When We Left

by Elena Aitken

  “I’m not giving you a ticket, Cam.” He grinned and crossed his arms over his chest, in an effort to end the debate.

  “You have to.”

  “No.” He chuckled a little. He couldn’t remember the last time anyone had begged him to give them a ticket. “I don’t. But I really would like the opportunity to catch up with you while you’re in town.” Once again her face shifted and he regretted his choice of words. Dammit. She probably thought he was letting her off the hook in exchange for a date.

  “I’m not sure that’s a good idea, Evan.” Her voice was tight. “But if you’re really not going to give me a ticket, I should get going.”

  “I’m not.” He took a step back from the SUV. “It really was nice seeing you, Cam.”

  In response, she put her window up, pulled away, and drove down the road. Just as she had all those years ago. Leaving Evan standing in the dust, wondering what the hell had just happened.

  Evan. He was here. Of course he was here. It was his town. Why wouldn’t he be there? Why shouldn’t he?

  Because he left.

  He’d left her more than sixteen years ago.

  Cam’s head hurt with the memories that hit her with a tsunami force the second she saw those familiar eyes. She reached up and rubbed the bridge of her nose. She didn’t have time for a headache. She didn’t have time for anything. Especially thinking about Evan and a past that couldn’t be changed.

  “Who was that guy?”

  Morgan. She needed to remember that just because Morgan stayed largely quiet didn’t mean she didn’t notice anything. In fact, it was quite the opposite.

  “Who?” She tried to keep her voice light and unaffected, but her daughter clearly wasn’t buying it.

  “Who do you think?” Morgan rolled her eyes. “The only guy we’ve seen in the last few hours who wasn’t pumping gas. The cop, Mom. Who is he? You know him.”

  She shook her head because the truth was she didn’t know him. Not anymore.

  “I used to,” she answered honestly. “But that was a long time ago.” A really long time ago and she didn’t have time to consider what Evan’s presence in Timber Creek would mean to her. Of course she’d known logically that he could be here, but Christy Thomas, her one friend who still lived in town, had never mentioned him. Likely out of concern for Cam and an unspoken understanding that Cam didn’t want to know. Not really. It wouldn’t do any good to revisit the past.

  “I’m sure we’ll run into lots of people I used to know,” she said to Morgan, trying to keep her tone light and fun. Maybe if she made her return to her hometown an adventure, her daughter would buy in. It was a long shot, but it couldn’t hurt to try. Lord knew she’d tried everything else to get Morgan engaged in life. She’d been chalking Morgan’s behavior up to the typical teenage type of drama, but now with the added bonus of dealing with a public family breakdown on top of everything else, she almost couldn’t blame her daughter for acting out.

  Almost.

  Morgan hadn’t said much about her dad or the new baby, or really any of it. Whenever Cam tried to bring it up, she just clammed up. Cam was running out of ideas on how to deal with it but a fresh start could only help.

  “Whatever.” Morgan rolled her eyes and put her earbuds back in.

  Cam tried not to sigh. There was no point starting something with her. They’d be out of the car soon enough and maybe it was best if Cam was left alone in her own thoughts and memories for the drive through town. It was always her favorite part about coming home when she was a little girl. Her parents would take her on countless trips throughout the United States, to exotic beaches, the castles of Europe, or even on her tenth birthday, to Disney World. But despite all her travels, Cam’s favorite part of traveling had always been coming home. Turning the bend to see the log sign proclaiming, “Timber Creek, Home of the Timber Times Festival,” had meant she was only minutes away from being in her room, sleeping in her own bed and seeing all her best friends: Christy, Drew, and Amber.

  It’s not that she hadn’t liked traveling; she just never loved it the way her parents had. Sure, she appreciated having the opportunity to see the world and experience the things she had, but there was something about home that she couldn’t find anywhere else.

  Just as it did all those years ago, a familiar sense of peace came over her as she drove down Main Street, which was completely the same yet totally different all at the same time. It had taken her sixteen years, and the circumstances were less than ideal, but she was finally home.

  She glanced at Morgan, who stared out the window, her lips pressed into a thin line. No doubt she’d complain about the lack of malls, the tiny streets, the small classrooms, and pretty much everything else about Timber Creek that was in direct opposition to Portland. But that was okay. Cam could handle it because whether Morgan knew it or not, Timber Creek was going to heal them. It had to, because Cam was completely out of options.

  There’d be plenty of time later to show Morgan the sights of Timber Creek. Not that it would take long, but for now, all Cam wanted to do was get settled so she could start thinking about her next step. A step that would need to include a job and getting Morgan enrolled in school as soon as possible. The therapist she’d sent Morgan to before Ryan cut her benefits off had suggested building a strong, structured routine for Morgan as soon as possible. If she knew there was stability in her life, she’d be less likely to act out.

  Stability. Ha. The very word made Cam want to laugh and then cry. There was definitely not a lot of stability to be found, but she’d do what she could. They both needed it.

  She pulled the SUV up in front of Junky’s Auto Shop, looked up and let her eyes take in the grungy windows of the apartment over the shop with a faded For Rent sign in the window.

  When Cam had called Christy to tell her she was going to be returning to town, she was adamant about getting her own place, something “stable” and “structured” for Morgan. When her friend finally stopped trying to convince her to stay with her and her husband Mark, she told her about Junky’s apartment and because Christy was able to do some sweet talking, Cam got it at a reduced rate. Although, now that she was looking at it, she couldn’t help but think it had something to do with the fact that the place likely hadn’t seen a broom or a rag in years. If ever. And that was only what she could ascertain from the outside.

  “Why are we here?” Morgan stared at her. “Is the car broken now?”

  There was nothing to do but put a brave face on. “Nope,” Cam said with as much forced cheerfulness as she could muster, which really wasn’t much. “This is our new home.”

  Morgan’s face screwed up in disgust. “You can’t be serious. An auto shop?”

  “No. The apartment above it.” She pushed the button to cut off the engine, and turned to gather up her purse. The sight of a police cruiser in her rearview mirror caught her eye, but by the time she turned around to confirm, it was gone. Evan. No doubt he was just making sure she was getting to wherever she was going safely.

  Because he still cares about you.

  No.

  She had no time for Evan or thoughts of Evan or anything at all to do with the past. That’s not why she came home. This time, the only thing Timber Creek was going to give her was her future.

  “I’m sure it’s fantastic, Morgan.” Cam forced herself to switch gears. Hopefully the apartment wasn’t too bad. Even if it was, it wasn’t anything a bucket of soapy water and maybe a can of paint couldn’t fix. Nothing was going to bring Cam down, or deter her from starting fresh. Nothing.

  “Whatever.” Morgan slid down in her seat, arms crossed firmly over her chest.

  “Come on, Morgan.” She turned in the seat and placed her hand on Morgan’s arm. To her surprise, her daughter didn’t shrug her off. It was such a small thing, but when it came to dealing with Morgan lately, Cam would take whatever victories she could get, no matter how small. “I know it’s not ideal and it’s a little different than what we’re used to
.”

  “A little?”

  “Okay, a lot.” Up until a few days ago, they’d been living in the only house Morgan had ever known, a three-thousand-square foot mansion on the water in one of Portland’s most prestigious neighborhoods. One of the perks of being married to the local news anchor. One of the only perks. Cam swallowed hard against the bile in her throat. It was a beautiful house, and she’d taken a lot of pride in making it a home over the years, but it would never be home again. Not anymore.

  There was no point dwelling on things. She needed to focus. Besides, Morgan didn’t deserve to be drawn into any more drama than she already had been. Stable and secure. That’s what she needed to remember.

  “Look, Morgan.” She squeezed her daughter’s arm gently. “I know it’s not much, and it’s not permanent, but it will be ours and we might actually have a lot of fun fixing it up just the way we want. We can paint it bright colors and maybe get some funky pillows and things. It’ll be fun. Promise me you’ll at least give it a chance.”

  She stared into her daughter’s heavily eye-lined eyes, and hoped upon hope that something she said might be getting through to her. For a moment, she thought Morgan would close up again and shut her out, but then she nodded. “Okay.”

  It wasn’t much, but it was all Cam needed. “Okay. Let’s go find Junky.” Her face split into a smile she definitely didn’t feel, and she jumped out of the car before Morgan could change her mind again.

  Chapter Two

  “Well, what’s she doing back?” Ben Ross, Evan’s oldest friend and owner of the Log and Jam, everyone’s favorite local hangout, poured Evan a beer and slid it down to him across the long bar that had been custom made out of one huge log. Everything in the pub was well thought out and custom designed. Ben had put his heart and soul into building the Log & Jam, even participating in the actual construction of the log cabin building. Antiques and various paraphernalia like old axes and saws that once belonged to the early loggers that settled Timber Creek lined the walls.

  Evan stretched out his back and inhaled the comfortingly familiar scent of cedar that always lingered in the air of the pub. It had been a long shift after he’d stopped the black SUV with Cam behind the wheel. A torturously long shift. It was a damn good thing there hadn’t been any important calls in the hours following because seeing his one true love had rendered him almost completely useless. All he could think of was that blonde hair—those blue eyes and the last time he’d seen them at their graduation dance the night before he’d left her without a word.

  It wasn’t because he didn’t love her. He did. So much it hurt. But Cam deserved more than he could offer. A lot more. He was the town screw-up: the kid always getting in trouble, narrowly avoiding the law on more than one occasion—and sometimes not—barely passing his high school classes because he thought he was smarter than his teachers and didn’t need to do the work. The one smart decision he did make back then was recognizing that he couldn’t be the man Cam needed him to be. Not the way he was. It had killed him inside to leave town that June morning, knowing she’d be left hurt and confused. But he’d done it.

  He’d gone away to try to make something of himself and he couldn’t even regret it because the last time he’d been able to bring himself to ask her best friend Christy how Cam was doing, she’d told Evan how happy Cam was. Married to a successful newscaster, living the life she always wanted in Portland. That’s all he’d ever wanted for her, even if it wasn’t with him.

  But now she was back.

  “I don’t know,” he answered his friend. “We didn’t really have a chance to chat. I was supposed to be writing her a ticket for distracted driving.”

  “As if you would give Cam Riley a ticket.” Ben poured himself a beer and leaned against the counter. “What’s she look like?”

  “The same.” Only different. She was still gorgeous. But there was a seriousness about her, too. Like she’d lived a lot of life in the years that had gone by. “And she has a kid.”

  “You knew she had a kid, man.” Ben shot him a look because it was true, he did know that. Christy had passed on that information as well. “Right?”

  “Yeah, yeah. Of course.” Evan shook his head. “I mean, I knew it. But it’s different than knowing it. Ya know?” He didn’t wait for an answer. “But here’s the thing. She’s not so much a kid as a teenager.”

  Ben took a sip of his beer and tilted his head in question. “How old?”

  Evan shrugged and took a swig of beer. He hadn’t asked. “Fourteen? Fifteen? I don’t know.”

  Ben shook his head with a smirk. “Damn.”

  “What?”

  “It’s nothing.” He raised his hand in acknowledgment of another customer farther down the bar.

  “It’s something.” Ben wasn’t the type of guy to not say what he was thinking, and Evan knew he would speak his mind no matter what. It was one thing he could always count on from his friend. That and a buddy to go fishing with. “What?”

  “Well, I was just thinking that if Cam has a teenager, it sure didn’t take her long to move on, did it?”

  Ben’s words hit him in the gut.

  “I mean, she must’ve gotten knocked up right after—”

  “Stop.” It was math Evan didn’t want to do. After all, he’d already been thinking of it. At least a little. The second he’d seen Cam’s daughter, the thought was there. What if she was his? It wasn’t that far of a reach. But of course it was. He knew it was. She’d been gone a long time, and a lot could happen in sixteen years. Hell, a real lot could happen. He would be naive to think she hadn’t been with anyone else, especially considering he knew she was married. The girl wasn’t his. Even if for a split second he’d wished she was.

  He took another long drink of his beer and wiped his mouth. “There’s no way. I would have heard about it. Hell, she would have told me. Cam and I didn’t have secrets. Never did.”

  Ben shot him a look before he disappeared to care for his customers. Ben might be his oldest friend, but he never did understand the way things were between Cam and him. He’d never understood anything Evan had done. But he had supported him. And when push came to shove, that’s the best thing you could ask for in a friend. Ben was a rock-solid guy. Evan had leaned on him more than once over the years and with a certain blonde-haired woman back in town, there was no doubt that those days weren’t over yet. Not that Evan was going to get involved with Cam again. No way. Even if she wasn’t married, those days were in the past.

  Weren’t they?

  A little voice in the back of his head chimed in.

  Those days were in the past. Once upon a time, Evan would have fallen apart, stood up and then fallen all over himself trying to get her back. But he’d learned a lot over the years and he definitely wasn’t the same person he once was. No way. Now he was a war veteran, a police officer serving and protecting the town he loved most, and a whole lot wiser than the punk-ass kid Cam once knew.

  But that doesn’t mean you don’t still love her.

  “Dammit,” Evan muttered to himself. He chugged the last of his beer and slammed the glass down on the bar. He pushed up from his stool, threw a twenty on the bar and walked away.

  That dammed voice never did know when to shut the hell up.

  “You’re going to love Timber Creek High.” Cam forced a cheerfulness in her voice she certainly didn’t feel. She’d given Morgan a few days to settle into their new place, but now with Monday upon them, it was time to move forward and start their lives. They couldn’t hide in their tiny little apartment forever. Especially considering it was so small that Cam was pretty sure the close proximity to each other was doing their relationship more harm than good at the moment. She needed to get Morgan out and into society. If she could meet even one or two friends her own age, Cam had no doubt that would go a long way in helping her adjust to their new life. And Lord knew her daughter could use a friend.

  “I’m sure I won’t.” Morgan appeared from the bathroo
m and Cam did her best not to react to her daughter’s new look. She was only trying to get a rise out of her. There was no point taking the bait. “It’s a small-town high school—what’s to love?”

  Cam swallowed all the comments she so desperately wanted to make about Morgan’s thick black eyeliner and lips so red they, too, were almost black. She was clearly trying to make an impression on the first day of school. Even if it wasn’t the one Cam would have liked to see her make. She’d learned to pick her battles, and this one was definitely not a fight she had the energy to engage in.

  “The sports programs are amazing,” Cam chattered on cheerfully, pointedly ignoring Morgan’s scowl. “The Timber Wolves are known to be some of the strongest teams in the state. You might want to try out for—”

  “I don’t do sports, Mom.” Morgan squared off in the space Cam was trying to call a living room, even if it was acting as her bedroom, having given Morgan the only room. “Have you ever known me to play a sport?”

  “Well, when you were little you were a great soccer player. Maybe you could—”

  “Because they have a soccer team out here in the middle of nowhere? If you wanted me to play soccer, we should have stayed in Portland.”

  It had been three days since Morgan made any reference to the fact that she’d moved them. Foolishly, Cam hoped she was over it, but her daughter’s words stabbed her in the chest. “You know we couldn’t stay, Morgan. Not after—”

  “Whatever. Shouldn’t we go?”

  Cam put the smile back on her face and nodded. She loved her daughter, but lately, being her mother took a level of energy she wasn’t sure she had. “Yes.” She grabbed her purse from the counter and the folder of resumes she’d done up the night before, printing them off Junky’s office printer in the shop below. As soon as she registered Morgan with the school, she was going to hit the pavement and see what she could drum up in terms of work. Ryan hadn’t left much in the joint bank account; the fact that he’d left anything at all was only because he cared enough about his daughter to make sure she was fed and cared for.