His arms tightened in a long hug and for a moment she thought he might kiss her, but he glanced quickly toward the Xterra, where Annalisa and Josh were waiting. “See you tomorrow,” he said softly and moved lightly down the steps toward the truck.
Cameron practically floated through the lobby and up the stairs to her room. Amazing the difference twelve hours can make. Twelve hours ago she was on her way to the Drake’s, stomach churning anticipating another run-in with Kyle.
Now her stomach was churning for an entirely different reason.
The phone rang and Cameron groaned when she recognized Dotty’s ringtone. She ran her hands quickly through her hair before pressing the FaceTime button.
“What is going on out there?” Dotty snapped. Her eyes narrowed as she assessed Cameron’s appearance. “What happened to you?”
“Uh … I went for a walk,” Cameron said, which wasn’t a lie. She snuck a peek at the mirror on the wall. Her hair was windblown and the beginnings of a sunburn was noticeable on her nose and cheeks.
“Joyce called and told me your girl missed her appointment to get her teeth whitened. What happened?” Dotty demanded.
“Annalisa’s teeth are fine. It seemed like an expense they don’t need.”
Dotty’s eyes blazed. “That’s not your call. Your job is to do everything in your power to make your girl win the pageant and if it means teeth whitening, it means teeth whitening. Can you get her in tomorrow?”
“I can try. Tomorrow is dress rehearsal so –”
“I don’t want excuses; I want results.” Dotty snapped. “I assume you’re in contact with the judges?”
Cameron felt a surge of guilt. “Uh, yes. Well, I talked to one. I’m hoping to meet the others while Annalisa is at dress rehearsal. She won’t need me to be there the whole time.”
Dotty was quiet, her eyes seeming to stare directly into Cameron’s soul. “I have to be honest, Cameron,” she said finally, “I’m beginning to wonder if you have what it takes to be a Westbrooke coach.”
Cameron’s ears started ringing and she swallowed hard, fighting to keep control. “I definitely do, it’s just been a bit crazier than I expected,” she said quickly. “But I’ll fix it, I promise.”
“See that you do,” Dotty snapped and the screen went blank.
Cameron flung herself backward onto the mattress. She didn’t want to think about Dotty and the judges and the stupid pageant. She wanted to think about the way Kyle’s eyes twinkled at her when he laughed and how broad his shoulders felt and how strong his hands were around her legs when he carried her. She wanted to think about the way the stubble on his jaw caught the sunshine and imagine how it would feel to press her lips against its roughness.
Chapter 10
The air was chilly the next morning when Cameron wrestled the door to the auditorium open and held it with her foot. “Go ahead,” she motioned to Annalisa. They were both weighed down with armloads of Annalisa’s pageant clothes covered in dry cleaning bags. The evening gown was still in the car, safe in its own heavy duty plastic sheath.
Cameron paused on the stage to inspect the decorations Melodee had put up yesterday. A curtain of shiny gold tinsel hung along the back curtain and large stars covered in silver foil dangled from fishing line, spinning softly in the draughts from the fly system. A set of risers ran in front of the foil curtain and a carpeted runway the same height as the stage stretched to the first row of seats in the auditorium. The risers and the runway were bordered in more gold tinsel. Fake Christmas trees strung with white lights were clustered along both sides of the stage.
“Not bad,” Cameron gave her approval. It was no national pageant, but they’d done the best they could on what was probably a small budget.
Murmured voices were coming from the dressing room and they moved toward it. Mirrors surrounded by lights hung over long narrow counters along one wall and portable clothing racks jutted out from the opposite wall, forming aisles. A few of the racks were already taken, but most were still empty. Tamera Marino and Cindi Jacobson were sitting on folding chairs applying makeup. They looked up with mumbled greetings.
“Where is everyone else?” Annalisa asked.
“Roll call isn’t for another ten minutes,” Tamera shrugged. “You know how everyone always wants to breeze in at the last minute. I haven’t even seen Melodee yet.”
Sensing Annalisa’s nervousness, Cameron pushed past her. “Let’s get you set up; is over here okay?” she said brightly as she hung Annalisa’s clothes on the rack farthest from the door.
More girls arrived and soon the dressing room was loud as everyone hurried to get ready. A few held themselves apart, but Cameron noted a general air of camaraderie and friendship. Apparently most of the contestants didn’t share Joyce’s or Dotty’s view that this was a cutthroat competition.
Melodee arrived a few minutes later and, after leading everyone in a prayer for a productive day, instructed the girls to be ready to rehearse the opening number.
“I’ll be backstage during the competition, but today I’ll sit in the audience and watch, okay?” Cameron told Annalisa.
“Okay,” Annalisa agreed. Her shoulders were hunched and she gnawed on her bottom lip.
“Relax,” Cameron said lightly. “You’re going to be great, don’t sweat it.”
***
Cameron sat on the back row of the auditorium watching Annalisa and scribbling notes on a sheet of paper. It was dark and hard to see, her handwriting was going to be atrocious; hopefully she’d be able to decipher it.
They went through the opening number twice and then changed into their fitness clothes. Each girl came out and walked the runway while Melodee read a brief bio.
“Next is Annalisa Drake,” Melodee announced. Annalisa appeared and stood on the first mark, her hand on her hip and a confident smile on her face. She looked fabulous in her electric blue sports bra, black yoga pants, and hot pink running shoes.
“Annalisa is a cheerleader at Snow Valley High and in her spare time she likes to run, ride horses, play her violin, and go hiking. She is hoping to become a nurse,” Melodee read and Annalisa moved around the stage and down the runway, hitting each mark. Cameron was scribbling SMILE!! on her paper when her text alert dinged. She glanced down and her heart leapt when she saw it was Kyle.
How’s she doing?
She accidentally set the stage on fire, but it’s all good now. Under control. Minimal damage.
Har de har. OK if I come by?
Cameron’s heart soared. Only if you bring food. We’re supposed to break for lunch at 12:30.
You got it. See you soon.
Cameron’s mind drifted as the other contestants modeled their outfits. Everyone stayed onstage during this portion, so after their turn, they each took a spot on the risers. Annalisa was second from the left. Now that she wasn’t the focus of attention, she seemed to have wilted and stared into the dark auditorium with dead eyes and a resigned expression.
Cameron sighed. As the coach, she should be pushing Annalisa to do her best; she’d already had three text reminders from Dotty today that her job might be on the line if she didn’t. But in light of what Kyle had said yesterday, what was her obligation now? She certainly didn’t want to push the girl to a breakdown.
***
Ten minutes later, the back door to the auditorium swung open and she turned to see Kyle, carrying a large cardboard box in one hand and a drink carrier in the other. He paused for a minute while his eyes adjusted to the dimness and when he saw Cameron, he grinned.
A shiver of anticipation shot through her.
“How’s it going?” he took the seat beside her, balancing the food on his knees.
“Pretty good. Is that food?” she reached eagerly toward the box.
He chuckled and handed it over. “Yup. Big C’s finest burgers and fries. And shakes of course. You can’t go to Big C’s and not get shakes.”
Cameron’s mouth watered at the sight of three thick, juicy burge
rs wrapped in paper sleeves and loaded with toppings. The other half of the box was full of golden French fries.
“I didn’t know what you liked so I went for the basics,” Kyle said.
“They look terrific,” Cameron popped a French fry into her mouth and sighed in satisfaction. “Perfect. Now about those shakes …”
“Chocolate, strawberry, or vanilla,” he said, holding out the tray. “Not too adventurous, I admit, but what can I say, I’m a simple man with simple tastes.”
Cameron picked the strawberry shake and turned her attention back to the fries.
“Kyle, there are two kinds of people in the world,” she said as she tore open a ketchup packet. “Those who dip and those who drown. Which kind are you?” He opened his mouth to reply and she held up her hand in warning. “Think carefully before you answer. This could be a deal breaker.”
His eyes danced. “Ohh, so the trick is to figure out what you want me to say, right, not what I really think?” he said and laughed at her indignant huff. “I pay attention Miss Pageant Coach.”
Cameron’s ketchup packet hovered over the pile of fries. “Better think fast,” she warned as she began to squeeze.
“All right, all right …. dip!” Kyle replied.
She smiled and squeezed the ketchup into a mound in the corner of the box. “Good answer.”
They enjoyed the delicious burgers and fries, taking care to save enough for Annalisa, who was still stuck on stage. One of the contestants had come out on roller skates and crashed into the risers. Now she sat nursing a bruised shin while Melodee repaired the torn tinsel.
Kyle checked his watch. “I thought they were supposed to take a break,” he said.
“Mrs. Melodee McGrath scoffs at the schedule, even if she’s the one who wrote it,” Cameron said.
“Unlike you then?” Kyle teased as he stirred his chocolate shake.
“I have my moments,” Cameron replied loftily.
They watched Annalisa fidget while she waited for the repairs to end.
“What happens next year, when she graduates?” Cameron asked after she’d swallowed the last bite of her burger.
“She goes to school, gets away from home, and hopefully finds herself. At least that’s my plan,” Kyle replied. Then he grimaced. “That’s going to be a lot harder if she’s Miss Snow Valley. Can you even imagine how my mother will be if they’re prepping for Miss Montana?”
“And what about you? If she wins?”
He crumpled his empty burger sleeve and napkin in his fist. “I’ll be the hometown gym teacher for a while longer, I guess.”
Cameron felt the ache of guilt. Would she be responsible for helping derail not one, but two lives?
They squinted at the slab of light as someone came into the auditorium. It was Joyce.
“There you are, how’s it going?” she asked. Her eyes slid over the empty fast food wrappers, the three shakes, and the extra burger and pile of fries in the cardboard box. “I hope that’s not for Annalisa,” she said tightly. “You know she’s on a diet.”
There was a beat of tension and the muscles in Kyle’s jaw clenched.
“Actually it’s mine,” Cameron said quickly and scooped up the burger.
Joyce’s gaze moved from the empty wrapper sitting by Cameron’s side, to the burger in her hands, and then to her thighs. The message was clear. “Yours?”
“I’m a bit of a nervous eater,” Cameron said with a rueful laugh. She didn’t take her eyes off Joyce as she brought the burger to her mouth for a bite.
“Three milkshakes?” Joyce demanded.
“I didn’t know what flavor Cameron liked,” Kyle put in. “There’s a vanilla left, do you want it?”
Joyce shook her head and almost absentmindedly smoothed her hands over her flat stomach. Cameron chewed slowly, hoping Joyce wouldn’t stay long. She already felt stuffed.
Joyce turned her attention to the stage, where Melodee directed the girls through the runway walk one more time. The contestant with the roller skates now had them slung over her shoulder. Annalisa stood stiffly on her mark.
“She’s like a mannequin,” Joyce said critically.
“She’s fine,” Cameron replied. “She’s just tired and she needs to eat.” Joyce glanced at the burger and Cameron slowly raised it for another bite. One stomachache, coming up.
Joyce nodded and checked her watch. “I need to get back to work; tell her to loosen up.”
“No problem,” Cameron said around the mouthful of burger. Joyce’s lips tightened in disapproval, but she didn’t say anything more and left the auditorium, letting the door bang closed behind her.
Kyle burst out laughing. “Nervous eater, huh?”
Cameron set the remainder of the burger in the box. “I’m going to die,” she groaned, wrapping her arms around her middle. “It’s going to take hours on the treadmill to make up for this.”
Kyle looped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her toward him in for a one-armed hug. “Thanks for covering for me.”
Impending stomachache? Totally worth it.
Chapter 11
Cameron’s alarm went off at six the next morning, but she was already awake. She’d been awake for more than an hour, lying in bed staring at the wall and thinking. It was pageant day, less than sixteen hours and it would all be over. Annalisa would either be Miss Snow Valley or she wouldn’t, Joyce would either be ecstatic or she wouldn’t, and Cameron would either be promoted or she wouldn’t.
She should be thinking through all the last minute details and planning for every possible scenario, from a ripped seam or a broken heel to a contestant who became so nervous she threw up every time she came off stage. That had happened last year at the Miss Rhode Island pageant and now every Westbrooke coach traveled with an ample supply of barf bags.
But Cameron was thinking about Kyle. About his hugs, his laugh, the twinkle in his eye. The way he smiled at her. The way he had so matter-of-factly given away three years of his life and stood ready and willing to give away another year, or more, if his sister needed him.
Annalisa could win it, Cameron had no doubt. But should she win it? And Cameron could push or not push, her degree of intensity could determine the outcome of the pageant.
“Focus Cam,” she muttered as she threw back the covers and moved toward the shower. She was here to do a job. And Kyle may have warmed up to her and may flirt and tease with her, but in the end, wasn’t it all nothing? She would be on her way home in less than twenty-four hours. She couldn’t sacrifice her career because a hot guy with a sexy smile made her pulse jump.
***
Yesterday’s dress rehearsal was supposed to have been full hair and makeup, but even so, Cameron noticed everyone looked slightly better today. Makeup had been applied with a little more care, hair was styled a little more precisely, and clothes were ironed more sharply. Katie Innis and Tamera Marino had even brought their own hairdressers and they sat in front of the mirrors while the beauticians curled, teased and sprayed.
The atmosphere was equal parts tension and excitement. Some of the girls circulated, chatting and taking selfies, while others sat quietly as if gathering strength. Cameron still loved the anticipation, the air of possibility. Tonight would end with crushed dreams for some, but for one, it would end in a blaze of glory, and that was exciting.
Annalisa stood at the far end of the room while Joyce ran a lint roller over her pale blue suit. Her hair was caught in a simple twist at the nape of her neck – the glitzy pageant hair would come later tonight – and the suit accented her porcelain skin and slender figure. She looked … dreamy. They’d done it.
Dreamy, but not happy. There was a crease between her eyebrows and even from across the room Cameron could see the weariness in her eyes.
She checked the time, the luncheon with the judges would begin soon, after which would come personal interviews and then the private talent show. With the exception of the caterers and several chaperones hired by Melodee, no one els
e would be allowed in the school until the competition that evening. Dotty would probably have found a way in regardless, but Cameron was happy for the break. She’d done everything she could; it was out of her hands now.
“Time to go, ladies,” Melodee came buzzing into the room. “Do one final hair and makeup check and make sure there’s nothing in your teeth.”
Cameron crossed to Annalisa in time to catch Joyce’s instructions. “Don’t forget to smile, make eye contact, keep your head up, eat like a lady … or better yet, don’t eat at all – I don’t know why they have this silly luncheon anyway – you’re sure you can handle your hairstyle change for the talent portion?”
“Yes, Mom, I’ll be fine,” Annalisa sighed.
Cameron stepped forward and took Annalisa’s hands. “Look at me,” she said and when Annalisa raised her head, she stared into those incredible green eyes. “You’re talented, smart, gorgeous, and you’re going to be awesome. Got it?”
Annalisa bit her lip and nodded.
“Let’s go!” Melodee trilled and led the way out of the dressing room to the accompaniment of many pairs of high heels clacking across the wood floor.
Joyce sighed and rubbed her temples. “I can’t wait for this to be over. Stress is so hard on me.”
You? Cameron pictured Annalisa’s troubled eyes. Had she done the right thing?
“I think I’ll go home and take a nap,” Joyce said. “I hardly slept at all last night. What about you?”
Cameron shrugged. “I thought I’d go back to the hotel and find a comfy chair and a good book.”
***
The auditorium cleared out fast and soon Cameron was alone on the empty stage. She turned slowly in a circle, taking in the gold curtain, the dangling stars, the runway, and the empty seats in the audience. The room was still and quiet, as if holding its breath in anticipation for tonight’s competition.
“All you need is a tiara.”
Summer in Snow Valley (Snow Valley Romance Anthologies Book 2) Page 25