Not in Her Wildest Dreams(16)

     



 

"Oh, sorry. I just-" Brit broke off to wave at someone behind Paige.

Paige turned to see Willard Cameron-Cam to his friends back in high  school-enter the bar. He'd been in Lyle and Sterling's grade, had grown  four inches and had lost the tall, wedge-shaped ‘fro. In fact, he had  honed himself into a lean, solid, dead-sexy specimen of a man.

He touched his baseball cap in greeting, but went to talk to someone at the bar.

Paige lifted her brows at Britta. Her best friend's expression had brightened considerably and her gaze stayed fixed on Cam.

"What?" Britta said when she finally dragged her lust-filled eyes back  to Paige. She read the speculation in Paige's expression and her gaze  dropped. "You think I'm awful, don't you?"

"No! Why- Because I didn't call you about taking Dad's job? I'm sorry.  Really. I was getting everything organized, booking Dad's flight-" She  explained about Palm Springs. "No, I kept meaning to call you, but  things kept coming up."

"I do." Britta propped her face in her hands as she leaned on the table.  "I mean, I think I'm awful. This is Zack's little brother or sister. I  shouldn't even be thinking...."

Paige felt a squeeze in her chest, bit her lips against voicing her own thoughts, recognizing Britta's need to process.

"I'm this close to freedom." Britta showed a tiny space between her  pinching finger and thumb. "Zack graduates next year. I'll be finished  with night school. I could do anything, go anywhere. Instead I'm  supposed to tie myself down again? I wouldn't have Mom pitching in like  she did with Zack, not with her arthritis the way it is."

Paige stayed silent, anguished to see her friend walk through this particular fire.

"I just can't imagine going through all that again."

Paige reached across to her. "You have me. I'm here for you no matter what."

"Are you? Because I know what you Fogartys are like about kids. Can't  raise ‘em worth a damn, but you gotta take ownership." She held up a  hand. "Sorry, I don't mean that in a bad way. It's just, your dad caught  me buying the test."

Paige nodded. "I wondered if he knew."

"He knew I'd been over at Lyle's that one afternoon. He said if it's  Lyle's that I should tell him so he'll marry me again. No, Paige. Never  again in this lifetime. I can't."

Paige nodded. "I know," she murmured.

"I get why Grady was being such an ass about it. Lyle had it rough with  April and losing their baby. I know that. But I still can't be married  to him. Your dad wouldn't let it go," Britta admitted glumly. "Zack came  home in the middle of us arguing. He didn't know what we were fighting  about, thank God, but Grady doesn't understand how hard raising kids  is!" She threw up two hands in frustration. "He was barely there for you  and Lyle. I don't know how I would do it again, Paige. I really don't."

"I'm going to be here for the next few months," Paige stressed. "You're not alone."

"So you'll what? Gestate the weekends for me? You can't do anything, Paige. Not really."

"I know, but-" She had to do something. Her protective reflexes were  leaping off the scale. Especially because Britta was a born nurturer.  She was in crisis right now, but Paige really didn't know how Britta  would live with terminating a pregnancy. "Listen, if you're worried  about money-"

"It's not money." Britta shook her head, and sat back as the waitress approached.

Actually, not a waitress. Cam.

"Hey." Britta's smile was flustered as she stroked her fingertips over the duck-tails at her nape.

"Am I interrupting? I wanted to buy you ladies a drink," he said.

"Oh, that's not necess-" Paige began, but Britta spoke over her.

"Thanks. That's sweet. And join us? I'll have a glass of Chardon- No, maybe just a cola. Actually, no caffeine. Ginger ale."

"Soda water with lime, please."

"Tee-totallers." Cam said with a thoughtful tilt of his head and walked away.

Britta watched him go, her expression soft and dreamy.

"You knew he was coming here?" Paige surmised.

"He said he might." Britta saw Paige's expression and her smile fell  away. She used a fingertip to trace the pattern in the hardwood  tabletop.

"Are you and he...?"

"Kind of." Britta shrugged. "He's a deputy with the Sherriff's office.  Did you know that? We were in the same juvenile law class in Lasser all  summer. A few weeks ago he- I wanted to tell you, but it didn't seem  right to bring it up while you were finalizing your divorce. Then Grady  went into the hospital and I found out I was..." She shrugged, then bit  her lip. "What do you think?"         

     



 

She had to be kidding. Paige thought it was one giant, freaking  disaster, of course. But Britta was looking at her with kicked-puppy  eyes, so Paige said, "He always seemed like a good guy in school."

"He is. He's so great," Britta assured her, eyes wide and eager for approval.

Money was definitely not the issue with Britta keeping this baby.

~ * ~

Sterling walked into The Mill to see Paige sitting across from a guy  Sterling hadn't seen since they'd been trading sarcastic remarks in  American History senior year at Liebe Falls High. Willard Cameron.  Wanted to be a cop, if Sterling recalled correctly.

Paige's friend was here, too, the one from high school who'd married Lyle.

They were relaxed, grinning. He couldn't help but be drawn to Paige when  she was finally looking like she wasn't sitting on a tack. He walked  over and pretended it was to say hello to Cam.

"Hey, Cam. Long time. Good to see you. Britta. Paige.

Paige tensed in the time it took for him to get to her name.

"Sterling. Heard you were back." Cam stood to shake his hand, confirmed  that yes, he was now a deputy, off duty right now. "Join us."

"Love to," Sterling said, ignoring the way Paige's expression tightened  and Britta gave her a look. "It's been a hard day," he added, glancing  at Paige. "Hasn't it?"

"Paige was just telling me you two are taking over the factory."

"I'm really not," Sterling said, signaling for a beer as he pushed in  beside Paige. "And given how likely I am to kill my own father, I could  very well wind up on a plane tonight." He glanced at Paige, wanting her  to know he felt her pain where dealing with Walter Roy was concerned.

She shimmied deep against the wall, obviously avoiding any sort of accidental touches.

"What happened?" Britta asked. She'd turned out pretty hot considering  she'd spent most of high school wearing glasses, braces, and a pair of  ponytails that looked like mouse ears.

"I'm used to people paying me for my opinion and liking what I say. This  is the opposite." The idea of going back to his parents' house to  continue pressing for necessary changes had been more than Sterling  could face. He'd come here to cool down first.

He gratefully scooped up the beer the waitress set beside his elbow. As  he took a long draw on the bottle, he took a longer look at Paige. That  snug shirt she'd been wearing under her suit coat all day was made from a  kind of material so delicate a man would hesitate to run his hands over  it, for fear he'd tear it. It had tiny buttons, probably too small for  his big fingers. It was prim. Defensive. It wasn't helping his  frustration at all.

"Does it seem like there are a lot of people in here for a Monday night?" Britta asked.

Sterling took a reading, recognized most of the faces, noted that many  of them were directing their attention toward their table. "Looks like a  factory-wide confabulation over today's events."

"You guys taking over is big news," Cam mused.

"Honestly, that's not what we're doing," Paige insisted, starting to  sound as annoyed at the accusation as Sterling was. "I'm going to audit  the books so we can settle on a price for Walter to buy out Dad."

"And I'm committing professional suicide," Sterling said, taking another  pull of icy beer that soothed the heat in his tight throat, thinking of  Patty's call, when she had relayed some strong words from their client  in Texas that put the whole contract in jeopardy.

"Hey, it's all my favorite people." Lyle came up to their table, an  unlit cigarette pinched in his lips. "Cam, you movin' in on my wife?"

"Ex, darling," Britta said with a fake smile. "I know you've never  learned the entire alphabet, but I wish you'd remember that one letter."

"Door's always open for a reconciliation. You know that." He winked.

Cam gave Lyle a lethal glare. Sterling liked the Deputy more than ever.

"You driving home tonight?" Cam asked Lyle. He was still slouched in his  seat, but there was an underlying alertness in his voice.

"Hell, no! Walking."

"I'll drive you," Paige offered. "I'm leaving." She nudged Sterling.

"Hell no again," Lyle said. "I'm just getting a buzz on."