Page 64 of My One and Only

“You’re right. But I saw Simms give the building inspector a bribe. And it’s the morning after your break-in. Awfully coincidental.”

Cam took a deep breath. Then another. “I think he meets with the people who work for him pretty regularly.”

“That would be good management,” she agreed. “I’m just curious about the timing of his meeting with Simms.”

“You always this suspicious?”he asked, frowning.

She glanced over at him. “Duh. It’s my job to be suspicious.” She opened her door and slid out. “Let’s go get those condoms before either Don or Simms comes out of the diner.”

Cam opened his door at the same time and was standing beside the car when she reached him. Drawing a deep breath, she scanned the parking area. Didn’t see anything alarming.

“You’re supposed to let me open the door for you after I check to make sure it’s safe to do that,” she murmured. “That’s bodyguarding 101.”

“Forgot for a moment that you were my bodyguard,” he said. “I’m too comfortable with you. Too lost in memories of how it was back in high school.”

“Yeah, I know,” she said, reaching for his hand. She twined their fingers, squeezed once, then let him go. Glanced at the diner. No signs of Don or Simms.“But our mission now is to get in and get out before anyone we know wants to stop and chat for a while.” She laughed. “That would be damn uncomfortable if one of us was holding a box of condoms.”

“I haven’t heard you laugh like that since high school,” he said. “Makes me want to go back in time. Ask you out properly. If we’d been a couple before that party in the woods, it might have changed everything about the arc of our lives.”

She stopped and turned to look at him. “Maybe,” she said. “But maybe not. Maybe we would have broken up in some ugly way, like kids often do. Maybe we still would have lost touch, but when I showed up in Ogden a few days ago, everything would have come roaring back. We wouldn’t have still been friends. Wouldn’t have been so happy to see each other again.”

She sighed and dropped his hand as they walked toward the store. Maybe what happened, for both of us, was the way it was supposed to be. Just like meeting again now was the way it was supposed to be.”

“Wow,” he said. “Deep.”

Jo shrugged one shoulder. “When we have that talk about our exes, I’ll tell you about Mike and what happened to him. What happened tous. I don’t want to think that was meant to happen, but it did. And the bottom line, Cam? We can’t change the past. So don’t dwell on the ‘might have beens’. Focus on right now.” She touched his hand. “That’s what I’m going to do.”

Cam drew in a breath as he opened the door for her. “Maybe you’re right. No sense regretting the past. All we can do is keep going forward.” He glanced at her. Smiled. “And be happy for this chance at a do-over.”

Jo nodded as they walked into the store. Headed for the ‘family planning’ aisle. But was this really a do-over? Or was it a moment out of time? Two old friends reconnecting. She hadn’t moved back to Ogden. Couldn’t. Her job was wherever Mel sent her. Sure, she could take her ten days leave wherever she wanted. But that’s all it would be -- ten days at a time, separated by chunks of working at some faraway location.

Blackhawk Security already had two agents in Chicago. She was pretty sure they didn’t need a third. And Cam’s business was here. It couldn’t be relocated.

As they chose a box of condoms and paid for it, Jo knew that she had one choice -- enjoy the time she and Cam had together. Because they’d eventually figure out who was responsible for the sub-par construction in Cam’s houses and the bribes to the city inspectors. When they did, those people would be rounded up, and she and Cam would say goodbye.

She only knew one thing for certain -- it would be a hell of a lot harder to leave Ogden this time than it had been fifteen years ago.

Chapter 20

As Jo was starting the car in the drug store parking lot, Cam pulled out his phone and tapped one of his contacts. Moments later, he said, “Hey, Mom. Are you busy right now?”

“Not if you need something, Cam. What can I do for you?”she asked

“I really hate to ask, since you do so much for me,” he said. “But I need a favor. I have to pick up a loaner while they’re repairing my truck, and Jo won’t let me drive yet. Do you think you could drive Jo and me over to the Enterprise location in Geneva?”

“Of course. Want me to meet you at your office?”

“No, we have to drop off Jo’s car at my house anyway, so we’ll meet you there.”

“Okay,” she said, and he could hear the smile in her voice. Like she was excited about the chance to do him a favor. “See you in a few minutes.”

“We’ll be there shortly.”

While he’d been speaking to his mom, Jo had opened the glove box and stashed the condoms there. Out of sight of anyone who might look in his car. “Good thinking,” he murmured.

She turned to him, her eyes twinkling. “Yeah. Don’t want to advertise what we’re planning for our spare time.”

“Absolutely not,” Cam said, shuddering at the ribbing he’d take from everyone who worked for him if they spotted condoms in his car.

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