“Sounds like a good idea, but is it going to take two months or will you have some free time?” His lips curved and his eyes stayed on her, glinting with interest.
Excitement fluttered in Cami’s chest. “A good concierge can get almost anything for anyone at any time of the day or night, which means my staff will need a list of contacts from day one. We start interviewing applicants in a couple of weeks, so I’m already going to be short on time.” She smiled as she considered the end of his question. “But yes, I do anticipate having some free time, at least until the last half of August.”
“I’ll keep it in mind.”
He finished off the water in the bottle and she put out a hand for it. “I’ll stick it in the recycling bin. Sage will have my head if it goes in the garbage can.” She remembered the way Sage had taken Delphi to task for throwing a soda can in the garbage that first night.
He laughed. “Thanks again; it hit the spot. I’ll give you a call tonight.”
“I’ll look forward to hearing from you.” She turned back to the house, her grin nearly permanent. The coating on the windows made it easy to see out, not so easy to see inside, but Sage’s silhouette stood out against the window on the other side of the room where the blinds were open. Cami was willing to bet she’d watched the whole thing.
When the door shut behind her, Cami detoured by the recycling bins set up under the kitchen counter. She crossed over to Sage, feeling rather pleased with herself, and grateful for the brunette’s nudge. “He invited us to join his family festivities for the Fourth, said he’d show us around and make sure we don’t miss anything. You game?”
“Sure, why not. Unless you’d rather be alone with him?” Sage pulled her tea ball out of her cup and set it on the side of her plate. She always used some private loose tea mix she’d brought herself instead of the baggies in the cupboard.
“I barely know the man.” Cami turned, took one more long look as he bent over to lower a bush into the hole he’d dug, and she let out a sigh of appreciation. She thought getting to know Vince might make the following year considerably more interesting than she’d expected—if she had correctly interpreted his interest.
Then, determined to forget about men for a while, especially one she was barely on a first-name basis with, Cami focused on Sage. “I didn’t expect you to be up here. How long are you planning to stay?”
Sage shrugged and took a sip of her tea. “I’m here full time from now on. I want to keep an eye on construction in the spa and make sure everything is perfect. Besides, they’ve already hired my replacement back home.” She pulled the mint leaves out of the tea ball and tossed them, before rinsing it out. “You?”
“The same. I need to start making contacts.” She finished her now-lukewarm espresso and washed the cup. “I guess I ought to start with a shower.” When she was ready, armed with maps, she would go for a drive.
~*~
When Cami came down an hour later, ready for the day, she found Mrs. Grady running a vacuum in the great room.
The woman turned the machine off and smiled. “Cami, good morning. I hope I didn’t disturb you.”
“Not at all. I didn’t hear you out here. How are things going this morning?” She moved to the kitchen to grab a bagel. Now she was fully awake, her stomach demanded sustenance.
“Fine. Lana left for the airport an hour ago and Sage just took off. What are you three doing here already? I thought your home was mostly going to be empty for another month.” She pulled a feather duster out of her back pocket and swiped it along the fireplace mantle, checking for stray specs.
“I’ve got businesses to visit, restaurants to try, tourist locations to check out. I’m going to use the next couple of months to become familiar with the area so I can put together a full list of resources for guests.” Cami pulled the tub of strawberry cream cheese from the fridge and slathered her bagel with some of the contents.
“Sounds like quite a tall order. And maybe a bit more vacation than real work at times.”
Cami chuckled. “Yeah, I suppose it does. I intend to enjoy myself while I do my research.” She grabbed a bottle of orange juice from the fridge. “Now, how’s your husband doing?” She’d learned about Mr. Grady’s health problems during the previous visit to Juniper Ridge.
Mrs. Grady’s mouth tightened slightly and appeared worried. “He’s still in for dialysis three times a week. We keep hoping for a miracle kidney—though that sounds terrible, doesn’t it? Chances are someone will have to die before he gets one at this point.”
The sadness in Mrs. Grady’s eyes nearly broke Cami’s heart. “Have you checked to see if any of your friends or relatives can provide a kidney?”
“Everyone we can think of has been typed, but we can’t find a good match. It’s not as easy as you might think.” Mrs. Grady continued to dust, as if she needed something to do with her hands to keep from crying.
Cami crossed the kitchen and gave Mrs. Grady’s shoulder a squeeze. “I hope something comes available for him soon. It must be so hard watching him be sick.”
Mrs. Grady nodded, but didn’t say anything more.
With a lump in her throat, Cami collected her breakfast, her bag with her laptop and notes, and said goodbye. If throwing money at the problem would make it go away, she’d make it happen, but some things even money couldn’t fix. If she hadn’t already known that, George’s cancer would have brought the truth home loud and clear.
She took a deep, cleansing breath of the fresh mountain air and pushed the thoughts back. For the next few hours, at least, she needed to focus on work. She would come back to ideas about how to help the housekeeper later.
Chapter 9
Cami came down the stairs on July third to find Mrs. Grady bustling around the kitchen while Sage sat at the island with half a bagel, a glass of juice and an open newspaper in front of her.
“Good morning. How are things going?” Cami greeted them. The bagel smelled good, and easy to grab on her way out the door. There was a lot to do before the evening’s festivities. Vince had told her everything started with the children’s parade and booths in the park that night, before picking up in earnest with the main parade and other events the next morning.
“Sage was telling me about the Talmadge’s party tomorrow night. I thought I’d make something for you to take along,” Mrs. Grady said as she flipped through a cookbook.
“That’s sweet of you, but I could pick up something at the store before I come home to change.”
“I make a wonderful coconut cake. Everyone raves over it, and it won’t take long to whip up. It can bake while I clean,” Mrs. Grady insisted.
When Cami opened her mouth to protest, Sage spoke first, “We really appreciate it. I know these kinds of gatherings are meant for friends and neighbors, and we’d fit in better with something homemade. I’m afraid people are going to think we’re stuck up or something.”
“Pshaw, nobody thinks that.” Mrs. Grady waved her hand for emphasis. “I love to bake and my Harold doesn’t feel up to sweets lately.” Her lips pressed in worry.
“How is he doing?” Cami asked. She felt guilty she hadn’t thought to ask.
“He’s managing decently for now.” Mrs. Grady pressed her lips together, but if she was trying to appear brave, the worry in her eyes kept her from succeeding. “At least the radiation for his cancer isn’t supposed to make him as sick.”
“You’ll let us know if we can do anything for you, won’t you?” Cami asked.
“Of course.” But Mrs. Grady’s expression said she doubted there was anything the sisters could do.
“What are you reading?” Cami asked Sage when Mrs. Grady disappeared down the hall. She pulled the bagels and cream cheese from the fridge.
“Horoscopes. You’re an Aquarius, right?” Sage ran her finger down a newspaper column.
“Yes.” Cami decided to humor Sage, since she liked her. This whole Mother Earth thing she had going on, the fetish for natural fabrics was inter
esting, even if it wasn’t the way Cami wanted to live. And at least believing in horoscopes was harmless.
“Ah, it says here today is a window of opportunity for you. Play your cards right and you could find true love. New friends could also come your way. Expect a few surprises from all sides today.”
“It does not!” Cami turned the newspaper and found the listing. She couldn’t believe it when she found Sage had read it right—except she’d added the bit about the surprises. “What, did you pay to have them put that in there, or something?” She thought astrology was a bunch of hooey. “And you made up part of it.”
“It’s true anyway. Newspapers rarely get things right, but today you’re in luck.” Her dark eyes and curling hair gave her the look of a gypsy. “And the surprises will continue tomorrow.” She tipped her head slightly. “Maybe not all good, though. Sorry about that.”
“It’s ridiculous. I’ve never had a horoscope be right before, and it’s not going to start now.” Which was a shame since the thought of finding true love, with someone as hot as Vince, was very appealing.
Sage pushed the paper aside and grinned. “We’ll see, won’t we?”
~*~
“Are you sure I won’t be in the way?” Sage asked as she met Cami in the great room late that afternoon. “I can do something else.”
While Cami would rather not hang out with Sage, the reasoning stemmed from her preference not to get too friendly with the other woman, not because she wanted alone time with Vince. Not yet anyway. She was a pretty good judge of character, but the total of ten minutes they’d interacted so far was nowhere near enough for her to make a sensible decision. And Trent had proved she wasn’t infallible.
She intended to enjoy plenty of light flirting today; she was ready for some adventure, and it had been a long time since she felt like that. “Not a chance. He invited both of us, and you’re welcome to come.”
Sage gave her a questioning stare. “If you change your mind and decide I’ve become a third wheel, let me know.”
“Will do.”
They popped into Cami’s BMW Z4, let the roof down and enjoyed the sunlight on their hair as they zoomed down the mountain.
“Wow, this is incredible. Why don’t I have a convertible?” Sage asked after a couple of minutes.
“I have no idea. The whole country should have convertibles. I think it would do away with road rage completely.” Since the side windows were up, only a gentle breeze tickled the top hairs on their heads, which would be easily repaired when they reached the city park—and if not, well, it was a small price to pay.
Finding a spot to leave the car wasn’t nearly as easy as tending to the few flyaway hairs. The park was crowded with vendors and game booths, and hundreds of residents lined each side of the road along the block, preparing for the children’s parade. The crowd surprised Cami, since she hadn’t expected more than a hundred or so people in attendance.
Cami’s phone rang as she locked the car doors. She grinned when she saw Vince’s name pop up since she’d been about to call him. “Hello, Vince. Where did you end up?”
He gave her directions to their spot on the sidewalk. “I saw your Z4 a few minutes ago. That’s a pretty sweet ride.”
“No question there. I love it.”
“So when do I get to take her for a spin?”
Cami laughed. “You’re not going to drive her, but you keep dreaming.”
“I bet I can convince you before summer’s out.”
“Many have made the attempt. Sadly for them, none have succeeded.” Trent had been particularly put out by the failure.
“Oh, I usually get what I want eventually.” There was a wealth of meaning in his voice.
“We’ll see you in a minute.” Cami hung up and chuckled.
“I can already tell I’m going to be in the way.” Sage pushed back her dark curls.
“Fact is, I want you in the way. For now, at least. If I change my mind, I’ll let you know.” Cami took in everything around her. “Oh, deep fried candy bars. Can you get any more delicious, or more sinful?”
“Rosemary’s cheesecake?”
Cami considered. “No, cream cheese is milk based which has protein and calcium—so it’s practically health food, so cheesecake barely qualifies as a sin. Those, on the other hand,” she pointed back to the booth, “are very near the top of the naughty foods list, and I’m having one sometime before the fireworks tomorrow night.”
Sage laughed. “You’re in a good mood.”
Cami pushed away the thought that she might be exploring her interest in Vince to spite Trent and her father. She decided it didn’t matter—she’d give things a chance over the next thirty hours or so and see how she felt about him when she crawled into bed the next night. “I needed a break from thinking about work. Besides,” Cami waved at Vince when she saw him heading their way, “look at that hunk waiting to spend the evening with us?”
Vince met them halfway. “You’re right on time. The kids should start rolling in any minute now.” He spread his arms. “Welcome to our local celebration.” He slid between them and led them into the crowd.
At this proximity, Cami couldn’t help but notice the spiciness of his aftershave and his lack of five-o’clock shadow. Had he cleaned up for their meeting this evening? The thought intrigued her, but she set it back for now.
He guided them to a group of people standing under a huge beach umbrella, all laughing and chatting with the ease of long familiarity.
A short woman with dark hair that hugged her head turned and smiled as they approached. “You must be George’s girls. I’m so glad to finally be able to meet a couple of you. Your father was so proud of you all. Vince, quit flirting and get the ladies a cold drink. I swear we’re having a heat wave.”
Vince slid out from between them. “This is my mom, Etta Talmadge. Mom, this is Sage and Cami.” He indicated them each in turn. “Do you ladies have a drink preference?”
“Do you have water?” Sage asked.
“Of course. Cami?”
“Whatever your hand lands on first.” She saw his eyes light with mischief and wondered if there was beer in there too. “But let’s stick to sodas, okay?”
His lips twisted, an acknowledgement she’d read him well. “I’ll be right back.”
“So how long are you girls staying? Isn’t it lovely here at this time of year?” Etta asked when Vince was out of range.
“It’s lovely,” Sage agreed. “I’ve hardly had a chance to get to know the area yet though.”
“I’m making some headway there, but there’s a lot of territory to cover.” Cami shrugged. “It comes with opening a new business.”
“And you’ll be here how long?” Etta asked again.
“Most of the summer, for both of us. My, er, our sister Lana, had to go back east to take care of a few details, but she’ll be here most of the time as well. There’s so much to do between now and September.” It was going to take some practice to get used to referring to them all as sisters—especially since she refused to think of them as such. Though she didn’t feel a connection to anyone but Lana, for the rest of the world, she would put on the mask of being happy about it. Pretending was one of the things she did best.
“There’s always more than you’d expect. I remember when my husband moved from the group law practice to opening his own and all the paperwork and taxes, files, and forms and, oh, goodness, it never stopped. And the job ahead of you girls is so much bigger. I admire your energy. I’d certainly never manage it.” Etta led them over to one of the umbrellas.
“Don’t let her fool you,” Vince said as he handed Cami a Coke, and Sage a bottled water. “She raised three active boys, plus half raised Jeremy and Gage. On top of that, she had the PTA, community theater, and kept her hand in helping Dad when he needed it.” Catching a tall, dark-haired man’s eye, he gave him a nod. “Speaking of, I better take you around to meet everyone else. We’ll start with Gage.”
Chapter 10
Cami, Vince and Sage were met by a man holding onto two leashes with huge brown and black dogs straining for Vince. Gage’s brown hair was not nearly as long as his friend’s. While Vince was all rough edges, hard palms, and scruffy goodness, Cami found Gage’s appeal to be somewhat more refined, though the day’s growth on his chin and the strong angles of his face were still alluring—in a general sense. He was leaner, with a glint of laughter in his eyes which came across as good humor. Cami wondered if the assessment was apt, or if his appearance was all façade as Trent’s had been.
Either way, she nearly melted when she saw the excited joy in the dogs’ eyes as they greeted the trio. “Hey there, sweeties. Are you friendly?” She sought confirmation from Gage.
“Yes, but don’t go thinking these mutts are mine. They belong to Vince.” Despite his words, the tone held warmth and amusement. “Say hello to Smith and Wesson.” He gestured to each in turn.
The names made Cami laugh. She had no doubt the bruisers could be lethal if they felt pushed to it, but at the moment they were more like happy puppies out on holiday. “They’re beautiful.” She greeted Wesson, rubbed the soft fur around the dog’s bear-like head and giggled when a huge tongue lathered slobber all over her lower arm. The dog jumped up on back legs, propping enormous paws on Cami’s shoulders.
“Hold on there, girl.” Vince took hold of the dog’s collar and pulled her off when Cami took two steps back to keep from falling over. “Sorry. They’re still puppies, despite their size, and I haven’t had much time to train them this spring.”
Not at all put off, Cami smiled, then reached out a hand to rub Smith’s face—this time keeping her distance better. “It’s fine. I love dogs, but I’m not home enough to keep any of my own. They look almost like Akitas, except the ears.”
A Perfect Fit Page 5