A Perfect Fit (7 page)

“That’s sweet of you, but I could pick up something at the
store before I come home to change.”

“I make a wonderful coconut cake. Everyone raves over it,
and it won’t take long to whip up. It can bake while I clean,” Mrs. Grady
insisted.

When Cami opened her mouth to protest, Sage spoke first, “We
really appreciate it. I know these kinds of gatherings are meant for friends
and neighbors, and we’d fit in better with something homemade. I’m afraid
people are going to think we’re stuck up or something.”

“Pshaw, nobody thinks that.” Mrs. Grady waved her hand for
emphasis. “I love to bake and my Harold doesn’t feel up to sweets lately.” Her lips
pressed in worry.

“How is he doing?” Cami asked. She felt guilty she hadn’t
thought to ask.

“He’s managing decently for now.” Mrs. Grady pressed her
lips together, but if she was trying to appear brave, the worry in her eyes
kept her from succeeding. “At least the radiation for his cancer isn’t supposed
to make him as sick.”

“You’ll let us know if we can do anything for you, won’t
you?” Cami asked.

“Of course.” But Mrs. Grady’s expression said she doubted
there was anything the sisters could do.

“What are you reading?” Cami asked Sage when Mrs. Grady
disappeared down the hall. She pulled the bagels and cream cheese from the
fridge.

“Horoscopes. You’re an Aquarius, right?” Sage ran her finger
down a newspaper column.

“Yes.” Cami decided to humor Sage, since she liked her. This
whole Mother Earth thing she had going on, the fetish for natural fabrics was interesting,
even if it wasn’t the way Cami wanted to live. And at least believing in
horoscopes was harmless.

“Ah, it says here today is a window of opportunity for you.
Play your cards right and you could find true love.
New
friends could also come your way. Expect a few surprises from all sides today.
”

“It does not!” Cami turned the newspaper and found the
listing. She couldn’t believe it when she found Sage had read it right—except
she’d added the bit about the surprises. “What, did you pay to have them put
that in there, or something?” She thought astrology was a bunch of hooey. “And
you made up part of it.”

“It’s true anyway. Newspapers rarely get things right, but
today you’re in luck.” Her dark eyes and curling hair gave her the look of a
gypsy. “And the surprises will continue tomorrow.” She tipped her head
slightly. “Maybe not all good, though. Sorry about that.”

“It’s ridiculous. I’ve never had a horoscope be right
before, and it’s not going to start now.” Which was a shame since the thought
of finding true love, with someone as hot as Vince, was very appealing.

Sage pushed the paper aside and grinned. “We’ll see, won’t
we?”

~*~

“Are you sure I won’t be in the way?” Sage asked as she met
Cami in the great room late that afternoon. “I can do something else.”

While Cami would rather not hang out with Sage, the
reasoning stemmed from her preference not to get too friendly with the other woman,
not because she wanted alone time with Vince. Not yet anyway. She was a pretty
good judge of character, but the total of ten minutes they’d interacted so far
was nowhere near enough for her to make a sensible decision. And Trent had
proved she wasn’t infallible.

She intended to enjoy plenty of light flirting today; she was
ready for some adventure, and it had been a long time since she felt like that.
“Not a chance. He invited both of us, and you’re welcome to come.”

Sage gave her a questioning stare. “If you change your mind
and decide I’ve become a third wheel, let me know.”

“Will do.”

They popped into Cami’s BMW Z4, let the roof down and
enjoyed the sunlight on their hair as they zoomed down the mountain.

“Wow, this is incredible. Why don’t I have a convertible?”
Sage asked after a couple of minutes.

“I have no idea. The whole country should have convertibles.
I think it would do away with road rage completely.” Since the side windows
were up, only a gentle breeze tickled the top hairs on their heads, which would
be easily repaired when they reached the city park—and if not, well, it was a
small price to pay.

Finding a spot to leave the car wasn’t nearly as easy as
tending to the few flyaway hairs. The park was crowded with vendors and game
booths, and hundreds of residents lined each side of the road along the block,
preparing for the children’s parade. The crowd surprised Cami, since she hadn’t
expected more than a hundred or so people in attendance.

Cami’s phone rang as she locked the car doors. She grinned when
she saw Vince’s name pop up since she’d been about to call him. “Hello, Vince.
Where did you end up?”

He gave her directions to their spot on the sidewalk. “I saw
your Z4 a few minutes ago. That’s a pretty sweet ride.”

“No question there. I love it.”

“So when do I get to take her for a spin?”

Cami laughed. “You’re not going to drive her, but you keep
dreaming.”

“I bet I can convince you before summer’s out.”

“Many have made the attempt. Sadly for them, none have
succeeded.” Trent had been particularly put out by the failure.

“Oh, I usually get what I want eventually.” There was a
wealth of meaning in his voice.

“We’ll see you in a minute.” Cami hung up and chuckled.

“I can already tell I’m going to be in the way.” Sage pushed
back her dark curls.

“Fact is, I want you in the way. For now, at least. If I
change my mind, I’ll let you know.”  Cami took in everything around her. “Oh,
deep fried candy bars. Can you get any more delicious, or more sinful?”

“Rosemary’s cheesecake?”

Cami considered. “No, cream cheese is milk based which has
protein and calcium—so it’s practically health food, so cheesecake barely
qualifies as a sin. Those, on the other hand,” she pointed back to the booth, “are
very near the top of the naughty foods list, and I’m having one sometime before
the fireworks tomorrow night.”

Sage laughed. “You’re in a good mood.”

Cami pushed away the thought that she might be exploring her
interest in Vince to spite Trent and her father. She decided it didn’t
matter—she’d give things a chance over the next thirty hours or so and see how
she felt about him when she crawled into bed the next night. “I needed a break
from thinking about work. Besides,” Cami waved at Vince when she saw him heading
their way, “look at that hunk waiting to spend the evening with us?”

Vince met them halfway. “You’re right on time. The kids
should start rolling in any minute now.” He spread his arms. “Welcome to our
local celebration.” He slid between them and led them into the crowd.

At this proximity, Cami couldn’t help but notice the
spiciness of his aftershave and his lack of five-o’clock shadow. Had he cleaned
up for their meeting this evening? The thought intrigued her, but she set it
back for now.

He guided them to a group of people standing under a huge beach
umbrella, all laughing and chatting with the ease of long familiarity.

A short woman with dark hair that hugged her head turned and
smiled as they approached. “You must be George’s girls. I’m so glad to finally
be able to meet a couple of you. Your father was so proud of you all. Vince,
quit flirting and get the ladies a cold drink. I swear we’re having a heat
wave.”

Vince slid out from between them. “This is my mom, Etta Talmadge.
Mom, this is Sage and Cami.” He indicated them each in turn. “Do you ladies
have a drink preference?”

“Do you have water?” Sage asked.

“Of course. Cami?”

“Whatever your hand lands on first.” She saw his eyes light
with mischief and wondered if there was beer in there too. “But let’s stick to
sodas, okay?”

His lips twisted, an acknowledgement she’d read him well. “I’ll
be right back.”

“So how long are you girls staying? Isn’t it lovely here at
this time of year?” Etta asked when Vince was out of range.

“It’s lovely,” Sage agreed. “I’ve hardly had a chance to get
to know the area yet though.”

“I’m making some headway there, but there’s a lot of
territory to cover.” Cami shrugged. “It comes with opening a new business.”

“And you’ll be here how long?” Etta asked again.

“Most of the summer, for both of us. My, er,
our
sister Lana, had to go back east to take care of a few details, but she’ll be
here most of the time as well. There’s so much to do between now and September.”
It was going to take some practice to get used to referring to them all as
sisters—especially since she refused to think of them as such. Though she didn’t
feel a connection to anyone but Lana, for the rest of the world, she would put
on the mask of being happy about it. Pretending was one of the things she did
best.

“There’s always more than you’d expect. I remember when my
husband moved from the group law practice to opening his own and all the
paperwork and taxes, files, and forms and, oh, goodness, it never stopped. And
the job ahead of you girls is so much bigger. I admire your energy. I’d
certainly never manage it.” Etta led them over to one of the umbrellas.

“Don’t let her fool you,” Vince said as he handed Cami a
Coke, and Sage a bottled water. “She raised three active boys, plus half raised
Jeremy and Gage. On top of that, she had the PTA, community theater, and kept
her hand in helping Dad when he needed it.” Catching a tall, dark-haired man’s
eye, he gave him a nod. “Speaking of, I better take you around to meet everyone
else. We’ll start with Gage.”

Cami, Vince and Sage were met by a man holding onto two
leashes with huge brown and black dogs straining for Vince. Gage’s brown hair was
not nearly as long as his friend’s. While Vince was all rough edges, hard
palms, and scruffy goodness, Cami found Gage’s appeal to be somewhat more
refined, though the day’s growth on his chin and the strong angles of his face were
still alluring—in a general sense. He was leaner, with a glint of laughter in
his eyes which came across as good humor. Cami wondered if the assessment was
apt, or if his appearance was all façade as Trent’s had been.

Either way, she nearly melted when she saw the excited joy
in the dogs’ eyes as they greeted the trio. “Hey there, sweeties. Are you
friendly?” She sought confirmation from Gage.

“Yes, but don’t go thinking these mutts are mine. They
belong to Vince.” Despite his words, the tone held warmth and amusement. “Say
hello to Smith and Wesson.” He gestured to each in turn.

The names made Cami laugh. She had no doubt the bruisers
could be lethal if they felt pushed to it, but at the moment they were more
like happy puppies out on holiday. “They’re beautiful.” She greeted Wesson,
rubbed the soft fur around the dog’s bear-like head and giggled when a huge
tongue lathered slobber all over her lower arm. The dog jumped up on back legs,
propping enormous paws on Cami’s shoulders.

“Hold on there, girl.” Vince took hold of the dog’s collar
and pulled her off when Cami took two steps back to keep from falling over. “Sorry.
They’re still puppies, despite their size, and I haven’t had much time to train
them this spring.”

Not at all put off, Cami smiled, then reached out a hand to
rub Smith’s face—this time keeping her distance better. “It’s fine. I love
dogs, but I’m not home enough to keep any of my own. They look almost like
Akitas, except the ears.”

Vince smiled in surprise. “Part Akita, yes, and part
Bullmastiff. Sweet as sugar and not done growing yet.” He gave both dogs a good
rub, and with a few hand signs, had them sitting on their haunches, quivering
with excitement. Then he introduced Sage and Cami to Gage.

“I’m not sure why you were willing to spend time with this
joker,” Gage said when he held Cami’s hand. “But I guess I can’t complain,
considering.”

“Back off, Matthews, this one’s all mine.” Vince’s warm hand
enveloped Cami’s free one.

The declaration caught Cami by surprise, left her torn
between irritation and amusement. For the day, she opted for amusement.

Gage released her. “So noted. It’s a pleasure to meet you,
anyway.” He turned to Sage. “And if the rest of the sisters are as pretty as
you two are, our community owes your father a great debt of gratitude.” He took
her hand and lifted it to his lips.

“You’re a smooth one, aren’t you?” Sage asked, appearing
amused.

His lips quirked. “I try. Do I succeed?”

“I’ll let you know.” Sage glanced down the street to the
oncoming horde of young ones. “Do you have family in the parade?”

Vince answered, “My niece. She’s been talking, planning and
decorating for weeks. Expect something as spectacular as Barnum and Bailey when
she pedals by.”

“You don’t have any kids or nieces in it?” Cami asked Gage.

“I’m an only child and unencumbered.” His smile flashed. “I
prefer it that way, but the Talmadges always drag me to join them for stuff
like this. I guess I’m a glutton for punishment.”

Conversation shifted to the kids and Cami studied the crowd.
She’d expected two or three dozen kids on bikes or tricycles with a few
streamers in red, white and blue. The number of entries was far more than she’d
anticipated, though the decorations weren’t impressive. A few young girls in
matching leotards tried twirling their batons in sync, and failed; boys in top
hats and colonial costumes walked by; and the crowds of watchers grew.

Vince’s niece, Hannah, rode by on her bike, a red wagon
towed behind. Flags erupted from her handlebars, patriotic streamers and
metallic ribbons fluttered in the breeze. The wagon held a large, seated teddy
bear wearing a dust cap with a flag draped over the wagon and several inches
below the sides. A sign touted Betsy Ross’s patriotism as she sewed the first
flag.

Putting two fingers in her mouth, Cami whistled long and
loud for the little girl with brown pigtails. “Go, Hannah!”