Pitch Perfect (18 page)

“Okay, geez, well, let’s see . . .” She reached inside of her giant purse, rummaged around, and after much grumbling finally located it. “Um, toilet paper. Towels.” She looked over at him.

“That was what I wrote down.”

She gave him a slight shrug. “I might require a little help.”

“A little help?” He wanted to sound sarcastic, make her not like being around him so much, but his question came out teasing and made her smile. Damn, where was his jackass attitude when he needed it?

“Okay, a lot of help.”

“Right, domestic stuff isn’t your thing.” Cam flicked a quick glance at her. “I guess not having a mom around made it kind of tough..”

Mia’s smile faltered. “Yeah. She divorced my father for someone who made more money.”

“That sucks.”

“Yeah, I’ve come to discover that, as they say, money can’t buy happiness. The root of all evil. All that stuff.”

When he stopped for a red light, he looked her way again. “So I’m guessing your mother isn’t happy? Regrets her decision?”

Mia gave him a startled look. “I guess I never really thought about it all that much.” She pressed her lips together and then said, “That’s not really true. I
have
thought about it now and then. I especially wondered if I wasn’t good enough, you know? Somehow caused the split.”

“Mia, you were just a child,” he reminded her gently. “Sounds to me like she was just looking for greener pastures. It happens a lot.”

Mia seemed to consider that for a minute. “Well, she sure loved her new family more than me. Or at least I always felt that way.”

“Maybe you should talk to her about how you feel,” Cam surprised himself by saying.

“We’re not close.” When she offered this additional bit of information, Cam hoped for more, but she fell silent and stared out the window.

Although his question about her mother had been innocent, Cam felt like an ass for asking.

She toyed with the strap on her purse and continued to gaze out the window. “I guess I just always felt like an outsider.”

“I’m sorry,” Cam couldn’t help but say. He wanted to keep her at arm’s length, but he was doing a very poor job of it. For some reason Mia had a way of drawing him in. “That couldn’t have been easy.”

“Nope. I have two brothers who are both in college. I always thought they were bratty, but they were probably okay.” She shrugged. “Maybe someday I’ll get to know them better. I guess I should have made more of an effort instead of disliking them so much.”

“Maybe you’ll get the chance someday. Your life isn’t over, you know.”

Her smile returned. “Good point!”

“So are you close to your dad?”

“Yes,” she said brightly, but then she frowned. “We’re going through a rough patch right now, but . . .” She paused to clear her throat. “I do know that he loves me.”

“Well, that’s good.” He wanted to reach over and give her leg a reassuring pat but refrained.

“Yeah,” she answered softly. “What about you? Sounds to me like your childhood wasn’t so easy either.”

Cam swallowed hard and turned his attention to the road when a car behind him honked. He rarely mentioned his parents, much less talked about his childhood. Drawing him in was one thing . . . but drawing him out was something he wasn’t willing to endure. Admitting his unhappiness felt like taking off his armor, and so he merely shrugged. “Let’s just say that I totally get your feeling of being unwanted.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” she said.

“It is what it is . . . ,” he said with a shrug, but her admission touched him in places that he usually kept carefully guarded. When he was a kid, other parents, especially team moms, would often feel sorry for him and offer him cold sports drinks or snacks after a game because he was usually empty-handed. Although they meant well, Cam had often refused as if he wasn’t thirsty or hungry. Sympathy usually made him feel unsettled, but because they had this common ground he accepted her gesture with a grateful smile. “You know?”

“Oh . . . well, we all have our baggage, I guess.”

“True enough,” he agreed as he pulled into the local supermarket parking lot, which was as crowded as always. Cam had to cruise around to find an open spot. “Are you ready to do some damage to Noah’s credit card?”

“Oh, I love to shop! Question is . . . are you ready for this?” She rubbed her hands together with obvious glee.

“As ready as I’ll ever be.” He hated crowds and lines, but her enthusiasm was, as always, contagious. If Cam wasn’t careful, Mia was going to have him laughing and smiling all night long.

16

If the Shoe Fits . . .

“W
E HAD BETTER EACH GET A CART,” CAM ADVISED
when they entered through the automatic double doors. “I have a feeling we’ll need it.”

Mia grinned at him. “Most likely. I mean business when I get into the zone.” Mia tried not to like the fact that Cam kept referring to everything in terms of
we
. It made her feel as if they were a couple, and she liked the notion way too much. But when he slid a curious look at her, she busied herself tugging a cart from the long row. It refused to budge. She pulled with more gusto. Was there a trick to this? Not wanting to appear as if she had never been in a grocery store before, she tugged really hard, but the cart remained stubborn. Cam had no such trouble, so she decided to give it one last, hard, two-handed pull.

Cam came up behind her. “Need some help?”

“Um . . .” Mia opened her mouth to answer, but his sudden nearness threw her off balance. She could feel the heat of his body, and the spicy clean scent of his aftershave made her long to lean back against him. “It’s stuck,” she finally managed to say in a breathless tone that she hoped didn’t give her away. She was supposed to be a professional. This was strictly business, not a date, she reminded herself.

“Oh, the problem is the baby seat belt,” he said so very close to her ear. “Pop it out.”

If Mia had been thinking clearly, she would have figured out that the baby seat belt was those two straps connected to the little seat where she had placed her purse. The plastic buckle was caught between the metal bars. But all her brain was registering was Cam’s nearness. So instead, she simply stood there staring at the cart and thinking that he smelled delicious. What was he wearing anyway? It should be outlawed.

“Mia?”

“Hmm?”

“Slide the buckle out,” he instructed, and of course she remained clueless.

“Buckle?” She wondered if he would notice if she leaned against him. She could pretend it was part of the tugging process, she was thinking, and she almost purred when he reached forward, bringing his chest against her shoulder blades.

“Here.” Cam reached forward and unhooked something and then took an unfortunate step backward just when Mia decided tugging and leaning was a grand idea. She slammed against his chest but somehow thought that hanging on to the cart was a necessity. The force sent them and the cart careening backward, barely missing a teenager, who jumped out of the way with a startled, “Dude!” They brushed up against the ancient greeter, who stepped sideways as if line dancing, and knocked over a poster for a Disney movie out on DVD.

“Dude!” yelled the teenager, who had to dodge the cart again. He felt the need to give it an angry shove with his foot, sending Mia and Cam tumbling into a machine with a big claw and a pile of stuffed animals and other various items. The force of their crash landing started the hook slowly moving downward while opening its jaws. Mia righted herself and watched with odd fascination when the hook snagged a domed plastic container with a toy treasure inside.

Cam noticed as well and pressed a red button that brought the captured dome over to the edge and dropped it into an opening. He reached down, came up with a prize, and handed it to Mia. “Here,” he said with a lopsided grin. “I’ve been trying to win that game for years. My competitive nature would have me emptying all of the change in my pockets before giving up.”

“But we didn’t pay for it,” Mia protested, but the shaken greeter waved them on, obviously fearing for what remained of his life. Mia dropped the prize in her purse, but when she reached for her cart, Cam nudged her to the side. “I thought we needed two.”

“Um, I’ve rethought that decision. We’ll make do,” he said with a shake of his head, but Mia was relieved when he grinned. “And I’m pushing.”

“Here you go.” Mia gladly gave over the reins and then fell into step beside him.

“Okay, accomplished shopper, where to?” Cam asked.

“Um . . .” Mia nibbled on the inside of her cheek, wanting to direct him, but this type of store was a new experience for her. In fact, she looked around at, well, everything and didn’t know where to begin.

Cam pulled up short and gave her a sideways look. “Are you okay? You look lost.”

“Just getting my bearings,” Mia replied, using one of her father’s tricks of not telling a lie by stating a fact. She had been in countless department stores and boutiques, even a grocery store now and then, but never a huge store piled full of, well, everything, including some very interesting people, many of whom needed to be on
What Not to Wear
. Stacy and Clinton would have had a field day.

Cam gave her a long look as if he were going to dispute her claim but shrugged and started pushing the cart. A couple of minutes later they were in a section labeled
HOUSEWARES
. Mia, who had been deprived of shopping for the past few days, felt her adrenaline flow and went to work. Very soon the cart was overflowing with Martha Stewart items that were so very cute! And so cheap!

“We need another cart,” she announced brightly.

Cam arched one eyebrow. “Ya think?”

“Yes!” Mia nodded, too happy to take his comment as sarcasm. “Would you get one, please?”

Cam sighed but then shot her a grin. “Okay, I’ll be back, but two carts is your limit.”

“Okay, I promise,” she said but all of this under one roof was shopping heaven! Well, not the same kind of high-end shopping she was used to, but fun. She turned the corner and . . . Shoes! Rows and rows of shoes. Surely she could find something more comfortable than what she had brought along in her hasty departure. After spotting the size eights, Mia started trying on different styles. She slipped on a plaid canvas flat that was perfect for summer and checked out the edge of the shoebox. “Look at these prices!” she exclaimed to no one in particular, but then again she had grown up talking to herself.

“Yeah, the doggone price tags keep goin’ up and up.
Roll
back
, my sweet hiney.”

Mia turned around, hopping on one foot to keep her balance. A tired-looking woman wearing worn tennis shoes looked up from her stooped position. Mia noticed a clearance price of six dollars and ninety-nine cents on the pair of shoes she held. The woman sighed and shoved the shoes back into the vacant slot. She sat down heavily on the stool provided for trying on shoes. Mia felt a pang of compassion. “What are you looking for? Maybe I can help.”

The woman gave Mia a sideways once-over. “Well, now, sugar, why is someone like you shopping in a place like Willy World?”

Mia frowned. “Willy World?”

The woman chuckled. “That’s what we fondly call Wilson’s around these parts. It’s family owned and refuses to bow down to the big chains. You never know what you’re goin’ to find here one day to the next, but you’ll always find a bargain that’s hard to pass up. Last week they had ground chuck for a dollar ninety-eight a pound. You can’t beat that with a stick!”

“Sure can’t,” Mia agreed, even though she didn’t have a clue what ground chuck was or why you would beat it with a stick.

“But you have
high maintenance
written all over your pretty face and fancy clothes.” She glanced down and pointed to Mia’s discarded Jimmy Choos. “And would you look at those shoes! Day-um, looks like something Carrie would wear on
Sex and the City
.”

“Oh, I loved that show! I hated to see it end.”

“Well, I only get to see the reruns that leave out all the dirty parts,” the woman said with a laugh. She wiggled her finger at the shoes. “Just how does one walk in those things anyway?”

Mia grinned. “Very carefully.” She leaned over and extended her hand. “I’m Mia, by the way.”

“Sunny Collins.” She gave Mia’s hand a firm shake. “Pleased to meet ya.”

“So what was it that you’re looking for?” She thought that the perky name didn’t suit tired-looking Sunny and felt the need to assist her.

“Well, two things. Something nice for my son’s graduation and that can also be worn on job interviews.” She sighed again. “I got laid off, so things are tight right now.” She managed a grin. “Well, make that tight
er
.”

Mia felt her gaze drift to the worn tennis shoes and her heart constricted in her chest. “So your son graduated from college?”

“Naw . . . high school, but he done me proud. Daniel is a straight-A student, and he is a member of the National Honor Society. He’s got some nice scholarships for college, thank the Lord. Going to go to the University of Kentucky!” She puffed out her chest and gave Mia a firm nod. “How do you like them apples?”

“Congratulations!” Mia exclaimed, but she was secretly shocked. With her wan-looking salt-and-pepper shoulder-length hair, Sunny Collins appeared much older than someone with a teenager. “You must have been a very good mom.”

“Done my best,” she said with a shrug. “I just want to look nice at the ceremony,” she said, but then she rubbed the heel of her hand over her eyes. “I’m so proud of my boy.”

The gesture had Mia swallowing hard, and she was hit with sudden inspiration. “Hey, does Daniel know how to sell things on eBay or Craigslist?”

“I imagine so.”

Mia pointed to her shoes. “Those things hurt my feet but are practically brand-new.”

“I expect they do. Purty, though . . .”

Mia cleared her throat. “I want you to have them.”

“What?” Sunny looked at the shoes and then back at Mia.

Mia scooped them up and handed them to her. “Tell Daniel that they go for over six hundred dollars new and are hard to find, so I’m thinking he should get several hundred for them, but he can do the research.”

Sunny’s eyes widened. “Get outta town . . .” She took the shoes from Mia but then shook her head and shoved them back. “I can’t take them from you!”

“They hurt my feet.”

“Then you sell them.”

Mia waved her hands at the shoes. “I started a new job and don’t have time.”

Sunny swallowed, clearly torn. “I—”

“Take them, Sunny. Please.” She wiggled her toes at Sunny. “My feet already thank you.”

At that comment Sunny grinned, but then her cornflower blue eyes filled with tears. “Nobody’s ever done something like this for me.” She glanced around and sniffed. “Am I on TV or something? Are you that girl from
Ellen
that goes around and gives people stuff?”

“No,” Mia replied with a laugh, but then another thought hit her. “Hey, have you ever waited tables?”

“Yeah, I’ve done everything under the sun.”

“Do you know where Wine and Diner is back in town?”

“Sure do. Good food even though they’ve gotten kinda fancy-pants.”

“Well, I happen to know they’re looking for a waitress. Head over there and ask for Myra. Tell her I sent you. Do it right away before they have a chance to advertise.”

Sunny nodded and quickly stood up. The clunky shoes dangled from her fingertips. “I surely don’t know how to express my thanks.”

“No need.”

“Give me a hug,” Sunny requested and opened her arms. The husky emotion in her voice had Mia tearing up as well. Mia thought she felt frail and bony, and she hoped that Jessica’s cooking would put some meat on Sunny’s bones.

Mia pulled back and gave her a smile. “Oh, and hey, if Daniel needs a summer job, tell him to come over to the Cougars’ baseball stadium. I work there. I’ll put in a good word for him.”

“Why, thank you, Mia. I will surely do that.” Her eyes filled with tears again, but she smiled. “Okay, I’m on my way! Wish me luck!”

“Good luck, Sunny!”

“Thanks, Mia. Apparently Lady Luck is finally shining down upon me, but I have to admit that I’m thinking this is a dream and I might just wake up!” Her bright smile made her suddenly appear years younger. “I’d surely be really pissed if I do.”

Mia laughed. “Sunny, this isn’t a dream, just a stroke of luck that you deserve. Embrace it.”

“Well, I guess every dog has its day. All I can say is that it’s about damned time.”

“I agree,” Mia said, even though she wasn’t sure just what it meant. She really needed to brush up on the local lingo. She watched Sunny walk away and then sat down on one of the stools with a thump and a sigh. The price of the Jimmy Choos had never, ever fazed her but suddenly seemed obscene. In fact, she had never really thought about money or considered the cost of anything. “Wow.” Mia had to shake her head at the irony of the last name she had chosen for herself. “Really . . .” She snorted. She wondered for a second where Cam had wandered off to and then thought perhaps he had gotten distracted by shopping as well. After another thoughtful moment, she lost herself in trying on shoes.

*  *  *

After waiting a good ten minutes for a vacant cart, Cam finally found a discarded one near the checkout line. While maneuvering his way past the long lines, he found himself stuck next to a display of magazines and pulled up short. On the cover of one of those rich-and-famous gossip publications was a picture of several women sunbathing on the deck of a yacht. “No way . . . ,” Cam whispered. He picked up the magazine and peered at the picture. One of the blond-haired, bikini-clad women looked like Mia. The picture was just grainy enough to not be certain, so he gave it a closer look. The picture was actually of Cat Carson, and the other three women weren’t named. He stared at the photograph but then shrugged. Surely he was wrong. Then again, there was something about the smile that felt familiar. Could it be?
Nah . . . ,
he thought, and put the magazine back on the rack.