Chapter Twenty-One - Cameron

Cameron woke up early Saturday morning, unable to sleep any longer. He was going out with Amanda that evening. He’d asked out a lot of girls over the years, but he’d never been nervous before. Why would he be when he’d always known they would say yes? But Amanda—he’d been out of his mind with anxiety before asking her. After dancing with her—and kissing her—well, he couldn’t deny it anymore. There was one thing he’d never done with a girl before, and it was happening.

He was falling for Amanda.

Not the kind of weird, infatuated crap that most high schoolers experienced, but on a deeper level. He cared more about Amanda than he did himself. Why else would he put himself at risk the night of the snowstorm? He didn’t know if it was love or not—just the thought of the possibility made him nauseous. But he definitely cared for Amanda more than he’d cared for anyone he’d ever dated. And he didn’t want to screw this up.

After Cameron managed to pull himself out of bed, he stumbled down to the kitchen to cook up some eggs and a spinach smoothie. Just because he wasn’t currently on the swim team didn’t mean he could let himself go. He needed to be in top shape for when he returned. Cameron had just changed into his gym shorts so he could go on a run when his mom came downstairs.

“You’re up early,” she said.

Cameron stepped toward her and gave her a hug. It was good to see her. She was gone so much nowadays, working as often as they’d let her. “Need to stay in shape,” he said.

His mom beamed up at him. “I’ve missed you and your hugs.”

“Me too, Mom.” Cameron stepped back.

“How’s the play going? Theresa doesn’t tell me much.” Her mom’s smile dipped for a split second, but then it returned, as if it had been forced to.

Cameron immediately thought of Amanda. “Everything is pretty rough still, but I think it will turn out well.”

“You doing okay memorizing your lines? I couldn’t believe it when your father told me you were Scrooge.”

“Well, I’m the young Scrooge, so I don’t have as many lines as the main one. It’s coming along, though.” Truth be told, he hadn’t even started. But he’d get there. Now that he’d mastered the waltz, he could do anything. His mom would be thrilled when she saw him dancing on stage. She’d always wanted him to take lessons when he was younger—said it would help him to not be quite so awkward. Cameron had always resisted, of course. He was glad he’d be able to give her one small moment of happiness in a time when they were becoming fewer and farther between.

“You’re still Scrooge, and you’ll look far better as the young one than the old one.”

Cameron laughed. “Thanks, Mom, but I better head out on my run.”

“You’re going to the indoor track, aren’t you? It’s too cold to be running in this kind of weather.”

They had this conversation every time. “Unless it’s a blizzard or below twenty degrees, I’m running outside. It’s good for me—toughens me up.”

“Okay, but I’m not taking you to the emergency room if you get frostbite again.”

“It was one time, and it was because I hadn’t realized I had holes in the bottom of my shoes.” Cameron checked really quick, just to be safe. It had been a while since they’d been able to afford a new pair. They were worn, but thankfully there were no holes.

The brisk air finished the job of waking Cameron. His mom had been right, though; it was pretty cold. He only made it a couple of miles before he turned back home. When he returned, his dad and sister were also up.

“Get changed,” his dad said by way of greeting. “You have a job to do this morning.”

Cameron stared. “I already shoveled the driveway and the sidewalk yesterday.” That had been a pain. Their snowblower had broken down, and they hadn’t been able to afford to fix it. Cameron had tried to fix it on his own using videos on the Internet, but had never been able to figure out what was wrong with it.

“No, I mean a paid job. Mr. Gilbert called and said there’s someone looking for a few strong guys to help put up a Christmas tree and string some lights. He figured you’d need a couple of friends to get the job done, so you’ll want to call Blair and maybe someone else from the swim team.”

Cameron was confused as to why they were offering him the job. Mr. Gilbert was from the community center and sometimes set up jobs for folks with who needed them, but Cameron had never been on his radar before. Maybe his dad had requested Mr. Gilbert keep a lookout for them. “It has to be done right now?” Christmas was still seven weeks away.

“The family is willing to pay extra since it’s a last-minute kind of thing. They’re a bit particular, and their Christmas decorations have to be done right after the first big snowstorm. The snow came early this year, so the tree and the lights have to go up.”

What kind of tree required multiple people to put it up, and all before November had even hit? Cameron heaved a sigh. He didn’t really feel like stringing up lights for some rich family who was too lazy to do it themselves, but if it meant extra money, he knew he couldn’t refuse. “All right. I’ll go call Blair.”

An hour later, Cameron sat in the passenger seat as Blair drove them to the far side of town. They hadn’t been able to convince anyone else to go with them on a Saturday morning, even though money was involved. No one else was as desperate as Cameron.

“It looks like they live on the same road as Amanda,” he said, double checking the address he’d inputted in the GPS app.

“Are you sure?” Blair asked, glancing over at Cameron. “I thought Amanda’s house was the only one before you get further up and the road branches out.”

And then they were there. Parked in front of Amanda’s house—the one that matched the address in Cameron’s phone. Oh, no. He had been hired to work for Amanda’s mom?

“I can’t do this,” Cameron said, determined not to leave the vehicle.

“Why? It’s not a big deal. I’ve done jobs for people I know all the time.”

“Because…” He didn’t know how to explain it. The best way he could describe it was like in the olden days. Hers was the family with the sprawling estate, and he was the poor boy shoveling their horses’ manure. Okay, putting up a tree and some lights wasn’t exactly the same thing, but it still made a distinction between him and Amanda. A wedge. One that would make it very difficult to have anything romantic with her.

“Let’s just get it over with,” Blair said, jumping from the car.

It took a moment, but Cameron finally pushed his door open and got out. He trudged after his friend, and by the time Cameron had reached the porch, the door had already opened. It wasn’t Amanda who stood in the doorframe, but her mother. She didn’t look as Cameron had expected an interior designer to look. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail and she wore jeans and a T-shirt, as if she’d been working around the house.

“Come in,” she said with a bright smile. She glanced between the two boys, and her smile faltered. “Is it just the two of you?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Blair said. “But we’re very strong.”

“Oh, it has nothing to do with strength, more with safety,” her mom said, brushing away a lock of hair that had escaped her ponytail. “One person needs to hold the ladder, you see, and carrying the sections of the tree while climbing can be a bit awkward. Amanda tells me the ladder is stable, but I feel it wobble when I try climbing it, and it freaks me out every time. I’d hate for anything to happen to you boys.”

Oh, that was why they were there. Amanda’s mom was afraid of heights.

“We’ll be okay, Mrs. Barrett,” Blair said.

Cameron instantly felt more at ease about the job, knowing it wasn’t for some rich family who was afraid of work. They were afraid of falling to their deaths, which was understandable.

“If you’re sure,” she said, not looking entirely convinced. “Once the tree is up, I’ll have you help me with the tree decorations as well, if you don’t mind. But I’ll warn you now, I’m picky about how I want it to look.”

“We’re good at following orders,” Blair said with a grin.

Yeah, right. But for the right price, they could be good at it. Besides, Cameron wanted to make a good impression for Amanda’s mom. He’d be back that evening to pick Amanda up for their date, after all.

“All right,” she said, her smile back in full force. “The ladder and the box the tree is in are both in the garage. Why don’t you grab those while I set the ambiance?”

Cameron wasn’t sure what that meant, but he did know how to carry a ladder, so he focused on that. He and Blair found it easily enough, along with the Christmas tree box. The ladder was longer and heavier than he had expected, and they had to make a couple of trips.

When they entered the house from the garage the second time, Christmas music blared from overhead speakers, and the scent of warm cider and fresh-baked cookies was in the air. Cameron glanced into the kitchen and saw Amanda’s mom busy at the stove.

But where was Amanda?

As if on cue, she bounded down the stairs as Cameron and Blair were carrying the tree across the entryway. “Mom, what have I told you about Christmas music before Halloween?” she called. When she saw the two boys, she stopped so fast she had to grab the railing to keep from tumbling down the stairs.

“How do you expect us to decorate if it doesn’t feel like Christmas?” her mom called back from the kitchen.

Cameron gave Amanda a small wave. “Surprise.”

She looked amazing in leggings and an oversized T-shirt. Amanda always looked great, but there was something about her natural beauty that caught his attention and refused to let go. He made a mental note to show up unannounced more often.

Amanda recovered from her shock at seeing the boys and descended the stairs. “Hey.” She hesitated, then said, “Am I late for our date, or are you early?”

“Considering it’s only ten in the morning, neither.”

“Oh, right,” she said, her cheeks now a nice shade of pink, though she did still look a bit confused as to why both Cameron and Blair were standing in her entryway.

“Dude, you guys are going out?” Blair asked, elbowing Cameron in the side. “How come you never told me?”

“Uh…” Both Amanda and Blair looked at Cameron expectantly. Thank goodness Amanda seemed more amused than offended. “Slipped my mind?”

Amanda’s mom bustled in at that moment, saving Cameron from any further questions. “The cookies will be done in a few minutes. Why don’t we get the tree up and then we can take a break before pulling out the ornaments? Never can have too many cookie breaks.”

Cameron turned to Amanda and almost apologetically said, “We’re here to help with decorating.” She must have been so confused at them showing up, and then her mom putting them to work.

As Cameron had expected, Amanda didn’t seem to know what to say to the news. He hoped it didn’t weird her out that her mom had hired him. After a moment, Amanda said, “Okay. I’ll bring in the box of decorations while you work on the tree.”

“Sounds great,” Cameron said. He watched Amanda walk across the entryway and into the other room.

It was official.

Best. Job. Ever.