Love, Scars, & Shooting Stars

Chapter Sixteen

Julie sat at the table on Cameron Shepherd's back patio, grinning as he debated with her son over the merits of the original Star Trek versus The Next Generation.

"The characters are weak, the storylines are dated, and the special effects are a joke," Finn insisted. "Face it, dude, the original doesn't even come close to The Next Generation!"

"Without the original there wouldn't be a Next Generation!" Cam argued back. "And I'll have you know, those special effects were cutting edge stuff back in their day!"

"Exactly!" Finn jumped in, slapping his palm against the table. "'Back in their day'." He smirked and shook his head in mock sadness. "Sorry, man, but those days are over."

Cameron's laughter spilled out in a full, husky bellow, and Julie couldn't help but notice the way his eyes crinkled up at the corners when he laughed. Though he hadn't gained any ground in his argument, he seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the verbal sparring match with the precocious twelve-year old sitting next to him, and he was much more at ease than he'd been the day before, when it had just been the two of them. With the buffer of Finn's presence, Julie and Cameron had managed to converse like reasonable adults, instead of awkward teenagers who couldn't help but trip over their own insecurities.

"Okay, we're deadlocked here," Cameron said, turning his deep blue eyes to Julie. "You're the deciding vote."

"Me? Oh, I don't think I'm qualified to—"

"C'mon, Mom," Finn pleaded. "You have to pick one."

"No way am I taking sides on this one," Julie laughed, standing to gather the empty dishes from the table. "You two are just going to have to agree to disagree."

Cameron grinned and clapped the boy good-naturedly on the shoulder as he stood to help Julie gather the dishes.

"Oh, no you don't!" Julie insisted, taking the plate from his hand. "You set the table and did all the cooking—at least let me clean up."

Cameron opened his mouth to argue, but Finn interrupted before he had the chance.

"Thanks, Mom! C'mon, Mr. Shepherd, let's go!" Finn plopped his own plate on top of the two that Julie was holding, then turned and bolted down the patio steps.

"The name's Cameron, remember?" Cam called after him.

"C'mon, Cameron!" Finn grinned back, and then disappeared around the corner of the house.

"I told him we'd pull that old basketball hoop out of the garage and put it up after dinner," Cameron explained. He glanced in the direction that Finn had gone and then back to Julie, torn.

"Go," she urged with a smile. "I've got this."

He finally gave in, and Julie continued gathering the dishes, stealing glances at Cameron's tall, muscular form as he followed the path her son had taken only moments before. He moved with a fluid grace, each shift of muscle and limb rolling smoothly into the next like waves across the ocean. It was a quality that few men seemed to have, but then again, how long had it been since she'd really looked at a man? The butterflies in her stomach told her it had been far too long, and that the vague stirring she felt between her legs was nothing more than her body's futile attempt at reviving a part of herself that had flat-lined long ago. But that didn't stop her eyes from sweeping over the contours of his broad shoulders, or traveling down the firm length of his back to the waist of his cargo shorts, resting loosely above his lean, narrow hips. When he turned the corner and disappeared from view, Julie shook herself back to reality and went back to stacking plates.