"Sorry, do you mind if I take this?" I asked. He told me it was fine. I took the phone and walked to the front door, letting myself out before answering. "Hello?"
"Natalie?" It was Brett. Mr. Brett Hamm, who had been waiting to hear back from me since Friday. I hadn't said anything about the initial visit I had made to Cameron's cabin because we had agreed to talk about it on Monday at work. Yeah, work. The place I would not be going tomorrow because I was stuck here.
"Brett. Hi," I said. Oh shit.
"Natalie? I'm sorry for calling you like this, but I think we have a problem."
"What?"
"I heard a news report. There was a snow storm yesterday that rolled in from the mountains. I think Cameron's cabin is right in its trail." My stomach unclenched but just a little.
"Brett, I have something to tell you." I started at the beginning skipping over the embarrassing details, particularly the one where I had had a dream about Cameron and I having sex. He listened silently until I got to this morning.
"When were you going to tell me all this, Natalie?"
"I was going to call in tomorrow to say that I wasn't coming in. Neither of us were hurt, and the cabin's stocked with enough supplies to last us the few days it will take for the snow to clear. There was no immediate danger, so I didn't say anything."
"No immediate danger?" he repeated. "When did you find out about the storm?"
"I heard the weather report Friday morning and told Cameron myself, but he didn't care. He was resolved to stick it out on his own up here, so I did the next best thing and brought the supplies to him myself."
"Goddammit, Cameron," he said to himself. "Where is he now?"
"Inside the cabin. He's fine, Brett. He has enough firewood and food to make sure he doesn't freeze or starve to death. The snow's too deep for him to think of trying to take his truck out, and despite everything, I think he actually likes it out here."
"Oh no. Don't tell me that, Natalie."
"I'm sorry, Brett. I think he found whatever it was he came out here looking for."
"That's well and good unless he decides he prefers chopping firewood and spearfishing to his actual job. This little vacation of his is supposed to be temporary." I swallowed. Finally, he had gotten to the point. I had had a chance on Friday to talk to him about the company, and I hadn't done it. I had had another one yesterday, and I hadn't done it then either. We had talked about my family, his family, my ex, basically nothing that I had actually needed to say to him.
"I realize that, Brett. I'm pretty sure he does too."
"Reminding him won't hurt. He said he needed time to think; he can spend his time thinking about that."
"Okay," I said quietly, wishing that I hadn't picked the phone up. I didn't want to go back in there and bring that up with Cameron. It was clear what he wanted; why were the people around him so adamant about trapping him in a job he didn't want? I felt bad being here knowing I had promised to come on Friday to talk to him about it. But then, I felt bad about not doing what Brett had asked me either. This whole situation was one big gray area. Each side was right and wrong at the same time, and I didn't know who I was supposed to support.
"We need him."
"Has there been more trouble with the stockholders?"
"There will be the longer it takes to coax him down off that mountain," he said. "How's he doing up there?"
"Surprisingly well," I said honestly.
"Perfect... Just great," he said. "I didn't think he would stick to this scheme of his so long. I've never known him to be a quitter, but I had wanted to chalk this whole thing up to him losing his parents. Cracking under the pressure and not knowing how to cope. He always disappeared into himself, but he's never isolated like this before. I don't know whether I should be worried." This must have been hard for him too, I realized. Brett was worried about the business, holding it together for his dead friend while the man's son hid out in the mountains because he had to. He had promised Cameron and probably promised the late Mr. Porter, too. At the same time, he cared for Cameron, past just his value to the company.
"I think he just needs time."
"We all do, but he's running out. He needs to know that. It's not fair, but it's what had to happen if Porter Holdings is expected to have a future."
Why was I out here? How had I gotten roped into this? All this inheritance and duty stuff was like another language to me. I could sympathize, but I couldn't relate. Why did he think I would have an impact on whether or not Cameron finally came to his senses? I had no idea what I could say to convince him and just thinking about goading him into going back to something he clearly didn't want made me feel disgusting.
"I'll do what I can, but I can't make any promises."
"Just do what you can. Oh, and take care of him out there. I don't know what he was thinking heading up there in the winter. Now you're stuck up there too." I knew a thing or two about dealing with sub-zero temperatures in the middle of nowhere, but I decided to keep that to myself.
"I'll do my best," I said weakly. He didn't need a caretaker. I didn't know what he needed, but it wasn't me or Brett breathing down his neck to go back to Salt Lake City. I had told Brett that I would talk to him about the company, and I hadn't. That had been wrong, but even he had to have known asking me to do that how reluctant Cameron was about all this. I didn't want to be another person pushing him towards a future he didn't want, but who was I kidding? That was exactly who I was. We wouldn't have ever spoken if I hadn't been part of the plan to put him at the head of Porter Holdings where he didn't want to be. I reassured Brett again that I would talk to him, and we hung up.