Page 17 of The Beachside Cafe 3

A huge smile spread across Cameron’s face and Jaymee nodded. “I think we are hiring, as a matter of fact.” She gave her daughter an admiring look. “You’re sweet for thinking of that, Cheyenne.”

Her daughter shrugged. “I don’t want you to be alone, Mom. Even if you do have Cameron. Like you said, he has his enormous mansion to go home to every night.”

Cameron raised his eyebrows, moving his gaze between mother and daughter. “Am I hearing this right? You two have been discussing me behind my back?”

“We never ever have anything better to talk about, Cameron,” Jaymee responded, lifting her glass to him.

He laughed and raised his to her. “That’s what I thought.”

They all laughed at that.

“I like the idea of you working here, Russo,” Jaymee said, nodding. “That way I can really keep an eye on you. And you’ll be safer here and at my house anyway. They won’t know where to look for you.”

“Might be a good idea to change your name for any correspondence,” Alex suggested. “It’s easy to find people these days when they attach every single thing to their cell phone and home address.”

“I don’t have a cell phone,” Russo said. “IDL was harassing me, not to mention D…” he hesitated. “Doug. He was harassing me, too. I didn’t have any money to give him. So he made me do other things instead.”

It was the first time Jaymee was hearing that. She glanced at her daughter, who seemed as interested by Russo’s words as she was. She wondered if Cheyenne had given up hope that her father was a good man who would return to his wife and daughter.

Well, his ex-wife and daughter.

“What other things did he make you do?” she asked.

“Nothing too bad, really,” Russo replied, thoughtfully. “I had to do some of the drop-offs and pick-ups for him. You know the vials, the blackmail money, that kind of thing. I didn’t have to give him a dime as long as I did that stuff for him. And since I needed all the money I had to eat and pay my rent, I was grateful for it.”

“What was he blackmailing you about anyway?” Cheyenne asked curiously.

“He knew I was suing the company and threatened to tell them I had been behind some of the failed experiments that caused damage to the people in the trials. I wasn’t responsible. But he forged some documents with my signature, which he got while he was working at IDL. Once he showed those to me, I knew I was ruined. IDL had already taken everything from me. Now Doug was finishing me off. I’m surprised I wasn’t hanging by the neck of my own accord.”

“You’re a strong and brave man for going through all that and being here to tell us about it,” Cheyenne said, reaching across the table and patting Russo’s hand.

“Thank you, dear. I’m shocked my old body could handle it.”

“You can’t be that old,” Cheyenne stated pleasantly. “You’re about Mom’s age, surely. And that’s not old.” Cheyenne added the last part, giving her mother an intense look, making Jaymee laugh.

“I’m almost 54,” Russo said. “And I shouldn’t be in the situation I’m in right now. I should have pulled out of IDL before they took my life from me.”

“You’re going to build a new life now,” Cameron said. He raised up his glass. “I say we all drink to new beginnings. Jaymee gets a roommate and Cheyenne gets her own apartment.”

“House,” Cheyenne said firmly with a big smile. “I’m getting a house. And I will definitely toast to that.”

They all clinked their glasses together, smiles all around. Jaymee was a little apprehensive about the changes being made in her life.

But mostly, she was just happy.