That Night in Texas

He wasn’t an easy man, nor was he comfortable, but, hell, he was interesting.

Cam reached down, flipped open the lid to the console between them and pulled out a bottle of aspirin. He tossed it into her lap and, reaching behind her seat, pulled a bottle of water from a pack on the floor. “Take a couple and then start talking.”

It was one command she was prepared to obey. Five minutes later, after swallowing most of the bottle of water, she felt a little stronger. “What do you want to discuss?”

Cam’s took a moment to reply. “That night...why did you leave?”

Because it was late, and she knew that her mom would be frantic. Because if she wasn’t home by dawn, there was a strong possibility that her mom would call the church prayer line and every male member of the church would scour Tarrin for her. She’d known that she was in for a verbal thrashing for leaving the funeral and will reading, but if her mother found out she’d visited a bar and slept with a stranger... Well, hell, Satan would’ve taken cover.

But nothing compared to the meltdown her mom had descended into when she heard about her pregnancy. Hell, she was certain, was still in recovery mode.

“I didn’t think that we had much more to say to one another. We drank, we danced, we slept together. We were done.” Hooking up with Cam had been an act of defiance, of rebellion, and she’d never, not for one minute, thought that it could last beyond dawn. That was why they hadn’t bothered with names, why they hadn’t shared anything personal. They had been two people who were attracted to each other, using each other to alleviate their loneliness and have a brief physical connection. Had she read the evening wrong? Had he wanted more? Vivi frowned. “Did you want to see me again?”

Cam’s jaw hardened, and he stared straight ahead. “It ended how it was expected to end.”

Vivi couldn’t help noticing that he didn’t answer her question. She debated what to say next. She certainly wasn’t going to tell him how her mother had reacted when she finally faced the fact that Vivi was pregnant, how she had screamed at Vivi for two days straight before tossing her out of the only home she’d ever known, into a strange and scary world.

Vivi tasted the same panic at the back of her throat and reminded herself that she’d survived, then she’d flourished. She was okay, Clem was okay, life was good.

“I moved away from Tarrin and came to Houston.”

“Why?”

Dammit, she didn’t want to answer that question. She wondered how to respond without telling him too much and decided to keep it simple. “I wasn’t welcome there anymore.” She saw him open his mouth and began to speak again before he could lob another question her way. “I found a place to stay, had a couple of jobs and then I found work at The Rollin’ Smoke.”

“Joe Cabron’s place?” Cam asked.

“Yeah. I started off at the bottom of the ladder and worked my way up.” Vivi heard the note of pride in her voice and didn’t give a damn. She’d badgered Joe to give her more work, more responsibility, a higher wage, and every task he gave her, she’d excelled at. And when she got to food preparation, they’d both realized with equal surprise that she had a natural affinity for flavors and a great cook’s instinct. Together they’d played with recipes and food combinations, and when Joe decided to semi-retire, Vivi had gotten her chance at running his famous kitchen. Her appointment had sent shock waves through Houston’s culinary circles, but she’d proved her worth—taking online courses to improve herself—and was now considered to be one of the best chefs in the city.

“I’m Joe’s head chef.”

Cam turned his head to look at her, his eyebrows raised. “You’re kiddin’.”

Vivi narrowed her eyes at him. “Please tell me that you aren’t another Neanderthal man who thinks that only men should barbecue.”

Cam’s lips twitched. “Hell, I don’t care who prepares my barbecue as long as it’s done right. And at The Rollin’ Smoke, it’s done right.”

Vivi nodded. “Damn straight.” She started to pull her bottom lip between her teeth and remembered that she had a cut that needed healing. “I saw you there, at the restaurant, about three months back. You were eating lunch with Ryder Currin.”