by LuAnn McLane
22
Who’s Your Daddy?
CAM TOWEL-DRIED HIS HAIR WHILE THINKING RANDOM thoughts about hitting a curveball, but as usual for the past week, his brain somehow switched over to Mia. He shook his head when the mirror showed evidence of how just thinking of her could instantly turn him on. Fighting this attraction was pointless, he reasoned with a grin when the sound of his ring tone cut into his thoughts. With a grumble of impatience he hurried into his bedroom and picked the phone up from his nightstand.
When Cam spotted Noah Falcon’s name on the small screen he frowned and quickly picked up. “Hello.”
“Hi, Cam, what’s up?”
Cam arched an eyebrow and looked down. “Not much,” he answered but wondered why he was getting this call.
“Are you with Mia right now?”
“No.” Cam felt a bit of alarm and sat down on his bed. “Why? Is she okay?”
“As far as I know … but I have to tell you something.”
“Okay.” A hard knot formed in his stomach at Noah’s formal tone.
“This stays between us. And I really mean it.”
“Understood.”
“Mia’s real last name isn’t Money. It’s Monroe. She’s Mitch Monroe’s daughter.”
“Mitch Monroe as in the famous rich dude?” Cam raked his fingers through his damp hair and waited.
“Yes, as in the famous rich dude,” Noah replied with an edge of laughter in his tone, but Cam failed to feel the humor. “Mitch is a silent partner in the baseball complex. He’s also an investor in the strip mall down by the riverfront, among other things.”
“Seriously?” Cam didn’t want to believe that Mia was wealthy.
“Yeah. Listen, if you’ve seen someone following her, it is a private detective who is keeping an eye on her for Mitch, so don’t be alarmed and kick his ass.”
“Oh,” Cam said a bit tightly, feeling a flash of anger. To think he was worried about her welfare! “So … why is Mia Monroe playing this little game of pretend?”
“Well …” Noah hesitated for a second. “I probably shouldn’t tell you personal information about the situation, but you seem to really care about Mia, and I have orders from Olivia to tell you not to let this come between you or alter how you feel about her. I personally don’t think it’s any of my business, but Olivia and Madison seem to have this sort of intuition where it comes to matchmaking, and they’d both have my ass in a sling if I didn’t tell you to give Mia a chance to explain.”
Cam laughed without humor. “You mean to explain why she has been lying not only to me but to this whole town? To people who stuck their necks out, gave her jobs and money, and most of all had faith in her, and all along she was playing a little rich-girl game of pretend until she goes back to … whatever she does, or should I say doesn’t do? Is this a reality show or something?”
“Calm down, Cam.”
Cam shook his head up at the ceiling but then took a deep breath. “Why are you telling me this?”
“Because I want you to drive Mia to Nashville tomorrow to pick up Cat Carson. She’s opening for Toby Keith and needs a ride here to Cricket Creek. If someone recognized her there, I didn’t want you to be blindsided.”
“You’ve got to be kidding.”
“Mia’s beat-up old Toyota is ready, but Mitch doesn’t trust it. I assured him that you would take Mia in that SUV I’ve seen you driving.”
“Okay, answer me this. Why in the hell was Mia driving that old car anyway?” Cam gripped his phone so hard he was surprised he didn’t crush it. He remembered watching her scramble for loose change to pay for her lunch. It didn’t make sense.
Noah sighed. “This is personal information that I shouldn’t be telling you, but since you’re spitting mad, I’ll explain a few things.”
“Okay, that would be nice.” He leaned against the pillows and sighed. At least the mystery surrounding her was going to be solved.
“Mia overheard her father in a phone conversation with Hanover Candy, a Chicago-based family-run company. The owner is a family friend and Mia mistakenly thought her father was in the middle of a hostile takeover. According to Mitch, she went into orbit.”
“Why didn’t her father just explain?”
“Apparently he tried. When Mia stomped out he decided to let her venture out on her own to see how long she would last before coming back home.”
“Okay …” Cam was trying to wrap his brain around all of this and was having trouble. “So is Mitch Monroe here in town?”
“Yes, he’s been coming to Cricket Creek on the sly. He’s a friend of Nicolina Diamante’s and he’s assisting her in the opening of her jewelry store.”
“So, he’s been staying with Nicolina?” It sounded as if they were more than friends, but Cam kept his mouth shut.
“Yes, but again this stays between us.”
Cam thought about Mia thinking she had spotted her father in the park the night they went for ice cream and sighed again. This was all too crazy.
“Cam, I’m sure that Mia wanted to keep her identity a secret so that she could make it on her own and not as Mitch Monroe’s daughter.”
“But you knew? That’s why you hired her?”
“No, I hired her because she came to my rescue and landed Cat Carson to sing before the game on Saturday. I figured it out, though.”
“And does she know this?”
“No. And I want to keep it that way until after opening day. It’s her father’s wish. He doesn’t want to screw up all that she’s worked for by upsetting her.”
“Sorry … but this is fucked-up.”
“Yeah, probably, but it’s also about a father’s love for his daughter. She wants to prove herself, I’m sure, and I can tell you for the past week she has worked her tail off. She’s going to be good, Cam. Mia deserves this job. Actually, she did a lot for her father and he pretty much took her for granted. He admitted as much to me. I’m sure that Mia just wants to be taken seriously.”
Cam thought back to some of her comments, and it all suddenly made perfect sense.
“Everything will come out in the open on Saturday. For now, all you need to do is take Mia to Nashville tomorrow after practice and the team meeting. Practice is called off on Friday so you guys can rest. Just be back in time for the parade on Saturday.”
“You mean I’m supposed to spend the night in Nashville?”
“That’s the plan that Mia has with Cat. Hey, I’ll pay for everything. Just keep your receipts. It will be fun.”
“What if Mia doesn’t want me to go along?”
“I have a feeling that you can persuade her.”
“What if I don’t want to?”
“I’m asking this as a favor.”
Cam closed his eyes and took another deep breath. Noah Falcon was giving him the chance of a lifetime by letting him play for the team. How could he refuse?
“Look,” Noah said, and all teasing was gone from his tone, “I know that you care about Mia.”
“I care about Mia Money. I don’t even know Mia Monroe.”
“How you feel about her is pretty transparent. Is her name really all that important? Listen, Mia talks about you all the damn time. This was kind of shitty not knowing who she really was, but get over it, Cam. She’s a sweet girl.”
“Easier said than done,” he admitted.
“Well, then, let me ask you this. Would you have gotten involved with her had you known who she really was?”
“No, probably not,” Cam answered honestly. “But the question now is, do I want to be involved with the daughter of a billionaire?”
“Um, too late, you already are.”
Cam shook his head. “This changes everything.”
“Does it? Look, I’m not trying to be funny under the circumstances, but money has nothing to do with it. You fell for Mia, period. Who cares about the rest? Olivia was all hung up on the fact that I was a celebrity, and she had preconceived ideas about what I was all about. Man, I’m
telling ya, it doesn’t mean a thing. I’m just sayin’.”
Cam had to grin. “Word has it that you’re totally whipped.” After he said it, Cam worried that he’d offended Noah.
When Noah chuckled, Cam was relieved. “I am,” Noah said. “I fully admit it. I would do anything for Olivia. If you love someone, everything else is crap.”
Cam laughed, suddenly feeling a little bit better about the situation. “Can I tweet that?”
“Hell, I don’t care. Like I said, Olivia thought that because I was a pro baseball player and a soap star, I was going to be an arrogant ass. She remembered how cocky I was back in high school when she was my English tutor.”
“She tutored you?”
“Yeah, and I was intimidated by her brains. I thought she was going to think as an adult I was a still a dumb jock, but with money.”
“So how did you get past it?”
“Olivia brought out the best in me, and moving back here was the right choice. I rediscovered my love for the fundamentals of baseball and small-town life. It just feels right here.”
Cam sighed up at the ceiling. “I knew there was something about Mia that I just didn’t know. Nothing fit.”
“Listen, Cam, we’re all a product of our past and carry some baggage.”
“Yeah, but her baggage is designer.” Cam shook his head. “Me? I’m a duffel bag. I had a deadbeat dad and a mother who resented me for living. Mia Monroe and I are on total opposite sides of the tracks. I cleaned pools for rich people like her.”
“Maybe you shouldn’t judge somebody for how much money they do or don’t make.”
“It’s hard not to.”
Cam heard Noah sigh. “Well, I’m running my mouth off when I probably shouldn’t, but I’ll tell you this much anyway. I’ve known Mitch Monroe for a long time, and he’s a straight-up guy. But he admitted that he regrets that Mia was pretty much raised by nannies while he was off making millions.”
“Mia’s mother must have been some piece of work.”
“She ran off with another man when Mitch’s first company hit the skids.”
“Yeah, Mia told me she’d left them for a guy with more money. What kind of mother does that?” Cam felt anger rise in his throat. Again he thought back to some of Mia’s comments, and it all fell into place. Cam knew all too well how it felt not to be wanted, and he could relate. Pain and rejection are the same, no matter who you are. “I guess money can’t buy happiness,” Cam said, thinking back to some of the people he’d worked for as a kid.
“Well, if I’m right, and I think I am, you have the talent to make it to the major leagues. Let me ask you this: Are you going to change when you’re making big bucks?”
Cam was surprised by the unexpected question and sat up straighter. “Hell no.”
“I’ve seen that happen all too often,” Noah said slowly. “My point is that money can make you arrogant and poverty can make you angry. But in the end we’re all just people. We all bleed red.”
“You’re telling me to treat Mia the same way I have been all along, aren’t you?”
Cam imagined Noah’s crooked grin. “I shouldn’t be butting my nose in where it doesn’t belong, but yeah. I guess it comes from being in a small town where we make it our business to know everybody’s business. Olivia and Madison are matchmakers, and they learned what they know from Myra. It’s a small-town, southern thing. Meddling is their job. Or at least they think so. Sorry if I’ve overstepped my bounds.”
“I respect your advice no matter what it’s about,” Cam admitted. “And you’re right about the money thing. It shouldn’t matter … but I won’t lie. It will take some getting used to.”
“No doubt.”
“But I’ll take Mia to Nashville to pick up Cat Carson. And I’ll keep quiet about knowing her true identity.”
“Thanks.” He could hear the relief in Noah’s voice. “It will all work out in the end.”
“You mean it will all come out in the end.” Cam was trying to joke, but he didn’t like Mia not knowing that everyone was onto her little scheme.
“Yeah, that too. But I really think we should let father and daughter work it out.”
“I guess you’re right,” Cam said, but he wasn’t at all sure.
“Look, get a good night’s rest. Tomorrow’s practice is going to be a tough one. You can leave for Nashville late in the afternoon but get there in time to have some fun. I appreciate you doing this. I’ve already come to care for Mia like a daughter.”
“Will do, Mr. Falcon. Trust me, I’ll watch over her.” After hanging up the phone, Cam leaned back against the pillows propped up against the headboard and crossed his ankles. He worried that Mia would be really upset when she learned not only that she had been followed but that her father had known her whereabouts all along and was actually in Cricket Creek. She would most likely think that Noah had hired her not on her own merit but because of who she was, and it was all Cam could do not to call her up and warn her. But then he told himself that Mia had gotten herself into this mess in the first place and would have to deal with the fallout of her little charade.
Cam searched for the anger he’d felt when Noah had disclosed who Mia really was, but it was gone. He had felt all along that something in her story was missing, and now he knew. She wasn’t in trouble or running from an ex-husband or boyfriend, only trying to prove herself to her father … or maybe even more than that, to herself. Cam had always felt the satisfaction of knowing all that he had accomplished he had done on his own. It had to be a pain in the ass for Mia not to feel that sense of pride about herself. He understood what she’d done and why, making it difficult to feel anything more than empathy.
Cam knew that it wasn’t going to be easy to not let on that he knew Mia’s real name, but he had made a promise to Noah Falcon and fully intended to keep it. He sighed and decided to grab a quick sandwich and hit the hay early. Noah was right. He was going to need a good night’s sleep. It was going to be a long, eventful weekend.
23
On the Road Again
MIA LOOKED OVER AT CAM AND TRIED NOT TO FROWN. They had traveled for several miles without exchanging more than a few words. He didn’t seem angry about anything, but there was something in his demeanor that was … different. With an inward sigh, she leaned forward to turn on the radio but then leaned back against the leather seat instead. There had to be something on his mind, and Mia was suddenly determined to get it out of him. “So are you excited about opening day?”
“Yeah, all but the parade. Throwing candy from a float shaped like a baseball bat isn’t exactly my thing.”
“Oh, don’t be such a party pooper.”
“Don’t ever say party pooper again.”
“Well, if the shoe fits … ,” Mia said and arched an eyebrow at him. This was more like the banter they had been exchanging lately, and she liked it a lot. “I hear that the town loves the parade and has been planning the event since the one last year. This is a small town, Cam. I think it’s sweet that everyone is looking forward to it so much. Madison said the whole town shuts down for opening day like it’s an actual declared holiday. Of course, she did say that so many people are in the parade this year that she thinks there will be as many townspeople in the parade as there will be watching.”
“I do know that everyone is excited about Cat Carson singing before the game. How do you know her anyway?”
Mia flicked a nervous glance out the window. “We met while working on a charity event a few years ago. She might be on the fast track to being famous, but Cat is fun to be around and down-to-earth. I simply pulled in a favor and Noah is giving money to her favorite charity.” She lifted one shoulder. “It was no big deal,” she insisted, looking back at Cam. She couldn’t see his eyes behind his mirrored aviators, but there was something strange in his tone. Perhaps he was intimated to hang out with a celebrity. “Hey, don’t be nervous. You’ll like Cat and we’ll have a blast tonight in Nashville.”
“I�
��m not nervous.”
“Good.” She smiled and was relieved to see him smile in return. She just wished she could see his eyes to try to figure out what was going on with him. There was definitely something different in his demeanor today, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. Maybe she should just simply ask him what was up.
“So you like country music?”
Mia nodded firmly. “Oh yeah.”
“You don’t seem the type.”
“I’m not a type,” she told him. “I like what I like and don’t pay attention to what my friends are listening to,” she continued, realizing that it was true. Her friends were always into whatever trend was hot, but Mia had always stayed with what she liked. Maybe that was why she always felt more like she was on the outside looking in and why after leaving town she really wasn’t missed. I don’t miss them, she thought with a shake of her head.
“I didn’t mean to sound rude,” Cam said. “And you’re right, I shouldn’t make assumptions. I guess I just pegged you wrong from the very beginning,” he said, and then gave her an expectant glance before turning his attention back to the highway.
Mia hesitated before answering. She knew that this could be her opportunity to come clean and tell him who she really was and why she had kept her identity a secret. She just wasn’t quite ready. What if being the daughter of Mitch Monroe chased him away? Mia swallowed hard and realized how much he had come to mean to her in such a short time. Losing Cam would be hard to handle. She took a deep breath and decided to keep the subject on safe ground. “I love the stories in country music. I’ve been to lots of concerts and I especially like Rascal Flatts and Keith Urban. I also really like Zac Brown Band and Kenny Chesney since they sing about the beach. The water is my happy place. You?”
“Yeah, I like country too, but I prefer old school like Hank Junior, Charlie Daniels, and George Straight. Kid Rock is awesome to work out to.”
“Well, they’ll play plenty of old school in places like Tootsies and the Stage.”
“So you’ve been to Nashville?” He slid Mia another sideways glance before turning his eyes back to the road. “You don’t seem like the honky-tonk kind of girl … Not that you’re a type,” he added with a grin.