Personal Assets (Texas Nights) (18 page)

But even now, his insides squirmed at the memory of that afternoon.

Her expression didn’t change, which meant she wasn’t surprised he knew she was Allie’s client. “Not that it’s your concern. But yes, that’s my right, as well.”

“Why would a woman like
you
need help like
that?
” Cameron simply could not look his mother in the face while they discussed her private life. He hopped off the stool and paced around her dining room. Hmm...looked like her table needed refinishing too.

“A woman like me? A woman like me...what’s that supposed to mean?”

“I just meant—”

“You meant that a fifty-six-year-old woman couldn’t possibly still be attractive to a man? That your mother couldn’t possibly be interested in having a life again, including a sex life?”

His hands twitched. He might’ve covered his ears if he hadn’t heard the sincere hurt in her tone. “Mom, that’s not what I meant. What I meant was, why would such an amazing, beautiful woman like you need to talk with someone like Allie? From what I understand, her expertise runs more along the lines of helping women gain self-confidence. You’re the strongest woman I know.”

She was still looking at him like he was a roach she’d found scampering across her countertops. “I thought I’d done better than to raise a man threatened by women and their feminine power.”

“Feminine power sounds like a buzz phrase she’s using to sway women to her way of thinking.”

“It means Allie has nothing to do with my wanting to have a life, a real life, again. When your dad left, I didn’t have the time, even if I’d had the inclination, which I didn’t, to get involved with someone. I had you and Jamie to think of and I was bound and determined for you two boys to become better men than Brody. Keeping our family together and food on the table were the only two important things in my life for years.” Her fists clenched and opened. Clenched and opened. “It broke my heart every single day that I couldn’t do it without your help. At a time when your only priorities should’ve been school, sports and girls, you had to take on the responsibility of a man. For years, I hated your dad for that alone. It was one thing for me to suffer for staying with him for so long. It was another thing for my kids to suffer alongside me.”

Cameron settled back on a bar stool and swallowed old resentments. He liked his life. No, it wasn’t what he’d imagined when he was fourteen, but it suited him fine. Jamie was the one who’d wanted the big education and the fancy suits, not him. “We didn’t exactly suffer, Mom.”

“I want you to understand that my mistake cost me the right to have a life. Then. Now, I want that right back, and you can’t tell me otherwise.”

“Mom—”

“No. Let me finish. This is something you need to hear.” She perched on the stool an arm’s length away from him. “It took me too long to move past the mess your dad left behind. I was angry with him and I blamed him. But deep down, I knew it was as much my fault as Brody’s. No one forced me to marry him. I was the one too infatuated to see I was setting myself up to be left high and dry. Without a job. Without an income. Without an education. Once you and Jamie were born, I ignored Brody’s behavior because I was so thankful he’d given me my children.”

She took a deep breath and continued, “When he left, I had to face facts. The fact was I’d been too stupid to prepare for the inevitable and my stupidity almost cost us our home. There wasn’t a day I didn’t regret having to lean on you. I never wanted to rely on anyone, especially a man, again. Even my own son, a man I love more than my own life.”

He studied his mother, wishing he could make her long-held pain disappear. Why hadn’t he known this simmered underneath her normal calm? “I wanted to make things better for you and Jamie.”

“I know you did, honey. Realistically, I don’t think we would have made it without you. It was a blow to realize my fifteen-year-old son was the only thing standing between us and the streets.”

“That’s not true.”

She slapped her hand on the counter. “Yes, it is and you know it as well as I do.” She looked into his eyes as if reaching for something deep inside that he didn’t know was there himself. “But I need to move past my guilt and fear if I ever want to have a normal, productive life. I spent too many years either dependent upon someone else or feeling guilty over it.”

“I guess you’re going to tell me this all has something to do with Personal Assets?”

“To my credit, I’d already come to the realization I had to do something about digging myself out of the hole I was in. When Allie opened her business, I knew it was exactly the type of help I needed in order to make the climb.”

This wasn’t the reaction he’d been hoping for. It would’ve made it so much easier to completely turn his back on Allie—and his feelings for her—if she were using his mom.

“I need you to understand.” His mom finally touched him, taking both his hands in hers. “I’m still a woman and I want to move on and have healthy relationships. I want to give up the guilt and find happiness.”

“To find that happiness you need Allie?”

“What she does, helping woman believe in themselves, is powerful. It’s changing my life for the better. I’m taking baby steps, but I’m making progress. I know it might be uncomfortable to think of your mother...dating...again.”

Uncomfortable, hell. He’d broken out in a rash fifteen minutes ago. “Dating?”

She laughed, the sound light and happy. “Surely you’ve heard of the concept.”

“Who is he?” he barked the words.

“You think I’m going to tell you, so you can go find him and tell him exactly how it’ll be with your mom?” She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. “Oh, honey, I don’t think so.”

The women in his life were going to be the death of him.

* * *

Although normally comforted by the environment she’d created at Personal Assets, Allie couldn’t seem to settle her thoughts. Her office’s sage walls created a soothing background for her collection of female nudes, and the goose-down-stuffed sofa was covered in chenille, inviting her clients to be comfortable and at ease.

She’d wanted it to feel like the den in a family’s home. A real home with pillow fights and popcorn, wrestling matches and puppies, tears and laughter.

Love and forgiveness.

Lord, she needed some forgiveness today.

Hoping to calm her nerves before Emmalee’s appointment, Allie snuggled into her comfy chair with her pen and pad.

First page:
Money.

Second page:
Cameron.

Third page:
Emmalee.

No, she wasn’t looking forward to confessing she’d slipped up and let Cameron know his mom was her client, but of Allie’s three problems, it was the simplest to solve. Just pull on her big girl panties and tell Emmalee.

Allie pushed out of her tapestry haven and headed to the tiny kitchen adjoining the conference room. She crossed her fingers and checked the fire-hydrant-shaped cookie jar. Sure enough, Eden had come through with cranberry, white chocolate and macadamia nut.

As she filled the tray, a humid breeze drifted from the foyer. Emmalee was here. Taking a fortifying breath, Allie picked up the refreshments and lifted her chin in preparation for an hour of intimate discussion with her lover’s mother.

After her powwow with Roxanne and Eden, Allie was determined to stick to her original agreement with Cameron. Whether he was a friend or an enemy she needed to keep close, she wasn’t quite sure yet.

Emmalee had a sassy new haircut and her face glowed. There was no other word to describe her smiling eyes and I’ve-got-a-secret expression. “Allie, I did it!”

Whoa, already? She hadn’t anticipated Emmalee would make progress this fast. “How was it?”

“Delicious and exciting, but it went by too fast.”

Oh, no. “New medications on the market can help men with that problem.”

Emmalee’s eyes widened, and she laughed. No, that was definitely a giggle. “You think I...we...well, isn’t that the nicest thing?”

“Maybe we should take this conversation to my office.” Allie led the way and placed the tea tray on a low hand-painted table. She gestured Emmalee toward the chenille couch and settled into her comfy chair to hear about whatever Emmalee and Charlie
did
do, a welcome reprieve before Allie’s upcoming confession session. “If you didn’t do
it
, what did you do?”

Emmalee glanced away, tilted her head and narrowed her eyes at the Modigliani print on the wall featuring a seated woman with a quarter-sized white cloth covering only her left nipple. “These women are all naked.”

Allie passed Emmalee a cup and offered her milk and sugar. “Yes, and you’re avoiding my question.”

“We...ah...baked cream horns.” A vertical line materialized between her brows. “Now I think it was silly. That’s not a date, it’s a domestic chore.”

“Do you consider baking a chore?”

“Heavens, no. The only things I love more are my boys...and, well, I guess we’ll see about Charlie.”

“Then why would Charlie think doing something with the woman he adores is a chore?” Oh, Emmalee was already being proactive. This was wonderful. “Besides, cooking can be a very sensual, even erotic, art form.”

“I don’t think I’m ready for erotic yet.” Emmalee fanned herself with a napkin. “But I do think I’m ready for some pretty underthings. Would you and Roxanne help me pick out a...thong...or something?”

Allie bit into a cookie to hide her smile. “Absolutely.” But the cookie quickly turned to charcoal in her mouth. “Before we go shopping, though, I have a confession to make.” Having lost her mother at such a young age, she never quite recognized all the maternal facial nuances that had provoked such panic and guilt among her childhood friends, but Emmalee’s expression had tightened when Allie said the word
confession.
“If you don’t want to continue your counseling afterward, I’ll understand.”

“Whatever it is, I’m sure it’s not nearly as serious as you’re making it out to be.” Emmalee took a bite of cookie. “Umm. I still can’t figure out how Eden makes such good cookies with those New Age ingredients.”

The least painful way to remove a splinter was to yank it out as quickly as possible. Allie took a breath and said, “I’m the one who let it slip to Cameron that you’re a Personal Assets client.” Before Emmalee could respond, she barreled on, “It’s an unforgivable breach of client confidentiality, and I’m not only sorry but embarrassed, as well.” It took all her self-control to hold Emmalee’s gaze when she wanted to look down at her hands like a child might when she knew she was in big trouble, but wanted to be forgiven anyway.

The sound of low, delighted laughter surprised her.

“Don’t you think everyone in this town knows exactly who’s parked behind your building? It wouldn’t have been long until he knew anyway. I never planned to keep it a secret from him.”

“I’ve never done something so unprofessional before.”

Emmalee grasped Allie’s hand. “You’ve been nothing but wonderful since I walked in here. Without your help, I’d still be puttering in my kitchen pretending it’s normal to grow old alone and unsatisfied.”

“But still—”

“But nothing. Cameron came by the house, so I already knew. It doesn’t matter how he found out. In fact, I think it did him some good to realize his mom wants a life too. A personal life. Even a sex life eventually.”

Thank goodness she wasn’t upset.

Cameron’s mother leaned back and tapped her chin. “If you’re the one who spilled the beans, it means you’ve been socializing with my son.” She jerked upright again, bumping the table with her knee. “Oh, Lord have mercy, Cameron’s who you were with Sunday night. He’s your special project!”

Uh-oh. Allie swallowed the rest of her tea, refilled her cup and carefully selected her right cookie. “We’re just—”

“Friends. Where have I heard that before?”

She wasn’t ashamed of what she and Cameron had done that night in his car, but share it with his mother? Oh, this whole special project thing was biting her on both butt cheeks.

“After the wreck, I offered to help him clean up the garage, and so we’ve been...”

“
Socializing?
”

Allie nodded weakly.

“He’s the one you took to the drive-in, and I horned in on your evening. You were enjoying some downtime and I interrupted.”

Oh, God. If she only knew what kind of
downtime
they’d been enjoying. Allie resisted covering her heated cheeks. “You needed to talk and my clients are my priority.”

“Then I’d say you need to rethink your priorities. For a woman who teaches other women to discover what they need and how to get what they want, emotionally and physically, you sure aren’t setting a very good example.”

Allie’s rib cage ached as though Emmalee had squeezed the air out of her.

Emmalee continued, “We could’ve scheduled an appointment during regular business hours. I know I sounded like a lunatic on the phone, but I would’ve calmed down enough to realize I’d overreacted.”

“Now that confession time is over, why don’t we get to shopping time?” Thank goodness that was over. Allie pushed out of her chair.

“You will make a different choice the next time, right?”

“I’m not sure there’ll be a next time.”

Emmalee thumped her cup and saucer to the pine table. “Not sure there’ll be a next time?” Her mouth was turned down with what looked like disappointment. Or was it disbelief? “He’s not perfect, but Cameron is a good man.”

“Oh, he’s
good
, all right.” Someone should fit her with a muzzle. She was supposed to be gifted at communicating with people? She should close Personal Assets now, if this was the best she could do. “I mean he’s a nice man, but the chemistry is—”
off the charts
, “—weak. We don’t have much in common. We’re both so busy with our businesses. We don’t...” She trailed off as she caught Emmalee’s skeptical expression.

“Allie Shelby, I ought to paddle your behind for lying.” Emmalee grinned, undermining the threat. “Listen to me, young lady. My son has just enough of his daddy in him to be good-looking, stubborn and as wicked as the devil sometimes. That’s where the resemblance ends. Cameron spent too many years burdened by responsibilities forced on him by my bad decisions. I would take it back if I could, but I can’t. What I want for him now is happiness, a little peace and a woman strong enough to keep him on his toes.”