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When Sanderson finally remembered I was on the phone, he cleared his throat. “We just wanted to touch base with Camden about a few things.”
Probably about the stories they’d heard from everyone leaving the party.
“Alright. I’ll let him know you called.” If they wanted to play vague, I could do that. However, before I could end the call, he spoke up again.
“We’ll call later. That’ll be fine.” He was crazy if he thought that was fine.
“Sanderson, in what world is calling at least four times in ten minutes reasonable?” Before he could answer, I continued. “In what world is calling him three times in one afternoon to make sure he bought groceries reasonable?”
Yep, I was on a roll.
“In what world is your mother trying to manipulate his life reasonable?” I wasn’t going to admit to anything specific, but it was time for them to realize Camden had someone in his corner now.
“Then you know—” Before he could get the rest of the stupid question out, I interrupted him.
“What I know or don’t know is no one’s business but Camden’s. He is allowed his privacy. What I am concerned about is the number of your relatives who came up to him today and asked inappropriate questions.” I knew he could brush off most of his other family members, so I saved the best for last. “Your mother was especially vulgar.”
The way he sucked in a breath said that one had hit home.
It was utterly insane in the scheme of things, but it was the reality I lived in.
“Why in the world would you guilt him into going and then leave him to fend for himself?” I probably should’ve paused, but I was pissed and barely hanging on to a civil tone. “The constant calls over ridiculous things are going to stop too. He’s a grown-ass adult and not a teenager you left home alone too long.”
Whatever nonsense they were thinking had to stop.
“No more asking about groceries or if he’s paid a bill or if he’s going to another stupid party to please your mother.” Being guilted into escorting his mother was one thing, but this was another. “You get to ask once if he’s going to attend a function, then leave it the fuck alone. Do you know how many times in a week he’s getting ridiculous phone calls?”
No matter what kind of job Camden had, the volume wouldn’t have been reasonable.
“I don’t care if he works at McDonald’s or with the fucking Secret Service. If he chooses not to talk about his work or his private life, that’s up to him.” When an agreement wasn’t immediately forthcoming, I pulled out the big guns. “Or I will start reminiscing about some of your escapades from college. Didn’t I hear something about hookers in Thailand?”
I actually knew from other people who’d been there that’d been a terrible mix-up with a cab driver he and his buddies had pissed off on their first trip abroad without real adult supervision, but I wasn’t going to point that out. The weird rumors had been hard for his family to shut down, but it’d been his own fault for trying to stiff the guy to begin with.
Hell, I might’ve believed the stories too if I hadn’t dated one of the guys who’d been with him at the time. I’d been going through an older men were fascinating phase and he’d thought I was a wonderful listener.
It hadn’t lasted long because I’d quickly realized he was going to turn that penchant for gossip on me at some point, but it’d served its purpose.
Sanderson sucked in a breath before he caught himself and tried to play it off as nothing. “You’re right. Camden is an adult. His mother and I just worry.”
Clearly, Camden’s mother hadn’t heard about Sanderson’s youthful misdeeds. But since he’d grown up to be a functional human who actually seemed to work for a living and who hadn’t gotten into anything sketch that I knew about, I’d leave it alone.
“I’m glad we’re in agreement on that.” It was a start. “And, of course, we’re all in agreement that your mother is going to back off?”
From what Camden had said, most of the family thought he was some kind of consultant and just did his art on the side, but a few definitely knew the truth. They just didn’t seem to understand how good he actually was.
But since Camden had deliberately played down his skills, I wasn’t going to be the one to out him either. He was far enough out of the closet for me, so everything else was his decision.
Sanderson’s sigh said I’d won. “She just wants him to be successful.”
“Bullshit.” My response was rude, but I didn’t hold it back. “Tell her to back off and really think this through.”
That was as far as I was going to go since saying anything more specific would’ve spelled out that I knew about his work, but I thought I’d made my point. “His mother can call later in the week if she’s curious about how his week is going. She can call between eight and nine in the morning, or late afternoon she can text him to call her when he gets a chance.”
