The Thing About Trouble (Crystal Lake 1)

Tawny nodded. “She’s in heaven.”

The smile fled Lisa’s face, and she glanced up sharply at Cam. Before Cam could answer, Tawny pointed toward the table.

“Is that pie?”

Straightening, Lisa nodded. “It is. Fresh out of the oven. Would you like a piece?”

“What kind is it?

“Apple.”

“I like apples.”

Tawny tugged on Cam’s hand so that he had no choice but to follow her to the table. The only reason she gave up his hand was because his mother planted a big fat piece of steaming-hot pie in front of her. As she dug in, Cam took a step back, and his mother motioned him to the breakfast nook where they could talk. For a few moments, the two of them watched Tawny as she ate and chatted with Rufus, who’d already learned the best spot to grab crumbs was to stick close to the girl.

“What’s going on, Cam?” Lisa Booker looked at her son, a worried expression on her face.

Where did he start? She only knew snippets of his history with Iris, a few things he’d shared when he’d been arrested for selling drugs—drugs that had landed a young kid in the hospital. They weren’t his, but he’d been willing to take the fall if Iris got help because it meant Tawny would have a chance at a life with a clean mother.

In the end, the case against him had gone south, more to do with several key mistakes the police had made than anything else, and the noose around his neck had eased.

“Tawny is Iris’s daughter.”

He saw the surprise. The shock. “Oh.” And the confusion. “Why is she here with you?” His parents had never met Iris. But they knew the name considering she was the reason he’d almost gone to jail.

“Iris passed away. I don’t know the details exactly, but I’m going to assume it was the life that took her. She couldn’t get away from the drugs. Tawny was living with the grandmother, and she can’t look after her. She’s not in the greatest health. Iris wants Tawny to live with me.”

His mother inhaled sharply. “But that’s ridiculous. Where’s the father?” Her eyes narrowed. “Who is the father?”

“She’s not mine, if that’s what you’re thinking.” Cam sighed and ran his hand over the stubble on his chin. “The father has been MIA since before she was born. I don’t even know the guy’s name. What I do know is that he’s sells drugs, and he’s the reason Iris got hooked on that crap. He’s not the kind of man you’d want to leave a little girl with.”

“And you are?”

Cam frowned. What the hell? “What does that mean?”

“Cameron,” she said quietly, touching his arm. “I don’t mean that as an insult. You’re a thirty-year-old bachelor who, as far as I can tell, isn’t anywhere close to settling down. You just started your own business, and Lord knows that takes up a lot of your time. How is a child going to fit into that life?”

He was silent for a few seconds. His mother was right. He was pretty sure most folks would think the same. But that didn’t change the fact that a little girl needed help. He’d figure this out. “I don’t know.” Eventually.

“Is this even legal? You can’t just give a child to a complete stranger.”

“Iris and I were involved, you know that. I’m not a stranger.” He sighed. “As for the legalities, I don’t know. I’ve got a notarized letter from Iris and that’s it. I’ll have to talk to a lawyer tomorrow.” He paused because he was bringing up the reason for his visit. “I just need some help with her until I can get things straightened out.”

“Help?” Lisa cocked her head and gazed up at her son.

He nodded. “I was hoping you could watch her for me. I’m starting that big job on the lake tomorrow, and the last thing I need is a distraction. You wouldn’t believe how that Barnes woman—”

“A child isn’t a distraction, Cam.” His mother interrupted him, her disapproval at his choice of words coloring her own in a tone that was sharp.

Christ, he couldn’t win today.

“That’s not what I meant.”

She glanced over his shoulder and was silent for a few seconds, but Cam saw the indecision on her face. Slowly she shook her head, making his stomach tighten. “She’s a beautiful little girl, and maybe…”

“Maybe what?”

His mom turned back to him and placed her hand on his chest. She was acting weird, and that was freaking him out.