger seat, he closed her door and took a long, slow breath.

  It was going to be a very unpleasant drive back to the city.

  C
am slowed as they neared the white sign with Thank You for Visiting Blackberry Bay written on it in fancy script letters.

  He could turn around. He could drop his mother back at the inn before driving to Meredith’s house and... What? What could he do? Ask her to leave behind the new life she’s made for herself and daughter to move to the city? To uproot Sophie and bring her back into an environment where she’d be overwhelmed and have trouble making friends? Did he think he could ask them to start all over again in New York, where they’d wait night after night for him to get home from work?

  No. They’d been through a lot and they were happy—truly happy—and he didn’t want to put Meredith in the position of having to choose between a life with him and what was best for her daughter.

  He accelerated past the sign and then glanced up at the moment it disappeared from his rearview mirror.

  “There’s nothing left for you back there,” his mother said in an uncharacteristically soft voice. “The only thing you get from looking back is pain.”

  Then she went through the steps to sync her phone with his car and he didn’t object when she hit a button and an audiobook started playing through the speakers. It was some kind of cozy mystery, which surprised him. He hadn’t realized his mother read for pleasure, and not having known that just added to the sadness clouding his mind.

  Listening to the book kept either of them from feeling the need to make conversation, so by the time the five-hour drive was over and Cam navigated Manhattan and pulled his car into the underground parking garage that serviced the Maguire offices, they’d barely said a dozen words to each other.

  He left everything but his wallet and phone locked in the car and rode the elevator up with his mother. Despite it being late evening, the offices were still bustling and some of the staff gave him questioning looks, as if they’d never seen a man in khaki shorts and a T-shirt before. Not a Maguire, anyway.