Where I Belong

by Heather B. Moore

  She laughed at his appearance. His shirt was damp, and his hair was still dripping. She reached up and flicked away some of the water droplets. Cameron caught her hand and pulled her against him.

  “Not here,” she said, although she wanted nothing more than to kiss him again. She gave him a single kiss, then pulled away despite his groan of protest.

  “I’ll see you in there,” she said, then went into the main room.

  “Looks like you got caught in the rain,” Bea said as Jane retook her seat.

  Jane just smiled and continued with her watercolor. She sensed when Cameron came back into the room, but she didn’t turn around to look. Her phone buzzed, and she pulled it out of her purse.

  What are you doing later tonight? Cameron had texted.

  Jane wrote back: Soaking in a hot bath. My feet are freezing.

  I have a hot tub.

  Jane’s face warmed. I know.

  Do you want to come over?

  I probably shouldn’t, she wrote, then added, Tempting, though. The truth was, she hadn’t wrapped her mind around the fact that Cameron was here, and they were pretty much officially dating. Or at least, they’d better be.

  The offer stands if you change your mind, he wrote.

  She returned to her watercolor, and a few minutes later her phone buzzed again. Jane picked it up from the table. Cameron had texted: Do you want to come to Sunday dinner at my mom’s tomorrow night? It’s sort of a tradition. You can bring your dad too.

  Jane looked over at the card table. Sure enough, Cameron’s eyes were on her, and as their gazes met, he winked.

  Jane’s heart thumped, and she looked down at the phone. I’ll let you know.

  Say yes, Jane.

  She couldn’t stop herself from looking over at him again. The heat from his gaze made her feel like he was sitting next to her and not across the room. So, she returned to her phone and wrote: Yes.

  Cameron opened the doors before Jane could ring the doorbell to his mom’s house. He’d seen her car pull into the curved driveway while he was standing in the front living room. She’d come alone, and he wasn’t sure where her dad was, but he was glad to see her. She hadn’t gone out with him after game night, but they’d texted late into the night. And when she called him this morning when she woke up, they’d spent another hour on the phone. Cameron had quite enjoyed her morning voice.

  Tonight Jane wore a long turquoise sheath with a slit up to her thigh.

  “Is your dad not coming?” he asked as he reached for her hand and kissed her cheek. He breathed in summer blossoms.

  “He’s expecting a visit from a cousin who is passing through town,” Jane said. “I feel dumb not bringing anything.”

  “Believe me, my mom and Selena always go overboard,” Cameron said, leading her into the house. “I’m glad you came.” They walked into the living room, where his dad was sitting on the couch and flipping through a magazine.

  His dad shot to his feet. “Great to see you again, Jane,” he said, extending his hand.

  She stepped forward to shake his hand. “I appreciate the invitation.”

  Mr. Vance grinned. “We’re pleased that Cameron issued it. If he hadn’t, I would have.”

  She laughed, and Cameron was more than pleased about his family’s warm acceptance of Jane.

  His mom bustled into the room. “Cameron, can you slice the ham? Oh, Jane, you’re here. Welcome.” She looked about the room. “Is your father here?”

  Jane explained about her dad, then offered to help in the kitchen.

  “No, dear, you can sit and relax,” his mom said. “You’re our guest. Besides, Cameron is the designated meat carver.”

  Jane raised a brow, and Cameron said, “What she means is that when I’m here for dinner, my dad gets to put his feet up. I take care of any manly duties.”

  “Carving meat is manly?” Jane asked, a smirk on her face.

  His dad chuckled and said, “In this house it is. Carving meat and doing dishes.”

  Jane’s mouth curved into a smile, and Cameron could see she was pleased. That made him pleased.

  He felt reluctant to leave her, but he couldn’t just sit and stare at her while in the same room as his dad. So he followed his mom into the kitchen and set to work on slicing the glazed ham.

  “You know, Mom,” Cameron started, “they sell hams pre-sliced. Saw one at the grocery store.”

  “Of course they do,” she said. “But Selena says they dry out faster.”

  Selena came into the kitchen just then, carrying a pitcher of what looked like her famous strawberry lemonade. “Your mother’s right,” Selena said. “The juices stay inside the ham if you wait to slice it after it’s baked.”

  “All right, all right, I believe you,” Cameron said, refocusing on his task.

  “We like her,” his mom said in a quiet voice.

  He looked over to meet her gaze. “Jane?”

  His mom smiled. “Yes, Jane. I don’t know what’s going on between the two of you, but she’s welcome here anytime.”

  Cameron straightened. “Thanks, I like her too.”

  Selena laughed.

  “What’s funny?” he asked.

  “I think you more than like her, Cameron Vance,” Selena said with a knowing look. She picked up a tray of glasses. “When you’re finished with that, transfer it to the silver platter, then bring it outside. We’re eating on the deck.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Cameron said and earned himself another laugh.

  When Selena walked out of the kitchen, Cameron turned to his mom. She was stirring some sort of creamy pudding into a bowl of cut-up fruit.

  “Am I that transparent?” he asked. “I mean, Selena hasn’t even really seen us together.”

  “Oh, you’re transparent,” his mom said with a smile. “But I have no problem with that.” She set the bowl aside and rinsed off the spatula in the sink.

  Cameron exhaled. He was glad Jane had been willing to listen to him last night. This coming week, though, he was facing a doctor’s appointment with Crystal.

  “When’s the appointment?” his mom asked in a soft voice. It was like she could read his mind.

  “Wednesday afternoon,” he said. “I guess I’ll find out the due date at least.”

  His mom pressed her lips together in that pert way of hers. She dried off her hands and walked to the fridge. She opened the door and brought out a veggie tray she’d already put together. “Do you want me to come with you?”

  “No,” he said. “I don’t want to involve anyone else at this point, unless I have to.”

  His mom nodded. “If you change your mind, let me know. I could even stay in the waiting room.” She fetched a silver platter from a cupboard and set it by Cameron.

  He proceeded to transfer the sliced ham onto the platter. Then he carried it through the dining room and out the back doors that led to a massive deck.

  Selena and his mom had already set the table and put up the large umbrella to provide shade. The air had started to cool from the warm afternoon. His mom arrived behind him, carrying the fruit salad. Cameron went back inside to fetch more food.

  He wished he hadn’t started thinking about the doctor appointment with Crystal. He wasn’t looking forward to seeing her again. His mind veered into the questions his mom had asked him last week. What if Crystal was faking the pregnancy to get him back? But then, why would she tell him about her doctor appointment?

  He tried to shove those thoughts away as he carried out the rest of the stuff. On his final trip, Jane and his dad followed him outside. The seating arrangement wasn’t pre-planned, but Cameron ended up sitting across from Jane. He was more than happy to be able to see her from this angle, but he would have rather been sitting a lot closer.

  Jane gave him a sympathetic smile from across the table. Hmm. Maybe he was transparent.

  Selena sat and ate with the family as well. As long as Cameron could remember, his mom had always insisted that Selena join them for meals whe
n she was around.

  Most of the conversation during dinner was about the Fall Festival his mom was helping to coordinate for Pine Valley. She was on the planning committee, and Cameron listened while Jane offered some ideas that his mom seemed to like.

  He found himself loving the interaction between his mom and Jane. It was another thing to add to what he already liked about her.

  At the end of dinner, Cameron rose to his feet. “Well, I’m on dishes duty. I’ll just leave the rest of you to enjoy your dessert.”

  Jane met his gaze. “I’ll come and help.”

  “Oh, you don’t have to, Jane,” his mom cut in. “You’re our guest. And besides, Cameron is great at his job.”

  Jane smiled at his mom. “I want to help. I might be able to show him a thing or two.”

  “That’s right,” his dad said, piping in. “You do run a cleaning business. You can correct the fallacies of the Vance family.”

  Everyone laughed, and Cameron was more than happy to walk into the kitchen with Jane as they carried back the dishes. They made one more trip, then Cameron turned on the hot water in the sink and began to scrub the larger pans. He’d hand-dry them, then put the regular dishes into the dishwasher.

  Jane joined him at the sink after putting away the salt and pepper shakers and the fancy mustard his dad liked with the ham. Having her stand side by side with him made it too tempting to kiss her. So he did, just a little one.

  “Cameron, your hands are wet,” Jane said.

  “Sorry,” he said, removing his hands from her waist.

  She faced forward again and nudged him. “I didn’t know you were so domestic.”

  “At my own home, I’m pretty lazy.”

  Jane laughed. “You can get on my waiting list.”

  Cameron set a pan on the side board to drip dry while he found a kitchen towel. “You have a waiting list?”

  “Yeah, and I just put out a notice to hire someone part-time,” she said as she loaded the glasses into the top rack of the dishwasher. “Mondays and Fridays are killing me. Everyone wants their house cleaned either before or after the weekend.”

  Cameron started to dry the pan. “You work too hard.”

  She glanced up at him and paused. “I don’t mind the work, and I don’t work harder than anyone else I know. Look at your mom. She’d the hardest-working lady I know and probably doesn’t make a dime.”

  “True.” Cameron set the dry pan on the counter, then started scrubbing the next dish. He cast Jane a sideways glance. “Have you ever thought about going back to your art?”

  Jane sighed. “I’m rusty. I couldn’t just start painting for galleries. My education is way behind that of the other artists out there. This industry is about connections, and I’ve lost touch with pretty much anyone I used to know. Plus, I’m about a month away from moving out from my dad’s, and when I get back from work I can barely lift a finger. And even when I move out of my dad’s place, I’m still going to have to help him a lot.”

  “Maybe you can do art school part-time once you get someone hired to help you,” Cameron said.

  “Maybe. I’d have to raise the cleaning rates, though,” she said. “I don’t know if my clients would go for it.”

  “You’re worth it,” Cameron said. “I’ve never seen a better organized dishwasher.”

  Jane narrowed her eyes and swatted his arm, but he laughed and pulled her against him. She wrapped her arms about his neck, seeming not to mind his wet hands any more.

  He couldn’t resist kissing her again.

  “I thought you were doing dishes,” Selena said, coming into the room.

  Cameron broke away from Jane. He knew his face was heating up, but he wasn’t really embarrassed. Jane just laughed and turned back to the dishwasher.

  He caught sight of Selena’s smile.

  “You two are excused,” Selena said. “I’ll finish up in here.”

  “We’ve got it,” Cameron said.

  Selena folded her arms. “That wasn’t a request.”

  “All right, all right,” he said, reaching for a towel to dry his hands. He looked over at Jane. “Do you want to go on a walk or something?”

  “I’d love to.”

  He grabbed her hand and led her out of the kitchen, calling, “Thank you, Selena,” over his shoulder. Then he spoke to Jane. “There’s a pretty cool walking trail that winds above the neighborhood here,” he said as they stepped outside.

  “Sounds good to me.”

  They walked down the driveway, then to an access path that led to the walking trail. Pines towered overhead, lining both sides of the trail and providing plenty of shade.

  “This is really beautiful,” Jane said. “I didn’t even know this was here.” She snapped a couple of pictures with her cell phone.

  “My dad used to take me on walks here when I was younger. I guess it was a good chance for those deep father-son discussions.”

  “You two seem to have a great relationship,” she said.

  “Yeah, I got lucky,” Cameron said. “That’s why if I’m having a kid, I want to be involved in his or her life.”

  “I’m glad you feel that way,” Jane said.

  He slowed his step and slipped his arms around her. He gazed into her eyes—eyes that were so easy for him to get lost in. “You’re an amazing woman, Jane.”

  “I think you’re pretty amazing too,” she said, moving closer. “And you’ll make a great father.”

  “Your support really means a lot,” he said.

  She ran her fingers along the back of his neck, then tugged him closer.

  He obliged, not minding at all that Jane wanted to kiss him as much as he wanted to kiss her.

  Jane had been checking her phone off and on for an hour. Today was the day that Cameron was meeting Crystal at her doctor’s appointment. Jane had tried not to let her insecurities about Cameron creep in while she waited for his phone call. Ever since that night at the assisted living center, and their kisses in the rain, everything between them had been like a fairy tale. But Jane was a realist, and she knew the rainbow bubble would pop sometime.

  The doctor’s appointment would be a big dose of reality, for everyone.

  And Jane’s heart hurt to think about it. She was more than impressed that Cameron wanted to be equally involved in his baby’s life. But she also knew the bond a child created between a man and a woman was like nothing else. It was why she suspected her mother was so hurt when her dad remarried, and why her mom had never remarried herself.

  Her phone buzzed in her pocket, and she turned off the vacuum she’d been using at the Daleys’ house. But the text was from someone inquiring about the ad she’d posted on the Pine Valley website. She wrote back a quick reply with a possible interview time.

  Jane slid her phone into her pocket and turned the vacuum back on. The work was mundane and gave her plenty of time to think about Cameron. His family was great, and even though she and they existed in different spheres of life, his mom and dad had been nothing but accepting of her. And Cameron had been great with her dad. Jane didn’t worry about her own mom because her mom always ran toward dollar signs.

  Jane reached the edge of the area rug and switched off the vacuum. The Daley home had mostly wood floors, but Mrs. Daley liked the rugs vacuumed religiously.

  Another text came in, and Jane checked it. The job applicant had responded, agreeing to the interview time. Jane put the vacuum away, then went into the kitchen and started to methodically clean.

  By the time she was finished with the Daleys another hour had passed, which meant that Cameron should have definitely been out of the appointment, even if the office was running behind.

  She climbed into her car and tried not to think about what this delay could mean. Maybe the doctor was late, or maybe Cameron was talking to Crystal about future arrangements. Or maybe... She blinked against the stinging in her eyes.

  Once she reached her next client, an older woman who lived in a condo by herself, Jane re
solved to not think about Cameron and Crystal for the next hour. She cleaned Mrs. Burnett’s house with vigor, getting corners and areas that had likely not been cleaned since the place was built.

  She was a sweaty mess when she finished, but it had helped take her mind off things. Still, Cameron hadn’t called. Maybe he’d forgotten? Got caught up with business, or something? But they’d texted each other just that morning, and Cameron had said he’d call Jane after the appointment.

  Jane heaved a sigh and loaded her cleaning kit into the trunk of her car. Then she headed home to take a shower. She was grateful to find her dad on the phone with someone when she came into the house. She was too keyed up to have any sort of normal conversation with her dad; he’d know that something was off.

  She showered and dressed. Cameron still hadn’t called. Now she was annoyed. What was he doing? Why wasn’t he calling her? She couldn’t stand not knowing... even if the news was bad. She told her dad she was going to run some errands. Then she started her car and headed toward Cameron’s.

  She hoped he was home so that she could find out what was going on. But then again, if he was home, why hadn’t he called her?

  When she pulled up to his cabin, there were no lights on. So, maybe he wasn’t home. Was he still with Crystal?

  Jane sat in the car for a moment, then gathered up her courage and got out. She knocked on the front door. There was no sound or movement. The sound of an approaching car drew her attention, and she turned to see a car coming up the lane to the cabin. It took only seconds to figure out that it was Cameron.

  She wondered if he was alone, or maybe he and Crystal were in some deep conversation about their child.

  Jane felt like a fool showing up like this. She couldn’t move as she watched the car approach. By now, he would have seen her car parked to the side of the driveway. The garage door started to open, and Cameron pulled into the garage.

  Jane decided to wait on the porch until he went inside and shut the garage. Then she’d make her getaway. Suddenly she didn’t want to confront him. Her tears were already starting, and she just needed to be by herself.