Just Like This

by Rebecca Gallo

  “Please call me Alex,” her dad replied, gripping my hand tightly.

  “All right, Alex.” I sat down on one of the uncomfortable vinyl chairs that seemed to occupy every hospital room. I bobbed my knee nervously; I wasn’t used to meeting fathers. Until Cami, none of my previous relationships had lasted long enough to necessitate meeting families. This meeting with her dad was an important step in our relationship, and I wanted it to be perfect.

  Cami asked her dad some questions. I didn’t really pay much attention to the specifics of her questions or the content of his answers. Instead, I watched how they interacted with each other. There was an enormous amount of love in her eyes, and she touched him often throughout their exchange. As she spoke, there was always a smile on her lips, and her tone was calm. Her father was similar. He would reach up often and brush the backs of his fingers along her cheek, and I saw a twinkle in his eye that never seemed to fade.

  “I hope you don’t mind Cami bringing you here,” Alex said, snapping my attention back to the present.

  “Not at all, but I don’t know how much reassurance I can give you. I’m deploying at the end of the week.”

  “I know. Cami told me.” He looked over at Cami with a slight frown. “It worries me that she’ll be alone, but she has Valerie and Palmer.”

  “Sir, I’ll do everything I can to make sure that I come back. This is my last assignment.”

  He nodded and seemed to understand what I wasn’t saying. I wasn’t planning on dying right before my military career ended.

  “But I’ll talk to Palmer before I leave to make sure that Cami and Val are taken care of.” It was really the only promise I could make to him, and he seemed content with it.

  “What about when you come home? What’s your plan then?”

  I told him all about my family’s winery and how I planned on managing the production, which evolved into telling him about my family. I explained how I could relate to what Cami was going through because of what I experienced with my own mother. I left out the part about running away and not being able to cope because I didn’t want him to think I was a coward.

  “Cami, could you give me a minute alone with Garrett?” Alex asked softly. Cami flicked her eyes in my direction, silently checking that I was okay. I nodded my head, and then she slipped out of the room.

  Alex motioned for me to sit closer, so I pulled the chair across the room and next to his bed. “She seems to have found a kindred spirit,” he said quietly. “You know what it’s like to lose a mother and so does she. You understand her pain.”

  “I do.” I leaned forward, resting my elbows on his bed. I hoped he didn’t mind. “I want to be totally honest with you, Alex. I love Cami. I’m pretty sure she was made just for me. And when I come back, I’m going to marry her. Those are my intentions, and I want you to bless them before …”

  My voice trailed off because we both knew what I meant. He reached out and grasped my hand. “Thank you. But I need to ask you something very difficult.”

  “Anything, sir. If it’s within my power, then I’ll do it.”

  “I need you to keep a secret.”

  I sat back, letting my hand slip from his. “From Cami?” I didn’t want to deny a dying man, but I didn’t want to withhold anything from Cami either.

  “I’ve been looking for her mother. I hired a private investigator about a year ago, and he finally has reliable contact information.” I waited for him to continue. “I asked Palmer’s father, Tim, to try to get in contact with her.”

  “And has he been able to?”

  “I’m not sure. I know he sent a letter and tried to call. I’m telling you this so that you can prepare for the moment when and if Alicia returns.”

  “But that could happen while I’m away.” How was I supposed to plan for this? Was I free to tell others this secret?

  “I understand, and if that does happen, Tim will try to help Camille and Valerie as much as possible.”

  “She’s going to hate me for keeping this secret.”

  “She’ll be angry, but she won’t hate you.” I glanced over at Alex, unsure that his assumption was correct. We were silent for what seemed like an eternity before Alex finally said, “I’m happy that Camille has finally found someone to love so fiercely and passionately. I didn’t think she would ever find someone.”

  “Why not?”

  “Camille was devastated when her mother left. She took it personally. So did Valerie but, somehow, Valerie was able to move on. Camille has never been able to forgive her mother, and I know she considers it a personal betrayal.”

  “Cami told me that she and her mother are alike. Do you think that?”

  “I do. Alicia always had an infinite itch. She wasn’t content to just stay here and live a quiet life, no matter how happy. The world was calling her name, and she often took Cami with her to explore. Cami has that same itch, but she’s ignored it for so long. She traveled some, but she never truly let herself give in to that wanderlust.”

  “She didn’t want to leave you too.”

  Alex closed his eyes and sighed. “Yes. But Alicia also broke a sacred trust between a mother and daughter, which made Camille cautious. She wasn’t going to let herself love or be loved if that person was going to leave.”

  “She told me something similar. There’s only one way that I will leave her, sir.”

  “I’m glad to hear that, Garrett. And when the time comes, you can ask Cami to marry you knowing that you have my blessing. But I want to make sure of one thing.”

  “Anything. Just tell me.”

  “Make her see the world.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Cami

  Garrett was quiet on our way back. He seemed lost in his own thoughts, likely preoccupied with his conversation with my father. When we pulled into the driveway of my house, Garrett didn’t get out. Instead, he leaned across the console and kissed me hard.

  “Don’t wait up for me,” he said gruffly. Something was bothering him, and I didn’t want to push him, so I merely acquiesced to his demands.

  When I walked into the house, Valerie was sitting at the kitchen table studying information about hospice care. We needed to make decisions and get things set up because Dad would be coming home soon.

  “I took Garrett to meet Dad,” I informed her. I walked toward the refrigerator and took out a bottle of water.

  “How did that go?” Valerie asked. She glanced up momentarily to acknowledge me but went back to reading the countless brochures that littered the table.

  “Better than I expected until Dad asked to speak with Garrett alone. Whatever they talked about must have spooked Garrett because he dropped me off and told me not to wait up.”

  “Huh,” Valerie replied. She wasn’t going to be much help, so I sat down at the table with her and helped sort through the mound of information. She told me she’d already arranged for some men from one of Dad’s crews to help move furniture around in his office to make room for the hospital bed that would be arriving in a few days. We agreed that the furniture in the master bedroom would go into storage since he wouldn’t be using the bedroom. I volunteered to rent a unit in the morning.

  “Thank you for helping me sort through all of this,” Valerie said after we had a fairly solid plan of items to tackle in the morning. “It’s times like this I wish Mom was here.”

  I was shocked because Valerie never talked about our mother. When Mom left, Valerie had been upset, but she seemed to get over it quickly. I wished I’d been able to move on so easily, but even now, seven years later, my anger still bubbled to life.

  “Well, she’s not.”

  “Don’t you think she might come back eventually?”

  I shook my head fiercely. “No. I don’t.” That was a lie. For several years after she left, I thought about her returning every day until I eventually gave up. “If she wanted to come back, then she would have by now.” A person could be declared legally dead after seven years, and that was e
xactly how I thought about my mother.

  I gathered up my stuff because I didn’t want to continue this conversation. It would only lead to angry words and hurt feelings, and I couldn’t afford to lose my sister. “Dad will be comfortable in his office,” I told her. “It’s his favorite room in the house, and all of his records are there.”

  My father had an extremely impressive vinyl collection that was the result of his days as a DJ for a college radio station. Over the years, his collection had grown until it consumed an entire wall. Valerie nodded her head in agreement, and I left her with a squeeze around the shoulders.

  The sun was beginning to set as I stepped out into the driveway and started to walk over to the guest house. Garrett still wasn’t back yet, and I was worried because he didn’t have too much time left stateside. Forty-eight hours, to be exact. I stood in the middle of the driveway, looking out at the street, willing him to pull in, but it didn’t happen.

  Frustrated, I headed inside the guest house and waited.

  Our relationship formed and blossomed so easily. My heart had known the moment I laid eyes on Garrett that he was meant for me. As we spent more time together and I discovered more about him and his passions, I knew that my heart wasn’t wrong. Maybe that was why it felt so effortless to love him. I didn’t want to pay any mind to what my father said about meeting and falling in love with my mother after only a week. Their marriage lasted twenty-five years before it crumbled. Maybe he had a valid point; if you’re meant to be, falling in love didn’t take time.

  My thoughts captured my attention until the front door to the guest house opened. I blinked at the sound and realized I was sitting in complete darkness.

  “Cami?” Garrett’s warm, familiar voice called out, and I responded that I was sitting in the living room. A lamp next to the table clicked on, and Garrett sat down next to me with a sigh. “What are you doing in the dark?”

  “I just got lost in my thoughts. Where have you been?” I didn’t want to seem nosy or anything, but I was curious.

  “Your dad said some things that I just … needed to wrap my head around. I’m sorry.” His hand slid across my leg to rest on my knee.

  “We have forty-eight hours,” I said quietly.

  Garrett inhaled sharply. “I know.”

  “Can we just go to bed?”

  “Whatever you want, Cami.”

  Hand in hand, we walked down the short hallway to the bedroom. I stripped down to my underwear and pulled on a T-shirt Garrett had discarded on the floor. His scent invaded my senses. We both crawled into bed and then gravitated toward each other. Garrett’s arms wound their way around me, and my head rested on his bare chest. I listened to the rhythm of his heart and knew that my heart beat out a similar song. With the moonlight streaming over us, we lay silently together until eventually, I drifted off to sleep.

  The next morning, I managed to wake up before Garrett. I watched him sleep, admiring the peaceful look on his face. His dark beard was full and lips slightly pouted. I resisted the urge to lean across the bed and kiss him. He wouldn’t get too many more quiet nights.

  I reached down for the running shorts I’d had on yesterday and slipped them on before heading out into the kitchen to start breakfast. Garrett’s rental car was in the driveway, but next to it was an unfamiliar car. I wondered if it was Dominic’s, which meant I needed to go across to the main house and check on Valerie. She didn’t need that kind of shit this early in the morning.

  Abandoning breakfast, I headed over to make sure Valerie was okay. The moment I stepped through the front door, I knew Dominic wasn’t the mystery visitor. Valerie’s voice was easy to pick out, but the other voice was familiar and female. My feet just seemed to move toward the family room in the back of the house. That voice … who was it? And then I realized who it was and stopped dead in my tracks as my eyes landed on a woman I hadn’t seen in seven years.

  “Get the fuck out of this house.” The words just tumbled from my mouth without a second thought. “Right now.”

  “Calm down, Cami,” Valerie said in a soothing tone. As soon as she saw me, she shot up from the couch and quickly approached. She lightly grasped my arm, but I pulled it away quickly.

  “What’s she doing here?”

  Valerie motioned for me to walk farther into the kitchen and kept sneaking glances toward the family room as if she was concerned with how our mother would react to my harshness.

  “Tim Grayson contacted her. He told her that dad was sick.”

  “So what? She came to help? Or does she want something?”

  “I don’t know why she’s here,” Valerie said with a shrug of her shoulders.

  “Well then, let’s find out.” I marched back toward the living room where my mother, who could almost be my twin with her lithe frame and wild curls, sat patiently. “Why are you here?” She seemed surprised by my demand and looked at Valerie for some kind of encouragement.

  “Camille, your father is sick. I would never expect you to take on such a burden alone.”

  “Bullshit. You would have never known if Tim Grayson hadn’t contacted you. So why are you here?”

  “I just told you, Camille. As soon as I found out your father was sick, I dropped everything to come here.”

  “We don’t need your help,” I argued although it seemed pointless because I felt like I was only fighting with myself. “Please leave.”

  The front door opened and then closed, temporarily distracting me. Seconds later, Garrett appeared in the doorway. “Cami, I’ve been looking for you,” he said absently until his eyes landed on my wild, angry face and Valerie’s bewildered expression. “What’s going on?”

  “My mother’s back! Isn’t it wonderful?” I asked, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

  Garrett dragged a hand across his face before he muttered, “Well, fuck.” But he didn’t look surprised or even shocked. Instead, he looked like he knew.

  “Did you know about this?” My voice was incredibly shrill, and my anger only increased because it felt like everyone I loved was in on some cruel joke.

  Garrett sighed loudly. “Your father told me yesterday. I didn’t think she was going to show up so soon.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “Because he asked me to keep it a secret. He wasn’t sure when Tim contacted your mother, but he wanted to prepare me for when she showed up.”

  “You’re keeping secrets from me? What else don’t I know?” I knew I was acting like nothing more than a spoiled brat, but all that mattered was my own indignation.

  “Cami, he’s dying. I would do pretty much anything he asked of me.”

  “I can’t believe this is even happening right now.” I stormed from the family room to the patio doors and thrust them open. A cold, windy blast of air smacked me right in the face as I stepped outside and headed toward the dock.

  Within moments, Garrett was there beside me. “Please don’t be mad at me, Cami.”

  “I’m not,” I admitted softly. “I’m mad at her. And Valerie. She’s acting like nothing’s happened.”

  “I think Valerie is just overwhelmed taking care of your father.”

  “But I’m here too!” I pressed a finger into the middle of my chest. “I’ve been here the entire time! I gave up everything to be here and help her.”

  Garrett placed an arm around my shoulders and tugged me closer. “I know you did. And so does Val. You both need help.”

  “We will have help. We’ve got hospice care set up for him. We’re taking care of everything.”

  “But wouldn’t it be nice to let someone else carry your burden for a while?”

  My head sagged forward. “She doesn’t deserve that honor.”

  “What do you want me to do?”

  “Let’s just go.” I slipped out of his embrace and stood. Absently, I brushed the back of my shorts before walking down the length of the dock. Garrett caught up with me easily, and our hands locked together. We walked around the house toward the
guest house. I had no idea where I wanted to go, but I knew that I couldn’t stay a minute longer with my mom a stone’s throw away.

  Chapter Twenty

  Cami

  Garrett let me drive, which might have been a mistake considering my emotional state, but since I had no idea where I wanted to escape to, it was easiest if I took the lead. We drove in silence for a while until I found a diner and stopped. The breakfast that I was preparing had been forgotten, and I was positive we were both hungry.

  Garrett watched me with cautious eyes. I could tell from the trace of guilt that he was sorry about keeping a secret from me, and it was easy enough to forgive him. I reached across the table and grabbed his hand.

  “I’m not mad at you,” I finally said.

  “I’m not too sure. You might change your mind,” he replied with a skeptical smirk on his face.

  “You have nothing to worry about.” I blew out a breath and looked out at the parking lot. So many thoughts were running through my brain, and they just started to tumble out. “She must live close if she was able to drop everything once she heard from Tim. And if she lives close, then why hasn’t she tried to call us? I thought that she’d be living in Peru or London or something. I just don’t understand. If she’s lived so close for all of these years, then why has it been so easy for her to stay away?”

  Garrett’s thumb absently stroked the back of my hand. Mesmerized, I watched as it traced a soft path back and forth on my hand. “You’ll have plenty of time to ask her all of those questions, Cami.”

  “But I don’t want to know. It’s easier to think of her as being too far away to come back because knowing that she’s been so close just makes her leaving hurt even worse.”

  Our breakfast arrived, and we abandoned the conversation, which was probably for the best. It was easier to concentrate on the stack of pancakes and the plate of eggs in front of me than on all the questions that still swirled around in my thoughts. Garrett paid our bill, and we drove to downtown Gig Harbor. I found a place to park, and we walked down Harborview Drive.