Page 46 of Best Laid Plans
Mrs. Pierce was out of her seat then, crossing the room quickly. She threw her arms around him. “Thank you, Cam. You have no idea what this means to us.”
He looked at Elle, then, the look on her face so soft that he had to stop himself from touching her. Instead, he focused back on Mrs. Pierce. “It would mean a lot to me, too. To be able to help.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
ELLE
It had been years since Elle had played a real tennis match. Not that this was billed as one. But whatever Chelsea thought she’d been getting into, it wasn’t this.
Elle nailed a backhand down the line, and even with her racket extended, Chelsea missed it by at least three feet.
Elle was already walking back to the baseline. “Game.”
Chelsea, winded, lined up to receive Elle’s serve. “Jesus, Elle. I thought this was supposed to be a friendly match. You almost hit me two volleys ago.”
It was hard for Elle to work up any sort of sympathy. Chelsea had betrayed her. Cheated with her boyfriend. And had managed to do it all while they’d been sharing an apartment. The fact that Chelsea couldn’t see that spoke to either her stupidity or her narcissism. Maybe both.
Elle forced a smile. “Just excited to be back on the court.” Why she’d even agreed to this was a question she’d been asking herself since she’d run into Chelsea. There were no answers to be given. No explanation that would make everything that had happened okay.
But Elle needed this.Neededto let out the frenetic energythat had been building inside of her. She stood at the baseline, nothing to do but focus on her serve.
Her dad had finally come home from the hospital this morning, and she had a sinking suspicion that the brand of energy she was bringing into her parents’ house was not exactly welcome.
Evidenced by the fact that after they’d gotten her dad deposited in bed, her mom had gently but insistently encouraged her to leave. Repeatedly. “I’m staying over again,” Elle had said on her way out the door. “Just in case you both need anything for his first night at home.”
“You really don’t need to do that honey.”
“Shouldn’t have been such good parents if you didn’t want us smothering you with love,” she’d yelled from the driveway just as her mom had closed the door.
Elle tossed up the ball, and she could feel that it was going to be a perfect serve when the ball connected with her racket directly in the middle before whizzing right down the center line.
“Ace.” She walked over to the other side of the baseline, ready to go again.
Maybe Elle was never going to get into a fist fight, but this was the next best thing. Running Chelsea ragged, watching the blonde hairs around her temples frizz with sweat, her cheeks growing splotchy. Elle was puppeting her like a marionette, and for once, she felt in control of her life, which had started to feel like nothing more than a spectator sport lately.
“So are you going to tell me about your broody new boyfriend?” Chelsea asked at the same time Elle hit her next serve, the ball not even coming close to being inbounds. Chelsea’s smug smile was all the indication that she needed that Chelsea wasn’t above using her own specific talents to even the playing field.
Elle should have seen that coming. But she wasn’t going toexplain that the more she tried to push Cam out of her mind, the more he rooted in, twisting and wrapping around her every thought.
She slowed down the pace of her serve and tried again, making sure to keep the ball in play. “Not much to tell.”
Elle let the volley play out, giving Chelsea a chance to return her shots. A quick end to the point would only start the questions from Chelsea again.
And what could she really say about Cam?
That his helpfulness was becoming like an aphrodisiac? She’d never been one for the savior-type, and somehow, every time she saw him, her heart had started to feel a little lighter. That his mere presence had started to make her feel safer, calmer? That she’d started to crave any chance to wrap herself up in his arms and burrow into his solid, warm chest?
And that’s not even getting into the incredible chef aspect of it all! He’d stopped by the hospital every night this week to drop off dinner, creations that he’d whipped up in the Pierce’s Lobster Co. kitchen. Salmon with a creamy garlic lemon and herb sauce that had made Elle moan in appreciation. Linguini with clams, the pasta perfectly al dente. Chicken marinated in a medley of flavors that had danced across Elle’s tongue. And of course, all were cooked to perfection and better than any restaurant she’d ever eaten at.
A man like Cam was dangerous and likely to burn her whole world down. But she couldn’t seem to stop playing with fire.
Elle pushed the thoughts of Cam away. She had more pressing matters to deal with. She stood at the baseline, running Chelsea back-and-forth across the court like a cat playing with a mouse. She was going to go for the kill shot and put Chelsea out of her misery when a broad figure appeared at the doorway to the outdoor courts. Elle misjudged her shot, and the ball soared past the baseline.
“Out,” Chelsea yelled unnecessarily.
Well, bully for Chelsea and her first point of the game.
God, it was embarrassing to have the idea that she wanted Cam to beimpressedby her as she squared up for her next serve. She tried to forget his presence, but she couldn’t. He stood quietly about twenty feet away, leaning casually against the fence.
