Prescription For Love (The Kingsley Series) (3 page)

"Sure, no problem," Drew said, dropping a quick kiss on Cassaundra's forehead before turning to leave.

"Nervous, huh?" Cameron asked, reaching out to rest an easy hand on Cass's shoulder.

"It shows, then?" Cass lowered her eyes, her glossy bottom lip finding its way between straight, white teeth.

"It's normal to be nervous, Cass. You're getting married. But is it the wedding you're really afraid of? Or is there something more than just bridal jitters?"

"I don't know," Cass said, her voice low but strong. She lowered into one of the chairs in front of Cameron's desk, waiting as Cameron walked around to take her own chair. "I think I'm still just surprised that he wants me. Is that stupid?"

"Cass, there is nothing wrong with you. You have charmed my entire family, including me, and I’m the skeptic. You are a beautiful person. And aside from that, which you likely won't believe anyway, because it sounds trite no matter how much I mean it, every bride feels this way."

"Really?" Cass raised her dark eyes, pools of liquid milk chocolate in her round, tanned face.

"Absolutely. Every woman who walks in here for an appointment with me believes that she has scored the best man on the planet. And every woman who walks in here also believes that she doesn’t deserve what she has. They all think they’ve been blessed by some magical genie or fairy godmother, that they’ve somehow achieved some unattainable goal. And each one is unbelievably in love, convinced that she is blessed beyond measure. Generally, the men feel the same way, and that's what leads them here. It's what led you here, with Drew." Cameron leaned back in her chair, propping her elbows on the armrests.

"You're probably right," Cass said, smiling a little as her cheeks flushed. "It just feels silly to even feel like that. I know I'm worthy of any man, you know, and I've come a long way in the past year, believing more in myself and being able to stick up for myself. But I also have to admit how much Drew has been a part of that, just in being here for me. It’s scary, feeling that sense of need, that I need him in my life."

"That's how it should be Cass," Cameron said, opening a drawer and removing a silver photo frame. She reached out, handing it to Cassaundra. "Every day, I sit right here at this desk, in this room with people who are madly in love. Sometimes, I think they can make it. Others, I know even before they sit down that they won't last."

"And these two?" Cass asked, holding out the photo frame. The picture was of a plump, dark-haired girl with sparkling emerald eyes, her arms around the waist of a slender boy slightly taller than she was, a boy who smiled down at her as if she were the only other person in the world.

"Those are my parents." Cameron grinned when Cass met her eyes in surprise, and they laughed together. "I've seen them work hard over the years to make it through different things, Cass. My mom used to have a lot of the same insecurities that you had when you met Drew."

"Maybe that's why he's so patient with me," Cass murmured, her eyes on the photo in her hands. "Do you think Drew and I can make it?" She kept her eyes on the photo, her fear of Cameron's answer showing only in the tension of her pouty lips.

"Cass," Cameron said, and waited until Cassaundra's dark eyes rose to meet her own. "I think my brother loves you. I think you love him. And I've seen you both working to stay strong as a couple. I can't predict the future, and you guys haven't been together for very long," Cameron continued, raising a finger to stop Cass from getting worried. "But I think you have a good start. If you keep trying, and he keeps trying, then it will work."

It was then that Drew came back in, bearing lunch bags from the diner, and as he unpacked food and exclaimed over the size and quality of the burgers, Cameron was free to think. Observing her brother and his love silently as she ate, Cameron prayed that they had what it took, that they didn't end up like so many other couples. Still, she set it in her mind to find a chance to talk privately with her brother sometime very soon.

Watching them together, Cameron laughed as Drew poked the tip of Cass's nose with a French fry, leaving a smear of ketchup behind; she laughed with her soon-to-be sister-in-law when she caught Drew unaware and slapped a warm pickle slice to his smoothly shaven cheek.

As she saw them interact and play together, Cameron could see what led Drew to love this girl, what brought them together and held them in love. And sneaking in at the outskirts of her mind, there was a prayer that someday she would find what Cass and Drew appeared to share.

Shaking her thoughts aside, Cameron stepped in to stop her mental chaos before it could get too bad. "You two are like children," she laughed, drawing her focus back to the couple at hand, watching Drew wink at Cass and pop the pickle slice into his mouth. "Are we planning a wedding, or what?"

"Oh, we're planning a wedding," Cass laughed, wiping mustard from Drew's cheek with a napkin. "And no food fights allowed. I am not getting dolled up just to have cake shoved in my face.” For emphasis, she jabbed a finger at Drew, who tried to look innocent in spite of his devilish grin.

"You won't do the cake-face thing?" he asked.

"Absolutely not! Have you got any clue how much a wedding face costs?" Cass crossed her arms, struggling to create an indignant look despite her amusement.

"Not really," Drew teased. "I was just planning to wear my own face; I can do that for free."

"Very nice choice," Cameron broke into their banter with a laugh. "Do we have a date?"

"Oh, yeah, we want our anniversary," Cass said, sipping the water that had come with their meals.

"Exactly. Less chance of me forgetting an important anniversary if we try to keep them all on the same day," Drew said with a chuckle.

"Nice. Efficient," Cameron answered dryly. She turned to Cass, propping her chin in her hand, and whispered mockingly, "Are you sure about him? There is this other guy that I know, very romantic. And he knows how to use a calendar --"

"Hey!" Drew exclaimed, throwing a French fry at his sister. "You are not being helpful." Still, he couldn't help laughing.

"Aww, he's romantic when he wants to be," Cass laughed, reaching to link her fingers with Drew's. "I actually like the idea of getting married on our anniversary."

"Okay, so you guys got together in the summer, right? July?"

"July eleventh," Drew answered smoothly, bending into a mock bow. "That is the day her tire was flat and we had our first official outing. To Michael's shop. Very romantic."

"Oh, yes, highly," Cameron teased, spreading her appointment book on her desk and noting the date they'd chosen in her calendar. "I bet someone, somewhere is writing a romance novel about some dude fixing some chick's flat tire."

"Hey, it's the classic damsel in distress, Cam, don't mock. I was a top-notch hero that day," Drew laughed, nudging Cass's elbow with his own.

"Yes, it was a highly romantic encounter. Between blood loss and the creepy gas mask in the SUV, I was just swooning, let me tell you." Cass brought her hands together under her chin, fluttering her eyelashes at Drew.

"Last time I fix your tire," Drew grumbled, struggling not to break into a grin. Cameron laughed, putting her calendar aside and pulling a photo book close.

"How sweet," Cass retorted, leaning back in her seat and crossing her legs. "Will you marry me?"

"Well, I guess. You are kind of cute, anyway," Drew muttered, finally losing the battle with his laughter.

Eventually, Cameron was able to get them focused on planning, and they spent the next two hours looking through various books; they pointed out what colors they liked or didn't like, flowers they wanted or didn't want, and by the end of the appointment, they even had a list of venues they found appealing.

***

"I feel like I can’t get a handle on how I’m feeling with all this; I don't know what's wrong with me," Cameron was saying. She was sitting together with her brother Michael and their little sister Harmony, in their favorite booth at the diner. They'd gotten together for their habitual pre-tournament breakfast, something they'd done since Harmony was just getting started in gymnastics. The company always varied at the pre-meet breakfast, as various members of the family had their own obligations, but there was always someone to give Harmony their support. She may have grown into a strong competitor with a bedroom full of trophies, but she still couldn't go to a meet without her sibling pep talk.

"There's nothing wrong with you, Cam," Harmony answered, neatly skewering a bite of sliced banana. She was eating her typical pre-competition diner breakfast: yogurt, fruit, and a piece of toast with almond butter. "You have the right to be concerned about Drew. Still, I think Cass is great. And they look so happy together, don't they?"

"They do. Because they are. Stop seeing your client list, Cameron. You're too cynical for your own good sometimes," Michael said, leaning back to allow their server to refill his drink.

"I don't know if I am. Keeping myself from falling and getting serious about someone has kept me out of divorce court, after all."

"Yeah," Harmony retorted. "Because it keeps you out of the wedding gown, duh."

Cameron rolled her eyes at her little sister, spearing a bite of steak and chewing it before answering. "Maybe I don't want the wedding gown," she lied.

"And maybe you're scared of it," Michael said gently. "Commitment doesn't always lead to pain, you know."

Deliberately ignoring his comment and her urge to remind him of his recent divorce, Cameron turned her gaze to Harmony. "Well, anyway," she said. "We're supposed to be here for you, anyhow. Pre-meet pep talk and all. So how's the practicing coming? Do you feel ready today?"

"A little," Harmony hedged, lowering clear blue eyes to her plate.

"What's up?" Michael asked, sliding closer in the booth to drape an arm around Harmony's slender shoulders.

"There's this other girl, and she's coming in for the meet. Everyone's talking about her," Harmony grumbled.

"Why? Does she have three boobs?" Michael asked, tightening his arm to pull Harmony in close to his side.

"No, she has the best aerial abilities any of the coaches have seen. They don't talk about it with us, of course, not in class. But I heard some talk the other day, and I'm really nervous now."

"Really? I've never known you to be afraid before, Harm," Cameron said gently, pressing her own issues to the side as her concern for her sister took over. "Is this meet so much more important then?"

"It's not really that. I mean, I don't think it is, anyway. I've never been that kind of competitor, where I just want the win, you know? And I'm too old for serious competition now, anyway, like I'm not going anywhere big in my career as a gymnast. I've passed Olympic possibility; it’s behind me, and I know that and I accept it. That’s why I’ve moved more into teaching these days." Harmony kept her eyes on her breakfast, and as Cameron took in the girl's body language, she was forced to second-guess her sister's words. Her shoulders were rounded, slumped under the weight of her realizations. And where she usually ate with gusto, this morning Harmony didn't seem terribly hungry.

"What is it then, Harmony?" Michael asked, reaching with one hand for his toast and taking a bite that removed nearly half the slice.

"I guess I'm star struck. This kid coming in, she's going to take the win. I know she will. She'll do it because she's fourteen, because she's strong and agile, because she’s light. And she's so determined. You watch her and you just know she's going somewhere with her ability."

"And you think you're not." Cameron said, pushing her plate to the edge of the table for the server to pick up.

"No, I know I'm not. In all honesty, I'm probably going to end up with a job working for you or something, Cameron, and we all know it. I don't have any kind of degree in anything; I haven't been to any sort of college. My focus was all on my training when I wasn't in school, and then when I graduated, it was all about getting out there, getting on the floor and working hard."