by Nella Tyler
Even though I was also sure she wasn’t one to take that advice.
Workaholics recognized their own.
After lying there for a few more minutes, I got up and gathered up everything I needed. It was time for me to catch my breath and rest. I could handle any emergencies from home, so I was going to take the next few days and the weekend to read the notebook. Figure out where my dad had wanted to take the company. Locking up, I then went to Max’s office.
He was heading somewhere with a stack of paper under his arms. “Kris?”
“I think I’m going to take the next few days to work from home and figure out what my dad’s plan was.” I held up the notebook. “He wrote down a lot of stuff in here.”
Nodding, Max offered me a relieved smile. “That is the smartest idea you’ve had in a while. You’re dead on your feet. Go; everything is under control. I’ll see you on Monday.”
“Well, I could probably come in Friday,” I said, then yawned.
Max gave me a look. “Monday.”
Chapter 20
Cammie
Friday morning I woke up early and spent a few minutes luxuriating in my bed, watching the shadows of trees move across my windows. I was content with the world.
Then the phone rang.
“Good morning, Mom,” I said brightly. “Is the weather in Cropwell as nice as it is here?”
“Oh, yes, sure,” she said in a harried tone. “Listen, Cammie, I hate to ask you this…”
My stomach plummeted. I knew that tone. I knew that question. “What is it, Mama?”
“Billy has a big weekend field trip coming up, and it was all set in our budget, but then August went and rear-ended someone this morning. How that boy passed his driver’s ed test…”
Ice poured down my spine. “Mom! Is he okay?” Augie was my youngest brother, a curly headed goofball who’d just gotten his license after failing the test four times. “Do you need me to come home? Is he in the hospital? Did you get his head checked out? Concussions are serious!”
“Oh, sorry, Cams, he’s fine. Just fine. Paramedics gave him a clean bill. You know that big ol’ truck could probably drive into a brick wall and no one inside would have a scratch. But he dinged up the little sedan pretty bad. Good thing it happened in the center, though, because Officer Griss saw the whole thing and they’re gonna split it 50-50.”
“But the insurance will go up,” I muttered, jumping out of bed and going to the computer.
“Oh, maybe, yes.” She sounded distracted. “Pete down at the auto body shop said the front bumper is cracked six ways to Sunday. It’s gonna cost about two grand in total to fix it. Now I can swing that, but could you maybe just help me with Billy’s field trip and Hank’s prom tux rental.”
“Of course,” I said, already crunching the numbers. Familiar anxiety was bubbling up my throat, and I rubbed my forehead. “How much do you need?”
“Maybe just eight hundred or so? I’ll get it back to you as soon as I can, Cammie.” My mother’s voice sounded strained and exhausted.
“It’s fine.” I was already writing out a check for fifteen hundred. “I’ll mail it today.” God forbid my mother just get one of those apps on her iPhone that would let me transfer it instantly. No, she needed a paper trail and checkbook. Her phone was for stupid candy games.
“Yes, well, thank you.” My mother sounded subdued. “How are things with you?”
I realized I hadn’t had a chance to tell my mother about Kris yet. Hoping to cheer her up, I brightened my voice, saying, “Oh, things are really good here. I have my first client, and he’s amazing. Very well-known and respected in Birmingham. Once I sell him a house, I think I’m going to start moving up the ladder pretty quickly. In fact, they moved me into my own office last week!”
“Oh, Cammie,” my mother groaned. “One client? What I tell you about putting all your eggs in one basket? You have to stop getting your hopes up so high, girl-child. Once you have more clients, then you can start moving up that ladder. Nice and easy. Slow. The way it’s meant to go.”
The brief excitement I’d felt about telling my mother about Kris deflated like a balloon. I’d thought about mentioning how I was dating someone, but now I just wanted to get off the phone. While I knew my mother was tired, annoyed at Augie and had a habit of being overly cautious, it still stung. It stung every single time.
Tears pricked my eyes, and I hastily made an excuse about having to get into the office early, telling my mother to call me back if she needed to. Once I hung up, I bowed my head and savagely wondered what it would take for her believe in me.
That when I put my mind to something I could do it and would do it.
How many times would I have to prove to her that hard work paid off? I mean, she was the one asking me for money and support, not the other way around.
Pulling out my phone, I sent a text to Augie, letting him everything was all set and that the most important thing was that he was okay. He sent me back a winky face and a heart. I shook my head. God forbid he actually send someone a decent response.
By the time I’d got to work and had two coffees in my system, I was feeling better. All that mattered was that my baby brother was okay and that I was in a position to help them in this kind of situation. That fifteen hundred hadn’t even been a big deal to send over.
And I had a date tomorrow night to look forward to. Smiling, I thought about the pretty yellow dress I’d picked out for the evening and the dainty vintage flats that set it off perfectly.
Something pinged on my computer, and I jumped. Once again I’d gotten lost in daydreams about Kris and our date. I had to stop.
When I was at work, I needed to focus on finding him a house. I had to keep those two Kris’s separate. Pulling up the files for the new houses that had come on the market within his price range, I began taking notes when someone knocked on my door.
Ugh, seriously? I don’t want to be interrupted right now.
Plastering a smile on my face, I called out, “Come in.”
Roger appeared, then half-shut the door behind him. “Morning, Cammie. Just wanted to come and see the new office.”
“Oh, thanks,” I said, feeling a little puzzled and already wishing he would leave. He’d been studiously ignoring me the last few days and had shot me a nasty look in the staff meeting yesterday. Whatever he wanted now, it wasn’t to see my teeny office.
“How’s it going with Boldin?” A faint sneer appeared on his face. “Close yet?”
“As I said yesterday, we’ve narrowed the search. I’m sure we’ll find something soon,” I replied.
“Hmph. It was me, I’d have already closed. Don’t want to let a client get stale, Book.”
Clenching my fist around my pen, I nodded, still smiling. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
As I’d already suspected, there was growing resentment in the office towards me. While Birmingham Realty had its fair share of wealthy clients, Kris was a special case. Word had gotten around that I’d somehow tricked him into picking me – probably started by the spiteful Carter.
I’d no idea there could be this much drama in realty. Shouldn’t we all be working towards the same goal?
Although when I’d said as much to Anna, she’d given me a pitying look. “Honey, you’re a young woman. Of course they’re madder than a wet hen. You scooped a whale.”
“Well, your new office is pretty decent. Hope Boldin can fit in here,” Roger joked, as he turned to leave. “Good luck closing. Hope it happens before the Fourth of July.”
I almost snapped the pen I was holding as he vanished. Getting up, I stalked over to the door and shut it. Then I sagged against it. Was the universe out to make me doubt myself today?
It was bad enough my mother didn’t believe in me, but now I had almost everyone at Birmingham Realty skeptical of me making the sale. It was like no matter what I said or even did, people had already made up their mind that I was going to fail. It sucked.
Suddenly, the stra
ngest urge to call Kris and tell him everything that had happened this morning came over me. It was funny how we were both going through the same thing in a way – both new kids on the block, trying to play ball and get ahead while being thwarted at every turn.
However, Kris seemed to have more people rooting for him than not. And he didn’t have insane family drama and money problems hemming him in at every turn.
Oh, God. Augie crashing the truck. I still couldn’t believe it. At least it hadn’t been as bad as my mother made it sound – I’d gotten a hold of my brother Hank on the drive to work – and he’d said the insurance should be okay. He’d figured something like this would happen, so he’d found a plan that had accident forgiveness and reasonable rates for first-time drivers.
God love my brother Hank. He was closest to me in age and a smart as a whip. But I still felt guilty and sad that he had to deal with this stuff. He was a senior in high school; all he should be thinking about was prom and hanging out with his friends. Not the truck’s insurance policy.
And then Roger coming in and patronizing me. It wasn’t like I was taking any client away from him – he was totally booked for the next month and half. He had a stellar reputation, and people loved to work with him. Why, I didn’t know; I assumed he put on a different face while showing houses.
Sitting back down at my desk, I stared at my phone. Unable to help myself, I started imagining that deep voice in my ear, reassuring and kind.
But no, I couldn’t call Kris. He had enough to deal with, his father’s estate and making documentaries and millions. Plus, he was only my client. I wanted him to think I had it together.
I was on my own with all this stuff. As always. That was just how it worked.
And right now, above all else, I had to focus all of my energy on selling Kris Boldin a house.
Chapter 21
Kris
Classical music poured around me as I flipped through my father’s notebook. But my eyes kept being drawn back to the picture and once again I picked it up.
Something, like a story my father had told me, one I’d long forgotten, was tickling the back of my head. It distracted me, though, so I flipped the photo facedown and focused on the notebook. Here were the ideas waiting to be mined and minted.
Looking down at the ink-splattered pages, crammed with disorganized notes, was another story. I shook my head and sighed. It wasn’t like a treasure map, so much as a cryptographer’s nightmare. In fact, I was beginning to wonder if it might be prudent to get my own notebook to take notes on the notebook. Or start setting up some kind of instruction manual for it.
Tossing it aside, I stood up and stretched. I’d have to worry about that later since now I had more important things to do: getting ready for my date with Cammie.
After changing into jeans and a t-shirt, I headed out the door. Tonight I’d picked a more casual, affordable restaurant, yet still with first-class cuisine. It was a downtown rooftop bar and restaurant, where I’d only ever gone to the bar area.
The rooftop dining area was notoriously romantic, and I always had told myself I’d save it for the right girl. That was Cammie, through and through. In fact, during the drive over, it was hard to keep from flooring it. It felt like it’d been weeks, not days, since I’d last seen her.
Pulling into her driveway, I realized I hadn’t used GPS and felt oddly pleased. Everything was now nicely familiar – the squat pine trees along her driveway, the flowers in her yard, the tiny house – and most importantly, the brunette sitting on the front porch steps.
Her chin was in her hands and face was tilted up to the sky. But rather than looking like she was lost in daydreams, her shoulders were hunched and her face was tight. Getting out, I felt my own face pulling into a frown, and a surge of protectiveness went through me.
“Do I need to kick someone’s ass?” I called out as I walked over.
Cammie blinked up at me as I stopped and looked down at her. Then she from me to her driveway and back. “Kris! Oh wow. I didn’t even hear you pull in.” She stood up, brushing off her dress and walking down the stairs. “Sorry, did you ask me something?”
I nodded, but no words came out. Cammie was wearing a simple, flimsy yellow sundress, hugging and sliding over the contours of her body as she moved. I swallowed hard as Saturday flashed into my mind and a wicked hunger woke up in me.
Oh, boy. I had to look away before I lost it.
“Kris?” she pressed.
“Sorry, beautiful, you stole my breath there for a second,” I said, trying to laugh as I tugged on the collar of my shirt and took a steadying breath. “Along with my ability to string a sentence together.” Looking back, I smiled down at her. “You’re a vision, Cammie. As always.”
“Thank you.” She smiled. “And as always, you know exactly what to say to make me smile.”
Walking her over to the car, I squeezed her arm and asked, “Any particulars as to why I’m so on my game tonight? Something bothering you? You seem a little down.”
“Oh, no, no. I’m okay. I’m fine.” Cammie bit her lip and looked away.
“Liar.” Before she could get in the car, I trapped her between the door and myself. Leaning over her, I studied her face. “Hm, is someone bothering you?” I asked, a little harshly. “Give me a name. I will go kick some ass.”
“Kris.” Cammie’s eyes went wide, and she placed her hands flat on my chest. “That’s, well, it’s complicated. It’s work.” She paused, struggling to find the right words. “You should know better than anyone. New kid. Growing pains and a lousy day. That’s all. No ass-kicking required.”
I raised an eyebrow at this, knowing full-well there was far more to the story than that. “If you say so, Book,” I said, making a face. Then, to my surprise, she wrapped her arms around me and pressed her cheek to my chest. Looking down at the top of her head, I hugged her back and said, “Sorry you had a lousy day.”
“Thank you.” After a minute, she tried to pull away, murmuring, “We better go.”
“Do we have to?” I groaned, hugging her a tighter and she smiled up at me. “Can’t I have like another minute or five of being your knight in shining armor?”
“I’m kinda hungry.” Her stomach rumbled at that moment, and we both laughed. “Actually starving. And wouldn’t real knight would know that about his lady?”
“Touché,” I said, whirling her around and opening the car door in one motion. “Let’s go.”
On the drive over to the restaurant, Cammie looped her arm through mine on the center console and held my hand. Then, walking into the restaurant and up the stairs to the roof, I kept her as close as possible. It was like any space between us didn’t make sense.
During that time, too, I could sense the anxiety draining out of Cammie. By the time we sat down at our table, her eyes were sparkling, and she was laughing with ease.
The evening was warm, and the rooftop bar was lit up with a frenzy of romantic lighting. Strings of bulbs fanned out from a central pole, while smaller lights were looped along the railings and candles flickered on the tables. It was a night of couples, and the conversation was a low murmur, barely audible over the wind.
The loudest thing was the chatter from the bar-side of the roof mingling with the clink of glassware, and bass music, all partially blocked by a high brick wall.
I’d never been so grateful for a wall before.
But once we sat down, all of that noise and color faded away.
Cammie – with her soft smile, her hazel eyes full of golden flecks and her sweet, twangy voice – was the only thing I could see or hear. The only thing I wanted to see or hear.
“So,” she said. “I have to admit, I’m curious to hear about the safe. You find anything good?” Then she looked up at me and raised her eyebrows. “Kris? You listening to me?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah,” I hastily said, realizing I was smiling at her like an idiot. “Uh, the safe. Right. So, it sounds anticlimactic, but I’m happy with what we found.” She
raised her eyebrows, and I winked. “There was a notebook and a picture in there – a notebook stuffed with ideas from my father.”
“Oh, that sounds promising.” Cammie leaned on her chin. “What was the picture of?”
Pulling out my phone, I found it and showed it to her. “Me and my Dad in Switzerland. Note those excellent socks, hitting exactly at mid-calf. What a sartorial statement, huh?”
“It was the nineties.” She smiled as she gazed at it. “Besides, you were cute, and you know it. Same exact smile. And Switzerland, wow. I’d like to visit there sometime.”
“Those are mountains that will haunt you forever,” I said. “And while I love that picture, that notebook feels like I struck oil, gold, diamonds and Atlantis all at once. I can’t explain it – I just have this good feeling. Like everything is finally turning around. I don’t think my dad would have locked it away unless there were some ideas in there worth protecting. Or at least I hope so.”
Cammie handed my phone back. “It’s a bit like a scavenger hunt, huh?”
“Definitely. It’s packed with ideas – about the company and life and stuff. So it’s also messy. And I’m trying to dig out just the film ideas. One has to be the one, right?”
She nodded, looking serious. “Yes, absolutely.”
“I mean, we just need one at the moment. One good, solid film to jumpstart the company out of this rut and into the future. Remind the world Bold Pictures is the last name in documentaries.”
“Your last name.” Cammie smiled. “Kris, even if it’s not spelled out in there, it sounds like this notebook is more than that. I think it will help no matter what.”
I laughed. “Yeah, like an inspiration talisman. In fact, I was feeling so confident, I decided to work from home today. I’ve just been reading it.” I paused. “It kind of like a real, tangible connection to my dad – his plans and his creativity. To be honest, it probably belongs in a museum.”
Reaching out, she gently squeezed one of my hands. “It belongs with you. And Kris, I’m so excited for you. It’s nice to see you happy about work.”
