Where I Belong (Pine Valley Book 2) Read online

  Her eyes popped open. “My mom and dad are complete opposites, even when they never talk. My dad tells me to stay away from the Vance family, and my mom is practically demanding that you declare your undying devotion to me and propose as soon as possible.”

  “Undying, huh?” Cameron chuckled. “Should I take that as a compliment?”

  “Not really,” she said with a laugh. “My mom is always very interested in men who are successful financially. It was probably one of the reasons she and my dad didn’t work out. He was an assistant manager at a discount store. Ironically, being a single mom just made her bills that much harder to pay.”

  “She definitely seems to live life to the fullest,” Cameron said. “I’ve never seen so much yellow on one person, unless you count a sports fan on game day.”

  “You should see her when she dresses up,” she said.

  “Ha. I can’t wait. Maybe we should invite her to the next benefit in Pine Valley.” He cast a sideways look to gauge Jane’s reaction. He was mostly kidding, but he wouldn’t mind spending more time with Jane.

  “She’d absolutely die of excitement.” She shook her head. “I don’t think I could handle it though. Her flirting with all of your friends would reach epic proportions.”

  “My friends?” he said. “Do you mean my dad’s friends?”

  “She’s not picky on age.”

  “Ah,” Cameron said. “I think I understand why you moved out.”

  Jane’s phone rang again. “Great. It’s her again.”

  “You can take it, I don’t mind,” he said with a laugh.

  Jane rolled her eyes and answered. “Yes, I wrote down the medication schedule, remember?” She paused and glanced at Cameron. “No, I won’t ask him that. Shouldn’t you be packing?”

  When she hung up, Jane turned off her phone.

  “I could pull over and propose now if you want,” Cameron teased.

  “You wouldn’t even have to pull over,” she said. “Apparently my mom has been Googling you since she saw the license plate. She just informed me that a December wedding would be perfect in Pine Valley.”

  “Should we give her my mom’s number and they can start planning?”

  Jane groaned. “I’m sure your mom would love that too.”

  Cameron shrugged. “I was actually surprised my mom wasn’t all that disappointed when I told her things were off with Crystal. She’s been dropping hints about grandkids for years.”

  Jane met his gaze briefly. “She didn’t want little Crystals running around, I guess.”

  He chuckled. “I think you have that right.” Would his mom want little Janes running around? He dismissed that idea as soon as it popped into his head. But it was really hard to ignore the real Jane who was sitting next to him as they drove back to Pine Valley. He was finding fewer reasons to stay away from her.

  “So...” Jane started, looking over at Cameron as he pulled into the driveway of her dad’s house. She didn’t know how he did it—staying calm and cool when Sparks had been alternating between barking and howling for the last twenty minutes of the drive despite Jane’s threats of no more treats. Ever. “I know you’re tired of my apologizing.”

  Cameron opened his door without a word and climbed out. Not that they could have much of a conversation over the disgruntled dog. They’d stopped at one point to see if he needed to use the bathroom, but he’d refused to get out of the Audi.

  Jane climbed out too and opened the back door while Cameron fetched the bags out of the trunk of his car.

  “Come on, Sparks,” she said, grasping at his collar. “We’re home now, or at least what will be your home for a week.”

  The dog growled at her. Actually growled.

  “Here,” Cameron said, coming up to her where she was leaning into the car. “I’ll get him. Do you want him in the house or the backyard?”

  Jane made the decision quick. “The backyard. His stomach is probably upset.” She stepped aside and marveled as Cameron gently pulled Sparks across the seat and picked him up as if he weighed little more than a stuffed animal.

  “Lead the way,” Cameron said.

  Jane hurried to the gate and opened it, and Cameron walked past her. He continued along the side yard, still carrying the dog. When he reached the back deck, the one that needed a good sanding, he set Sparks down.

  The dog didn’t move for a moment, and Jane could swear he was pouting. Then a bird flew from one tree to another at the edge of the yard, and Sparks’ ears perked up. Cameron brushed his hands off. “We should get him some water.”

  “Well, well,” another voice cut in.

  Jane looked up to see her dad coming out of the sliding glass doorway, leaning heavily on his cane. She wanted to cringe when she saw that he was still in his flannel pajama pants and stretched-out T-shirt. Of course, she didn’t look too much better in her old clothes either.

  “Hi, Dad,” Jane said. “This is Cameron Vance.”

  Her dad earned many more points than her mom, because he stepped toward Cameron and extended his hand. The two men shook hands, but Jane didn’t miss her dad’s intense scrutiny. What was it with her family?

  “Nice to meet you, Mr. Morris,” Cameron said.

  Her dad simply nodded and turned to Jane. “I got your note, and I’ll have you know that I didn’t need a reminder of what to eat for breakfast.”

  Jane wanted to disappear. She was used to her dad like this, but it was probably a shock to Cameron.

  “Okay, good to know,” Jane told her dad. Hopefully, he’d go back into the house, and she could send Cameron on his way before her dad doled out any more reprimands.

  “Also, tonight is Pete’s birthday, and I’ll be having cake,” her dad continued. “If you need to alert the paramedics, then do so, but I’m eating some cake.”

  “That’s fine,” Jane said, her face burning. “You’ll just have to check your levels before and after.”

  Her dad flexed his jaw, which usually meant he didn’t want to be reminded that he needed to check his blood sugar at the assisted living center.

  “Mr. Morris,” Cameron suddenly said, “Jane tells me you’re a great card player and keep everyone at the center on their toes on Saturday nights.”

  Her dad’s attention was finally diverted. He almost smiled at Cameron. Jane wanted to hug Cameron for being so courteous.

  “Are you a card player, Mr. Vance?”

  “I’ve played a little,” Cameron said. “But only for fun, of course.”

  Her dad eyed Cameron as if he was trying to gauge the truthfulness of the statement. “Maybe you should come tonight, then. Show us your stuff.”

  Jane stared at her dad. The last place Cameron would want to be was at some old folks’ home, betting with wrapped candy.

  But Cameron surprised her—one hundred percent surprised her. “Sure, what time?”

  Jane was about to protest the invitation, to tell her dad that he couldn’t expect Cameron to take out that sort of time from his schedule. But her dad had already answered.

  “Seven is when things really get going,” her dad said.

  Jane noticed that his eyes were actually gleaming, as if he was looking forward to this. Oh no. Her dad was going to use this as some sort of ego competition.

  “Cameron, you really don’t have to,” she said, turning to him.

  He just shrugged with a smile. “It might be fun. I’d like to brush up on my skills.”

  Jane wanted to groan. She wanted a re-do on this entire day, starting with her lame car that wouldn’t start. Sparks chose that moment to rise on his creaky limbs and hobble down the deck steps, then do his business in the corner of the yard.

  Maybe if Jane went back to bed, she’d wake up later to a brand-new day. But she had houses to clean, and she needed her dad’s truck to do it. So she told her dad that her car had been towed to the shop, and she needed to use his truck.

  “How much is that going to cost?” her dad asked.

  “I don’t kn
ow,” Jane said. “I’ll find out Monday what’s wrong with it.”

  “Just be home before 5:00 so we’re not late for the center,” her dad said. “I know how long it takes you to get ready.”

  “I will,” Jane said. Game night wasn’t until 6:00, but her dad liked to know that they weren’t going to be a minute late.

  She walked with Cameron back around the house to his car. “Look,” she said when they were out of her dad’s earshot, “you really don’t have to come tonight. I can tell my dad that you’re busy.”

  Cameron stopped by his car and folded his arms. Jane tried not to notice the nice definition of his forearms.

  “I won’t come if you don’t want me to,” he said.

  Jane puffed out a breath. “It’s not that. You’ve done so much for me today, and my parents weren’t exactly polite to you.”

  Cameron’s mouth slanted into a half-smile. “They don’t bother me. Besides, I like hanging out with you, Jane.” He touched her arm and let his fingers slide toward her wrist.

  His touch was light, but it seemed to vibrate through her body.

  Jane swallowed against her suddenly dry throat. “I—I just didn’t think you’d want to spend your Saturday night at an assisted living center.”

  Cameron leaned down, just a little, and said in a quiet voice, “I might surprise you one of these days, Jane.” Then he straightened, and before Jane could collect her wits, he jumped into his car.

  She wrapped her arms about her torso as she watched his car drive away and the VANCE on the license plate grow smaller and smaller. What was going on? And what was she getting herself into? Cameron Vance had just crossed the line from friendship to flirting, and Jane didn’t know if her heart could take it.

  What did he see in her? He’d gone through a monumental breakup, and she’d been his date to the benefit. She could admit that the red dress had made her look great that night... but that wasn’t the real her. She looked down at her ratty jeans. Even though she’d change into black slacks and a white button down to go to her cleaning appointments, she was not the type of woman someone like Cameron Vance would date. Not that she’d admit to checking out a bunch of his pictures on his Instagram profile. Even before Crystal, the pictures made it clear that he was not in the habit of hanging out with cleaning ladies.

  Jane couldn’t get her hopes up, because she realized that she really liked Cameron. He was right. He’d surprised her.

  She went into the house to change. From her bedroom window, she saw her dad sitting on one of the old lawn chairs, tossing a stick to Sparks. She laughed as the dog lumbered after it. Sparks wasn’t as agile as he used to be, but Jane was impressed he was making the effort.

  When she was ready for work, she told her dad goodbye, then went to start up his truck. She only had two houses today, but one of the clients needed almost her entire house cleaned. Apparently Mrs. Brown had had a big family BBQ the night before.

  By the time Jane returned home, it was nearly 5:00, and she was in sore need of a shower. She found her dad and Sparks crashed out on the sofa together. Jane smiled and let them both sleep while she jumped in the shower. She’d fully expected Cameron to cancel on game night, but so far he hadn’t sent any texts.

  Jane chose a blue sundress instead of her usual Saturday-casual look. As she dressed, she wondered what she could do to thank Cameron for driving her to her mom’s and back. He refused gas money, and she didn’t want to overstep the bounds of their friendship. If she had her own place, she might offer to cook him a meal, but that wasn’t going to happen with her dad and Sparks around. And going to a restaurant sounded so... official and formal. Like a real date.

  Jane twisted her hair up into a messy bun. It wasn’t nearly as nice as Selena had created on the night of the benefit, but it would emphasize her dangly silver earrings.

  She went to wake up her dad and give Sparks his medicine.

  “Looks like you two are getting along,” Jane told her dad.

  Her dad shrugged. “Did you get some candy for the card game?”

  “I did,” Jane said. “Sugar free, of course.”

  “I wouldn’t expect anything less.” He rose from the couch, and Jane watched to make sure he was okay with using his cane. Sometimes when he’d been sitting or lying down for a while, he had to take things slowly.

  They left the house and climbed into the truck. Her dad insisted on driving. Jane would insist on driving home when it was dark. Her dad’s night vision wasn’t great, no matter how much he denied it.

  “That Cameron kid isn’t as snobby as I thought he’d be,” her dad said.

  Jane was glad Cameron wasn’t with them to hear her dad. But then again, she’d been surprised by Cameron too. “He’s a generous guy,” she said. In truth, she was feeling pretty nervous. If Cameron did show up tonight, then how was she supposed to react to that? Surely he had other obligations, or people to spend time with.

  As soon as they walked into the center, Jane heard her name called.

  “Jane,” Pete said, waving from his regular table. He wore his usual red-and-white flannel shirt—the one he called his “lucky shirt.” “Are you staying this time?”

  She smiled. “I am staying. Happy Birthday, Pete!”

  “Her boyfriend is coming too,” her dad said.

  “What?” Pete said. “I don’t think I heard you right.”

  “I don’t have a boyfriend,” Jane said, grasping Pete’s hand and squeezing it affectionately.

  “That’s good news,” Pete said with a wink. “It means that I’m still your number one.”

  Jane laughed.

  “Oh, Jane,” a woman called out.

  Jane looked up to see Beatrice, or Bea, as she insisted being called. Bea had her hair colored on a monthly basis, and no matter how blonde she tried to make it, the silver strands always peeked through.

  “The center brought in those sketch pads you told us to get and those special pencils.” Bea held up a large sketch pad as if to prove her point.

  Jane crossed over to her and looked over the art supplies. They weren’t the highest quality, but they were decent. Three other women joined them at the table, and Bea brought over a bowl of fruit and a small flower vase. The other tables started to slowly fill, and games started up, everything from card games to Scrabble and Uno.

  Jane found herself faced with a group of bright-eyed elderly women who were eager to use the new art supplies. So she began instructing them on sketching lines and shapes, using the fruit bowl and flower vase as examples. “You don’t have to draw the bowl,” she told the women. “You can draw something across the room, something from your memory, or even your neighbor.”

  The women chuckled at this, and Bea declared, “I’ll draw you, Jane. You’re looking all gussied up tonight.”

  Jane just smiled. “Sounds great to me.” She looked about the room for her own inspiration. It had been a while since she’d drawn anything. In high school, she’d liked to fracture her drawings and combine two unexpected objects. Like a new mother cradling a world globe instead of an infant to represent how the woman held the future of the world in her arms. Or a kid peddling on a tricycle made of knives to signify that tricycles could be dangerous.

  She turned back to the women at the table. Their brows were furrowed in concentration as they drew. It appeared that Bea had given up on sketching Jane and had resorted to the bowl of fruit. The elderly women were so focused and intent on their art that Jane took out her phone and snapped a picture of them. She decided to sketch the women, and later she’d add a brilliant sunset in the background to demonstrate that they were in the latter parts of their lives.

  Jane became lost in her sketching as she drew the details of each woman; she’d forgotten how absorbing art could be. It wasn’t until she heard her dad call out, “Well, look who showed up,” that she was pulled from her concentration.

  Her pulse started to hammer before she even turned to see that, indeed, Cameron Vance had come to game
night. He crossed to the card table where her dad and Pete sat. Watching him from across the room was doing strange things to Jane’s pulse. He wore a faded-blue T-shirt and jeans that looked as if they’d been custom made for his body. She really had to stop staring.

  Just then, he lifted his gaze and saw Jane. He immediately smiled, and Jane’s breath left her.

  “Oh, my goodness, dear,” Bea said, looking over at Cameron. “That’s your boyfriend?”

  “I don’t have a boyfriend,” Jane said, but no one seemed to believe her.

  And Cameron was walking toward her table.

  She swallowed and put a smile on her face.

  “Hello, there,” Cameron said, smiling at everyone at the table.

  Four pairs of starry eyes peered up at him.

  “This is Cameron Vance,” Jane said, her voice sounding far away for some reason. “And this is Beatrice, Angie, Violet, and Eliza.”

  “Nice to meet all of you young ladies,” Cameron said.

  The women giggled... giggled! Jane felt like giggling herself.

  “Is this seat saved?” Cameron asked Jane, pointing to the empty chair next to her.

  “No,” she said. “Do you want to draw with us?”

  “How about I just watch?” he said, taking the seat next to her.

  She could feel his gaze on her, and she suddenly felt very exposed. Why had she chosen to wear a sundress? Was dressing up more than usual too obvious? Jane let out a slow breath. She was in deep trouble.

  Jane was a good artist. Really good, Cameron decided as he watched her sketching the women sitting at the table. Her hand seemed to move effortlessly, holding a dark charcoal pencil, and the lines and shapes on the pad of paper seemed to appear by magic.

  He didn’t know if asking her questions would make her mess up, so he remained quiet. Until the yellow-haired woman named Bea started asking him questions. One after the other. He did his best to answer, but it seemed the woman was intent on dragging out every childhood incident from him.

  Finally, Jane set down her pencil and said, “Do you want to get some punch?”