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Chapter 11
Cameron
It'd had taken a little- no, try a massive amount- to get Nick to fork over his address, even more to get Brian to let me out of his sight. That bugged me, he wouldn't "let" me...bull. You'd have thought he'd have been the easier one. He knew was I was up against. With Nick I'd come up with a very well rehearsed lie. Well, not a total lie.
"Why do you want to know where my mom lives so bad?" Nick had asked, weary.
"Because, if I find out more about you maybe I can get some sleep." She said.
Nick eyed her still. "Why don't you just ask me?"
"Because I don't particularly like you."
"So you just met me and made that assumption that I was mean or whatever makes you not like me."
"I just don't like you because of..." She'd almost said it. "Because of my dreams. It's really annoying to star at your eyes."
"Sorry." He truly sounded sorry. "I'd never been told they were that hard to look at." He found a piece of paper siting on the counter next to him. He scratch his address on the paper and gave it to her, not looking at her.
Her gut told her to stop being so mean, but she didn't have time for it. She'd wasted enough time as it was. She could have told him she could get his number without his help days ago, but she hadn't wanted him to freak out when his mother would, no doubt, call and tell him about the girl at their house. She'd tried to be nice. Look how far, schedule wise, it got her. She was three days behind her mental agenda. Now she was going to have to be speedy in her prying. She didn't like that.
[Jane Carter's House]
I ran the door bell once. No one answered . I rang it again and I heard a faint noise from around back when no one answered for the second time.
"Back yard barbecue." I muttered, the sent flowing around front on the breeze. "Great. Family fun time." I walked around, my bag on my shoulder. I'd left Bruno with Brian. I hadn't known how hard that was going to be. In my head that had sounded like the logical idea, no doubt Nick's parents wouldn't want a foreign dog near their property, no matter how well trained. But when it came time to leave I almost tried to buy him a ticket on the plane next to me.
Brian talked out of it.
He'd pay later.
"Cameron?"
I stopped dead in my tracks when I rounded the last corner of the house.
"You're Cameron aren't you?" A women- bleach blond, kind of tall, but short compared to Nick, older looking, obviously Jane- knew her name? How?
"Yeah." I said smoothly. "How'd you know my name, Jane?" She said, making sure she knew who she was talking to.
"Nick told me you were coming. I made you a bed next to BJ's room. She's not here, but they'll all be home late. Aaron just got off tour so he'll be back and forth from here and the studio recording." Jane was fixing a very large picnic table with plastic disposable plates, plastic cups and plastic dinnerware while she spoke calmly, fondly. "Leslie won't be here, she's got a part in a small TV movie."
"Busy family." I said.
Jane nodded. "Very. Bob, honey come out here and turn these stakes. Come meet Cameron, too."
A man walked out, his hair bleached also. The perfect couple. He smiled and shook my hand. "Welcome Cameron. That's a very pretty name."
"Thanks." I didn't think so, but I wasn't going to argue over a name I had no choice in getting. I had more important things to find out.
Brian
"Wake up man." Nick said, snapping his fingers in front of my face.
"Sorry, what's up?" I asked.
"Not you. "Nick grinned and I yawned. "Are you ready for this interview?"
I shrugged. "Sure, they're all the same."
"You miss her already huh?" Nick grinned at me.
I didn't try to deny that my thoughts were more on Cameron than the interview. Interviews, concerts, autograph signings, they weren't just other gig's to me, they were my life. "I guess. You think it'd be expecting to much to hope she'd call?" I asked.
Nick shrugged, serious now. "I don't know, you know her better than any of us."
"I don't know her that well either. Just what I've forced out of her."
"It's better than nothing."
"I wonder how much your mom will get out of her."
"Who knows, what ever it is, we'll never know."
"I know. We should have sent her to AJ's mom or Howie's."
"Yeah, if they think they're helping two people get together they'll tell all." Nick grinned again.
"Oh well, maybe she needs to know what she says is private."
"She can tell you stuff in private."
"True, but I can never keep a straight face for long. And she always has one. I try to joke around more when I'm with her. I want her to smile."
Nick was trying to keep a straight face himself.
"What?"
"Nothing." He broke into a smile. "Really."
"Liar. What is it?"
"Why don't you just call her?"
"Cuz she'll think I'm checking up on her."
Bruno walked over, sat in front of my arm chair in one of the couple interview waiting rooms left for us.
"Bruno misses her."
"The dog is a petty excuse." I said.
"So, be petty and be desperate-"
"And horny." AJ said with a grin, walking in the room and the conversation. "We know you are so don't deny it."
"I like her, that doesn't make me horny."
"No, that's just simple fact." Nick said with an even bigger smile.
I looked down at the dog and scratched behind Bruno's ears. "So I should call her?"
AJ walked to the other side of the room and picked up the cordless, tossing it to me from where he stood. "We'll come get you in 15 minutes."
Nick started to follow AJ out and then paused to add another comment. "No phone sex, my siblings are probably there."
I ignored my friends. They were just trying to lighten the mood that hung around my head like a sickening aroma. 'I've called girls before', I thought to myself. 'Cameron's so much different from them. And she's got her mind on Nick.' I don't know why that thought sent a rush of heat through me. Jealousy? No, she was trying to protect Nick, not get close to him.
I stared down at the white plastic phone with it's little screen and rubber buttons. Just a few buttons. Eleven to be exact. Eleven depressions of rubber and he'd have the Carter residence on the line.
He didn't know when he actually dialed or when the second ring abruptly ended with a "hello" from the other end but he recognized Jane's voice automatically. "Hi Janie." He said in a teasing voice. "Miss me?"
"Have you killed my little boy yet?" She said with a smile in her voice.
"No, he's still walking...erm...is limping on one foot walking? Or is that hopping?" He grinned at her laugh.
"Is he still breathing, that's what I want to know."
"Yeah, he's on a respirator on stage and in an oxygen tent in the evening, but that's still breathing, isn't it?"
Jane laughed again. "How are you doing sweetie?"
We'd all become son's to her, I supposed. We'd all seemed to accumulate new familles, a few more mothers and fathers and more siblings and close relatives then they could count.
"I'm doing pretty good. How's Aaron and the girls?"
"Good, busy, entertaining Cameron while she washes dishes at the moment."
Cameron.
Washing dishes.
Little ones giggling, possibly making her do the same.
I could almost picture it. Almost. I could almost see Cameron as the motherly type. The actual visual image of her doing the acts were a bit hazy, but that's why it was "almost."
"You got her into your family routine already?" I asked, hoping to sound nonchalant. All I needed was for the Carter clan to try to work things along. Jane wouldn't, but if the kids liked her, they most defiantly would -if they weren't already. I wanted things to go at my pace, what ever that may turn out to be. And maybe a little of Cameron's.
"Oh yeah, you eat here, you clean her, you sleep here-"
"You clean here." I finished with a smile. "Don't work her too hard. I don't think she's too used to the domestic way of life."
"She seems pretty adapted to me." Jane's voice dropped a notch, showing concern and confidentiality. "How did you come a cross her?"
"We met at a bakery a while back. Kept bumping into each other and then-" I paused, debating. "Jane, this is between us all right?"
"Yes dear, always."
"She lost her home. Her whole apartment was burnt down. Some...one is trying to hurt her, I think."
"I see." Jane's voice was smooth, light.
"Cameron's in ear shot isn't she?"
"Maybe. I'm not sure how well-"
"She can hear?" I finished.
"Right."
"Very well, thank you."
"Not a problem dear. Thank you."
"Could I talk to her?"
"Sure thing, hold on." The faint tap of the phone being place on the table was then brushed over by the background sounds of childish laughter. There was even a famine, womanly laugh in the mix. Cameron?
"Hello." It wasn't a question, she knew it was me.
"Miss me?" I asked.
Cameron sighed. "I'm sure you're gloating at the thought of me doing house work."
"I am, oh I am." I laughed and it almost sounded like she gave, maybe, a half laugh.
"Are you having a good time?"
"In general or doing chores?"
"In general." Bruno seemed to know it was Cameron and inched closer to me, but laid down with his head in his paws, looking up at me.
"Nick's family is nice. Interesting. It's a wonder Nick came from the same blood line." There was a pause. "Brian I..." Another pause. "I hurt Nick's feelings, I think."
I smiled. "Oh really?" I wondered if my tone showed the amusement I felt.
She sighed a gain, more exasperated. "I made a comment about his eyes being irritating or annoying to look at or something like that. I think he took it personally."
"And what do you want me to do about that?" I asked.
"Never mind."
"No, no." I laughed. "I'll apologize for you."
"Thanks." The word was small and pained coming from her side of the line.
"You never answered me." I grinned.
"What?"
"Do you miss me?"
"Does your ego ever take a day off?"
"Not really. Bruno misses you." I said, grinning. "I think he likes me though."
"He turned on me the day he met you." There was a hint of amusement where there would otherwise be bite.
I laughed. "You know what?"
"Do I have to ask what?"
"You'll want to know this."
"No I don't."
"Yes you do."
She groaned. "Fine, what?"
"Bruno likes everyone here."
"I knew I should have taken him with me."
Nick stuck his head in the door and I held a finger to my smiling mouth before he could yell. He grinned and hooked a thumb over his shoulder. I nodded, intent on ending this conversation the way I wanted to. Nick closed the door softly with the mouthed promise I would hurry.
"Say you miss me."
"I've been gone... just a little over 24 hours." She must have been looking at her watch or a clock.
"So, you do. All Brian People miss me." I smiled, knowing that would at least bring a grin to her face, a little disappointed I didn't get to see it.
"If I say it, will you hang up and go to your interview?"
"How did you know that?" I asked, a frown and a smile forming at the same time.
"It's a gift." The sarcastic tone made me smile.
"OK, I promise to leave if you say you miss me and you can't wait to come back so I can kiss you senseless."
Silence.
"Oh Cameron? I'm going to make my fans mad." I grinned.
"I'm just going to say I miss you. You can wish for the rest of it, but I'm not saying it."
"Saying what?"
"That I- Brian, I hate you."
I laughed. "You know that's not true. Bye, call me whenever." I hung up the phone before she could protest.
That
ended better than I had expected and the interview went on with a brighter and
happier Brian Thomas Littrell.
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