Christmas at the Riverview Inn

“No,” Max barked and lifted his hand like he would step forward and stop Cameron from touching Josie. And Cameron stopped, and then, because he couldn’t stand the look on Max’s face, he closed his eyes. And even that wasn’t enough.

He’d see that rage and disappointment his whole damn life.

“It’s not…what it looks like,” Josie said. She stood and her skirt fell down around her legs, and Cameron imagined she tried real hard to look sober, but then she bolted for the garbage can and started to throw up everything she’d put in her body over the course of her night.

“Why don’t you come outside with me, son,” Max said.

“I can’t leave her like this,” Cameron said, imagining all those rock stars who’d passed out, thrown up, and ended up choking to death.

“I’ve got her,” Delia, Josie’s mom, said, tying up her robe as she came sailing into the room.

There, Cameron thought. They don’t actually need me.

He caught Max’s eye and wished more than he could say that the floor would open up and swallow him. It was alarming to realize he would quite literally rather die than talk to Max.

“Come on,” Max said.

But the floor didn’t open up and he had no choice but follow Max out of the room and down the hallway and stairs into the kitchen.

Where Alice was standing, spreading cheese over tortilla chips, taco meat, and beans in a pan.

She’s making me nachos, he thought. Which meant she’d been planning this. A late night thanks for the gift he’d given Josie. It was so late and she was making him his favorite.

“Hey! The chauffer brought her home safely,” she said with a smile, but with one look at Max’s face the smile dropped. “What happened?”

Max blew out a long breath and looked over at Cameron. He was scared to open his mouth in case the ball of sick in his stomach came out.

“Somebody better say something right now,” Alice said.

“I kissed Josie,” he blurted.

“Oh, well.” Alice looked at Max. “That doesn’t seem so bad.”

“We were on her bed and her skirt had gotten pulled up and my hand was on her knee.”

“That sounds worse.”

“She’s very drunk,” Max finished.

“Oh no,” Alice breathed. “Oh…”

“I know what it looked like,” Cameron said. “I do. And I can’t change that. And I know I made a promise to you but…” He ran out of steam. “It wasn’t going to go any further.”

Her saying yes while that drunk wasn’t a yes at all, he knew that. Alice and Max had taught him that.

“You don’t believe me.” It wasn’t even a question and he couldn’t even blame them. If he’d walked in on some asshole on top of Josie like that, he’d have killed them. Straight up.

Max and Alice shared a quick look.

“I believe him,” Alice said quietly. “I know the kind of guy Cameron is, and you do, too.”

“You didn’t see it,” Max growled. “And as a cop I saw the aftermath of that way too often.”

Oh god, he was lumping Cameron in with rapists. Abusers. Guys who took advantage. Assholes who hurt girls.

Am I that guy? he wondered. Did it matter what he thought when Max seemed so sure?

“I’m so sorry,” Cameron said, and he felt sudden tears in his eyes. He grabbed his bag and his keys. “I’ll go.”

“Stop,” Alice said. “Cameron, stop.”

He didn’t, and Alice jumped out from behind the counter and got between him and the door.

“I would like to leave,” he said quietly. “I think it’s best.”

“I don’t. And it’s my kitchen.” Of course Alice would do this. Alice always did this, pushed him and pushed him. She reached out for him and he flinched away. Feeling like he had when he was a teenager, like if she touched him something might break. His skin might slide right off revealing some part of himself he was too scared to see.

She looked up over Cameron’s shoulder at Max. And Cameron was sure in that moment he would be unable to look that man in the eye ever again. Which meant, really…he needed to leave, like…for good. Not just for the night. But he had to get gone.

“Max,” Alice said. “Put away your cop brain for a second.”

Max shook his head and Alice sighed.

“We know how those two feel about each other. We’ve known for years. This kind of thing was always going to happen.”

“That doesn’t make groping her while she’s drunk all right!” Max said.

“No,” Cameron said in total agreement, and he could try and explain what happened, but the explanation was lame. Because he’d felt himself melting on that bed. And he’d promised to take care of her. He’d failed this family. “It doesn’t.”

“Max,” Alice said. “This is Cameron. Whatever happened…whatever you saw…I think it’s safe to say there was more to the story. If there’s one thing the Mitchells know it’s that there is always more to the story.”