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“It’s probably nothing, or it’s a guy,” Rusty said, and left with the papers.
The plus side of this evening was knowing where they were going to lunch tomorrow, and as soon as she got to her room, she hurried through the sitting area to her bedroom, turned on the television for noise, then shut herself in the bathroom and called Cameron.
***
It was nearing 10:00 p.m. when Cameron’s cell phone rang. When he saw the number come up, he answered quickly.
“Hello, Angel.”
Rusty smiled. “Hey, Soldier Boy. I wanted to touch base with you about tomorrow…and I also wanted to hear your voice before I went to bed.”
“I wish you were in my bed,” he said.
An ache went through Rusty in waves. “I wish I was, too. Soon,” she said.
“Very soon, please. Now tell me where you’re going, and when do you plan to arrive?”
“A place called the Back Porch around eleven thirty.”
“Okay. I’ll be there,” Cameron said.
“I can’t wait! Oh…your info about Kevin Vanzant is timely. We need to check him out as soon as possible. And I have a bit of news that may or may not have anything to do with what I’m here for, but Uncle Ray has a hostess who goes AWOL periodically with no warning. Nobody seems to know where she goes, and she doesn’t explain herself when she comes back. I got all the info Uncle Ray had on her from her personnel file. I’m checking her out for his peace of mind. He wouldn’t want someone working for him who was also doing anything illegal, but right now, I’m checking on any and everything weird that’s going on here.”
“Damn it,” Cameron said.
“There’s no reason yet to assume it’s connected to these people,” Rusty said.
“I don’t like coincidences,” Cameron said.
“Right. Neither do I. But back to tomorrow. Liz says the menu is varied and the ambiance will set Aunt Patricia’s teeth on edge.”
Cameron chuckled. “Liz is your cousin, right?”
“Yes. You don’t know her?”
“I knowofthe whole family, but I can’t say I’ve had the pleasure. We don’t exactly have the same circle of friends.”
“Well, you’ll meet them tomorrow. And just for the record, I was never the debutante. I served pizza and waited tables through college, and my training after college had nothing to do with trips to Europe and more to do with the Body Farm and Quantico.”
“My kind of woman,” Cameron said. “I’ll be on my best behavior and—”
A sudden ache washed through her, making her voice shake. “No. I want the man who stole my heart in that hotel in New York. Neither of us was on our best behavior. We did a wild, crazy thing, and I want that man back.”
Cameron felt the emotion in her voice. “Have no fear. I’m coming to get you tomorrow and lay claim to you in front of God and everybody, whether they like it or not.”
Rusty shivered. “I look forward to being overwhelmed.”
“I aim to please,” Cameron said. “Sleep well, darlin’. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Rusty’s eyes welled with tears. She’d always, always wanted a man to call herdarlin’.
“Yes. See you then,” she said.
She went back to the bedroom to put her phone on the charger, then showered and crawled into bed naked, and fell asleep thinking about what it felt like to come apart in his arms.
***
Rusty was awake before 7:00 a.m. and full of nervous energy. Today was the launch pad for the big deception. She thought about the hot tub and then opted for the pool, wrote a note to the family to let them know where she was, and rode the elevator down to the pool level.
