California's Calling (Hunt Family Book 3) (6 page)

"I'm nervous!" I whispered.

"Me too," she said giggling with her fist over her mouth.

"I don't know what I got myself into," I said. "I never volunteer for stuff like this. That's Mia's job."

"You got this. It's just a little spy mission for the sake of the center."

She stopped walking and pointed to the set of swinging double doors in front of us. "It's those doors right there. They obviously both have windows. I'll go to one, and you can go to the other. We'll stoop down, and at the count of three, we can both stand up and look through our window."

It sounded like as good a plan as any, so I nodded nervously as we approached.

Chapter 8

Rachel went to the far door, and I took the one closest to us. We were both squatting down under the windows to avoid being seen.

"Okay, so when I count to three, stand up and look through your window. You'll see into the kitchen. Remember, you're looking for Cub and Tess, and any sign of bacon."

"Bacon. Got it."

Rachel smiled and reached out to give my hand a squeeze. "Okay," she said. "One, tw—"

I don't even think she had the chance to finish the word
two
before I got slammed in the forehead with a bunt object.

It was the door.

The door swung wide and whacked me straight in the face, causing me to stumble backward and land on my rear end. Of course, I had no idea it was the door at the time. All I knew was that Rachel started counting, my face got smacked, and then I was on the ground.

I wasn't sure how many seconds went by between the time when I fell and the time when I realized what had happened—it could have been one, and it could have been a lot. It seemed like within an instant, there were five or more faces staring down at me. I could see their hands reaching toward me to help me up.

Cub was the one who was offering to help. My eyes met his, and I could tell by his expression that he was concerned. I'd been looking at his eyes, so it took me a second to notice that there was about two inches of a slice of bacon sticking out of his mouth as he stared down at me.

It struck me so funny that I sank my face into my hands for a second so I could let out a laugh.

"Are you okay?" Rachel said.

"She's laughing," Cub said.

I glanced up at them, shaking my head as if wondering how in the world I had ended up on the ground like this.

"Come on, let me help you up," Cub said, reaching out to pull me up by the arm. "I am so sorry," he added as I regained my balance.

I glanced at him to find that the bacon was gone and he was staring at me with a regretful smile.

"Tess was begging at the door, so I was gonna let her out. I had no idea you were standing right there."

"You wouldn't have," I said, touching my forehead and nose where I had been smacked. It was stinging already, but in a numb sort of way. "We were stooping down."

"Did I hit you, too?" Cub asked, looking at Rachel.

She shook her head. "I was at the other door." "We were trying to spy on you because Logan was gonna give Dad a thousand dollars if you were back there eating bacon."

"I was definitely eating bacon," he said, nodding.

"I know," she said. "You still had a piece of it in your mouth when you whacked Charlotte in the head."

Cub reached out and grabbed me, bringing me in to hold me against his chest. "I'm so sorry," he said. "Not the best way to start your first work day."

I pressed my cool fingers to the hot spot on my forehead. "Dee-dee would call it making memories."

Rachel started giggling, and got so tickled that I laughed right along with her.

"The look on your face when that door swung open will be etched into my memory for as long as I live!"

I laughed as I tried to imagine what she'd seen. I didn't mind one bit that we were having a laugh at my expense. It was funny, and I knew it. My level of comfort in the situation was enhanced by the fact that Cub still had his arm around me. Tess was standing right in front of me, and I reached down to touch her head. I had become aware of Cub's arm around me, and the sensation I felt at that revelation made me feel the need to squirm. I used petting Tess as an excuse to step out of his grasp.

"It was a small price to pay to catch you eating bacon," I said, still feeling dazed. I touched my head and nose again. "I don't have a bloody nose or anything, do I?"

Rachel let out a nervous giggle. "It's a little red, but no blood."

"Mary's about to call the kids in there to serve you guys breakfast," Cub said. "Do you need some ice or anything?"

I shook my head. "I'm okay, but thanks." I looked at Rachel. "I guess we should get back to our table."

Cub and Tess came with us. We had to walk by a couple of the kids' tables, and he spoke to them and gave them high-fives as we passed. He said a phrase to one of them in a language I assumed was Swahili, and the sound of it made a feeling similar to pride swell inside me.

"Well, Charlotte had to take one for the team," Rachel said as we came to the table, "but you'll all be glad to know there was a bacon sighting."

"He really had bacon?" Dee-dee asked as if surprised.

"What'd Charlotte have to take for the team?" Logan asked.

"I saw some commotion over there," Ben said glancing toward the kitchen door. "Did she fall or something?"

"I hit her with the door," Cub said, taking a seat near his mom and reaching out to grab her coffee.

"It was an accident," Rachel added as we sat down. "I should have known it could happen with that swinging door."

"We did catch him with bacon, though," I said, peering at my brother. "He still had it hanging out of his mouth when he bent down to pick me up off the floor."

"We didn't see all that," my mom said, with her hand over her mouth.

I lifted the hair off my forehead and turned to let her check it out. She reached over and touched the red spot.

"Aw, I'm sorry, honey," she said, like any good mother would.

I shrugged and let the hair fall back onto my face. "It was actually pretty funny. It'll be a good story."

"That's right," Dee-dee said since she loved a silver lining. "Making memories."

Rachel and I shared a knowing smile when we heard her say that since she knew I was expecting it.

"Rachel, Logan was just telling us about what London Ryder did to you when you were in Myrtle Beach."

I turned to find that Laura was staring at her daughter with a concerned expression. I was just glad to change the subject from me getting whacked in the forehead.

"I didn't want you to worry about it or feel like you had to confront Mr. Ryder," Rachel said.

"What happened?" Laura asked.

Rachel shrugged. "London had a driver take me like ten miles out of town and drop me off in the middle of nowhere."

"What was that supposed to do?" Laura asked, looking confused.

Rachel shrugged again. "I don't know—scare me off? Make me stop hanging out with Logan?"

Laura shook her head. "Logan said her dad found out about it."

"He did," Rachel said. "His driver felt bad about it and eventually told him. He made London write me a letter and send me a new phone."

"A phone?" Laura asked, looking lost.

Rachel glanced at Logan who said, "I hadn't mentioned that part."

Rachel smiled and turned to her mom. "The driver threw my phone out of the window before he dropped me off in the middle of nowhere. I guess they didn't want me to be able to call for a ride."

Laura let out a disapproving sound at the thought. "I can't believe that happened," she said. "That's terrible!"

"It's not a big deal," Rachel said. "Nothing really happened from it, and I got an extra phone out of the deal. I was thinking I could leave it here with you guys." Rachel paused and peered over several people to look at her brother. "I brought you some clothes, too," she said.

Mia, who was sitting next to me, pinched my leg.

"For the wedding?" Cub asked.

"Yes, and some other stuff, too."

"She brought more luggage for you than she did for herself," Logan said.

Ben waited for us to finish our conversation before he got all of our attention. He stood up and began speaking about the goodness of God and how blessed he felt to have all of us there. He quoted a few scriptures and said some things about the blessing of blessing others. He gave us an idea of what we'd be doing that day, but said that Cub would give us further instructions once we finished eating. He then prayed for our breakfast before the children began pouring into the dining hall, carrying our plates. I had never been to summer camp, but if I had, this was indeed what I thought it would feel like.

All of us were in great spirits as we laughed, talked, and ate. Cub was sitting on the same side of the bench as me, so I didn't see much of him. I was still, somehow aware of his presence. Maybe it was because Tess was lying right under me—I could feel her with my feet.

"I told your brother he'd make a good actor," I said to Rachel as we finished our breakfast.

"He totally would," she said. "I've told Logan that before. They're a lot alike, you know."

I nodded. "Clowns."

She laughed. "You know what he'd be amazing at?" she asked.

"Who?" I asked.

"Cub."

"What?"

"Set design," she said.

"Oh, yeah," I said, nodding.

"The way he can dream up something and build it," she said. "Logan said he could get him a ton of work back home."

"He's staying here, though," I said.

She shrugged and nodded, saying she knew I was right. "A girl can dream."

"I'm already working on him letting me take Tess back with me," I said, stretching my foot underneath me to rub her back.

Rachel giggled as if I must be joking.

"I'm serious, I love her."

She was still smiling as she looked at me regretfully. "I hate to say this, but no chance. Don't even think about it. I try to take her back with me every time I come down here." She crossed her pointer and middle fingers. "What I'm saying is don't keep your fingers crossed."

"She needs to meet Sampson," I said.

"I agree," she said. "I tried to tell Cub she's an American dog a thousand times. Heck, I tried to get him to come with her!"

I rolled my eyes in a joking way. "Yeah, but he has his heart set on staying over here where he's needed to help people," I said in a fake annoyed tone.

"I know, isn't it so ridiculous?" she asked rolling her eyes, too.

"Did Cub tell you how he got his name?" Laura asked.

I'd been talking to Rachel while other conversations went on around us, but the question stood out to me, and I turned to face Laura.

I was just about to say, "Yes," but Mia answered first.

"No," she said. "We forgot to ask him that." She turned to Cub. "How'd you get your name?"

I was confused for a second. I had totally forgotten that we were alone when he told me. I almost spoke up and said I had already heard the story, but I decided to keep my mouth shut.

Cub told a brief but hilarious story about being orphaned on the Savannahs for the first few years of his life and how the lions had raised him as one of their own. He pointed out a scar on his cheek that was mostly hidden by his beard and said it was from a scuffle with some hyenas. Dee-dee and my mother were both so stricken by his sincerity and his acting skills that once Cub finished the story, he went right into the real story about Martin and his injured cat named Lisa. It was funny watching their faces when he told them the first story, though. They weren't privy to the information that Cub was famous for making up tales, and they believed him one hundred percent. Cub couldn't stand to see the genuine concern in their eyes, so he made things straight the instant he finished telling the story.

We all thanked Mary for the breakfast when she came out of the kitchen. She started to pick up the dishes, but several of the ladies, including myself, jumped in to help. Five of us stayed behind to wash the dishes and clean the kitchen while the others went out to get started on the greenhouse.

"She wants to stay in here," Cub said, opening the kitchen door to let Tess in. "I tried to get her to come with me, but she wants in."

"She must think Mary's got some more bacon," Laura called.

Cub shrugged as if he didn't understand, but wasn't gonna waste time speculating. "Just bring her out with you when you come, please," he said, mostly talking to his mom.

Tess found a spot on the side of the kitchen where she could see the action.

"I don't have anything for you," Mary yelled as we cleaned.

I smiled on the inside, knowing Tess wasn't there for the food.

Chapter 9

That first day of work was long and difficult, and I caught myself wondering how people did hard, manual labor day after day. I asked Cub about it that night, and he said you get used to it just like anything else.

He had called me Ladybug a few times that day, and did it again during that conversation. I had asked how come he didn't feel like he'd been hit by a truck like the rest of us, and he had said, "You get used to it, Ladybug."

He was defiantly a charmer. He was an equal opportunity sweetheart with all the ladies there, and we were all under his spell. Logan, Evan, and Nico were making their fair share of lady-fans as well, but Cub was an established heartthrob at the center, and it was quite obvious that everybody loved him.

Tess had earned everybody's affections as well. She made the rounds, visiting different groups throughout the day, but sticking mostly with me. Cub gave me a hard time. He teased me about carrying treats in my pocket, which I most certainly was
not
doing. She loved me for who I was—bruised forehead and all. I had just cut some long bangs, a fact for which I was grateful since there would, indeed, be a bruise on my forehead. About half of it was beyond the hairline, so it wasn't that noticeable unless I picked up my bangs to inspect it.

I did so that evening while I was staring in the mirror after my shower. My hair was up in a towel and I could clearly see a bruise forming.

"Oh well, huh, girl?" I said as I leaned to the side to pet Tess. I stared at the bruise, smiling at the memory of how it happened. The day had been so full and exhausting, that the collision in the dining hall seemed like forever ago. "Don't feel bad because you made him come to the door," I said staring straight at her. She tilted her head at me like she was really listening. Her eyes were a mix of reddish and goldish-brown, and the expression in them really made it seem like she understood what I was saying. "You were just trying to come see me," I continued. "You didn't know he was gonna smack me on the head, huh?"

She yawned and made a whining noise as her mouth closed like she was trying to say something.

"You're something else," I said, giving her one last scratch behind the ears as I took the towel off of my head and hung it on the hook. I ran my fingers through my hair and took a deep breath before heading into the living room.

"Charlotte, I'm glad you're here," I heard Mia call before I even rounded the corner. "You need to tell Cub this looks good on him."

"It's ridiculous," I heard him say.

I came around the corner to see Cub standing there with a fitted, collared V-neck shirt that had a few thin stripes across the chest. I knew from the tiny gold emblem on the collar that it was a nice brand. It was one of the shirts Rachel had bought him, and it fit him perfectly. It hugged his arms, and chest like a magical shirt-glove. He still had on his regular, worn out jeans, but the shirt made him look like something straight out of a J. Crew ad from the waist up.

"Uh-huh, it looks good," I said, as I strolled over to one of the couches to sit beside Evan. I meant for the statement to come across casual, so my voice went up an octave toward the end.

I could hardly stand to look at him dressed like that. I needed him to be covered in worn-out work clothes. It was the only way I'd survive the week. I sat on the floor, and Tess sat beside me, putting her head on my leg.

I looked at Mia. "That shower felt good," I said, randomly. She smiled at me, and there was something in her smile that scared me. It was the face Mia made when she was about to say something she knew I'd be mad about.

"You should try the other stuff on, Cub. Charlotte and I will put some outfits together for you."

"No," I said, staring at her like that was the dumbest idea I had ever heard. "Cub doesn't want to put on a fashion show for us, Mia."

"Hey, she makes
me
do it," Evan said.

Mia beamed at Cub and clapped her hands excitedly. "Let me and Char check out the clothes Rachel bought you. We'll tell you what to wear with what and you can try on a whole outfit for us."

Cub stared at Evan as if gaging whether or not this was normal behavior for the males in our family, which made Evan shrug and laugh.

"They know what they're doing," Evan said.

"No we don't," I said.

I did
not
want to see Cub in good clothes. The shirt was enough.

"And Cub doesn't want to do it," I added.

Cub stared at me with a blank expression for a few seconds before responding. His expression was unreadable, but I was still wary of it because I could tell he was thinking about something. "I think you might have to show me how to put some of that stuff together," he said. "Otherwise, it probably won't get worn." He made a skeptical grimace. "Actually, I don't know if I'll wear any of it anyway. It's all so tight." He stretched his arms in front of his chest as if to indicate the tightness of the shirt he currently had on.

"It's supposed to fit like that," Mia said.

He looked at me. "Is it?" he asked. He was wearing a sincere expression like he wanted me to tell him the truth—as if he thought it might not look good on him.

I gave him a somewhat defeated nod in reluctant agreement that the clothes were supposed to fit like that, and yes it did look good on him. I could see every muscular curve of his arms and chest. I had to get myself together, or it was going to be obvious that I had some type of feelings about seeing him in fitted clothes.

I smiled. "I'm good with a fashion show if you want to," I said, faking unaffectedness. "Evan's right. Mia and I know what's up."

"Yep, we do," Mia said, crossing her arms proudly.

"I'll take a shower, and maybe I'll try on a couple of things afterward," Cub said. "All that stuff's in a big duffle bag in my closet."

"You mean the room where I'm sleeping?" I asked.

He gave me a slow grin as if he enjoyed watching me act nervous. "You
are
sleeping in my bedroom," he said, dryly.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "I meant how'd it get in there?"

"I put it away while you were in the shower," he said, smiling at me still like he was entertained. "I thought I'd wait till later to go through it, but Mia talked me into trying on one of the shirts."

"I'll bet she did," I said, with a somewhat overly sweet, fake smile.

"Okay, so go put together a few things, and I'll try them on when I get out of the shower," Cub said.

He was smiling at me when he said it, which made me blush. I knew I turned red because I could feel the heat in my cheeks. "Great!" I said, in what I hoped was not a shaky voice. I turned my attention to Tess in an effort to mask my nervousness.

"I told you," Evan whispered as soon as the door was closed.

"Told me what?" I asked.

"He's talking to me," Mia said.

"What'd he tell you?" I asked, looking at Mia.

She shook her head as if searching for the right words.

"I said you were smitten," he said.

"Smitten? Since when do you say
smitten
?" I asked, looking offended since I was embarrassed.

"Taken, infatuated… in looove," Evan said, dramatically. "Whatever you want to call it."

"You're crazy," I said. I looked at Mia. "Can you believe this?"

She shrugged.

I looked back-and-forth between the two of them for a second and contemplated saying more, but ultimately decided not to. After all, the more I'd say, the guiltier I'd look. "I guess we should go look at those clothes," I finally said to Mia.

Rachel had bought him five pairs of shorts, five pairs of pants, and ten shirts. Most of it was casual, but I knew by the labels that Logan's stylist had put it all together.

"This totally sucks," I said, holding up a pair of pants. I cringed as I imagined how they'd look on him.

"He needs it," she said. "I'm not trying to be mean or anything, but these are gonna make him look like a totally different person."

"That's exactly what we
don't
want," I said. "We've got to convince him only to wear this stuff on special occasions.

"Like the
wedding
?" she asked with a maniacal expression.

I scrunched up my face at her. "I can handle one day at the wedding," I said. "But please don't make him start wearing this stuff around before that."

"Did you see the suit Rachel brought him for the wedding?" Mia asked.

I shook my head, and she pointed to the closet. I could see the suit hanging in a clear protective cover. I only gave it the slightest glance before looking away while shaking my head. "I don’t need to see that," I said. "I'm gonna have to look at it in five days anyway."

Mia went to work, putting together three outfits by laying them out on the bed. I wanted to protest all of her choices because I knew they would look great on him, but I did my best to act less affected than I was. I changed the subject, hoping to shake my ever-growing nerves. I brought up the rescue center and we spoke about a few of the things that happened while we were working earlier that day.

We had been in there for a few minutes when we heard Cub open the bathroom door. Anticipating his appearance, both Mia and I looked toward the door. He had on plaid, cotton pajama pants, but his shirt was completely missing—at least it wasn't in its rightful place on his chest. It was in his hand. He held his arms out as if asking what we had first, but we just stood there and gawked at him. Seconds felt like hours in the time that my eyes were glued to his impeccable torso. He was long and lean with a broad chest that made him look like he had a wingspan—like he could just take off running and fly with the birds if he wanted. The rows of muscles on his stomach and ribs were intricately weaved together. If I had an anatomy book in front of me I could locate and name all of those individual muscles.

"Why in the world would you come in here like that?" I asked, shielding my eyes, and peeking through an area that made it impossible to see anything but his face.

"I thought I'd be putting a shirt on right when I got in here," he said. "Plus, I didn't know you ladies would still be in here."

Mia made a "Pffft," noise and pushed at me like I was crazy. "She's acting like we never see guys with their shirts off," she said. "We basically grew up at the beach, and our brothers live without a shirt on half the time."

"They do not," I said. (And knowing that I sounded either smitten or like a prude,) I crossed my arms and shook my head, adding, "It's simply indecent!" in a joking way.

Cub had been about to rush to put his shirt on, but he knew by that point that I was making fun of myself, so he relaxed and tossed it onto the bed.

"If you're only gonna try one, make it this one," Mia said, pointing at the outfit near the foot of the bed.

We went into the living room to wait for him. Evan was sitting on the couch, playing a game on his tablet, and not paying attention to us at all. Mia was mentioning something about regretting not being able to use one of the other shirts and how she hoped Cub tried all three of the outfits she picked.

I was too jittery to take in most of what she was saying. Petting Tess helped a little, but I was more nervous than I had been in a long time, and I was terrified that it showed. I knew the instant Cub showed himself. I knew it, not because I was looking his direction and saw him, but because Mia began poking my leg violently with her toe.

I looked up to find that Cub was wearing tailored khakis with a dark plaid shirt. I stared at him, hoping that no one would call on me to talk. He was barefoot, and he walked across the floor dancing and being a total fool, so much that Evan stopped playing his game to enjoy the entertainment. Cub felt so out of place in his clothes that he took on a whole other persona as if he thought that's what someone who wore those clothes should act like. He was hilarious, but he actually had good moves to back up what he was doing. He was trying to be funny, and he had no idea how appealing it was.

I wanted him.

Maybe that was too strong a word, but I definitely felt something for him. I realized as I watched him that I was attracted to him the way a woman wants a man. I swallowed hard at the thought.

"That one's awesome," I said, trying to sound upbeat and completely unflustered. I got to my feet and casually strolled past him toward the restroom. "I'm gonna go use the restroom," I informed them in a nonchalant tone.

"I thought I would try on the other two," he said, watching me as I walked.

"That's fine," I said. "Go ahead and put on whatever. I'll just be a second in here."