Kiss Cam (With A Kiss Book 1)

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Kiss Cam (With A Kiss Book 1) Page 11

by Anie Michaels


  Riley gave another small smile to my mother but then came to my side, her hand finding a place on my stomach right above my navel.

  “Can you show me where the restroom is really quick?”

  I nodded and steered her toward the guest bathroom down the hall from the front door. As soon as we were out of earshot and alone, I stopped her, pressing her up against the wall in the hallway.

  “I’m sorry about all that,” I whispered, spreading my legs wide so that I was eye level with her.

  “That was fucked-up.” She looked down at her hands between us, which were fidgeting. “I knew this was a bad idea.”

  “Hey,” I said as I tipped her chin up, wanting to see her eyes as we spoke. “Just because Andrew is being a dick doesn’t mean anything, and it definitely doesn’t have a bearing on our relationship. Sure, he wanted me to date Sophia because it would be good for him and his political career, but that doesn’t mean shit to me, Riley. You do.”

  “He didn’t want you to just date her. He wanted you to ‘see it through.’ He wants you to marry someone on your level, and that’s definitely not me.”

  “Are you proposing?” I asked, trying to make her smile. Luckily for me, it worked.

  “No, I’m just saying, the person he envisions you with and the person I am are not on the same level, Camden. It will be really awkward if your parents hate me. This,” she said as she motioned between us, “doesn’t have to be super serious, but it would be easier if your parents didn’t think I was pond scum.”

  I wasn’t sure what bothered me more—that she was lumping my mother in with Andrew, or that she didn’t think we had to be serious. I was nothing but serious about her and wanted serious things with her. It was stupid how serious it was. Seriously stupid.

  “Andrew’s a tool, but my mom is really looking forward to getting to know you. I can tell. Don’t push her aside with him, trust me. She’ll love you. Andrew will warm up to the idea of you, but it doesn’t matter if he does or not, not to me anyway. Say you’ll stay.”

  She looked up at me with eyes that appeared sadder than I’d ever seen, and I wanted more than anything to make it go away. But all I could do was try to make her see my mother wasn’t as bad as the last five minutes might have painted her to be.

  “I’ll stay,” she finally said, her voice soft and unsure.

  “Thank you,” I said, before pressing a kiss to her forehead. “I’ll meet you back out there, all right?”

  “Okay.”

  I watched her walk into the bathroom and then headed back into the dining room where Andrew had already taken his seat at the head of the table, and my mother was setting down a platter full of scrambled eggs.

  “Andrew, that was completely uncalled for and I won’t stand for you making Riley feel uncomfortable. She was nervous enough to meet you both and now you’ve scared her out of her mind. When she comes out here, you will treat her with respect or I will walk out of here and it will be a long while before I come back.”

  “Listen, I apologized and I meant it. I’ll treat her like I would any other guest, but I won’t be threatened by you in my own house. Besides, I am only looking out for your future, Camden. Sophia would have been a good match for you.”

  I saw red instantly.

  “No, Sophia would have been a good match for you. I am not basing my life decisions on how to further your career. And for the record, Riley is a perfect match for me. I’ve never met anyone so full of life, witty, smart, independent, and good.”

  “You really like her.” The soft tone of my mother’s voice was in stark opposition to the emotions running through the room.

  “What?” I asked gruffly, turning to her.

  “You like her. A lot. I can tell.”

  I let out a sigh it felt like I’d been holding for hours. “Yes, I like her. More than I think I’ve ever liked anyone. Like isn’t even a good word to describe it, Mom. She’s…. I don’t know…. She’s it.”

  My mother drew in a slow breath and pressed a hand to her chest. Her eyes welled and her breath shuddered out.

  “Camden,” she whispered.

  “Mom, don’t go getting all sentimental on me. It won’t matter how much I care about her if you and Andrew make her feel uncomfortable. She’s scared. I don’t fully understand why, but if she feels unwelcome or unwanted, she will run. It’s already happened once before. So, please, I need you both to be on my side right now.”

  My mom shot Andrew another death stare. He held his hands up in surrender.

  I took a seat at the table, making sure there was an empty seat next to me, as far from Andrew as possible. When Riley finally reappeared, she looked stiff and had an obviously forced polite smile on her face. I stood and pulled out her chair, thanking the universe that she’d decided to come back and hadn’t slipped out the door when I wasn’t looking.

  “You have a lovely home,” Riley said to my mother, her voice so much smaller than I was used to.

  “Thank you very much. It’s more work than I’d like, but really comes in handy when we have parties for holidays and such.”

  “It wouldn’t be too much work if you’d hire a housekeeper, like I’ve been telling you for years,” Andrew said, not unkindly, as he spooned eggs onto his plate.

  “I’ll hire a housekeeper when I’m old,” she replied with a shrug. “If I am able, I’ll clean my own house.”

  “I’d kill for someone to clean my bathroom every once and a while,” Riley said as she absently passed a platter of food to me.

  “Bathrooms are the worst, aren’t they?” My mother laughed as she said the words. “So, Riley, what do you do?”

  “I work for Rose City Event Coordinators.”

  “She just got a promotion,” I said proudly, placing my hand on the back of her neck, giving her a squeeze.

  “That’s wonderful,” Mom said with enthusiasm. “What exactly do you do there?”

  “I work directly with clients and plan high-profile events. My new position allows me to work with more corporations and non-profits.”

  “That’s so fantastic,” Mom replied.

  “Meg is always planning events for all her projects.” My stepfather said the words as he cut through his food, and they sounded slightly patronizing, but I knew he didn’t mean them that way.

  “I’m on the board for a few organizations and I try to have a few fundraisers each year. It’s a lot of work. I find it fascinating that you do it for a living.”

  “It’s a relatively new concept for employment. Twenty years ago there weren’t professional party planners, so sometimes my job takes people by surprise. But Rose City is groundbreaking in that they combine the actual planning and promotion. We have in-house PR that clients can utilize as well. So, not only will we plan your event, but we’ll also get the word out about it, maximizing visibility and profits. Of course, PR isn’t always needed for events, but non-profits especially like that feature. They’re trying to raise funds, after all. The more people who know about the event, the more money they will raise.”

  “That’s fantastic.”

  “You should use her for your Angel House event next month,” Andrew said, using his fork to gesticulate toward Riley.

  “That’s a wonderful idea!” Mom was practically bouncing in her chair.

  Riley, on the other hand, looked as though she might be sick.

  “Mom, can you pass the bacon?” I asked, trying to redirect in any way I could. Mom hardly acknowledged me as she handed the platter over, her eyes trained on Riley.

  “I have an annual event for my favorite non-profit, Angel House. This year I’m trying to put together a black-tie dinner gala. I’ve got the location booked, and invitations out, but that’s it. Do you think you could help?”

  Riley swallowed a bite of food, wincing slightly. She took a sip of her orange juice and then finally spoke. “Angel House? The shelter for victims of domestic abuse?”

  “That’s the one. You’ve heard of them?”
r />   “Yeah, I’ve worked on a few events for them. Small ones. I was always on the team, never the lead on those projects though.”

  “Will you help me?”

  “Uh,” Riley stalled. I reached under the table and grabbed her hand, threading my fingers through hers.

  “Mom, this isn’t really good brunch conversation.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry, Riley. I’m not trying to put you on the spot. You just got me all excited over the possibility of making the gala spectacular.”

  “I could point you in a few directions, but other than that my hands are sort of tied. I have a non-compete agreement in my employment contract with Rose City, so I can’t offer my services outside of their company.” Riley paused for a moment, still looking as though she might lose the small amount of food she’d eaten. “I’m sorry.”

  “Oh, don’t be silly,” my mom said, waving her worries away. “Of course I want to hire you. I didn’t expect you to work for free. Can I contact Rose City directly?”

  “Um, yeah. I can leave you a card.”

  “Splendid.”

  I looked at Riley and noticed her face was a little green. I leaned over to her and whispered, “Are you all right?”

  Her lips thinned, but she tried to give me a smile. Then she managed a feeble nod. This was not going well.

  “So, how did you two meet?”

  I heard Riley choke on her juice after Andrew asked the question, and I reached over to rub her back until she’d calmed down, but the sputtering lasted a while.

  “Riley and I were next to each other at a Renegades game a couple weeks ago.” I was definitely not about to tell them all the details.

  “Oh, are you a Renegades fan?” my mother asked with a little too much enthusiasm. I had to smile. I loved my mother for trying to make Riley feel comfortable.

  “I love the Renegades. I usually watch the games from a bar down the street from my apartment, but I bought tickets that night as a splurge to celebrate my promotion.” Riley’s demeanor loosened as she spoke, and I could see her relaxing as she told the story. “I sat next to Camden and I couldn’t take my eyes off him.” She blushed, looking down for only a moment, then continued. “After the game, he basically stalked me until he got my number. And the rest is history.”

  “That’s sweet,” my mom gushed. “Isn’t it sweet, Andrew?”

  “Indeed,” he said, before taking another bite.

  Brunch continued without any more stressful situations. The more my mother talked to Riley, the more she relaxed. My mom regaled her with stories of my childhood, especially the embarrassing ones. It didn’t bother me though; I was too caught up in watching Riley laugh at my misfortune.

  Riley was open and answered any of the questions my mom and stepdad had for her, talking about her college experience, where she grew up, her family—all the necessary information for new girlfriend examination.

  After we ate, my mom took Riley into the kitchen for coffee, Andrew disappeared into his office to read his paper, and I sat in the breakfast nook watching and listening to my mom and my girlfriend talk about all kinds of girly shit. It was cute, but it wasn’t interesting.

  Finally, I made enough noises that my mom caught on.

  “I think Camden is ready to go,” she said with a laugh.

  “Are you willing to let her go?” I asked her, standing and wrapping an arm around Riley’s shoulders, pulling her to my side. My gaze drifted to the slight cleavage her dress revealed from my vantage point, and it became my mission to get her out of my parents’ house as soon as possible.

  “It’s been a pleasure, Riley. I do hope you’ll come back soon. And bring Camden with you. And I’ll get in touch with your boss this week.”

  “Oh, let me give you her card.”

  Riley fished a business card out of her purse and then we slowly made our way to the door, she and my mom making a bunch of tentative and vague plans. My mom was saying, “we should do lunch one afternoon.” And Riley was answering with, “Yeah, that’d be great.”

  Why couldn’t girls just say “See ya later?”

  We waved to my mother as I opened the passenger door for Riley, and again as we pulled around the driveway.

  “That wasn’t too bad,” Riley said after we’d been on the road a few minutes. “Well, the beginning sucked, but it got better. Your mom is wonderful.” She looked at me and smiled, the warmth of it radiating toward me.

  “I think she really liked you.”

  “That’s good.” Her voice was quiet and she relaxed down into the bucket seat even further, making the hem of her dress slide up her thighs. I reached over and rested my hand on her bare skin, smiling when she threaded her fingers through mine, holding my hand there. We didn’t talk the rest of the way home, and when I pulled into my parking spot in the garage I looked over and realized she’d fallen asleep.

  Suddenly a midday nap with Riley sounded fantastic.

  “Riley,” I whispered, gently shaking her knee, trying to rouse her enough to get her back upstairs where I could put her in one of my T-shirts and fall asleep with her in my arms. “Wake up, baby. We’re home.” Her eyes fluttered open and she looked around, trying to figure out her surroundings, and when they finally landed on me she gave me a smile, but it wasn’t as brilliant as it usually was.

  “You look like you’re far away,” I said softly, sweeping some loose hair behind her ear. “Everything all right?”

  “Can I tell you something I’ve never told anyone before?” Her words were rushed, as if she were afraid she’d change her mind before she got them all out.

  “Of course. I’ll listen to anything you want to tell me.”

  She took in a deep breath and then let it out in a rush. Her eyes dropped down to her lap and she laced her fingers together.

  “When my father left, my mom had to find a job for the first time in over ten years. She had little education and no experience, so her choices were limited. My aunt worked as a maid in Arizona and told her there was a job waiting for her, and that’s when we moved. My mom, thankfully, was given a job as a live-in maid and babysitter for an exceptionally wealthy family, the Waldens. It was a perfect setup for us because my mom, brother, and I were able to live, rent-free, in a little house at the back of their property, and because of our address we went to very good schools.

  “The problem was, since the first day we were there, we were treated like second-class citizens. Mr. and Mrs. Walden didn’t let their kids talk or play with us, and their kids were so jaded that when school started, they made sure everyone knew we were the help. For four years I was friendless and constantly reminded of the differences between me and everyone around me.”

  I tried to imagine Riley lonely, and it didn’t compute. Riley was bright and enthusiastically magnetizing. Just being around her was enough to want to know more about her, to spend more time with her, to soak up as much of her as you could. But I also knew kids in high school were assholes.

  “I think it was easier for my brother because he found a niche. He played football and performed in the competition choir, but I didn’t have anything to distract me from how miserable I was.”

  “I’m sorry,” I said, placing a hand on her knee. “That sounds horrible.”

  She nodded but didn’t look up at me.

  “I’m not sure how much you know about teenage girls, but a bad day is the end of the world, and I’d had four years of bad days. As soon as I could, I left. I moved back to Oregon for college and haven’t been back since. I’ve never felt more alone or worthless than when I lived with the Waldens. And they’re the ones responsible for making my life miserable.”

  “And that’s why my family’s money and status is a problem for you.”

  “Was a problem for me. Well, I’m trying not to let it be a problem anymore. It’s obvious that your mom is too sweet to be evil, and you’re clearly not an asshole. I need you to know that I have an extremely low tolerance for being treated poorly, and I don’t know if I�
�ll be able to handle it if people treat me like I’m less than.”

  I knew she was talking about Andrew, and I didn’t blame her. “Hey,” I said, bringing my hand to her cheek and leaning over so I could look her in the eyes. “Trust me enough to protect you from all that. Andrew will come around, and I can guarantee his reaction to you had very little to do with you at all. He didn’t know anything about you before today. But I also need you to understand that no matter what Andrew says, I’m not going anywhere and there’s no way I could ever think you were less than. You’re more than anything I’ve ever imagined.”

  Chapter Ten

  Riley

  I’d never had to run to work before. And to be completely honest, I didn’t run all the way to work, but I definitely sprinted to my office once I’d reached my floor. Some mornings I opted to take the stairs all eight floors, just to get some exercise, but that morning there was no time.

  Waking up with Camden on a work morning was going to prove to be problematic. The man had a thing for morning sex, and it turned out that I simply had a thing for him. It was, as far as I could tell, impossible to tell him no. So we’d had sex. Ahem, amazing sex. And then I had to rush to my apartment to grab work clothes and by that time I was running behind for work. Any normal day I’d take the MAX, but being late to work so soon after a promotion was never a good look, so I drove and paid a fortune for parking, then practically ran into the elevator.

  It didn’t seem like a good sign that my phone was ringing as I power-walked into my office, or that I was out of breath when I answered.

  “Riley Smith’s office. How can I help you?”

  “Riley. My office. Now.”

  It was the voice of Rose, the owner of the company. She hadn’t waited for a response before she hung up, which was good because I didn’t have one. I took a good ten seconds to let the shock sink in. Rose McAllister was the head honcho. Before my promotion I’d had a meeting with her, but it felt as though it had been a formality. My immediate supervisor had pretty much indicated that the promotion was mine and that Rose had only wanted to give her stamp of approval.

 

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