Cam couldn’t hold his stare. He had to look away for the prickling at the corners of his eyes.
Keith squeezed his shoulder with a whispered “Please,” then turned on his heel and left out the back, the screen door off the kitchen banging shut.
“He’s got a point,” Jamie said, and Cam swung his gaze back around. “We have to hope for the best and prepare for the worst. In either case, do you want to spend that time investigating Erin’s disappearance? What good will it do?”
Cam scrubbed his hands over his face and plowed them into his hair, pulling at the strands. “She needs to know, Jamie. We all do.”
“If you can solve it.”
Cam blew out a shaky, uncertain breath and let his arms drop to his sides. “I have to.”
With both assistant managers on at Gravity tonight, Nic took off early, hoping to catch up on sleep before he started back at his old office tomorrow. Arriving at Cam’s place, he fought with the front door lock for a good minute before finally getting the sticking thing to turn. Inside, a fluffy ball of orange streaked across the living room, dashing into the dark hallway.
“Oh, come on, Joe.” He closed the door behind him and flipped on lights as he crossed the room. “You know you like my company.”
Hands braced on either side of the hallway pocket door, he looked left and right. No sign of him. Shaking his head, he tossed his wallet and spare change on the media cabinet and double-tapped the whole home light switch by the kitchen, turning on every light in the house. See how the damn cat liked that.
“Get in here, Joe!” He rinsed out the food bowl he’d left in the kitchen sink and grabbed a can of wet food out of the pantry. “Giving you the good stuff for dinner.”
He’d just popped the lid when his phone vibrated in his pocket. He set the can aside and pulled out his phone, smiling at Cam’s face filling the screen. “Boston,” he answered, “your cat won’t come when called.”
A deep chuckle sent heat rolling through Nic’s body. “What name are you calling him?” Cam asked, accent thicker than yesterday.
Wanting to hear more of the smile in his voice, Nic tapped the can on the counter and shouted, “Here, Joe.”
A fuzzy orange-and-white face with big green eyes peered around the hallway door. Meow.
Nic dumped the gravy-like contents of the can into the bowl, and Bird slinked toward the kitchen. “Yeah, that’s right, Joe. You want this.”
“You’re gonna ruin my fucking cat.”
“Nah, I’m just teaching him a better way.”
More of that smile and laughter. Nic counted it a win. Crouching, he pushed the bowl under Bird’s twitching nose and scratched behind the cat’s ears. On the other end of the line, Cam’s laughter subsided and Nic heard foghorns in the background. “You down by the water?”
“Taking a walk before I head to the hospital for the night shift.”
“How’s she doing?”
“Better today than yesterday, but tomorrow’s the first surgery. Bypass. She’s got risk factors for blood clots and stroke. Docs are worried.”
“How’s your dad handling everything?”
“Worried sick and regretting every minute he didn’t spend with her before he handed over the reins to Quinn.” It didn’t sound like Cam was only speaking about his father. The earlier wave of warmth inside Nic broke, cooling as it fizzled out. “Thank you for getting Keith some extra time.”
“It was the least I could do. Is there anything else I can do?”
Cam was silent and the receding wave chilled to ice in Nic’s veins, a glacier leaving destruction in its wake. Done with his food, Bird jumped up on the counter and nudged his fingers, as if he could sense Nic’s distress.
Maybe also that of his owner on the other end of the line.
“Cam, tell me,” he ventured. “I know something’s bothering?—”
“Mom wants me to solve Erin’s disappearance, in case she dies.”
Nic jerked in surprise, startling Bird. “Christ, Boston.”
“Sorry, that was blunt, but I’m tired of checking every word, and I can’t . . .”
