Page 33 of Sweet Somethings

Seven

"It's pretty," Juliette said, as Roman parked in front of Donna's two-story house.

The white house with dark-blue shutters had a big front porch with a seating area of wicker furniture and hanging pots of plants. The yard was well-tended, a colorful array of flowers lining the path to the front steps. She didn't know what she'd been expecting, but she was starting to have doubts about her gut instinct that Cameron's living situation was not good.

"I hope this isn't a mistake," she said as she got out of the car and met Roman on the sidewalk. "Maybe you were right, and Cameron is just an unhappy, bored kid and his grandmother is a wonderful person."

"Do you think only happy things go on in pretty houses?" he asked.

She frowned. "You said that before, when we were running after Cameron. I'm not a snob, Roman, and I don't think I'm naïve."

"Not naïve, but you tend to live on the bright side of the street. Wish cookies and miracles and sweet somethings fill your days."

"Now they do. But I have been through my own personal hell," she reminded him. "If I choose to make my life sweeter and happier now, then who's to say that's wrong?"

"Definitely not me."

"Good. And I wouldn't be here if I wasn't willing to find out what's really going on with Cameron—pretty house or not." She strode forward and rang the bell.

They waited for a few moments, and she was beginning to wonder if no one was home.

"I feel like I've been here before," Roman muttered as his gaze swept the yard. "Someone lived here. One of the guys I hung out with, I think."

"Really? But you didn't know Donna."

"She looked a little familiar, but I don't remember any kids with the last name of Mays."

Cameron opened the door, interrupting their conversation. His eyes filled with alarm when he saw them.

"Hi, Cameron," she said, trying to ease his worry. "Is your grandmother here? I thought you both might like more of my Wish cookies."

"Uh…" He looked over his shoulder. "She's sleeping. She doesn't like to be woken up. You can leave the cookies with me."

She tried to peer past Cameron, but he didn't seem interested in letting her into the house.

"Cameron," a woman's voice rang out. "Is someone at the door?"

"Sounds like your grandmother is awake now," Roman said, pushing past Cameron.

Juliette followed him inside, feeling a little guilty for just walking in, but they weren't going to learn anything from the porch.

Donna came down the stairs, wearing a robe over a nightgown. "Oh, dear," she said when she saw them. "Goodness, I didn't know we had company."

"We're sorry to bother you," Juliette said. "I wanted to bring you some more of my Wish cookies."

"Well, that was sweet," Donna said, patting down her hair, then pulling her robe more tightly around her. "Excuse my appearance. I didn't sleep well last night so I stayed in bed this morning."

"It's fine. We're disturbing you, and that wasn't our intent." Actually, it was exactly their intent, but she couldn't say that. She glanced over at Cameron, who had taken the lid off the container and was biting into one of her cookies as if he were really hungry. That reminded her of why they were here. "Would you mind if I use your bathroom before we go?"

"It's down the hall," Donna said with a wave of her hand.

"I'll just be a second," she told Roman, who didn't look thrilled that she'd left him with Donna, but he simply gave her a nod.

"You look familiar," Roman said, as she left the room.

"Do I? Maybe you saw me in one of my plays. I used to be an actress at the Center Theater. It was a wonderful time. I played all the good parts—Stella from a Streetcar Named Desire and Scarlett from Gone With The Wind."

Their voices faded as Juliette made her way down the hall. She moved past the bathroom to peek into the kitchen. There was a pile of dishes in the sink and an odd smell in the room, but nothing overtly horrible. The bathroom was in the same condition—not exactly dirty but not exactly clean, either. There was an office next to the bathroom and as she looked in there, she saw a lot of clutter.

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