Finally Found

After splashing water on his face and pasting on his charming Adam face, he left the room to rejoin the party. He made a huge effort to be nice to everyone, to mingle to greet everyone. The only thought that kept him focused and helped him through the remainder of the party was the excitement of driving into dawn. He would drive to the Hamptons. They had a summer home there. Well, his parents did. Neither of them had spent much time there of late, but he somehow figured that as soon as the weather turned, Sam and Haley would. He imagined a morning spent walking the coast and sniffing the crisp ocean air. That helped.

It also helped that the booze ran out an hour later. When that handy bit of information was passed around, soon enough people started clearing out and heading to the nearest club. They were already dressed for it. Once the domino effect had begun people would come over, shake his hand and say their goodbyes. They would half-heartedly ask him to join them, but he would simply pat his leg and claim he didn’t want to slow them down. “No, you go. Some other time.” And he would clap them on the shoulder, shake their hands, plant a kiss on every woman’s cheek, until at last, the only people remaining were Sam, Haley, Kiki, and the party staff.

After Kiki had gone into the guest bedroom to unpack, he looked at Sam, seated next to Haley on the couch, channeling his inner Cheshire cat. “You are pretty pleased with yourself, aren’t you?” He asked Sam. And though his brother was quick to wipe that self-satisfied look from his face, he wasn’t quick enough.

Even Haley had caught it. “Samuel Davenport,” she said with an annoyed edge to her voice. “What’s going on?” She studied Adam. “Are you ready to be back on your own, Adam? You can come home with us. We have plenty of room for you. I don’t want you to feel rushed…” Her voice trailed off. She looked at Sam who wore a horrified look and jabbed him hard in the ribs with her boney elbow.

“Yes, yes,” Sam began. “Come home with us, bring Kiki! The more the merrier.” He looked down at Haley, “Is that better? Is that what you wanted me to say?” He stood. “The more is not the merrier. He needs his place, and we need ours. He has a nurse. He’s a big boy. He’ll be fine!” And to show that he had spoken, that his word was law, he started to walk away.

“I fired her. You watched me do it.” He stood without the use of his cane. “See?”

“I’m not convinced. And you can’t fire her. I hired her. Only I can fire her.” He reached out his hand for Haley and when she took it, he yanked her hard and fast against him. “Are you ready?”

It seemed like an innocuous question, but the way that they smiled at one another, he knew they were going to go home and get all wild and crazy now that they had the house to themselves. Once again, he was being reminded that he was the one with the issues. He sighed and walked them out to redeem himself. He was fine, a little lonely but otherwise the picture of perfect health. Maybe he could use this as a bargaining tool. “I’ll stay. I’m fine. I’m perfectly capable of staying here…by myself. Fire Kiki. Take her with you.”

Sam studied him for a moment. “As I said, I will need some convincing on that last point before I release her from service. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to find a good in home health nurse?”

“I’m beginning to get an idea,” Adam responded angrily. “After all, you didn’t do it. So, the real question becomes…how hard is it to find a hot chick who wants to get paid to live with me in my fancy loft overlooking Central Park? And I already know the answer to that. I’ve had women volunteering to do that for years for free!” He stood there with his arms crossed over his chest, refusing to back down on this one sticking point.

“Give it a week,” Sam suggested. “We’ll re-evaluate then.” Adam was about to open his mouth once more, but Sam played the big brother card. “That’s it. That is the plan. Like it or lump it, but this is the way it is going to be.”

“I’m thirty years old,” Adam said in a low voice. “I should be able to make my own decisions.”

“True, but in this case, I think you are blinded by pride. We’ll talk next Sunday. We’ll do brunch.” And with that, he and Haley walked away.

Still sporting that self-satisfied look, Sam left taking Haley with him. It seemed like she was torn, but Adam assured her that he’d be fine. After all, he had Kiki. He shut the door behind them. And better than Kiki, he had a plan. They had been gone only a few minutes when he wandered into his room and pulled out a bag. He had grabbed some clean boxer briefs, he had socks, and he threw in some fresh shirts and a few sweaters. He went to his closet and selected a couple pairs of khakis and a few pairs of jeans. He yanked some running pants from the shelf and added them to the bag, too. Confidently, he zipped the bag shut and shoved it under the bed.

Now he just had to wait. Adam wanted to stay hidden in his room, but he figured that his absence, given his reputation, would draw more attention than his presence. That’s why he made his way back out to the living room. He sprawled on the sofa and waited. He had one hand over his eyes, one arm stretched across the back of the leather couch. He was surprisingly relaxed, until she came over.

“I need to apologize,” Cammie began quietly.

Slowly, he lifted his hand from over his eyes. Crap. It really was that bartender. And now she wanted to apologize. “Not necessary,” he said evenly. “Everything is fine. I’m not going to raise hell, report you, try to get to you fired, or ruin the business. You can tell your boss that I will tell all my friends what a lovely party this was.” Then he laid his hand back over his eyes. In his experience, he had said all the magic words, everything that would encourage her to get back to work, to leave him alone, to hurry up and get the hell out of his loft so that he could, too.

At the moment, he was busy imagining Kiki’s reaction when she woke in the morning and discovered that he was long gone. He had even made preparations to ensure that he could stay gone for the week that his brother had forced him to agree to. He smiled. Damn. It was too easy. His brother was gone. And there was no way Kiki was going to be able to stop him. The more he thought about it, the more he realized it really was too simple. Sam hadn’t asked him for his keys to the Mercedes. He hadn’t threatened to cut off his money if he was difficult. Sam must really think him weak and fragile.

As he sat there considering everything, his grin faded. In its place was a look of doubt bordering on fear. Sam was a businessman. He was accustomed to looking at every situation from multiple angles to mad problem solving to ensure the outcome that he desired. It just didn’t seem like he fought very hard this time. It should have been so much more intense; clear-the-room intense, make-strangers-and-staff-flee intense. Instead, as he ranked their arguments through the years, this one barely qualified as a spat. There was only one reason for that.

One horrifying thought gripped him. Sam wouldn’t have. He couldn’t have. Adam flew off the couch and rushed to his side table at the entrance, and peeked into the large glass bowl that always held his keys, and sometimes his phone and wallet ever since that one fateful laundry day. He wasn’t built for manual labor. Dammit. He peered into the bowl. There was no reason for him to stare so long. It was obvious that his keys, wallet, and phone were missing. He might as well have been kidnapped. He glanced at the wooden cane that he had left leaned against the table. Sure. That was still there. He picked it up and hit the concrete dividing wall with it as hard as he could. He heard the sound of it splintering, but it didn’t break, instead becoming just one more disappointment for him to contend with. Apparently he was already getting weaker with his advanced years. Thirty was a miserable bitch.

His left eye started twitching. He pushed on it with the palm of his left hand, hoping that might stop it. This was certainly shaping up to be quite the night. As he stood there trying to calm down, he remembered that he kept a set of spare keys in his top drawer. He laughed as he scurried off to his room. The minute he opened the drawer, he knew Sam had thought of that, too. His clothes were disheveled, as if someone had rummaged through looking for something…like his spare keys. Sure enough, they were all gone.

“Damn you, Sam!” He shouted at the top of his lungs, even though he knew his brother could never possibly hear him. “Damn you to hell, you miserable rat bastard!” He stormed out of his room and nearly collided with that bartender. “What? Did he pay you extra to piss me off tonight?”

She scowled. “Nobody paid me extra for anything. I am pissing you off for free!” And she shuffled by him carrying crates of liquor.

“Stop,” he said with a sigh. She kept moving. “Wait. I’ll help you.” She continued, clearly in a hurry to be away from him. Without saying another word, he walked up to her, grabbed her shoulder, whipped her around, and gathered the crates she had been holding. “These go in the catering van?” He asked casually as she walked beside him out the door.

“Yes. They do.” She was staring at him, frowning.

“What is it? Something on my face?” He was trying to be jovial at the moment, busy as he was crafting a new plan.

“Yeah. You have a little something…all over. What’s going on behind those beady little eyes of yours?” He noticed she continued to study his features.

“Oh, I was just thinking…”

“Clearly, and just what were you thinking? That’s the big question, right?” She stopped in the parking garage right next to the catering van. Another employee was loading a bag of dirty linens, saw her, approaching with Adam and headed back inside rather quickly.

“So…are you also going in the catering van?” He tried to sound casual, but he knew there was a distinct possibility that he was coming off as a bit giddy at the moment.

“No, I won’t be riding in the catering van. I have my own car…” He realized she probably felt like she had already said too much. She was starting back away from him a bit nervously.

He sighed. “Okay, here’s the deal.” He took a deep breath as he prepared to reveal the events that had transpired. It was nice talking to someone he really had no true interest in. There was no guile. There were no games. There was only…the truth. He smirked. How unusual. “So, my brother is under the impression that I am handicapable…as a result of the hit and run that landed me in a coma and broke my legs.” He danced around a little. “As you can see, that isn’t the case. I’m good.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “And then he went and hired me a home health nurse. Only she isn’t even qualified to be a home health nurse. She is just…” He shivered a long full body shiver.

“Why would he think you need a nurse?” She asked, her eyes narrowed.

Scratching his head, Adam colored slightly. “I’m thinking it’s because I may have been milking the injury for attention.” He suddenly straightened. “But I’m fine…”

Before he could complete his thought, Cammie interrupted again. “And since when does a voluptuous woman leave you to have full-body shivers. I saw that nurse.”

“Apparently she’s more of a medical assistant at the moment. All I know is…she’s not for me.” He shook his head emphatically. And he truly meant it.

“Oh, are you suddenly so evolved?” She asked sarcastically. “And what do you want from me? It’s obvious you are suddenly pestering me for something. Quit beating around the bush. Get to the point. Out with it. What. Do. You. Want?”

A genuine smile broke out on his face. This woman was incredible. She didn’t play. He really respected that…as much as he respected any woman. “A ride.” He shrugged. “I want a ride.”

“You want a ride,” she repeated, dead pan. “You have an incredible car…” She glanced around the parking garage. “Hey, didn’t you have the black Mercedes sport’s coupe with the ADAMS TOY license plates?” She looked around conspicuously. “I could have sworn…”

“Ah ha!” He threw his hands in the air. “My brother seems to have absconded my ride. And since Haley would never agree to such a move, I’m guessing he tricked her, too. So, you see…I really do need a ride. I need to get out of here, away from the so-called medical assistant, away from my less than understanding brother. If they are kicking me out of their love nest, then I want to pick my next nest. And I’m thinking…not here.”

He didn’t want to reveal the destination until he had her on the hook. If he told her too soon where they were going, he would have to deal with questions, potential refusal, and the likelihood that she would then tattle should his brother call upon her. Sam was, after all, the one who paid her bill tonight. He stood and watched. He waited. He could see that she was possibly considering it. He merely needed to sweeten the deal.

“At the risk of sounding a bit mercenary, what’s in this for me?” She raised an eyebrow as she had raised the stakes.

He leaned in and smiled his most charming smile. “The pleasure of my company?” He placed two hands on her bare shoulders. It was chilly in the parking garage and she didn’t have anything on over that bustier. She was a bit chilly to the touch. “Hey.” He pulled off his jacket and wrapped it around her without thinking, without asking. It was pure instinct. And yet he had never done such a thing before. He frowned at that realization.

Cammie studied him. One minute he was trying to charm her, the next minute he was dropping the façade and being incredibly genuine and sweet. She shook her head. Man, this guy was a ball of contradictions.

“No?” He looked bewildered.

“Why not just rent a car? Why not just stay here until morning and then examine your options in the light of day? Why not ask a friend?” She watched as he winced. “Surely you have friends. You always hung out with a big rowdy group of them.”

He took a step back and leaned against the cement piling. “You would think, right? I was never at a loss for company. Well, it’s funny how being in a coma can put life in perspective.” He sighed. “As it turns out, I have no friends. And I currently have no wallet. My brother, in his infinite wisdom, seems to have absconded that, too. That’s my sad tale.”

“So where the hell do you think I’m going to drive you? Where do you think you are going to go since you have no money and no car?” She had her hands on her hips. “Surely you don’t expect me to support you? I don’t make enough money for that. Actually, I’ve seen your frivolous spending. I’m not sure anyone but a rock star would have the money for that.” She sighed. Part of her wanted to take pity on him, the other part wanted to throttle him. “Do you have any idea how hard I work for every little thing that I have?”

She was completely irritated now, barely rational. As she talked, she had been walking toward her car angrily. She unlocked the door to her Honda Civic. “Get in,” she snarled.

He quietly did as she commanded. At least she was driving him away from here. For a moment he pictured himself as a bum on the streets with his cardboard Sharpie sign: Anywhere but here!

Pulling on his seat belt, he sat with his hands in his lap. He glanced over at the odometer and noticed that the vehicle had well over 100,000 miles. Without speaking, he tested the seat belt while she seethed and simmered. He felt around tentatively for soft spots in the floor. The cherry on top of his birthday was not going to be ending up as road kill or spending even one more minute in the hospital. He heard what he could only describe as a low growl.

“What. Are. You. Doing?” She had barely gritted out the words.

“Is this vehicle even safe?” He tried out his most contrite look. If his luck continued to hold, she would be impervious to that, too.

“It goes. It stops. It always starts. Any more questions?” Cammie was clearly not enjoying his company.

“Just the one…” He paused as her head snapped around to look at him. “Where are we going?” Adam half expected her to snap at him again. Instead, she looked at him and laughed. Laughed. Not a chuckle. Not a giggle. She laughed. Whole, hearty, soft and warm…she laughed.

“Oh, well, I figured before we went on this fool’s errand of yours that I should change. And I could show you how the other half lives.”

“We’re going to your place?” He perked up. While he had jokingly hoped to end the night with her, he never thought he stood a chance. “Was it my charm? Was it my devastatingly good looks?” He leaned over the console toward her. He used those gorgeous blue-green eyes of his, dark like the Caribbean after a storm, and was reduced to nearly nothing when she laughed again. This time, not in a good way. He pounded his fist against his heart. “You are killing me. Maybe I’m rusty?”

“Please, you were never good enough to get me,” she said, throwing her head back and laughing even harder.

Adam sank lower in his seat and stared out the window. This was really turning out to be some birthday. A horrible birthday. The worst birthday ever. He bit down on his finger like he used to when he was young and frustrated.

“Stop that,” she chided. “Everything is going to be okay, Adam. You just have to adapt to a whole lot of changes.” She had pulled his finger out of his mouth, yanked his hand away from his face, and set his hand in his lap. “Really. You are going to be just fine.”

He stared at her. There was something so inviting about her. She was so…real. She was looking at him from under those thick eyelashes. He wanted to know if they were hers, were they real, too. Then there was the bustier. Were the girls real? He knew without really having ever talked to her that she was completely unlike anyone he had ever known. The problem with that, as she had asserted, was that he had no idea how to talk to her even.

“You know…I don’t even know your name…” He said quietly, a little embarrassed at the admission.

“Well, a name tag doesn’t really go with this outfit,” she joked. Then looking at him sideways, her pony tail bouncing playfully behind her, she announced, “Cammie. Call me Cammie.”