Page 35 of My One and Only

“Cam?” Carole’s voice was filled with worry. “Everything all right?”

“It’s Jo, Carole. Checking in. Cam was up a few minutes ago, and we had a chance to talk. It’s going to be easier to protect Cam and Fiona if she’s here all the time. Starting tomorrow, we’ll take her to school and pick her up. You’re welcome to come see her anytime, but she’ll need to stay with Cam and me whenever she’s not in school. To prevent anyone who wants to hurt Cam from using Fiona against him.”

There were several beats of silence on the line, then Carole drew in a deep breath. “Yeah, I, ah, understand. Should I bring her back after she eats dinner tonight?”

Jo would prefer Fiona be with her, but she was pretty sure the girl would be safe with her grandparents for tonight. “Let her stay with you tonight,” Jo said. “Make sure all the doors and windows are locked. And if you have an alarm for the house, double check that it’s set.”

“We’ve never needed an alarm,” Carole said defensively. “Ogden’s a safe town.”

“Okay, then, we’ll see you in the morning.” Saying goodbye, Jo ended the call. She looked out the back window, studying everything, then returned to the living room and swept the area in front of the house. Everything was in order.

But as she dropped onto the couch, she closed her eyes. What had she done? Could she guard Cam and Fiona? Without letting personal feelings get in the way?

Better her than anyone else, she told herself. She would be invested in Cam and Fiona’s safety like no one else would be.

But she didn’t want to think about why that was.

Chapter 11

Cam was dreaming about Jo touching him when he heard her voice, as well. “Cam, wake up. The pizza is here. You need to eat.”

His eyes fluttered open and he saw two Jos above him, bent over the bed, her eyes deep pools of concern. “Are you awake?”she demanded.

“Sort of,” he said, struggling to sit up. His head hurt less than it had when he’d come home from the hospital that morning, but the double-vision was hanging around. He threw back the sheet and the blankets and swung his feet over the side of the bed.

“You need a hand getting out of bed?”Jo asked, no judgment in her voice.

“I’ve got this.” If he couldn’t get out of bed by himself, he was in a bad way. Gripping the top of the headboard, he pulled himself upright. The cherry headboard banged against the wall, and he winced as the noise drove a spear into his brain.

He stood for a moment, wobbling on his bare feet, until he straightened his back and took a deep breath. Blinked his eyes a few times until the two images of Jo merged into one.

“You wanna hold onto me?”she asked.

There was no judgment in her voice, but he said sharply, “No. I can walk out of my bedroom and down the hall to the kitchen.”

“Okay, then,” she said, backing away. “Let’s go. Pizza’s getting cold. Nothing worse than cold pizza.”

She watched him stumble out of his room, squinting his eyes at the bright light in the hall. He pressed one palm against the wall and steadied himself as he shuffled toward the kitchen.

Once he reached the living room and didn’t have an excuse to hold onto the wall, he stopped. Drew a deep breath. Felt it jangle around in his brain, then took a step toward the kitchen.

When he stumbled again, Jo grabbed his arm. Tucked it between her arm and her body. “C’mon, tough guy,” she said, but her voice was kind. Not irritated or impatient, although, based on the way he was acting, she had every right to those feelings. “I’m hungry, and you must be, too.”

Holding him against her, they shuffled together over the floor to the kitchen table. She’d set out two plates and two glasses of water. Still closed, the pizza sat in the familiar box on the counter.

“Which is your seat?”she asked.”

“That one,” he said, nodding at the chair at the end of the table. Pain exploded through his head, and he closed his eyes, waiting for it to recede. She clutched him a little more tightly but didn’t urge him to move. When his head didn’t feel as though it would fall off his shoulders, he lurched to the table. Fell into his chair and closed his eyes.

“Here,” Jo said, pushing a glass into his hand. “Drink some water. You’re probably dehydrated, and that’s making the headache worse. You haven’t had anything to drink since you left the hospital.”

She held the glass until he had a good grip on it, then let it go. Watched as he gulped down the whole glass. “Thanks, Jo. And sorry I’ve been such a pain in the ass.”

One side of her mouth curled up. “Believe me, this is nothing. Some of the things my clients have pulled have made me want to shove them out the nearest window.” She flashed him a quick smile, took his glass and refilled it. Set it on the table, then put two pieces of pizza on a plate and set it in front of him.

She served three more pieces for herself, then slid into the chair beside Cam. Watching him carefully, she nibbled on her pizza. After a few bites, she looked at it, then stared at him. “This is fabulous pizza. Where is this magical Al’s?”

“A couple of suburbs over, adjacent to a dive bar.” He smiled and took a small bite of pizza. “Nothing fancy, but for my money, it’s the best pizza in the western suburbs. They just started delivering about a month ago, thank God.”

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