Hometown Holiday Reunion (18 page)

Parker took that in stride and opened his menu to look over the selections. Erin stared across the table at Cam until he lifted his gaze to meet hers with a questioning look.

She rewarded him with a grateful smile, kissing her fingertips to send the gesture his way. Grinning at her, he caught it and folded it into his fist before looking down again.

Seeing Parker and Cam side by side with their heads together over their menus, Erin finally admitted to herself what she'd been trying so hard to deny.

She'd gone and fallen in love with Cam Stewart. Every maddening, generous bit of him. And it felt absolutely wonderful.

* * *

“Whaddya think, Parker?” Cam asked, turning the schematics so the boy could see them better. “Does what we built match the picture?”

Parker studied them for a few seconds and then screwed up his face in confusion. “I'm not sure. I think this part here isn't right.”

“You're the boss on this project,” Cam reminded him with a grin. “If you're not satisfied, then it needs to be fixed.”

“It's kinda weird for a kid to be in charge. Usually grown-ups tell us what to do.”

“Well, this is your idea and your contest, not mine.”

“What did you do for science fairs when you were in school?”

“Nothing,” Cam admitted with a chuckle. While he unscrewed the offending piece, he went on, “I wasn't into science the way you are. I liked building things out here with my granddad.”

“It's a nice workshop,” Parker approved, looking around at the shelves filled with all manner of labeled boxes and cans, and the tools hanging neatly on the walls. “What did you make?”

“Birdhouses, toolboxes, stuff like that. Mom still has a silverware chest I made for a Mother's Day gift when I was about your age. She's got way fancier ones in her china hutch, but she still uses mine.”

“That's 'cause she's a mom,” Parker informed him confidently. “That's what moms do.”

“You sound pretty sure about that.”

Looking down, Parker started spinning the handle of the ratcheting wrench he was holding. The ticking noise sounded loud in the silence, and Cam waited patiently for him to gather his thoughts. When the boy lifted his head, he stopped his fidgeting and said, “I didn't have a very good mother before, but I do now. I think she learned how to be like that from Grammy.”

“I think you're right,” Cam agreed. “Maggie's always been one of my favorite people.”

“She feels the same about you.”

At the sound of Erin's voice, they both turned to find her in the open doorway, holding her phone lengthwise.

“Did you just take a picture of us?” Parker asked, clearly excited by the idea.

“Several, actually. Take a look.”

She handed him the phone, and he held it so Cam could see the shots, too. Some showed them working, while the last two were of them talking. Cam had been so focused on the boy he hadn't noticed her snapping away. Looking at those photos, he saw a side of himself he'd never known existed. Wearing an open, accepting expression, he looked like a father.

For someone who'd always assumed he'd inherited his own dad's irresponsible attitude, it was a real eye-opener.

“Just don't put any of those online,” he ordered while Parker gave the phone back to her. “We don't want the competition knowing ahead of time what we're up to.”

“Gotcha.”

“What're you doing here?” Cam asked. “I thought you were unpacking boxes of pet gewgaws at the store.”

“I was, but for Christmas, Mike and Lily gave me a certificate for some pampering at the salon, and I have an appointment for this afternoon.” Pausing, she added a mischievous grin. “So does your mother.”

“Seriously?” While he wasn't much for fussing that way, before her health had taken its worrisome nosedive, Mom had always enjoyed it. He was thrilled to learn that she was beginning to regain some of her customary love of the finer things. “When did you girls decide that?”

“About an hour ago. I thought a fresh cut and color would lift her spirits. Don't worry—I'll keep the price reasonable.”

“Get her whatever she wants.” Fishing out his wallet, he handed over his credit card. “I don't care how much it costs.”

“Well, a mani-pedi might be nice.”

“Whatever she wants,” Cam repeated, barely resisting the urge to reel Erin into his arms for a long, grateful kiss. Just when he thought he had her all figured out, she went and did something to remind him how remarkable she was. But since Parker was here, he settled for a warm smile. “I'm real glad you thought of it.”

His heartfelt comment earned him a delighted smile in return. “We girls have to look out for each other. I don't want to wear her out, so I'll keep it simple. This time,” she added, waving his card in warning on her way out the door.

Cam watched her stroll through the yard and up the porch steps into the house. When she reappeared pushing Mom's wheelchair, the sound of their mingled voices drifted through the warm afternoon air. They both laughed at something as they turned to head down Main Street, and Cam let out a long, contented sigh. “Y'know what, kid?”

“What?”

“Your mom's amazing.”

Parker didn't respond, and Cam swiveled to find the boy staring at him with a smart-aleck grin on his face. “You really like her, don't you?”

“Well,” he hedged, then figured there was no harm in owning up to it. If a third-grader could see what was going on, there wasn't much point in wasting his breath denying it. “Yeah, I do.”

“That's cool. She likes you, too.”

Cam's mind flashed back to their stolen kiss in the prison's waiting room, and he grinned. “Don't tell her, but I kinda figured that out. Are you okay with us being together that way?”

“Sure.” Parker gave him a long, critical look and set his slim jaw with the kind of determination that, until now, Cam had only witnessed in adults. “Just don't do anything to make her sad.”

The boy turned back to the pile of equipment they were assembling, his stern warning echoing in Cam's ears. Pragmatic by nature as well as habit, he normally made big decisions like this by analyzing all the angles and choosing the one that made the most sense to him at the time. In his current situation, there were many reasons for going back to Minnesota and picking up the life he'd enjoyed so much. Better money, professional accomplishment and freedom were at the top of that side of the list. On the other side there was only one thing.

Family.

At some point in the past few weeks, his very practical view of the future had taken a backseat to the people he cared about and who cared about him in return. Since his wreck of a marriage had ended, he'd carefully avoided entanglements because relying on anyone but himself had been too big a risk for him to take. Just as important, he didn't want anyone counting on him, only to be let down later on.

But now, he understood that close personal connections were a good thing. They bound him to not only his own family, but to the people of Oaks Crossing who'd welcomed him back and made him feel at home. Even if he didn't deserve it.

People like Erin.

Even though it never would've occurred to him a few months ago, he couldn't help wondering what they might build together if they could manage to quit arguing long enough to make it happen. Then again, her spunk was one of the things he admired most about her. That, and the fact that she always seemed to know when he was trying to hide something from her and never let him get away with it.

“Did you think of something funny?” Parker asked in a curious tone.

“Kinda,” Cam replied with a chuckle. “Except this time, the joke's on me.”

Scrunching his face in an effort to follow along, the boy finally said, “I don't get it.”

“Don't worry, kid,” Cam reassured him, tousling his hair in a fond gesture. “Someday you will.”

Chapter Ten

“M
an,” Cam muttered while they made the rounds of the annual Bluegrass Junior Science Fair. “Some of these kids are smarter than me.”

“Some?” Erin teased, motioning toward a tricycle that had been rigged to power a night-light.

“Okay, most of 'em,” he conceded with a chuckle. “Now, the kid who built the volcano that tosses out candy, that's more my speed.”

He slipped an arm around her shoulders in a casual motion that had become more common lately. He seemed comfortable doing it, and she'd needed about five minutes to feel at ease with it herself. At first she'd chalked the gesture up to his growing affection for Parker extending to her, but now she suspected that there was something else going on.

She hadn't confided her feelings to him yet, and she'd decided that pressing him for details on what he had in mind for them was out of the question. In her experience, that was the quickest way to make a man turn tail and run as fast as he could. While he seemed content with his decision to remain in Oaks Crossing, the lingering issue of him returning to the frozen north still hung between them. It was more of a defense mechanism than anything, preventing her from getting too keyed up about the possibility of a lasting relationship with him. She figured that was the smartest way to handle things, just in case he changed his mind.

Another thing she'd learned the hard way: no matter how much you loved someone, you couldn't make them genuinely happy staying with you if deep down they wanted to be elsewhere. Since she refused to twist herself into a pretzel for anyone, she'd have to be satisfied with whatever Cam was willing to give her. The approach she'd chosen was far from perfect, but at least she could live with it.

Lost in her musings, she ran into someone dressed like a robot who grunted in surprise. He pulled up short to avoid running her over, and the jerky motion caused the elbow joints in his metal chest plate to lock in an awkward spread-eagled position.

“Here, let me give you a hand,” Cam offered, carefully freeing up the pieces so the man could move again.

“Thanks. That was a close one.”

“I'm so sorry, Mr. Simms,” Erin apologized as she recognized the Oaks Crossing science teacher who'd been mentoring Parker. “Are you all right?”

“Just a scratch or two, nothing major. If you're looking for Parker's booth, he's on the far wall in the middle of that huge crowd of stunned parents.” Since he couldn't point, he nodded in the right direction and then headed the opposite way when someone yelled his name.

Erin was anxious to see the demonstration for herself, but out of respect for the other students' hard work she forced herself to amble along and at least pretend to admire the various entries. Aside from the ones she and Cam had already seen, there was the obligatory potato-powered light bulb, a simple water clock and several models of the solar system made of everything from foam balls to ornaments painted to resemble the planets.

When they finally reached Parker's space, she hung back so he wouldn't notice her and get nervous during the spiel he'd practiced over and over at home. Then she heard him explaining his project in a clear, confident voice, and she realized she had nothing to worry about.

“As you can see in this bucket,” he continued, pointing to the clear plastic viewing spot he'd suggested mounting on the side of his display, “the oil starts out pretty dirty. It tastes good when you cook fries in it, but you shouldn't put it in your car.”

The throng of adults laughed, and Cam's deep chuckle rang out above the rest. Parker zoomed in on him, then flashed Erin a quick smile before resuming his presentation. He moved on to the next station, explaining that the four small buckets contained simple filters and that each one was finer than the one before it. At the final one, he set down a small beaker and turned the spigot he and Cam had rigged to drain the fuel when it was ready for use. And then, with the flourish of a seasoned performer, he poured the homemade diesel into the lawn mower engine mounted on a board at the end of the table.

After a quick pull, it started right up and settled into a loud but steady idle. Several of the onlookers gasped in surprise, and the entire group broke into enthusiastic applause. When they were done, he added one last comment.

“I'm eight years old, and I know some of you probably think I'm too young to figure out how to do something like this. So, in case you think a grown-up did my project for me, please watch this video.”

“My idea,” Cam murmured in her ear, clearly pleased with his forethought. “I didn't want him to be disqualified for getting too much help.”

Erin found an open space where she could see the monitor better. The recording showed a montage of every stage of his project, from concept to final product. In each scene, she saw her son growing in confidence, whether the idea he'd come up with failed or succeeded.

And right behind him was Cam. Encouraging, questioning, standing back while Parker tested his theories and tweaked them to get better results. She had no doubt that Cam could've whipped up this entire system in an afternoon, but the time stamps on the various clips showed weeks' worth of trial and error that eventually produced something beyond her wildest dreams.

In that moment, it hit her. All that time, she and Cam had been doing the same kind of thing, sometimes failing, sometimes hitting all the right notes. Stubborn as two people could be, they'd found ways to work together on the store and be there when Parker needed them. For a girl who'd never been keen on relinquishing even the slightest bit of control over her life, that kind of teamwork was a real accomplishment.

The huge gym was full of people, including her very observant family, so this was hardly the time to get all mushy about Cam and her. Hoping to appear calm and collected, she shut down her brooding and plastered a smile on her face as David and Bridget Stewart came to join them.

“Parker, that was a wonderful presentation, clear and to the point,” David approved from behind his wife's wheelchair. “Some of my young executives should be taking lessons from you on how to connect with an audience and keep their attention.”

“Thank you, sir.” Turning to Bridget, he added, “I really appreciate you letting me use your father's workshop for my project. It worked out great.”

She beamed at him as if he'd just made her day. “My daddy would love knowing someone was building things out there again.”

Parker gazed hopefully up at Cam. “Maybe we can make some more things together.”

“I'd really like that, bud.”

They traded warm smiles, and Cam ruffled the boy's hair in a gesture only he could get by with. When Erin had tried it, Parker had ducked away. Apparently, he objected when it was her, but coming from Cam, it was cool. Shaking her head at them, she wondered if she'd ever understand boys.

“Ladies and gentlemen! May I have your attention, please?” The emcee called out from the microphone on the podium set up at the front of the gym. When things were more or less quiet, he went on, “If you'd like to find a seat, the committee has finished their judging, and we're ready to give out the awards.”

That got everyone moving, and in no time the milling crowd was settled. Parker sat between Erin and Cam, hands clasped in his lap in an obvious attempt to look like he was fine. But she knew from the stiffness in his shoulders how very much he wanted to take home the top award and the savings bond that came with it.

She put an arm around him for a reassuring squeeze and gave him a smile she hoped would convey how proud she was of him, win or lose. Over his head, Cam gave her a quick wink, followed by the affectionate smile that still caught her by surprise when it was aimed her way. Something was definitely going on behind those dark eyes of his, but she didn't have time to puzzle it out right now.

The lead judge handed out several prizes, from Most Creative to Most Unusual, and Erin kept a firm rein on her impatience so the other parents wouldn't think she was being rude. Their children had worked hard, too, she reminded herself, and they'd all earned their time in the spotlight.

Finally, there was only one award left. The head of the committee picked it up from the table and held it up for everyone to see. “This is the award for Best Overall Project, as voted by the teachers and myself. This year's award, along with a savings bond donated by the Louisville Business Association, goes to a very talented third grader from Oaks Crossing, Parker Smith.”

The crowd erupted into applause, while Erin and Cam embraced him from both sides. From the rear, she heard her entire family whooping with joy, punctuated by Josh's trademark high-pitched whistle. She angled sideways to let Parker get past her and was confused when he stopped in the aisle and looked back.

“What is it, honey?”

In answer, he held out his hand to her, and with tears of pride stinging her eyes, she stood to take it. Together they walked to the front of the gym where Parker calmly accepted his award, along with a framed certificate and a very official-looking Business Association envelope. He politely shook hands with the beaming judges, thanking each one in a clear, confident voice for the honor.

“Congratulations, Parker,” the emcee said, his voice echoing over the speakers. Facing the crowd again, he added, “I'm very pleased to announce that Parker and his biodiesel lawn mower engine have been nominated to represent our area at the regional junior science competition being held in Lexington this summer. After that, who knows? In a few years, we may all be using this contraption on our own lawns.” Everyone laughed at that, and he added, “Thank you so much for coming this evening. Please drive safely on your way home.”

People began filing out, but the group that surrounded Parker afterward was still pretty huge. To Erin's surprise, he handled the attention well. He was a far cry from the timid boy she'd met nearly a year ago, clinging to the arms of a chair in Alice's office, scared to death of everything and everyone, she thought, blinking rapidly as fresh tears threatened to break free and embarrass them both.

“All right, everyone,” Maggie declared, holding her arms out wide, “victory party at the farm. Bridget, the girls and I have been cooking all afternoon, so I hope you're hungry!”

As they left the school and went into the parking lot, Cam chuckled. “You've been cooking, bug? That doesn't sound like you.”

“Someone has to run to the supermarket when the chefs run low on butter and eggs,” she shot back.

“Now, that I believe.”

The three of them climbed into his truck and on the drive out to the farm, Parker asked, “Cam, I know you're gonna be real busy this summer, but do you think you could come to Lexington with us?”

“Is that what you want?”

Parker nodded eagerly. “More than anything.”

Cam slid a questioning look Erin's way, and her heart leaped into her throat. Swallowing to make sure her voice wouldn't come out in a humiliating squeak, she said, “I thought you had big plans for the diner. You know, increase revenue so you can get a buyer to take it off your hands.”

“Sometimes, little things are even more important.”

“Meaning?”

“I'm not gonna sell the Oaks. I'm gonna keep it and run it myself, make sure the business stays in the family.”

“You mean, for good?” Parker gasped.

“For good.”

Erin couldn't believe what she was hearing. This from a man who'd fled their hometown the second he was able and had only returned for the holidays or a family emergency. “Why?”

“Come on, Mom,” Parker scoffed, rolling his eyes. “He loves you. Can't you tell?”

“Whaddya you know about it?” Cam demanded with a scowl that didn't have much punch with his eyes twinkling the way they were.

“I see Mike and Drew with Lily and Bekah,” he explained as if it should have been obvious. “You two look the same when you're together.”

“We do?” Erin asked, stunned by his revelation. “I didn't know that.”

“Well, I'm pretty smart for a kid.”

“Yeah, you are,” Cam agreed as he parked in the turnaround at the farm. Stepping down, he opened his door and growled, “Now, get out.”

Parker scrambled from his seat and raced to the porch where Charlie and Sarge were waiting for their company to arrive. Coming around the truck, Cam opened the door for Erin and offered his hand. “Wanna take a walk?”

“Sure.”

He kept her hand in his, and she had to admit she liked the feeling of all that strength being wrapped around her. When they got to the fence rail that enclosed the front paddock, he turned and took her other hand, too. He looked like he didn't know quite how to start, but she reined in her characteristic impatience and gave him time to pull his thoughts together.

Finally, he gave up and simply said, “Erin, I love you.”

That fluttery feeling in her stomach blossomed into an entire flock of butterflies. “I love you, too. And I'm so glad you're staying.”

“Yeah?” Reeling her into his arms, he dropped in for a long, promising kiss. Nosing along her jaw to her ear, he murmured, “How glad?”

“I guess you'll have to stick around and find out.”

His low chuckle tickled her ear. “I guess I will.”

Resting her cheek on his chest, she cuddled into his embrace and let out a deep, heartfelt sigh of contentment. Whatever their future together might hold, in her heart she knew that this was the start of something wonderful for them.

And she could hardly wait to see what came next.

* * *

The next morning, Cam was wrestling a section of shelves into place at Pampered Paws when his phone chimed a ring tone he hadn't heard in months. Surprised by the sound, he checked the caller ID to see his boss's number flashing on the screen. He turned down the volume on his portable stereo and answered the call.