The Thing About Trouble (Crystal Lake 1)

“Maybe Tawny is your completion.”

Okay. His mom sounded bonkers. “What the hell does that mean?”

“Today in church—”

At the mention of church, Cam rolled his eyes, though he was careful to keep the eye roll mental only, on account of the fact his mom had no problem giving him a piece of her mind if she thought he was being dismissive.

“Pastor Williams talked about completion. How we all need something in our lives to make us feel complete. Only then can you be truly happy.” She nodded over his shoulder. “You’ve been gliding through life on the strength of your looks and charm and a smile that makes my heart sing. I love you for all that you are. Your strengths and your faults. But you’ve been searching for something these past few years. Drifting, really. And the trouble you were in a year ago…”

“That’s over.” Cam frowned darkly. “I’m not drifting.” Insulted, he glared at his mother. “I have my own place now and my own business.”

“And I’m proud of you for growing those roots. But you need an anchor. Something to keep you grounded. Something more than just…”

“Just what?”

Lisa Booker seemed to consider her words carefully. “Cameron. Have you ever been in a real relationship before?”

“Relationship? What the hell does a kid have to do with a relationship?” He was not having this conversation with his mother. He’d tried the relationship thing once, and it had almost landed his ass in jail. He’d loved Iris…in his own way. It might not have been what his brother Nash shared with Honey, but then not everyone was the same. Not everyone felt the need to give away every part of their soul. Did that make him defective? Hell, he thought it made him smart.

“Can you watch Tawny tomorrow?” His question was terse and frustrated as he swung around.

“No.”

The one-word answer had him swinging back to his mother so damn quick, it took a few seconds for his eyes to focus. When they did, the expression on his mother’s face made him feel like an asshole. It was a mixture of disappointment and resignation and something he couldn’t quite pin down.

“Your father and I are leaving in the morning for vacation. If you paid attention to anything other than what’s going on in your life, you’d know that.”

Shit. Fuck. Damn. He vaguely remembered something about them driving out to California in the RV and doing a tour of wine country.

His mom stepped forward and reached for him, placing her hands on either side of his face. She smiled, a slow, tremulous lift to her mouth. “She’s precious, Cameron. Take care of her. I have faith in you.”

“But…”

“You’ll figure it out.” She stepped back. “Now, your father is running errands, and I have to finish packing. I’ll check in with you, I promise.”

He watched as his m

other said goodbye to Tawny and then disappeared from the kitchen.

“I’m full.” Tawny slid from her chair and came to him. “Can we go now?”

Cam’s head was all over the place. What the hell was he going to do with the kid tomorrow? Tawny tugged on his hand, and he looked down at her.

“Hey, you want to go for a boat ride?” He flashed that smile his mother had been talking about, but it did nothing for the little girl. She shook her head and grabbed his hand.

“I don’t like boats,” she whispered, those huge eyes of hers wide with alarm.

“Yeah? How come?” He was careful to keep his tone gentle.

“I don’t know. I just don’t.”

“Have you ever been on a boat?”

Again, she shook her head, and this time, it took a lot for Cam to keep the even-keel thing going.

“You sure you don’t want to try? We can bring Rufus and you can meet my brother Nash and his wife and their little baby boy, Gabriel.”

“I want to go back to your house.”