by Emma Tharp
Chance stalks toward me and is in my face in a second, grabbing my shoulders. "No. You’re not doing this. I think everyone needs to calm down and think for a minute."
I rake my hands through my hair and swallow the lump of emotion that's lodged in my throat. "This is such a mess. The gap between my son and me just keeps widening and I don't know what to do to fix it."
Chance looks deep into my eyes and my knees weaken under his intensity. "Let me help you."
"I'm afraid you're only going to make this worse. I have to go and think."
Chance pinches his eyes shut before opening them again. He drops his hands, removing them from my shoulders. "All right. I’ll let you go and have some space, but I’m not letting you walk away from this. Okay?"
My heart and my brain are at war. It would be so easy to sink into Chance’s embrace and let him console me, but I have to fix my relationship with my son. He is my first priority. I give Chance a weak nod. "Okay," I tell him as I grab my purse and walk toward the door.
As soon as my broken heart and I get in my car and close the door, tears run down my cheeks. I can't erase the image of Cam and the look of revulsion on his face. I've barely just started to accept the fact that I have feelings for Chance and there is something going on between us. I'm nowhere near ready to tell anyone about it, with the exception of my best friend.
Putting my car in drive, I dial Kristin's number.
"Hey, you, how are things?" The sound of her voice is a comfort and only serves to make me cry harder. "Hey. What's wrong?" she asks.
I do my best to quiet my sobs. "This is bad. Cam caught Chance and me kissing. He's livid. I have never seen him so mad before." I cringe inwardly as I remember the exchange.
"Oh, Grace, maybe you should tell Cam the truth. About everything."
I gasp. She must be crazy. "No!"
Kristin sighs into the phone. "He is eighteen years old now. He can take it."
A blaring horn from the car behind me alerts me to the fact that the light I'm sitting at has turned green. Instead of continuing my drive, I pull into the gas station to stop the car and focus. "I don't know if Cam will ever speak to me again. I think he hates me." On a shaky inhalation I say, "It's probably best if I stop seeing Chance." We haven’t been seeing each other long, but saying those words gut me.
"You just said that you care for him. I don't think you should stop seeing him. You deserve a little happiness."
I exhale in a rush. "What if he hurts me? He's twenty-two years old."
"He might," she says softly. "But he might not. You might get hit by a bus tomorrow, too. So live for today. Tell me, did you sleep with him?" There's a little scandal in her tone.
"I wouldn't call it sleeping. And I've never experienced anything like it. Best sex of my life." My body shivers even thinking about never lying in the same bed with him again. Never feeling his touch, his smooth skin against mine. Or hearing the steady beat of his heart when I lay my head on his chest after a romp in the sheets. It's all too painful to think about.
"Wow." I can hear the smile in her voice. "I'm so jealous. You have to stay with him if only so I can live vicariously through you."
I smirk through the tears and nod. "I'm not ready to call it quits with whatever this is between Chance and me."
"Good. Now you need to contact your son."
I wrap my arms around my waist and close my eyes. "I know. I'll figure something out. I won't let the gap between Cam and I widen. I can't.”
There has to be a way for me to fix this.
Fourteen
Chance
I didn't take this weekend off work to sit around alone. When Grace stormed out last night, my head started to work overtime. I'm not going to lose her because her punk son saw us kiss.
I like Cam, but his behavior yesterday was out of line. He doesn't treat his mother with respect, and it’s bullshit. Grace went through so much with her asshole husband; the last thing she needs is one of her sons making her life harder. That's why I'm sitting at the bar now, waiting for Cam to finish his shift on the beach.
All the lifeguards will be off duty within the next five minutes. I can be patient.
Instead of ordering a beer, I decide on a Coke. I have a few sips and scan the area.
It's Saturday evening so the bar crowd starts to trickle in just as the beach is clearing out. I pull my phone out of my pocket and scan my emails. One specifically piques my interest. It's from Grace's husband’s old company. There's an opportunity for an internship there. That could be an interesting prospect. I flag the email and make a note to myself to fill out the application ASAP.
When I look up, Cam is climbing down from the beachside lifeguard stand. I don't see his girlfriend Jenna anywhere in sight. It's better this way. I'd like to speak to him man-to-man.
Sucking down the last of my Coke, I leave a tip under the empty glass on the bar and make my way toward the lifeguard shack.
When Cam exits, his eyes narrow the second he sees me.
"What the fuck are you doing here?" he nearly growls.
I raise my hands up as if in surrender. It has to work and I'm going to do everything in my power to attempt to make things right. "Can we talk?"
Cam puts his bag over his shoulder and starts walking away. "We don't have anything to talk about."
Coming up behind him, I keep up with his pace. "There are a few things you don't know about and I believe it's in your best interest to have a conversation with me."
Cam slowly turns toward me with a tight pinch between his brows. "Are you fucking my mom?"
This can't be the focus. I need to keep him on track. "I care about Grace. She's a wonderful woman and I've learned that there's nothing she won't do for you or Max."
He bursts out laughing and shakes his head. "I can't freaking believe this. Did she put you up to this?"
"No. She didn't. I did ask her to come here to meet me. The two of you need to talk." I’m doing my best not to sneer, but he's making it very difficult.
He snaps his head around looking in every direction before he starts walking again. "No. I'm out of here. There's nothing I need to say to her."
I outweigh him by at least fifty pounds. I’d like to drag his ass to a seat, push him down, and force him to stay, but that won't get me anywhere. "Cam. Do you have any respect for your mother at all?"
That has him whirling around in my direction. We're standing right next to the bar. He steps in close to me so we’re nose-to-nose. "That really isn't any of your business."
In a way, he’s right. I’m not sure what my place is in this situation, but I can’t sit by and let it stand.
Just then, Grace stalks up and stands between us. She's winded, like she saw me and her son together and rushed to get here to keep us from killing each other. "What the hell is going on here?"
"I invited you here so that the two of you could talk," I tell Grace. "Cam, give your mother five minutes of your time. It's the least you can do."
Cam throws his hands up. "What? Are you my father now?" His words are venomous.
Grace rests a palm on each of our chests. "Enough, you two. Chance, thank you. Can you give my son and me some privacy?"
I nod and walk back to the bar, taking a seat. I run my hands through my hair and steady my breathing. Who knows how I would feel if I caught my mother kissing someone my age? But now I have perspective. Age doesn't matter.
I order another Coke and keep a close eye on Cam and Grace. My gaze ping-pongs between the two of them. At first there's lots of hands flying around and Cam's face is twisted in a scowl, but as the minutes tick by they seem to be letting their guards down. Let's hope.
A cool hand grabs my bicep. My body tenses when I turn to find Susanna with a coy smirk on her face. "Can I buy you a drink?"
I cross my arms, not in the mood to deal with her right now. "Nah. I'm all set."
She blinks at my frosty tone, surprised. "What's going on with you? I thought maybe we could try ag
ain."
"When you broke up with me, I thought I wanted you back. But not now." I stare off in Grace’s direction.
"Is she what you want?" There's incredulity in her tone.
I nod. "I do."
"You need to be reasonable," she spits out. For the first time I see her as an ugly human.
"I think I am. This is the most reasonable thing I've ever done."
She lets out a harsh laugh. "She's old. Like twice your age. What could you want with her?"
Turning to her, I give Susanna my full attention. "She's got more character in her pinky finger than you do in your whole damn body."
Susanna’s mouth falls open and she looks as if I've just slapped her across the face. She doesn't say a word. There's nothing for her to say. I think she got my point.
She turns on her heel and walks away from me. Good riddance.
Fifteen
Grace
"What the hell, Mom? Is this some kind of a setup?" Cam rips his fingers through his hair and walks toward a shaded tree close to the bar.
"No. I didn't even know that Chance called you. He asked me to come to the bar and never mentioned you." Part of me wonders if this was a good idea at all, but now that we’re here, I'm going to use my time wisely. There's a nearby picnic table, so I point to it. "Please, sit with me."
Cameron paces back and forth and doesn't sit down. "This is unreal. I can't believe you're cornering me like this."
I inhale a deep calming breath, using every ounce of my patience to turn this around. "You haven't called or texted me in over a month. I decided I needed to come to the Cape to check up on you."
Cam leans against the tree and doesn't face me. At least he’s not walking away. "I'm fine."
I pinch the bridge of my nose, wondering where all of this went wrong. I considered myself a good mother until recently. "When did you start hating me?"
He whirls around and glares at me. "I never said that."
"You're acting like you do."
He huffs out a breath and shakes his head. Hesitantly, he comes to the table and sits across from me at the opposite end. "I don't hate you."
It's a start. "Good, because I love you more than anything. And I think it's time we have a talk."
Cam’s palm shoots up. "Please. I don't want to talk about Chance."
"Good. This has nothing to do with him. This is about us. Our family." I scoot down the bench, getting closer to him. "So much has happened since your father passed away. The first thing I want you to know is that I'm not an administrative assistant. When you assumed that I was, I let you think that, but I should have told you I'm a senior analyst at the Sage Group."
For the first time today, I feel like he’s really looking at me. "I thought we were broke."
"We were. But not anymore. I've been saving money for college for you, and I’ve been helping Max."
“Why didn’t you tell me? You let me think we were poor.”
For a moment, I’m shaken by the gravity of my lie. Or rather, my omission of the truth. Was it the wrong thing to do? Or was I right? “I needed us to all to see what it felt like. To have nothing and to work hard for what we want. I’m sorry for not being transparent with you, but I’m not sorry that you came here and started working this summer.”
He looks down, rubbing at his eyebrow. I know this is a lot for him to take in. "What's the deal with the cottage?"
I shrug, deciding he needs to know everything. It’s time to come clean with it all. "I bought it. I love Cape Cod and I'd like to spend as much time as possible here. We have so many amazing memories with our family here."
He’s silent for a while, staring at his hands resting in his lap.
"I'm so proud of you, Cameron. I talked to Al. He told me that you've been working so hard this summer. Your dad was never as ambitious as you."
This gets his attention. He finally looks up at me and blinks. "What does that mean? He was a partner in the firm and got totally screwed over."
"No. Jason Hutchins was his best friend from college. Your father ended up being a terrible businessman. Awful with paperwork, and nearly ran the company into the ground at one point. Jason bailed him out, over and over again. That's why Jason ultimately let him go. And he cheated on me. Multiple times." The familiar hollowness in my chest returns.
My son goes pale. Who could blame him? It’s so much. "Are you kidding me?"
"No," I say weakly. "I wish I were. Our marriage wasn't a happy one for a very long time."
Cam leans back and stares at me with sad, apologetic eyes. "I didn't know."
Hot tears slide down my cheeks. I swipe at them with my finger. "Of course, you didn't. And I don't want to dwell on the past anymore. I’m moving on." Suddenly, I glance over and see Chance staring at us. He gives me a warm, comforting grin. I absorb it with my whole heart. "Al told me about the scholarship you're getting from the Hutchinses."
"Why would you let me accept a scholarship when you have money?"
"It's the least the Hutchinses can do for you," I tell him, taking his hand in mine. “Jason may have bailed your dad out, but he didn’t have to shut out our family after your dad’s death. And now your future is bright, Cameron. I heard you have a girlfriend."
His eyes brighten. He’s clearly smitten. "Did Al tell you that, too?"
"He did."
"Yes. Jenna Hutchins. She makes me happy even though her dad is an asshole."
Another tear falls. It's pure happiness. I don't even care if it's Jason Hutchins’s daughter that's putting this fabulous smile on my son's face. "Be good to her."
"I will." Cam stands up. "I have to go see her now; she's going to wonder where I am."
"Okay." Our relationship isn't perfect, but this conversation is a step in the right direction.
As soon as he's gone, Chance is at my side.
"Well, how did it go?" His concerned gaze is locked on me.
"I think it went well."
"Really?" he asks.
I wrap my arms around his neck and pull him close to me. "Yes. Really."
In this moment, I'm not only attracted to the beautiful man holding me, but I'm grateful for how thoughtful he is and how much he cares about me.
I'm sinking deeper and deeper and it scares me how little control I have left.
Sixteen
Chance
Grace is silent on the way back home to her cottage, but she rests her head on my shoulder the entire ride. My plan to get Grace and Cam to talk to each other worked. Relief floods my body.
This could have been an epic fail, having Grace and Cam meet without either knowing it was going to happen. I thank my lucky stars it ended well. Grace is content for the moment and that’s all I care about.
I park in front of Grace’s cottage and kill the engine. She sits up and gives me a grin. “Want to come in?”
Running my fingers through her hair, I ask, “You sure?”
“Yes. Definitely.” Heat builds in her eyes and her pupils dilate.
That's the only invitation I need. We both get out of my car quickly and head toward the door. Once inside, we enter the kitchen and she's on me, showering me with kisses.
I pull back because there are words that have been sitting on my tongue, waiting to be spoken. I can't wait another second to tell her. "Summer is coming to an end, but I don't want this to end. When we're back in Boston, I want to continue seeing you."
She smirks as her sapphire blues examine me. "Chance, you’re twenty-two and you’re going to be busy in law school. You aren't going to have time for me."
I press a finger to her lips. "You need to stop trying to push me away. It's not going to work. I’ll make time for you. You'll see." Lifting her up under her ass, I set her on the counter and stand between her legs.
Her chest rises and falls rapidly as I press myself against her. She sweeps her arms around my neck. "Are you sure this is what you want?"
Slipping my hand under the waistband of her shorts, I skim my
fingers between her thighs to find her slick and ready for me. I can't help but grin. "Absolutely." I nuzzle her hair, loving the sweet smell of her lavender shampoo. "You're going to have to get used to me being around all the time. I plan to spend every free moment I have with you."
She raises a playful eyebrow. "Oh, really?"
I capture her mouth in a hot kiss and the familiar ache of need crashes through me. "Really."
"I think I could get used to that." Her cheeks are flushed and so damn beautiful.
Reaching both my hands behind my head, I tug my shirt off. "Good."
She follows suit, yanking off her tank top and deftly unclasping her bra. "Good."
Cupping her breasts, I kiss her deep, like nothing else in the world matters. Grace grasps my hair and crashes her mouth against mine. My body stiffens as my mind drifts in a cloud of desire.
My hands fumble with the waistband of her shorts. She tilts her hips up so I can pull them and her panties off. Then I strip off my shorts and briefs, adding them to the pile of clothes strewn all over the floor.
Right away, I'm back on her, caging her body against mine with my arms on either side of her. Her eyes glaze as she reaches down and grasps my length, stroking it up and down in her small hand, driving me absolutely crazy.
I can't get enough of her. I cup her breasts and pinch her nipples before I suck on one, hard and long.
Grace shifts her hips and guides my dick to her entrance. We stare into each other's eyes as our bodies become one. I'm addicted to the feeling of total completeness. It's in the way she looks at me, the way she touches me. Our eyes are locked; we can't look away from each other and everything about the stripped-down intimacy between us makes my heart pound hard against my ribs. The motion and sensation spur me on. I glide inside her, in and out in a steady rhythm.
Her body is so beautiful and we move in perfect harmony, like we've been together for years. "You're gorgeous," I rasp out.