At first, she’d worked at the resort hotel as a maid, and one thing led to another as she took on a couple of private clients. Now she had her own maid service, and only herself as an employee, but Jane wouldn’t have it any other way. She could make sure that her dad ate nutritious meals and exercised twice a day, and in general her company staved off his gloomy moods. In turn, she was developing a relationship with him that she’d never had as a child, when it seemed all her parents did was fight.
Jane made her way to the cabin’s front porch and walked up the pine steps. The remodel was beautiful, and Jane enjoyed working and cleaning in such a beautiful home. She just felt a little sorry for Cameron Vance. Irony at its best, she decided. Why should she feel sorry for a fabulously wealthy, gorgeous man who was in the prime of his life? His parents seemed equally incredible.
And Jane could have easily finished cleaning up in about forty-five minutes last night if Crystal hadn’t kicked her out. Jane sighed and knocked on the front door, hoping that 8:30 a.m. wasn’t too early. But she had a full day of clients ahead of her, and this was the only time she could squeeze in the Vance cabin.
No one answered the door after her first knock. Crystal’s Mercedes wasn’t in its usual spot in the driveway, so she must have gone home last night. Jane wondered if she should just text Crystal that she’d stopped by, but then the door cracked open.
“Yes?” a scratchy male voice said. Then the door opened wider. “Oh, hi.”
It was obvious that Cameron Vance had just woken up. First, he wore only a pair of pajama bottoms. Jane refused to ogle his sculpted chest, refocusing on his face. He towered over her, his brown hair a messy mop that was sort of boyish and made him look younger. His light brown eyes were probably what Jane liked best about the man—if she was going to admit to liking anything about him. They were so expressive, clear, and strangely trustworthy. And that was saying something when he existed in the world of the social elite.
Jane had quit on clients who creeped her out just by the way they looked at her.
“I hope I didn’t wake you,” Jane rushed to say as she cringed inside. “I’m here to finish cleaning up from last night.”
“Did Crystal tell you to come back?” Cameron said.
“Yes, she told me to come this morning, but I can return later,” Jane said. “It probably won’t be until about 4:30 though.”
“No,” Cameron said. “You can come in now. I just didn’t know you were coming.” He opened the door wider, waiting for her to enter.
She hesitated.
“Come on,” he said, his voice sounding more normal and less hoarse now. “I haven’t had my coffee, but I won’t bite.”
Jane squared her shoulders and stepped past him, noticing how he still had a clean spice scent even though he likely hadn’t showered this morning. She liked a clean-smelling man. But that was neither here nor there. Not only was Cameron Vance way out of her league, he was marrying a trophy wife.
She walked through the living room to the kitchen, where she set her utility bag on the granite countertop. Then she did a slow spin and looked around. It was a lot cleaner than she’d left it. The empty containers and dirty cups and plates were all gone. The counters had been wiped off, and all Jane could see that needed to be done in the kitchen was sweeping and washing some serving utensils soaking in the sink.
Then the flashing lights on the dishwasher caught her eye—a cycle had already completed. She turned to see Cameron walking into the kitchen. He crossed to the far counter and turned on the coffee maker. He was still shirtless, and Jane couldn’t help but watch him reach for a coffee cup from the cupboard. He must lift weights, or run, or run and lift weights.
She swallowed. “Did you guys clean up last night? I didn’t do all of this.”
Cameron turned, coffee cup in hand. “I couldn’t sleep after... Well, I cleaned up the trash and loaded the dishwasher.” His mouth quirked into a half-smile, which sent a knot of fire through Jane’s stomach. “I can clean, you know. I’ve been taking out trash since I was about five years old.”
“I’ve no doubt that you can clean,” Jane said, then wanted to smack herself. What was she saying? She moved to the kitchen pantry, where the broom was stored. “I’ll just get started so I can get out of your way.” As her back was turned to Cameron, she heard the scrape of one of the barstools at the island. Was he going to sit down?
She grabbed the broom and turned. Yep. He was sitting at the island, running a hand through his hair. Was he going to just sit there and watch her clean? Would it be rude to ask him to put on a shirt?
She gripped the broom a little tighter than necessary as she started to sweep the room from the edges to the center by the stove. Yep. Cameron Vance was still sitting there, seeming lost in his thoughts.
He looked tired, she decided, more tired than he should after a great engagement party and probably an equally great late night with Crystal. He looked weary.
Jane knew it was none of her business, but she asked, “Are you all right, Mr. Vance?”
His head lifted, and he looked over at her.
Jane wondered how a man could still look so great with no grooming or shower. But his eyes were not quite right.
“Actually, I’m kind of a mess.” He gave a half-laugh that wasn’t humorous at all. “Crystal and I got into a pretty major fight last night. Turns out she booked our honeymoon to Italy behind my back.”
Jane didn’t reply. She hadn’t expected such a confession from a man she hardly knew. And she didn’t know what was good or bad in the world of the wealthy. A honeymoon to Italy sounded pretty extravagant, but maybe Crystal meant it as one of those huge surprises?
“I told her I could only take a four- or five-day honeymoon. September is end of quarter. She agreed to go to Vail. At least, I thought she did.” He rubbed a hand over his face. “Sorry. I’m rambling, and you probably don’t want to hear about my drama so early in the morning. I don’t even want to think about it myself.”
The coffeemaker timer went off.
“I’ll get that,” Jane said, moving toward the counter. She picked up his coffee mug and filled it, then set it in front of him.
“Thanks,” he said, staring down into the mug.
“Do you want anything added to it?” Jane asked, wishing she’d thought of it sooner.
“No, black is fine. Perfect for today, actually.” He took a sip, then grimaced. “Have you ever felt like your life is spinning out of control?”
Jane heard him but didn’t exactly know if he was talking to her. He spoke quietly, not looking at her. But her sympathy went out to him. No matter what she’d thought of him for being wealthy, she could see that he was discouraged right now.
She leaned against the counter. Then after a moment she said, “When I was fifteen and my parents divorced, I felt like the ground had swallowed me up. I was suddenly living in a tiny apartment with a very angry mother, and nothing I said or did was right. My parents made every decision for me and used me as a pawn in their bitterness.” She exhaled. She hadn’t meant to dump quite so much out there. But Cameron was studying her with interest. “I know it’s not the same thing,” she continued, “but I can maybe relate a little bit to feeling like things are moving faster than you want them to.”
Cameron nodded. “That’s exactly how I feel. Everything feels rushed—work, family, Crystal... I’m constantly trying to juggle a dozen different things at a time. The only reason I’m sitting here, wallowing in my coffee, is because you knocked on the door. My phone is upstairs, probably buzzing with a hundred emails and texts.”
Jane straightened. “Can you push the wedding back?”
“Ha. Ha.” Cameron deadpanned. “If only things were that simple.” He went back to staring into space again.
Jane moved quietly back to where she’d left the broom. She started sweeping again, and by the time she reached the kitchen table, Cameron stood and came over to pull out the chairs.
“You don’t
have to do that,” she said.
He shrugged. “I’ve always had a hard time watching someone cleaning up while I’m just sitting around.”
“Sitting around, avoiding your hundreds of emails and texts?”
His brown eyes crinkled at the corners, and he almost smiled. “Exactly.”
When Jane finished sweeping, she vacuumed the great room. Cameron was nowhere in sight when she was done. Even his coffee cup was rinsed out and sitting in the sink. She did a quick check of the backyard but only had to straighten some of the chairs. There was no garbage in sight. She took a moment to look at the beautiful pine trees climbing the hill behind the house. This cabin was really secluded, yet it felt like an estate at the same time.
She walked into the main house again just as Cameron was coming down the stairs.
His hair was damp, and he was wearing jeans and a faded-blue T-shirt. He’d obviously showered.
“I’ll get the door,” he said.
Jane hadn’t even heard it. She was finished working, though, and she went into the kitchen to grab her utility bag.
“Sweetheart,” she heard a woman say from the front room. Crystal’s voice.
Jane froze where she was, not wanting to interrupt their conversation by coming out of the kitchen.
“I tried to get here early before you had breakfast,” Crystal said. “Why aren’t you dressed?”
“What’s going on?” Cameron said, his tone sounding defensive.
“I brought you breakfast,” Crystal said, then suddenly she was walking into the kitchen. “I knew you’d be grumpy.” She stopped cold when she saw Jane, and Crystal’s smile dropped. “What are you doing here?”
“She’s cleaning up like you asked her to,” Cameron said, walking in behind Crystal, his arms folded. And he didn’t look happy.
Crystal’s eyes narrowed. “Oh, that’s right. You can go home now.”
Jane gave her best fake smile. “I was just leaving.”
She moved past Cameron, glad that she didn’t have to remain in Crystal’s presence any longer. As Jane walked to the front door, she felt Cameron’s gaze on her, but there was nothing she could do. Cameron had to work things out with Crystal on his own.
As Jane climbed into her car, she had to laugh at the crazy couple inside that beautiful cabin. Apparently having money brought nothing close to happiness.
Cameron had the strangest urge to ditch Crystal in his kitchen and catch a ride with Jane. He’d go wherever she was going. He just didn’t want to be where he was.
“So, I brought all your favorites—but you have to guess the theme,” Crystal said.
Cameron watched her pull out plastic containers from the large sack she carried.
“Sausage omelets, sourdough baguettes, soft cheese, spicy hot chocolate... do you get it?”
Cameron said nothing.
“It’s an Italian breakfast!” Crystal crossed to him and looped her arms about his neck. “Let’s kiss and make up. I talked to Lacey. She said that we could do a six-day honeymoon, and she’ll book us into hotels that have modern things like Wi-Fi.” She raised up on her toes so that she was eye to eye with Cameron. “Then you can work your little hiney off on our honeymoon while I’m gazing at the David statue.”
Cameron wrapped his hands around Crystal’s wrists and moved her arms down. She drew away, her brows furrowing as she went into full pout mode.
“Six days means eight days because of travel,” he said. “It also means I’ll be working when you’re sleeping.”
Crystal shrugged. “I’m sure it will all work out. Let’s just get there and play it by ear.”
He exhaled. “I don’t play my career by ear. I wouldn’t be living in this type of place if I did.”
“Just think of the food,” Crystal pressed. “I mean, it would be ten times better than this.”
She pointed to the food on the counter that was, frankly, churning Cameron’s stomach. Maybe he was coming down with something, but coffee was all that he could manage this morning.
Crystal was watching him closely, as if trying to determine how much she could push him. It frustrated him that she’d ignored his wishes and then gone behind his back to meet with a travel agent.
“Look, honey,” she said, moving close again. “Worst case, if you have to get back, we’ll change our flights and come home early.” She pressed herself against him and whispered in his ear, “We can always have a second honeymoon later.”
Cameron was tired. His headache was back. He needed more sleep. And maybe he should eat something. He also couldn’t believe he was about to give in to Crystal on this. “All right,” he said. “Tell the travel agent five days, four nights, and not a minute longer.”
Crystal squealed and threw her arms about him. She kissed him on the mouth, and Cameron wondered why, when he should have been feeling joy at planning a honeymoon in one of the most romantic places in the world, all he felt was frustration.
Crystal didn’t leave for another hour, and when she did, Cameron sat at the kitchen counter with his laptop while he worked through replying to about fifty emails. Not quite the hundreds he’d told Jane about. He smiled to himself when he thought about their conversation. If there was ever a woman more different than Crystal, it was Jane.
Life was interesting, he decided. One person’s life experiences could change a person. He thought of Jane being a pawn between her divorced parents. He supposed a lot of kids went through that sort of thing. He knew Crystal’s parents were divorced too, but she had never really brought up the topic. Whenever they were together, Crystal was focused on herself and Cameron. It was like she was building her own little kingdom. Cameron just didn’t know who the king was.
When Crystal called a few hours later, he listened with half an ear as she rattled off the itinerary the travel agent had put together.
“So, I have a bunch of brochures for all the places I want to visit. I’ll be there around 5:00 to show you,” she said. “Should I bring Chinese?”
Cameron realized he hadn’t been paying attention the last few moments. “Wait. What?”
“It’s our date night, silly, but I know that you’re buried with work, so I’m bringing dinner to you.”
“I don’t think—”
“You need to eat, and I am your fiancée,” Crystal said. “I’ll even let you decide how long or how short our date is, but you might want to see what I’m wearing first.”
He glanced at the clock over the kitchen stove. He knew once she came over, it would be hard to get rid of her. “7:00 would work better.”
Crystal laughed—what did that mean? “All right, sweetie. See you soon. And just so you know, the maid will be coming in the morning to wash all the new bedding in the cabin.”
“Do you mean Jane?”
“Yes, that’s her,” she said. “New bedding should be cleaned before it’s used.”
She hung up before Cameron could ask her to clarify. He didn’t know why he was so edgy. He’d agreed to Italy, but it was the whole decision-making process that bothered him. He closed his eyes and exhaled. Then he found himself thinking through his entire relationship with Crystal.
They’d met at a charity event, and Crystal had been sweet and flirtatious, not to mention gorgeous. They’d both bid on the same golf package and gotten into a small bidding war. Cameron had finally conceded and let her win the package. After the auction was over, Crystal had come up to him and invited him to meet her on the golf course so they could share the package.
Cameron had found that brilliant, and their flirting had continued throughout the night. Less than a week later, they had their golf date, and things had escalated from there. Crystal had quickly inserted herself into every aspect of his life, while Cameron was swamped with the cabin renovations and work with the manufacturing plants. She’d attended a company dinner with him, and suddenly, they were a couple.
And now, they were getting married in less than a month.
Cameron shook his
head. He was thirty and had never really pursued marriage, since he was so focused on building his career and showing his dad that he was up to the task of running the plants.
His phone rang. It was his mom, but just then someone knocked on the door. Cameron left the phone on the counter while he went to answer the door. He’d call her back later. Cameron opened the front door to see a man in a delivery service uniform standing there, with an embroidered name badge saying Robert. Had Crystal ordered the food already? But the man wasn’t carrying any food.
“Are you Cameron Vance?” the man named Robert asked, looking down at a clipboard he held.
“Yes, that’s me.”
“I have a delivery for you,” Robert said. “Can you sign the invoice, then I’ll guide the truck up here? I didn’t want to back it into your driveway until I knew this was the right residence.”
Cameron took the clipboard from Robert and looked down at the itemized invoice. It was a list of furniture... couches, tables, lamps, an area rug, bar stools, two armoires... “I’m afraid you have the wrong place. I didn’t order any of this furniture.” He flipped to the second page. More furniture pieces were listed, and then the total of $35,000. His eyes about popped out. Someone was furnishing their entire home. He flipped back to the first page and looked at the top. Sure enough, it was his name and address at the top of the invoice. “Uh, I still didn’t order this.” He looked up at the delivery man. “Who came into your store?”
Robert shrugged. “I’m not a sales person, just the delivery service. Maybe it was your, uh, wife?” He looked past Cameron, as if there might be a wife standing behind him.
“I’m not married,” Cameron said. “Can you call the store to find out? I’d like to know how this invoice has my name and address on it, and how this was all paid for.”
“Sure thing,” Robert said, pulling a phone out of his pocket. As he made the call, a truck that was the size of a moving truck came up the road. It stopped in front of Cameron’s place and started to reverse into the driveway.
Where I Belong (Pine Valley Book 2) Page 2