Instant Attraction
Page 14
“Yeah.” They were both well used to Cam and his special level of bullheadedness. “I’ll call him.”
“Don’t,” Nick said.
“Why?”
“Because you’ll piss him off.”
“Will not.”
“You’re his brother. It’s what you do.”
Yeah, but it was worry that propelled him. Partly that was because Stone was the middle child, and that’s what he did, worry, and partly because their father hadn’t ever worried about Cam. In fact, he’d resented the hell out of the baby who had not only not been his but sickly too. Cam had eventually gotten healthy-no thanks to their father’s harsh discipline-and had ended up with Annie-a fact that Stone was convinced had saved Cam’s life.
The old man was long gone now, but Cam still took everything to heart, deeply to heart, and had a habit of just shutting down rather than feeling something, even before the quick rise to celebrity and fame had closed him off. And then the snow-boarding accident, which had taken away the one thing he’d loved above all else.
Without the rush of his sport, Stone knew Cam was flailing, lost, trying to find his place. What Stone didn’t know was how long it’d be before Cam figured out there wasn’t a physical “place” at all, only a mental one. With Nick shaking his head, he called Cam.
“You lost?” Cam asked dryly.
The relief Stone felt from hearing his brother’s voice made him instantly grumpy. It’d always been this way. Stone doing his damnedest to take care of everyone, especially Cam, and Cam doing his damnedest to make Stone not want to. “Nick wants to come back for you so you can ski with us tomorrow.”
Nick rolled his eyes.
“We could use the company,” Stone went on. “Our clients are a bunch of spoiled, rich punks who don’t want to ski as much as find a good view and sit and drink beer.”
“Sounds like you a few years back.”
“I was never more interested in beer than skiing.”
“Right. You were much more interested in women.”
Okay, true. “You coming or not?”
“Not.”
Stone tried to keep his cool, but as he considered Cam a flight risk, it was difficult. “You getting restless feet again? Because I swear to God, if you even think about leaving, I’ll attach cement blocks to your feet.”
“Jesus, relax. I’m not going anywhere.” Cam hesitated. “I went hiking. My knee’s swollen up.”
Cam’s pain after the accident had nearly killed him, and had nearly killed his brothers to watch him suffer through it. Stone hadn’t realized there was still that particular demon to fight. He swiped a hand down his face and fought to keep his voice even. “Have you been keeping up with your PT?”
“Yeah.”
“The meds?”
“Quit them at the same time I quit you.”
“Have you-”
“Stone.” Cam’s voice held frustration, and something else. Defeat? Whatever it was, he didn’t sound like himself. “It’s just a bad day.”
Sympathy wouldn’t work here, not on Cam, even though that’s what Stone felt. “Sorry, didn’t get that you were still so fragile. You just stay there and relax.” Beside him, Nick sighed, and Stone ignored him. “Take a nap.”
“You know what? Fuck you.”
There. There Cam was, and just like that, the tightness in Stone’s chest eased in relief. A bum knee they could deal with. An attitude-ridden Cam they could deal with. It wouldn’t be pleasant and there would be fights, but what they couldn’t deal with was Cam vanishing again.
“Look, I’m back, okay? I’m here, and I’m…trying. I’m trying to help like you asked.”
“I’d rather you want to want to be back,” Stone said.
“Yeah, well, I’m working on that too. I’ve spent the past two hours booking no less than four upcoming groups, all of which will bring in more money than you did in the last month.”
“Is that why you told Katie I’d triple her salary to shut up?”
“Mentioned that, did she?”
“She did.”
“She also mention that she survived the Santa Monica bridge collapse?”
“Yeah.”
“She’s…different.”
“You mean because she doesn’t worship the ground you walk on?”
“That doesn’t happen so much anymore,” Cam admitted.
And he didn’t know how to deal with that either, Stone guessed. “I’m not the chick police, but she’s not your type.”
“That’s never stopped you, amigo.”
A not-so-subtle reference to two summers back, when Stone had had a thing with the cleaning crew-two Puerto Rican sisters who’d come on to him one night after too many vodkas and a whole bunch of bad karaoke. The sisters had been excellent at their job and muy caliente, but unfortunately also muy crazy. “I was going through a phase, okay? It’s passed now.”
“Well, so has mine,” Cam said.
“Your pissy phase? Christ, I hope so.”
Cam let out a low laugh and hung up. Stone shut his phone and met Nick’s gaze.
“Hey,” Nick said. “At least he’s still with us.”
“Yeah, but for how long? He’s looking at Katie, which is interesting.”
“He said he hasn’t gotten laid since Serena dumped him.”
“Don’t,” Nick said.
“Why?”
“Because you’ll piss him off.”
“Will not.”
“You’re his brother. It’s what you do.”
Yeah, but it was worry that propelled him. Partly that was because Stone was the middle child, and that’s what he did, worry, and partly because their father hadn’t ever worried about Cam. In fact, he’d resented the hell out of the baby who had not only not been his but sickly too. Cam had eventually gotten healthy-no thanks to their father’s harsh discipline-and had ended up with Annie-a fact that Stone was convinced had saved Cam’s life.
The old man was long gone now, but Cam still took everything to heart, deeply to heart, and had a habit of just shutting down rather than feeling something, even before the quick rise to celebrity and fame had closed him off. And then the snow-boarding accident, which had taken away the one thing he’d loved above all else.
Without the rush of his sport, Stone knew Cam was flailing, lost, trying to find his place. What Stone didn’t know was how long it’d be before Cam figured out there wasn’t a physical “place” at all, only a mental one. With Nick shaking his head, he called Cam.
“You lost?” Cam asked dryly.
The relief Stone felt from hearing his brother’s voice made him instantly grumpy. It’d always been this way. Stone doing his damnedest to take care of everyone, especially Cam, and Cam doing his damnedest to make Stone not want to. “Nick wants to come back for you so you can ski with us tomorrow.”
Nick rolled his eyes.
“We could use the company,” Stone went on. “Our clients are a bunch of spoiled, rich punks who don’t want to ski as much as find a good view and sit and drink beer.”
“Sounds like you a few years back.”
“I was never more interested in beer than skiing.”
“Right. You were much more interested in women.”
Okay, true. “You coming or not?”
“Not.”
Stone tried to keep his cool, but as he considered Cam a flight risk, it was difficult. “You getting restless feet again? Because I swear to God, if you even think about leaving, I’ll attach cement blocks to your feet.”
“Jesus, relax. I’m not going anywhere.” Cam hesitated. “I went hiking. My knee’s swollen up.”
Cam’s pain after the accident had nearly killed him, and had nearly killed his brothers to watch him suffer through it. Stone hadn’t realized there was still that particular demon to fight. He swiped a hand down his face and fought to keep his voice even. “Have you been keeping up with your PT?”
“Yeah.”
“The meds?”
“Quit them at the same time I quit you.”
“Have you-”
“Stone.” Cam’s voice held frustration, and something else. Defeat? Whatever it was, he didn’t sound like himself. “It’s just a bad day.”
Sympathy wouldn’t work here, not on Cam, even though that’s what Stone felt. “Sorry, didn’t get that you were still so fragile. You just stay there and relax.” Beside him, Nick sighed, and Stone ignored him. “Take a nap.”
“You know what? Fuck you.”
There. There Cam was, and just like that, the tightness in Stone’s chest eased in relief. A bum knee they could deal with. An attitude-ridden Cam they could deal with. It wouldn’t be pleasant and there would be fights, but what they couldn’t deal with was Cam vanishing again.
“Look, I’m back, okay? I’m here, and I’m…trying. I’m trying to help like you asked.”
“I’d rather you want to want to be back,” Stone said.
“Yeah, well, I’m working on that too. I’ve spent the past two hours booking no less than four upcoming groups, all of which will bring in more money than you did in the last month.”
“Is that why you told Katie I’d triple her salary to shut up?”
“Mentioned that, did she?”
“She did.”
“She also mention that she survived the Santa Monica bridge collapse?”
“Yeah.”
“She’s…different.”
“You mean because she doesn’t worship the ground you walk on?”
“That doesn’t happen so much anymore,” Cam admitted.
And he didn’t know how to deal with that either, Stone guessed. “I’m not the chick police, but she’s not your type.”
“That’s never stopped you, amigo.”
A not-so-subtle reference to two summers back, when Stone had had a thing with the cleaning crew-two Puerto Rican sisters who’d come on to him one night after too many vodkas and a whole bunch of bad karaoke. The sisters had been excellent at their job and muy caliente, but unfortunately also muy crazy. “I was going through a phase, okay? It’s passed now.”
“Well, so has mine,” Cam said.
“Your pissy phase? Christ, I hope so.”
Cam let out a low laugh and hung up. Stone shut his phone and met Nick’s gaze.
“Hey,” Nick said. “At least he’s still with us.”
“Yeah, but for how long? He’s looking at Katie, which is interesting.”
“He said he hasn’t gotten laid since Serena dumped him.”
