Page 71 of SALT

"Most of them, yes."

That's actually one truth I believe. I've always felt their relationship was more than she admitted to, and because Parker and I have a history, I know he wouldn't prioritize getting his dick wet if he knew Stormy was out to get me in some way.

"Does he know why you lied?"

"Mostly."

"Are you going to continue being vague as fuck?"

"For now."

Tonight has only proven to be another shining example of why being alone has felt so appealing. Sometimes, the only person who can bring you peace is yourself.

Surprisingly, between Stormy's confessions and Everett's texts, I did manage to fall asleep last night. Storms have always had a way of lulling me to sleep. When I woke up this morning, Stormy was gone, but she left a note saying she felt terrible about last night and that Parker had picked her up. I texted Parker this morning, confirming the pickup. I know one of my flaws is that I can be too trusting. After her confessions, I didn't push her for more. I knew she wouldn't give it to me; hell, she said as much when she started divulging everything. Instead, I excused myself and went to my bedroom at the back of the RV. By the time we got home from visiting my father's grave, it was already eleven p.m., and we both had things to do today.

As I laid in bed staring up at the ceiling, I went over every conversation we'd had and got nowhere. I considered that maybe my father had a love child I didn't know about. He and my mother were never affectionate with each other. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that they both had secret lovers on the side. However, nothing pieced together every time I tried to trace a line back to that theory. That left my mind to spin on the details she gave me. I'm not sure if I gave up before or after my eyes closed. All I know is when I woke up, I couldn't find it in me to put any more thought into whatever scheme she might be crafting. I'm not physically threatened by her. The only part that has me messed up is the Everett piece. I hate feeling like someone I trust with my life is keeping something important from me, but it's in that same vein that I question if it's meaningful at all because, if it were, I know he wouldn't be shy about telling me to stay away from Stormy, if not outright forbidding contact with her.

"You must be Cameron." One of the crew pulls me from my latest musing session. The sounds of the excavators downing trees easily covered his footsteps.

"Yes, Cameron Salt. You must be Orion Atsbury."

"The one and only." He crosses his arms and nods toward one of the operators. "I think you know my cousin Nash."

I do a double take and squint at the bulldozer mowing down a tree a few yards away. "Wait, that's Nash in there?"

"Yep, his dad's been trying to get him to take an interest in the family business. He thought putting him with me for the summer might give him a different perspective."

"Has it?" From the few times we've talked, he never once mentioned this type of work. However, when I asked him about school, he mentioned classes at Flight Park in Millstadt. I don't know much about heavy machinery and construction, but aviation feels worlds apart from this.

"For today he has. He was the first one in the truck this morning." I don't miss the implication, intended or not. "Anyway, I came over here to go over the clearing. Everything is pretty straightforward. We should be done clearing the north side this afternoon, but there's a yellowwood I thought you might want to see before we take it out."

"Why's that?"

"Well, yellowwood trees are somewhat rare to these parts, but aside from that, this one has some initials carved in it. It could be nothing, but maybe it is something. If I inherited land, I'd want to check it out. Could be a family carving."

"Show me," I say with a renewed sense of vigor. The wind this finding puts in my sails reassures my divided heart that this is where I'm supposed to be.

Chapter 25

Everett

It's been two days, two fucking days, since I've seen Cameron, and it's killing me. Wednesday morning, I woke up with her in my arms and kissed her from head to toe until she woke up, as I've done every morning since she started sharing my bed. It's the only way I ever want to wake up, but something felt different that morning, and I hate that I didn't see then what I think I know now. She found her limit, and now she's drawn her line. At dinner, she told me I was her forever. She asked how we moved forward, and I didn't have an answer. I still don't have an answer. All I know is I can't continue with the status quo. It's breaking me.

Thursday was the first day of our tournament, and I missed it because I had to close an important deal with one of our government contractors at the firm. I tried to return to the stadium in time to catch the second game, but it was too late. Before leaving, I went to my office and ran back the security footage in the team shop. Cameron wasn't on it. She didn't come to work yesterday, and she's not here today. The only reason I haven't completely come unhinged is because, while I haven't seen her and I don't know where she is, she has been responding to my texts. It's those texts that were my lifeline tonight as I helped coach the team to a victory that sealed a seat in tomorrow's bracket.

I usually run over plays with Teague and Denver right after games to get a rough picture of how we will stack the lineup for the next game, but right now, my goal is to ensure I get to the team shop before Stormy leaves. I'm sure she knows exactly where Cameron is, and because I know she's been lying and keeping secrets, extracting Cameron's location from her will be easy.

I'm picking up my duffle bag when a voice I'd know anywhere says, "You guys looked good out there tonight."

Dropping my bag, I turn just as Connor walks up behind me. "Con, what are you doing here?" I say, pulling my son in for a hug.

"I came to watch my dad bring home a win for my team."

"How long have you been here?"

"I got here at the bottom of the fifth." He nods back toward the announcer's booth. "I watched from the office. I didn't want to distract you or the team." Leaning up against the fence, he adds. "And watching from up there was a whole different experience. I can't believe this place is mine. It doesn't feel like that long ago I was out there dreaming of making a career out of baseball, and now I'm not only living it, I'm helping other kids do the same."

"It's no secret I wanted to hand over Callahan & Associates to you. I did convince you to get your law degree?—

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