“How do you know that?” She looked at him with a puzzled expression.
“Oh, I just do.” He raised himself up on one elbow, the sudden movement causing both dogs to scatter off the bed. Then he kissed her, thoroughly and slow, sending a deep shiver running through her.
He lifted his head. “Had?” he asked.
“What is it?” she managed.
“Think you’d mind finishing my haircut before I have to have my picture taken tomorrow?” He chuckled deeply.
She laughed, and he went back to business.
Chapter 23
The next morning, the summer sun was slanting through the blinds, spilling warm beams across the quilted seahorse comforter in Gran’s spare room. Caught in the pleasant fog of sleep, Hadley wondered why she was sleeping in so late. When had she slept in last? She couldn’t even remember. But then consciousness hit her like an avalanche, causing her to bolt upright in the bed. It all came back to her in flashes. Cam’s lean, strong body over her, his whispered words making her laugh or blush. The low growl of pleasure in his throat.
Tears came to her eyes. Ones that shouldn’t come for just a lighthearted summer fling. Cam was…Tony was…both of them together were…well, she had no words. All she knew was that the pain and sorrow of the past six months had faded, and her heart was bursting with happiness. With a rightness she hadn’t felt for a long time.
He hadn’t slickly manipulated her grandmother into selling him her building. He loved his sister, his niece, his family, and his community. He’d protected her from the photographers’ vile questions and sacrificed something big.
And he just…got her. He’d encouraged her passion for working with animals even though doing that very thing worked against what he wanted the most.
If only Cam understood how amazing he was. Hadley certainly did.
Her eye caught a flash of bright yellow next to her pillow. It was a sticky note with Cam’s handwriting and read:
Smiling and suddenly feeling flushed, she left the bed, sticky note in hand, and found another on the floor right in front of the bathroom doorway. This one said:
Aww. This was melting her. Another one over the closed toilet lid said that he’d made coffee, to which she thanked her lucky stars, and the fourth, stuck on the faucet, said:
And just like that, her aversion to sticky notes evaporated.
She didn’t have a clue why he wanted her to meet him at his dad’s, but she hoped Cam’s whole family would be there. And she hoped that, given the Cammareris’ love of feeding people, possibly lunch would be involved too.
A worry crossed her mind. What were they—she and Cam—in front of his family, in front of the town, the world? And what exactly did sleeping together make them?
She decided to do herself a favor and not define it, just enjoy the happiness of being with him. Because it felt too wonderful not to.
She spent the morning making sure everything on her half of the gala list—flowers, PR/media, favors, programs, music, and speeches—would go on tomorrow night without a hitch. Cam was working on the food, parking, tables, and lighting. Somehow it would all hopefully come together and be awesome.
At eleven on the dot, she pulled up in front of the little Craftsman-style house where Cam grew up, not far from the square. It looked the same, tidy with neat trim, a big covered porch full of comfy furniture, and Angelo’s giant vegetable garden growing like crazy in the backyard. There was a metal contraption standing in the driveway that she thought might possibly be a smoker.
So maybe there really would be one of Angelo’s delicious lunches after all.
“Hey,” Cam said, greeting her at the door, his blue eyes soft and eating her up with that same hungry look of his, which made her feel…a little terrified.
Because suddenly she wasn’t sure how they were going to handle this—whatever this was—in front of each other, let alone in front of everyone else.
She loved that he wanted her. But she knew in her heart that what she felt for him went way beyond desire. Maybe it always had.
He was wearing an apron. The same red-and-white checked one as at the festival. Which was odd but cute. Cooking today, when there was so much to do?
“Hey back,” she said. For a second they stood there, grinning awkwardly at each other. She wanted to throw herself into his arms but…should she? Would he want her to do that on his dad’s doorstep?
“I…um.” Okay, she needed to start again. “We never talked about how we should behave in public.” She glanced around to make sure no one was watching. “I don’t want to do anything you feel uncomfort—”
Before she could finish, he stepped down and gathered her into his arms, dragging his mouth over hers, his fingers lacing into her hair. It was a wonderful, whole-mouthed kiss that made her feel like she was going to slide down to the ground in a puddle at his feet. Finally he broke the kiss, releasing her. She backed up and nearly fell off the step, his strong forearm pulling her back on balance.
Oh my. He’d turned her into a dizzy, breathless mess.
And he stood there, grinning from ear to ear, clearly pleased with himself. “Did you just say something about behaving in public?”
“Oh,” she said, grasping for words. “I was thinking maybe we should let the benefit be the story for now. Once people catch wind of something going on between us, you’ll be headlined as my rebound romance.”
“And you’ll be my hometown honey fling.” He chuckled. “I can probably behave until after the benefit…but that doesn’t mean I’m not crazy about you.”
Her stomach gave a tumble. She was inordinately thrilled despite telling herself not to be. But how could he know how much she’d needed to hear that?
She was still in a daze when Lucy popped her head up behind Cam. “Did you tell her? Hurry up, time’s flying!” She nudged Cam out of the way. “It’s time for taste testing. Come in as soon as you’re ready.”
“What’s going on?” she asked. She saw Nick race out the side door and fiddle with the smoker. “Why is everyone…cooking?”
“Okay,” Cam said. “I’m just going to give it to you straight. But know that I’m already working on solutions to our problem but I haven’t finalized anything yet and never would without you.”
This was sounding ominous. “Cam, you’re scaring me,” she said. “What problem?”
He took her hand and led her down the steps to the yard. “Lars the caterer had to cancel. There was an electrical fire in his prep kitchen. Everyone’s okay. The building made it, too, but the appliances got damaged. So…no food.”
Hadley’s head whirled. “I’m glad no one got hurt. But…no food for two hundred people by tomorrow?”
“Lars gave me the name of his brother over in Chesterton and I called and gave him a heads-up. He said he could help us out.”
Hadley blew out a breath. “Thank goodness. An alternative.”
“My dad knows him and says he’s a nice guy. But my dad thinks we can do better.”
Wait—Angelo thought he could do better than the caterer? She was having a hard time following. “What do you mean?”