Page 34 of Only in Our Dream
Cameron dramatically sighed, waving them off as she paid for their order and handed the bags to Dylan and the drink carrier to Jonah. Although they were early by Cameron’s standards, the kids would be late to the first class if they didn’t eat in the car. Their full mouths gave Cameron a few moments of peace as she sipped on her Coke.
She wasn’t that dressed up, was she? Surely the kids were just being dramatic.
But what if they know?
What if they knew that Cameron was dressing up for their Aunt Mel? Even if she didn’t want to admit that fully to herself. Would they be upset? Freaked out? Happy? The possibilities were endless and too daunting to face before eight a.m.
However, Cameron knew she’d have to talk to the kids sooner rather than later. She didn’t need them catching them stealing kisses again before they fully knew what was happening. Cameron had always been upfront with her kids, and that had kept them all close over the years. But with the new position their Aunt Mel was currently taking in Cameron’s life, she knew things were going to change for better or for worse.
Cameron had a feeling it would be for the better, though.
Arriving at the middle school, Cameron dropped Dylan off with a quick kiss as she scampered out the door. The drive to the high school wasn’t long, thankfully. Even if Jonah’s silence made it feel longer. Cameron knew he didn’t like her driving him to school. But with the old car he drove in the shop for new tires and an oil change, Jonah was stuck with her for at least the remainder of the day. As they sat in the long drop off line, Cameron turned slightly to look at her son.
“I know it’s uncool to have your mom drop you off at school.”
Jonah shrugged. “It’s cool, Mom. Thanks for getting my car fixed.”
“You’re welcome, baby.” Putting her hand behind his head, she pulled him closer and kissed his cheek. She could see him blushing, but at least he didn’t pull away. “Text me when you’re done with practice, okay?”
“Kay.” Jonah gathered his backpack as Cameron pulled up in the front of the school. “And Mom?”
“Hmm?”
“I think you look really pretty today.” Without so much as a grin, he hopped out of the car. “Showering does wonders for you,” he added with a laugh as Cameron playfully threw an empty straw wrapper at him.
Cameron watched Jonah walk over to his friends and greet them all with some handshake his group of friends had started doing. She might not understand it, but it was cute. Like their ownThe Parent Traphello.
Picking up the to-go bag that still held Melanie’s biscuit, Cameron set it on Jonah’s empty seat. She turned on the seat warmer and patted the bag with a smirk. Melanie would be thrilled with breakfast, and Cameron was already anxious to see her smile.
Straightening her hair once more in the rearview mirror, Cameron took in a deep breath before hyping herself up togo into the hospital. She knew her coworkers would make comments about her outfit or makeup, but they’d all be in jest. And after years of working with most of them, Cameron knew they all just loved teasing each other. It was just going to be her day to be on the receiving end.
Before heading up to her office, Cameron made a pit stop on the labor and delivery floor. It was quiet, a rarity for that floor. Typically, either laboring moms or babies could be heard at all hours of the day. There wasn’t even the typical bustle of nurses and doctors hustling to help their patients.
As she approached the nurses’ station, she was pleasantly surprised to find Melanie working there by herself. She looked focused on whatever she was writing in a chart as her knee bounced up and down. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail and she wore the same standard issue green scrubs that all labor and delivery nurses wore. Cameron’s eyes glanced down at Melanie’s left hand and noticed she wasn’t wearing her wedding ring.
Sure, she often kept it off because of the nature of her job. Melanie had told Cameron multiple times before she didn’t wear it at work because she was afraid of throwing it away when taking off her gloves. Or worse, forgetting it was on and having it puncture through her gloves. Although she’d never had a wedding ring to worry about, Cameron understood where Melanie was coming from.
But there was just something different about seeing her without it now. It made Cameron happy and gave her an added confidence to flirt with Melanie since no one was around. Still unnoticed by Melanie, Cameron leaned onto the desk.
“It’s quiet in here,” she said just above a whisper, startling Melanie.
“Cam,” Melanie sighed, exacerbated, “what the fuck? Why would you say that?”
“Because it is,” she laughed.
“It’s going to be your fault when this place is full of laboring moms in a few hours. And then I’m going to have to stay over at work and then I’ll leave late and feed Lucy and Hank late and you know how they get when their food is late…”
“Okay, okay.” Cameron held up her hands. “I’m sorry. Please forgive me.”
Melanie’s eyes sparkled. “I’ll need bribery.”
“How does this sound?” Cameron dropped the bag onto the desk. Melanie’s eyes lit up as if Cameron had just dropped a pile of money.
“Bless you.” Melanie dug into the fast-food bag and pulled out the bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit. “You know how much I love these.”
“I do,” she chuckled, leaning onto the desk. Since Melanie was alone, Cameron felt freer to flirt with her in public. “You know what else I love?”
“Me?” Melanie smirked before she took a large bite of the sandwich. Lowering her eyes, Cameron didn’t stop the smile from spreading on her lips.
