The Dysfunctional Test (34 page)

“Hey,” her brother said. “Heather called from Cancun. They’ll be back on Friday. Mom wants to have a family dinner.”

She sat in a kitchen chair. “Okay, I’ll be there.”

“I heard you got the job. Congratulations.”

She smiled. At least she had that going for her. “Thanks. I think I’ll like it there.”

“Cam…” He cleared his throat. “It’ll be good having you back home.”

Aw. Fisher was being genuinely nice. “I love you too.”

Pause. “Heather told me about Maxwell, and why you and Troy…” He sighed heavily. She waited him out. “Did you meet with the guy? If you’re back together, maybe you could bring him for dinner…”

“We’re not back together.”

“Oh. Okay.”

Thank God Fisher married Anna, because his conversational skills hadn’t improved since kindergarten.

“I didn’t love him,” she said, staring out the window again. The sun shone through the curtains, making little patterns on her carpet. Maxwell didn’t make her heart pound and her laugh giddy. The thought of losing him didn’t make her feel dead inside. “I love someone else,” she whispered.

She bit her tongue and rose, hoping Fisher hadn’t heard.

Troy would come to the family dinner on Friday. She’d take that opportunity to pull him aside and talk to him alone. Perhaps asking him to finish his thought from back in Colorado would help her understand what she was feeling and give her clarity. This pain and loneliness was so new and raw.

Emily’s voice squealed in the background. A loud muffle followed. Fisher probably hadn’t heard. Small miracles.

“Tell her, Daddy!”

“Okay, okay!” he said away from the receiver. “Cam, I’m sorry for how I handled things.”

She smiled, picturing her niece bullying Fisher into an apology. “It’s okay. I forgive you. Everything worked out for the best anyway.”

It was scary how accustomed to lying she’d grown.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Life Lessons According to Camryn:

True love is an electric shock with someone else in control of the switch.

Troy pulled his truck into the driveway and cut the engine. Fisher was sitting on his front steps, forearms draped over his thighs, looking like he’d slept as little as he had this week. Opening the car door, Troy stepped out into the humidity and up the front walk. Fisher rose.

“What brings you by?”

Fisher rubbed the back of his neck. “Guilt.”

Good. He should feel guilty. “Why didn’t you use your key? It’s hot out here.”

Fisher shrugged, looking everywhere but at Troy. “Wasn’t sure if you’d want it back after what happened.”

Troy watched him for a long minute and nodded. “Want a beer?”

Fisher blew out a breath. “Yes.”

He glanced down at Fisher’s hand as he unlocked the front door. “What’s that?” he asked, pointing to the envelope in his hands. They stepped inside, the AC feeling like Heaven as it cooled his skin.

“I don’t know. FedEx brought it by while I was waiting. It’s from the Hortons.”

Interesting. He shut the door. “Just leave it on the table. I’m going to shower. Help yourself to a beer. I’ll just be a sec.”

After Troy showered and dressed, he grabbed a beer and sat next to Fisher on the couch in prolonged silence.

“So, um…family dinner on Friday night. Heather and Justin will be back from their honeymoon.”

Troy nodded. “Okay.”

Fisher looked like a kid who wet the bed. “Camryn will be there too.”

Troy almost smiled. “I figured.”

“She got the job. She says she thinks she’ll like it.”

“Uh huh.” Now Troy did smile for the first time in four days. Four long, miserable days. “Is that what you came by to say?”

Fisher rolled his eyes. “I’m sorry, man. I really am. I overreacted.”

Troy assessed him before answering. “I got used to your impatience and temper long ago.” Troy wished he had Fisher’s backbone.

Fisher looked at him. “I interrupted something back there, didn’t I? This thing between you and Cam wasn’t all a lie, was it?”

Troy took a long drink before answering. “Not for me.”

He sighed. “If it means anything, she didn’t get back together with her ex.” A glimmer of hope poked through. “She said she was in love with someone else.”

Troy’s head whipped up. He stared down Fisher, hoping to God this wasn’t some ploy out of guilt.

Fisher stared at his bottle, then drained the contents. Setting the bottle on the table, he rose. “I…” He shook his head. “I didn’t mean any of the things I said, Troy. You’re family. More than that. No one deserves to be happy more than you. She isn’t too good for you.”

Troy clamped his jaw down, trying and failing not to react. He shut his eyes, counting his breaths until he reached twenty. When he opened his eyes, Fisher was halfway to the door with his arms crossed as if trying to decide between leaving or staying.

“No one’s too good for you.”

“Shit, Fisher.” Troy ran a hand down his face.

“I gotta go,” he said, bee-lining for the door. “Anna’s making dinner and I have to pick up Em at Mom’s…”

“Fisher.” His friend, his brother, turned, refusing to look at him. “Thank you.”

“No, thank
you
.”

Troy swallowed as the door closed, the pain in his gut growing to monumental proportions. Sucking in a breath, he dropped his head to the back of the couch to stare at the ceiling.

She didn’t get back together with Maxwell. Didn’t fall into her old pattern or settle.

And she loved him back.

At least, if what Fisher said held any truth, she did. Lifting his head, he looked at the envelope from Colorado sitting on his table.

Leaning forward, he set down his beer and picked up the package. He ripped it open, and let the contents drop to the cushion next to him. Several photos scattered. Troy picked up the note inside.

I just got these developed and thought you’d like copies. After seeing these, your relationship didn’t seem fake to me, but what do I know? Anyway, the maid found something under the bed when she was cleaning. I figured you’d want it back. It seemed important. I hope you are well and happy. Come back to visit anytime.

~Bernice

Troy set the pictures aside and froze. Camryn’s note she’d left with the muffin that morning shook in his hand.

You are someone
.

He wondered the same thing now that he’d wondered then. Was he just a
someone
, or a someone
to her
? If so, why hadn’t she reacted in the Hortons’ kitchen? He’d already gone there, already took that plunge in telling her how he felt. If he did it again, would the outcome be different?

Like her definition of insanity.

Hell, he was just crazy enough to declare his love a hundred times if there was even a glimmer of possibility she’d respond the same.

Setting the note down, he picked up the pictures. There were a few of them walking down the aisle, a couple from their karaoke night, and one from the reception of them dancing. In the close up of them looking at each other, her smile was relaxed and happy.

He traced his finger over her image. He’d only seen that smile a handful of times, and each time brought him to his knees. Regardless, he had his answer.

Grabbing his cell, he dialed with impatient fingers. He tapped his foot, pacing until she picked up.

“Mom, I need your help.”

After a long drive from hell, with her insides churning into a knot the size of Great Britain, Camryn pulled into her parents’ driveway and got out of the car. Judging by the amount of other vehicles, it looked like the majority of the family beat her here. Including Troy.

She stared at his truck. The only way she’d know for sure if he cared about her was to talk to him. But old Camryn wanted to plaster on a stoic face and not confront him at all. Pretend she didn’t feel like her organs had been ripped out.

Popping the trunk, she removed her overnight bag and headed up the walkway. She stopped short, seeing Heather and Justin waiting for her on the front porch.

Closing the distance between them, she could smell the roasted lamb and
gibanita
baking. The heavenly, royally fattening scents wafted out through the open kitchen window like a cartoon teasing her to sin. Just smelling the assorted cheeses and pastry from the gibanita had her gaining thirty pounds.

“Hey,” she said. “Why’s everyone here so early?”

Heather looked at Justin, then back to her. “Um, I don’t know.”

Camryn’s eyes narrowed. The only person worse at lying than her was her sister. “Right. How was Cancun?”

“Oh,” she gushed. “It was amazing. The water was so blue. We stayed in this little cabin right on the beach…”

“Heather,” Justin interrupted, raising his brows.

“Oh, right,” she said, giggling.
Giggling
. “I’ll tell you later. Let’s go in. Everyone’s waiting.”

“Waiting for what?” They didn’t answer. Great. “What did I do now?” she asked, filtering the recent week through her head. She couldn’t think of anything the family could blame on her, like an earthquake or a recent price hike in crude oil.

“Nothing,” Heather said quickly. Too quickly. “Troy’s inside, though.”

“Yes,” she said slowly, her sarcasm dripping. “He
is
family. I expected him to be here. And I can see his truck right there in front of my car.”

Heather looked nervous. They stood there staring at each other, not a sound but the robins chirping from the pine tree edging the yard. This couldn’t be just about what went down at the Hortons’.

Justin rolled his eyes. “Come on, ladies.” He took her bag from her and held the door open.

Wondering what all the tension was about, Cam walked inside to find the whole family standing in the living room, staring at her. Halting, she glanced around. “Hello,” she said, the greeting sounding more like a drawn out question.

No one moved.

Emily eventually squeezed through the bodies. “Auntie Cam! Spiderman brought Mrs. Horton!”

“Excuse me?”

Anna picked up Emily and set her on her hip. “Not
Spiderman
, a
web cam
, sweetie.”

Emily shrugged as Bernice’s voice filled the silence. “Hello, Camryn.”

Camryn looked around, her gaze finally dropping to the laptop in Fisher’s lap. “Uh, hello. I got the pictures you sent. Thank you.” Confused, she looked at Fisher. “Why is Bernice on a web cam for our family dinner?”

“I asked her to join us,” Troy said, stepping around Yjaka Harold and into her line of sight. “I have something to tell you.”

“What is going on?” she asked, starting to panic. Her glance darted around the room. “Where’s Nana? Is Nana okay?”

“I’m fine. Quit your fussing.”

The view to Nana’s chair was blocked by Dad and Mom, but her heart rate returned to normal hearing the crabby old woman’s voice. As tactless and cruel as Nana could be, Camryn now understood why she was this way. When Papa died ten years ago, Nana lost the love of her life, along with all her happiness. Loving Troy, even if it couldn’t work out, showed Camryn the sheer pain Nana must be feeling every second of every day.

Camryn looked at the faces around the room, all of them staring her down. Something was wrong. “Okay, what’s…?”

“I tried to tell you all this back in Colorado,” Troy said, cutting her off. “But someone so rudely interrupted me.”

Fisher sighed harshly. “I said I was sorry. Can we get over it now?”

Anna made a sound of disgust. “Serves you right for acting without thinking. You’re always flapping your mouth.”

“I do not flap anything.”

Through the bantering, Troy’s gaze didn’t leave hers. He looked different. His hair was still too long, his eyes still an intriguing dark brown, his body still a solid rock of muscle. But the charming smile was gone. The humor in his words gone. The vitality she so desperately envied was replaced with this subdued, deflated form of Troy. Her heart broke as she looked at him, wondering if she were the reason, and if he could be fixed.

“You are so much more than you think you are, Cam,” he said, shaking his head like he was giving a eulogy. “What we had together was real for me. It may have started out as a lie, but it doesn’t have to end that way.”

Oh, man. Did he just say…?

He took her hand and put something inside, closing her fingers around it. As he stepped back, she opened her hand and looked down at a little blue Matchbox truck.

“Troy,” her mother said, her voice tentative and questioning. “This isn’t what we…”

“Quiet, Mom,” he said, staring into Camryn’s eyes.

“Uncle Troy’s doing a good job sharing his toys, isn’t he?”

“Yes, sweetie,” Anna said, patting Emily’s back.

Camryn’s hand began to shake, her heart pounding so loud her head felt like the ocean. “Troy?”