Chapter Twenty-Two - Amanda

Amanda had known her mom had contacted Mr. Gilbert about hiring Cameron to help decorate their house, but she hadn’t realized he would be there that weekend. Amanda had figured her mom would at least wait until the next week. Not only would it give Mr. Gilbert more time to make arrangements, but it would officially be November. She should have known her mom wouldn’t be able to help herself. Not with the foot of snow still on the ground.

At least she hadn’t needed to feign surprise when she saw the boys. The last thing she wanted was for Cameron to know she had been the one to suggest hiring him. She doubted it would go over well.

Amanda hauled the large box reserved for tree decorations into the next room. Cameron and Blair had set the stand up and were getting the bottom portion of the tree in place. As soon as Cameron saw Amanda, he hurried to her and took the box from her arms.

“Hey, I got that,” he said. Once the box had been transferred, he carried it to where the base of the tree stood. He set the box down and patted the top of it. “Wow, that one is heavy.” He breathed heavily as if to prove his statement true. “I’m impressed you were able to carry that all the way from the garage. You got a secret Wonder Woman thing going on I should know about?”

Amanda flexed her arms like a champion weightlifter might. “You better believe it.”

Cameron laughed, and it warmed Amanda. He had the most incredible smile, and she’d do anything to keep it there.

A song burst from someone’s phone at that moment, though it was difficult to hear over the Christmas music her mom had blaring. Blair stood on the ladder with part of the tree in his arms, but he shifted it and leaned it against the ladder while he reached into his pocket.

“Hello?” After a moment of listening intently to whoever was on the other end, he said, “Yeah. Sure thing. Be there in a minute.”

Blair looked down at them from the ladder. From the guilty expression on his face, Amanda knew what he was going to tell them before he spoke. “Sorry, guys. I guess my dad didn’t talk to my mom when he told me I could come help out. Apparently she needs the car for a tri-wizard tournament or something weird going on at the school.”

Amanda smirked. “Has she traded in her job as principal for the position of headmistress at Hogwarts?”

Blair rolled his eyes as he worked on placing the portion of the tree he’d been holding. “Ha. Ha. Fine, I have no idea what she’s doing. But I do know I have to go before my mom freaks out.” He paused. “Okay, she’s already freaking out. She hates being late.” He slid the tree piece into place and descended the ladder. “Think you can manage without me?” he asked Cameron.

Cameron’s gaze met Amanda’s, and his lips quirked up into a smile. “I’ll do my best.”

Her pulse raced. Oh, gosh, she had fallen for him hard.

“Do you need me to come back and pick you up when you’re done?” Blair asked. “Hopefully my mom’s thing won’t last all day, though with her school stuff, you never know.”

“I can take him home,” Amanda said quickly. There was no way she was missing out on this opportunity.

Blair laughed as he walked out. “Man, you two have it so bad.” Amanda could still hear him laughing, even after the door had closed behind him.

When she turned back to where Cameron stood, she saw his cheeks were flushed, but his wide smile mirrored hers.

“Shall we?” she said.

He gave a quick nod but didn’t say more as he picked up the next piece of the tree, then held it awkwardly as he climbed the ladder to place it. Amanda held the ladder in place, though it was already sturdy. It at least made it look like she was doing something, and frankly, she liked the view.

Cameron had just placed the top piece when Amanda’s mom entered the room. She eyed her daughter, then Cameron. “Where’s the other boy?”

“He had to leave unexpectedly,” he said. “I hope you don’t mind if it’s just me who stays to finish.”

Amanda felt weird about Cameron treating her mom like his employer, but she had hired him to work for her. What had Amanda expected when she had suggested it?

“It won’t be too big a job?” her mom asked.

“Not at all.”

Cameron exuded confidence, and Amanda’s mom was satisfied. Besides, Amanda was planning on staying and helping Cameron the entire time anyway. Not that he needed it.

The next two hours passed quickly. Amanda’s mom walked around the room, examining the various angles of the tree, while Amanda passed decorations up to Cameron on the ladder. He placed them where her mom instructed, making slight adjustments when needed. Occasionally Amanda would pass up a cookie or have him come down for some cider.

It didn’t feel like Cameron was there to work—it felt like he was a part of the family. He even started singing along with the music as they decorated. That was the moment Amanda knew he was a keeper. She had always been attracted to him, but as he sang along to “Silent Night”…that did her in.

Amanda had officially fallen for Cameron Taylor.

And there was no coming back.

* * * * *

“Oh, I can’t believe how sore I already am,” Cameron said as he collapsed onto Amanda’s couch. It had taken longer than expected to put up the outside lights. He had moved quickly, considering the height of the roof, and Amanda had done what she could from the bottom of the ladder—which was nothing. She had held it in place, though, making sure Cameron didn’t die an early death. That had to count for something.

Amanda’s mom had placed light-up reindeer, among other strategically placed decorations, in the yard while they had worked. And Amanda had to admit that everything, both inside and outside the house, looked amazing. But it had been a long day. By the time they finished, it was already mid-afternoon.

“I know what you mean,” Amanda said. “And I didn’t even do the hard stuff.” She collapsed next to Cameron on the couch. Her gaze traveled across the newly decorated Christmas tree. “This never gets old—Christmas. Everything is so beautiful around the holidays. And we couldn’t have done it without you.”

“You’re pretty resourceful. I’m sure you’d have found a way,” he said.

“You underestimate my fear of heights.” She paused. “There is one thing missing, though.”

Cameron stilled, as if afraid of what she was going to say next.

“Ugly sweatshirts.”

Laughter burst from his lips. “That…is not what I expected you to say.”

“I’m serious,” Amanda said, trying to appear stern. “I’ve always felt like I needed to help my mom keep up an image, so when I throw my Christmas party each year, everything is color coordinated and beautiful. And everyone always tells me how stunning everything looks. But I’ve never had the courage to do what I really want. Host an ugly sweatshirt contest.”

“Why don’t you tell Santa your wish, and maybe he’ll make it come true this year.” Cameron brushed back a lock of Amanda’s hair as he smiled…which then turned into a grimace. He groaned as he shifted positions. “I’m at the gym almost every day, so how is this even possible?”

“Do you hang Christmas lights while at the gym?”

“Not generally,” he said with a laugh.

“Exactly. You’ve been using different muscles today.”

He looked at Amanda with a devilish gleam in his eyes. “What muscles does this use?” He leaned in for a kiss, right as Amanda’s mom walked into the room.

Amanda immediately distanced herself from Cameron, but her mom just laughed. “So, that’s how it is, huh? Looks like I should take some time to get to know you better, Cameron.”

He was now sitting upright, his hands on his knees and his cheeks flushed. “Yes, ma’am.”

“I understand you are in the school play with Amanda,” her mom said, sitting on a chair facing Cameron.

“Yes, ma’am.”

Amanda’s mom waved off his formality. “No need for that. This isn’t a test you need to pass or anything. I’m just interested in the boy my daughter likes.”

Oh, this was getting awkward, even if her mom didn’t intend it to be.

“You know, Cameron and I should get going,” Amanda said, standing up.

Her mom raised an eyebrow. “Oh, I didn’t realize you were in a hurry.”

Amanda glanced at her phone. Okay, it was only three-thirty. Her mom knew she hadn’t been planning on going out until five.

Cameron tugged on her hand until she sat back down, then turned to her mom. “I would love to get to know you better as well.”

That apparently won her mom over, because she grinned. “I have a feeling you’re going to be a good influence on my daughter.”

Amanda had to keep herself from laughing. If her mom only knew.

Except, he had been a good influence, hadn’t he? Aside from their rough beginning, Amanda did find she wanted to be a better person when she was with Cameron. He was passionate and dedicated and kind and funny. Not to mention he was a great kisser.

“Yes, he will,” Amanda said, cozying up to him. At first Cameron stiffened, and she wondered if he was uncomfortable showing affection in front of her mom. As much as Amanda liked Cameron, she realized they weren’t officially dating, and maybe that wasn’t what he was ready for. She prepared to move, but then Cameron’s arm settled around her shoulders. Her body fit so perfectly into the crook of his arm that she couldn’t imagine anything feeling this right with anyone else.

“I’m pretty sure it’s the other way around,” Cameron said. “I don’t know if she’s told you, but I’ve been a bit of a troublemaker in the past.”

Oh, no, why would he tell her mom that? Was he trying sabotage their relationship before it had even begun?

Amanda’s mom leaned forward in her chair, her gaze intense. “No, she hasn’t.”

“Well, let me tell you about the day we met…” And then Cameron launched into the story about how he and Blair had wanted to pull a prank on Blair’s brother, Gabe, and about the rats Cameron had released on the stage instead of the outskirts of town. The way he told it, it had Amanda’s mom laughing so hard she was crying. Cameron continued and recounted meeting Amanda for the first time, right before he was suspended from the swim team. And about how he’d thought his life was over when he’d found out he’d been cast in the play. “Except, I think it only marked the beginning,” he concluded. “Don’t get me wrong, I love swimming, and I’m doing everything in my power to rectify things so I can compete again. But I hadn’t noticed Amanda before all this went down. I didn’t notice much of anyone, to be honest. She’s changed all that.”

Amanda’s breath stuck in her throat and she blinked back moisture. That was the most beautiful thing anyone had ever said about her. When she glanced over at her mom to see how she was taking it, it seemed her mom was having a similar reaction.

“Thank you for telling me all of that,” her mom said, standing. “I haven’t heard anything so genuine and lovely in years. Not since my husband, Daniel. That’s the type of thing he would have said.” She paused. “He also would have set those rats loose on the drama club.” She laughed and shook her head, as if imagining it. “Well, I shouldn’t keep you two from whatever big plans you have for the evening.”

Her mom left the room, and Amanda was left staring after her. “That…went surprisingly well,” she finally said. She turned to Cameron. “Though you had me worried there for a moment.”

Cameron stood and pulled her into a hug. “I had it all under control. The best way to win parents over is with the truth. They don’t like getting nasty surprises.”

Amanda pulled back and met his gaze. “You have a lot of experience with this, eh?”

His eyes teased her as he said, “Nah. I read it in a magazine once.”

She laughed. “All right, Romeo. Let’s get going before you confess anything else.”

Amanda ran upstairs and grabbed her coat. As she passed the mirror, she realized she was still in her leggings and oversized T-shirt. Normally, if she were getting ready to go out on a date with a hot swimmer, she would have spent the past hour picking out a killer outfit, and she certainly wouldn’t leave the house with her hair in a ponytail.

But Cameron was waiting, and for once in her life, Amanda felt completely comfortable to just go as herself. She didn’t feel like she needed to dress up and give him the impression that was how she always looked, because the truth was that she spent half her life in leggings and an oversized T-shirt. Her hair was more often up than down, and even though she was most definitely going to dress up for their next date, she knew he wouldn’t mind this one time. They had just spent the entire day decorating her house, eating cookies, and singing Christmas songs.

Life didn’t get better than that.