At Elena’s touch to her back, Tina solemnly held out her bouquet to Bette. “These are for you, too. Thank you for inviting me.”
“How could I not invite such a charming scene-stealer? You’ll have to tell me how you do it. I could use some new pointers.” The Oscar-winning actress shared a smile with Elena, who appeared to relax just a little.
Tina tilted her head. “Why are you in a wheeling chair? No one will tell me.”
Bette’s attention snapped back to the little girl. Her chin tilted up and her eyes narrowed in an expression Camden recognized from one of her roles—as a powerful and brilliant killer. She used the same look on Camden when she wanted the truth out of him whenever Jake went undercover and she got worried. It seldom failed.
Elena’s eyes widened, her cheeks flushed, and her smile disappeared. “Tina, that’s—”
“A perfectly reasonable question,” Bette said, studying Tina. “A bad man did this to me because I wouldn’t do what he wanted. He thought he could destroy me but he just made me stronger.”
“What happened to him?” Tina asked.
“He’s staying in prison for a long time. I was one of many who helped put him there.”
Tina nodded, a thoughtful look in her eyes. “He’s a loser.”
“The biggest. So, that’s how I ended up in a ‘wheeling’ chair. How about you? I understand you have some sort of pump? What’s that thing for?”
“Diabetes.” Then Tina grinned. “It thought it could destroy me when I was a baby.”
Bette pursed her lips as she considered the girl. “Yeah, you look pretty strong to me, kid.”
“Yup. I’m hungry and something smells good. Is it time to eat?”
Bette’s eyes crinkled when she smiled. “That’s the whole point of today. Eat, drink, and be merry. For tomorrow, we’ll…recover from today.”
Bette turned her chair around and started through the house. “Follow me to the grub.Allons-y,” she said, raising her hand in the air like a matador. “That’s French for let’s go.”
“Allons-y,” Tina echoed as she skipped to catch up with Bette while Elena blinked rapidly and mock-collapsed into Camden’s arms. He happily folded her to his chest.
“What just happened?” Her big brown eyes met Camden’s, melting his heart.
He squeezed her around the waist, pleased that she squeezed him back. “Two things. Bette just gained her billionth fan. And so did Tina.”
Jake and Rachael came up behind Elena. Jake squeezed her shoulder. “On behalf of the band,” he said in his worst Liverpool accent, “you’ve passed the audition.”
Rachael smiled and shook her head. “Ringo Starr.”
“Got it in one per usual, Angel. Now, let’s go see what my dad hasn’t burned to a crisp before everyone else gets here. As Mom says,Allons-y.”
Much to Camden’s continued pleasure, Elena kept her arm around his waist as they followed Jake and Rachael, along with Bette’s driver as he carried in the dishes Elena made and a tote bag full of toys to keep Tina busy. Right before they got to the kitchen, Elena stopped him.
“Camden, I just want to apologize for my behavior on Monday.”
His heart lifted. “What do you mean? You didn’t do a damn thing wrong.”
Elena shook her head and touched her fingers to his lips to quiet him. Her fingers smelled like cinnamon and spice and everything nice and he fought not to lick them. “But, I did, Cam. I acted like a freaked-out teenager, and…” Her eyes went a little unfocused and her strawberry lips parted as she seemed to realize just where her fingers were.
But to his delight, she didn’t remove them. He raised his eyebrows and parted his lips ever so slightly as he exhaled.
She swallowed hard. “And, um.” She blinked and laughed lightly as she shook her head. “If it isn’t obvious, I’m not used to dating. Which, yes, that was a date, despite what I said.” She lowered her hand and grew serious. “I’m afraid of messing this up. Okay, messing it up more than I already have.”
Camden took her hand and rubbed his thumb across her palm, delighting in the shivers he felt run through her body. “Hey, I’m in this with you. I don’t want to fuck anything up, either. Not with you, and not with Tina. I haven’t had a significant relationship in, well, a long time.”
She must have seen something in Camden’s eyes because she squeezed his hand as a little worry line crept in just above the bridge of her nose. “Do you want to talk about it?”
Oh, hell no.
