Love, Scars, & Shooting Stars

Chapter Forty-Two

Cameron's first instinct when he entered Bill Platt's store was to turn tail and run, but it was too late—Becca Gibb had already spotted him. With a resigned air, he ducked between the shelves of potato chips and canned goods and made a beeline for the coffee counter, hoping that Becca would be gone by the time he reached the cash register. No such luck. He turned around and there she was, standing so close behind him that he nearly spilled his coffee down the front of her crisp, white blouse. Across the room, Bill Platt raised an eyebrow and then turned away to restock a display of cigarillos. Not one for gossip, Bill showed little interest in the conversations of others, although Cameron was certain that the man heard every syllable spoken within the walls of his store.

"Just the person I've been hoping to see," Becca said, positioning herself directly in his path. Her smile was incongruous with the gleam of hardened intent in her eyes, and Cameron was keenly aware of being cornered. "Have you spoken with Julie recently?"

"Uh... no, not since Saturday, I think," he admitted. "Why?"

"Oh, no reason," Becca said airily, her tone conveying to him that there was most definitely a reason. "I just thought it might interest you to know that she took Finn to see Garrett on Sunday."

"Oh."

"Mm-hmm," Becca confirmed, smiling in a sweet-yet-menacing manner that Cameron found to be more than a bit disturbing. "They spent most of the day with him, in fact. Bowling, I think it was."

Cameron only nodded, unsure of what it was she expected him to say, and also not wanting to expose the depth of his disappointment. Why the hell was she even telling him this in the first place? Just to torture him?

"And," Becca continued, either unaware of—or enjoying—his misery. "She and Finn have driven up to meet him every day so far this week, right after she closes up The Sub Shack."

"Oh," Cameron said again, and then made a weak attempt at insouciance. "It must be going well, then."

Becca scoffed irritably. "That's not the point, Cameron," she said, as if she were speaking to an imbecile. "The point is that she's spending an awful lot of time with someone who we both agree is shifty, and I think that's a bad idea. She's... vulnerable."

Cam snorted in amused disagreement and snagged two cello-wrapped brownies from a basket on the counter.

"Julie is many things, but 'vulnerable' is not one of them," he said.

"Or perhaps you're just not paying attention," she shot back, thrusting her head forward and crossing her arms over her chest. "Is that really a risk you're willing to take?"

Cameron emptied his lungs toward the ceiling and then looked Becca straight in the eye.

"And what exactly am I supposed to do about it?" he bit off, lowering his voice to a harsh whisper. "Lock her in the garage? Forbid her to see him?"

"No," she sneered, rolling her eyes. "But you could give her a reason to tell him 'no' once in a while, see to it that she's busy doing other things. I'd do it myself, but I've got meetings every night this week..."

"The Shack is lunch-only, it closes at three o'clock," Cameron reminded her. "How am I supposed to keep her busy after that?"

Becca leveled him with an indignant gaze. "Use your imagination," she suggested stonily.