Reuben laughed. “I appreciate it.”
They hung up, and Cameron lowered his feet to the ground. Time to take a shower and shave. Tonight, he had a pregnant woman to keep happy and a single woman who didn't like him to coax into a date.
Both might prove impossible, but he’d give it a valiant effort.
Two
Cameron heaped a spoonful of pasty mashed potatoes onto his plate and passed the bowl to Rachel. Her wrinkled nose confirmed this was her first time getting the privilege of eating a Maddie Callahan cooked meal.
He remembered his first meal in vivid, charred detail.
These days, he was used to making himself a PB&J sandwich once he got home. Good thing Reuben had the Emporium to keep him well fed. “So, Reuben, how’s the new restaurant coming?”
“Not too bad. I was a little worried with this one, but your advice for the location in Naperville was spot on. I’ve already had to hire more wait staff and another chef to handle the demand.”
“This makes it what, six locations now?”
Reuben shrugged like it was no big deal, but Cameron knew better. Keeping one restaurant afloat was amazing these days. The man knew how to open restaurants and sell his fancy sandwiches, that’s for sure.
Maddie dipped her fork into the pile of potato paste and nudged Reuben with her elbow. “This is actually the eighth. Reub’s just being all modest about it. But enough about sandwiches. Rachel, how’s your new job going?”
Rachel’s face relaxed as she put her fork full of blackened pork chop back on her plate. “It’s good. Just meeting everyone and going over the current caseload before I dive in. It’s a lot different than working in foster care. Still working with troubled kids, mostly teens, but they have much more stable home lives, at least most of them.”
Maddie caught Cameron’s eye. She nudged her head toward Rachel as if saying, “Talk to her, idiot.”
Only problem was, Cameron had no clue what she expected him to say, so he shrugged his shoulders and pushed around the pork-rock on his plate instead.
The pregnant lady coughed then smiled at Rachel again. “Did you know Cameron here is a Big Brother?”
His head snapped up as if fire were licking at his cheeks. He probably looked like a blushing prepubescent boy being forced to talk to a girl. This had gone too far. “Maddie—”
Rachel eyed him as she pushed around bites of pork she’d managed to cut up. “That’s, uh, nice. How many siblings do you have?”
Maddie better be glad she was pregnant, otherwise he’d get up and leave right now. While he’d love to get to know Rachel more, showering her with his “glowing” attributes was not the way to do it. The woman needed to keep her nose in her own potatoes. “None, actually. I’m an only child.”
Confusion swirled in Rachel’s eyes. “But I thought—”
He shook his head. “What Maddie was referring to was the Big Brother program. I mentor a twelve year old boy who doesn’t have a father in the picture.” Great. Now he sounded like one of those full-of-themselves guys who broadcast everything they do for other people to make themselves look holier than thou. Nice move, Maddie.
Rachel stared at him with those wide, blue-gray eyes for a moment, the previous caution he’d seen replaced with curiosity. Blinking, she lowered her gaze back to her plate and pushed her food around some more. “That’s nice of you. A father figure is important for young men.”
“Agreed.”
An awkward silence settled at the table while everyone attempted to eat the food and not offend the hostess. Cameron took a deep breath and put a bite of meat into his mouth, praying he wouldn’t chip a tooth. Rachel was having the same difficulty, a tight smile as her jaw worked to chew.
Across the table, Reuben piled the goopy potatoes on top of the meat and took a big bite, a smile on his lips that didn’t quite reach his eyes. With a mouthful, he patted Maddie’s arm and gave her a thumbs up.
A moment later, Maddie spit out a half chewed bite of pork chop, slammed her fork down on the table, and sniffled. “I’m sorry everyone. I just—” Tears filled her eyes. “I just wanted dinner to be nice is all, to—it doesn’t matter. I’ll go order some pizza.”
Reuben covered his mouth with a napkin as if to wipe his mouth and stood. Cameron would bet a million shares of Apple there was food spit out in that napkin.
“Honey, no. It’s great. We love it.” A sharp look from his wife silenced him.
Oh, this evening was just getting better and better.
After Maddie stomped from the room, Cameron stood. “Look, maybe I should just go.”
Rachel jumped up as well, a little too eager. “Me too. I don’t want her to think she has to go to all this trouble.”
Reuben folded his arms over his chest and shook his head. “If either of you two step one foot outside this house, I’ll force you both to eat every bite on those plates.”
They both sat down immediately.
“I’m going to go check on Maddie.”
A minute later, red-eyed Maddie reappeared, cell in hand. “Pizza’s ordered. How about we clear the table and play a game?”
Rachel frowned. “I think—”
Cameron stood up and grabbed his plate, then relieved Rachel of hers as well. “I think a game is a great idea.”
Even though Maddie’s plan at matchmaking had been an epic fail, maybe he could at least redeem himself to the point where the woman stopped frowning at him or looking away every time their eyes met. And games were good at breaking the ice, right?
***
If she could pick one thing she wanted to avoid at this moment, it was game night with Mr. Giant Carrot-top.
Rachel forced a fake smile even though all she wanted to do was go home and finish her wall. Or maybe not even that. A hot bubble bath—some nice Otis Redding playing—oh yeah. Her happy place was calling her name.
Normally she’d be all about game night, but with hormonal Maddie trying to push some strange guy on her, and said guy not being able to keep his eyes off her, Rachel would give anything for an escape.
Okay, so maybe he wasn’t staring so much as it was his overwhelming presence was grating on her nerves and making her heart thud in her ears. At least he’d lost the grizzly look a little by shaving.
Rachel wanted no part in Maddie’s matchmaking. Yes, she wanted to get married someday. Maybe even have a kid or two. And according to some, at age thirty-two, her biological clock was making a racket louder than a ticking time bomb.
That wasn’t her focus, though. Now was the time to get settled in her new job and house. Find a guy on her and God’s timing, not Maddie’s, even though it was super sweet she loved her enough to try.
Rachel had taken up with the big, larger-than-life guy the first time around. If only she’d known the truth…
A few minutes later, the dinner she’d been so relieved to not have to eat was cleared from the table, and Maddie brought out a game Rachel had never heard of.
“Quelf? I’ve never played.”
Cameron slid away from the table. “Really, you guys? Can’t we just play a good ol’ fashioned game of poker with M&M’s or something?”
Typical male. Heaven forbid he play a game that didn’t involve burping or betting. Rachel dropped back into a chair and plucked the lid off the box, resigned to the idea of a game night against her will. It had nothing to do with the fact the man in question didn’t want to play. Nothing at all… “I’m sure it’s fun.”
Cameron glanced at her, eyebrows raised. She turned her eyes to the table. Eye contact would only encourage him.
And besides, his eyes made it feel like she was starting into dark, yummy chocolate, and she’d do well to refrain from looking at them.
Maddie took the board out and spread it on the table. “It’s a hilarious game. I call the red one.”
Cameron mumbled something under his breath. The only phrase she thought she understood was look-like-an-idiot. She glanced at the game. It couldn’t be
much worse than Charades or Catch Phrase or something, right?
Reuben passed the rules to Rachel. “Take a look. But basically, you roll the die. Whatever color you land on, that’s the card you pick. Do what the card says. If you can’t, won’t, or get the question wrong, you pay the penalty listed. Some of them are group cards, where we all have to participate.”
Sounded harmless enough.
A few minutes later, after she’d glanced over the rules, they started with Cameron.
He rolled the die and landed on red.
She glanced at the instructions. Scatterbrainz. They had to pick a topic and go around the table to add items to the list. Whoever couldn’t think of one paid the penalty.
Cameron sighed. “Great. List brands of lipstick. Uh, Covergirl?”
Okay. Easy so far. She was next. “Revlon.”
Reuben groaned. “I have no clue. Old Spice?”
Maddie punched him in the arm. “You know good and well that isn’t right.”
He only shrugged. “At least my man card is still intact, unlike Mr. Covergirl over there.”
Cameron’s face turned a light shade of red underneath his freckles. Poor guy. “Hey, at least I didn’t lose a point.” He turned to Rachel and held out the die in his hand. “You’re up.”
She plucked them out of his palm, her fingers grazing his skin.
For a moment, the tips of her fingers warmed. But that was crazy. He was just a guy, one she had no interest in. Ignoring the odd sensation, she tossed the die and counted out the spaces.
Anxious to get the game over with, beat Cameron, and go home, she read the blue card aloud. “Whenever someone fails a task, make a—”
Did that say what she thought it said?
“You guys, I’m not doing this. It’s ridiculous.”
Cameron leaned close to try and read her card, his arm brushing hers. The scent of soap tickled her nose. No cologne. Interesting. A bit refreshing actually.
She snatched the card back and leaned away. She shouldn’t care whether he used cologne or not. And she shouldn’t like the warmth that lingered on her arm either. Turning the card face down, she shoved it to the side, away from Cameron. “I am not making a toilet flushing sound every time you all lose your turn. That’s just stupid.”
His brown eyes trapped her in a dare, humor dancing in their depths. “What, you too prim and proper to imitate a flushing toilet? Girls flush toilets too, you know.”
She blinked and lifted her chin. She was right. Tall red-headed men were jerks, regardless of how utterly attractive they were. “Fine, whatever. My turn is over. You guys better not fail a task.”
Reuben and Maddie both took their turns making fools out of themselves, then it was Goliath’s turn again. He got a Quizzle card. The card where he answers a multiple-choice question, with most of the answers being quite crazy.
Reuben read him the question.
Cameron answered A, but the answer was clearly B.
Everyone looked at Rachel.
She sat back. “What? He’s the one who messed up.”
Cameron pointed to her game piece, which sat three spaces ahead of everyone else. “Fine, but you’ll have to go back. If you want to lose, go right ahead.”
The man was officially on her I wouldn’t date you if you were the last man on earth list. It was the second time he had dared her.
And it would be the last, if she had any say in the matter. She’d done the whole “dare” thing with men before. It had lured her in with Jared, and look where that had left her.
No. She was taking the safe route this time. Cameron and those eyes that seemed to roam to her more often than proper were definitely dangerous, and definitely off limits.
This time. She’d take the dare this time only, and then no more. It was only a silly game, after all.
Rachel took a breath, held up her index finger, and pretended to push a button. Then she made the loudest, most obnoxious gurgle and swooshing sound she could muster.
Just as she was imitating the tank filling back up just to add a little extra proof of her mastery, the doorbell rang.
Saved by the pizza.
Three
“Zack, it was great talking to you today. See you next week?” Rachel stood and held the door for the twelve-year-old.
The young man, dusty brown hair brushing the bottom of his eyebrows, stuffed his hands in his pockets and shrugged, a frown firmly in place. “Sure. Whatever.”
She smiled. So very typical of teens she worked with. But their conversation had been a good one, and she prayed somehow it made a difference.
His mom, a tired smile on her lips, stood from her chair in the waiting room and nodded to Rachel as they headed out the door.
Rachel rested her hands on her hips, watching them leave. Her first session in her new job was complete. She’d counseled more teens than she could count in the last few years, but there was something humbling about meeting a new kid who was struggling like she had years ago. Her parents had done their best to “discipline” the struggles out of her, but her anger issues were so deeply rooted, their methods only made her worse.
Zack’s case was no different. His dad had died when he was only a toddler, but a lot of the issues he dealt with now that he was approaching those critical teenage years stemmed from that trauma. The kid was angry. So very angry.
She turned on her heel to return to her office, but the receptionist called her back. “Rachel, Serena wanted to see you after Zack left.”
Rachel nodded at the former client who now worked for them part-time. “Thanks, Becca. Is she in her office?”
The young woman nodded. “Yup.”
Switching directions, she headed to the other side of the small waiting room to the director’s office and tapped on the door, then opened it a foot. “Serena, you needed to see me?”
The older woman motioned her forward. Her hair was so gray it was almost pure white and made her look more regal than aged. She wore a tailored suit, the picture of professionalism. Much different than Rachel’s own skinny jeans and vintage lacy top with a cami underneath. Professional was never really a look she was comfortable wearing, and thankfully, since she worked with teens all day, it wasn’t expected. “Yes, yes. Have a seat. How’d things go with Zack?”
Rachel plopped into one of the seats across the desk. “Great. He’s a tough guy, as you said.”
Her boss smiled. “I warned you. Melissa believed it was all a charade, and I tend to agree.”
She nodded. The boy was putting up a nice hard front to cover up a lot of deep feelings inside. “Me too. He’ll get there.”
“I’m glad it went well. I knew you’d be perfect for him.”
Her confidence inched up a notch. She was sure she could do this job. But this morning, she’d doubted. What if she screwed up? Said the wrong thing? Ruined the kid’s life?
Stupid fears, she knew. But for Serena to have faith in her meant a lot. “Thanks. Well, I need to get back to my office. I have some paperwork to do and want to review Gavin’s case before he gets here this afternoon.” She only had two meetings today. Easing into things a bit. But she wanted to be prepared, especially since this was their first meeting.
Serena sat back in her chair and clasped her hands in front of her. “Actually, I called you in here for something else. I have a project for you. The last few years, we’ve been the main sponsor and coordinator for a youth event here in town. We make it a pretty big to-do and let the youth of the center be involved by letting them and their friends help put it together. Your predecessor was always the one who planned it, so I thought I’d give you the honors.”
Rachel sat forward, a mixture of confusion and excitement swirling in her belly. To be trusted to coordinate an event seemed like a really big deal, but why would they want her? She was brand spanking new to both the center and to Sandwich. She had her hands full learning her new clients’ cases and setting up her house. Not to mention she knew nothing about the festiva
l so would be flying blind. “I’m—honored you’d ask me. But wouldn’t one of the other counselors be a better fit?” It grated on her to even ask. But it just didn’t make sense.
“None of the other counselors have time. Your load is lighter since you’re new, and they’ve been covering extra since Melissa left.”
Rachel’s half-painted wall flashed in her mind. At this rate, she’d get it finished maybe sometime this century, not to mention the other billion projects she wanted to do to her new house.
The moment she thought it, she chastised herself. How selfish could she get? This wasn’t about her. It was about the youth. Helping them was her passion and was far more important than any dumb wall. A festival to get the youth involved and have something positive and fun for them to do besides getting into trouble was brilliant.
“I love the idea. I really do. I’m just worried since I’ve never been to it before and honestly have no idea where to start.”
Serena tapped her fingers on her desk. “I already anticipated that problem. We had a volunteer help us last year and it worked out fabulously. I’ve already asked him if he’d be willing to help again this year. He’s the Big Brother to one of our clients here.”
Lovely. Probably some cocky college age punk. Then another “Big Brother” with red hair and a smile that was just way too handsome popped into her thoughts.
Her heart galloped. No. No, it couldn’t be. God wouldn’t send exactly what she did not want to invade her life like this, right? She’d done the nice thing at dinner the other night. Made small talk, tried not to be rude.
Maddie.
Rachel gritted her teeth. God wouldn’t do this, but the whole situation reeked of scheming, matchmaking Maddie.
Don’t put the cart before the mule. She didn’t know for sure it was Cameron.
Serena glanced at her watch. “I asked him to meet us here at—”
A knock on the door interrupted her, and a male voice filtered into the room. “Sorry I’m late.”
If it wouldn’t have looked like she needed to be committed into a mental institution, Rachel would have pounded her head on the desk in front of her repeatedly. Visions of hours stuck in the same room with a guy who both repulsed and attracted her at the same time danced the Paso Doble in her head.
A Side of Faith, Hope and Love: The Sandwich Romance Novella Collection Page 2