Page 61 of Sunny Skies Ahead
“I don’t want to talk about that,” Lilliana said quickly, shaking her head almost violently. “I don’t want to.”
“That’s okay,” Kameron said, and I saw the fear flash in his eyes as he reached out for his mom’s hand. He squeezed it gently. “We don’t need to talk about that.”
Lilliana nodded, but I could tell she was rattled. Even the memory of her husband was enough to shake her.
I realized then why Kameron was so anxious about this. His anxiety went well beyond simply visiting his mom—it was how earth-shattering the loss of his father was for her. He had said it in so many words, that his father’s death broke his mother. He’d told me in detail about the ugly days after the funeral, where Lilliana wasn’t able to properly care for him.
“That girl is staring at us,” Lilliana whispered, and I pressed a hand to my mouth to stifle a mortified laugh. Kameron glanced over his shoulder and his beautiful eyes met mine.
“Well, this is actually a girl I wanted you to meet,” Kameron said, gesturing for me to step closer.
Lilliana’s eyes widened in sheer delight. “Kameron Miller, are you bringing a girl home?”
Kameron’s face flushed. “Mom.”
“Forgive me,” Lilliana said, tilting her head in my direction. “This is the first time he’s ever brought a girl home to me, so you’ll have to excuse my shock.”
It suddenly felt like the floor was going to fall out from under me.
“Surely this isn’t the first time,” I said.
“It is,” they replied simultaneously. Kameron grimaced while Lilliana was positively delighted.
“Come, sit and talk with me for a minute,” Lilliana said. “Kameron, might you fetch us both a cup of tea?”
Kameron glanced between us briefly. “Are you sure that’s—“
“Oh, for the love of everything, go,” Lilliana said. “Before this ends.”
Kameron’s jaw dropped slightly as I inhaled sharply.
“You know,” I said as I sat down. “About your memory.”
I winced, feeling like an idiot for saying that. I wasn’t well versed in dementia care, but I did know that each case was different. Some people were aware of their gaps in memory, but others weren’t. As things progressed, most individuals lost track of their memory gaps, until lucidity became increasingly rare.
“Memory is a strange thing,” Lilliana said. “It’s strange what we remember, and what we don’t. But let’s not talk about me. Let’s talk about you.”
“My name is Imogen,” I said, wringing my hands together nervously. “I live in Watford, a small town close to Winding Road.”
“Watford, Watford. . . I’m sure I’ve been that way before,” Lilliana said.
“I met Kameron during the Founder’s Festival last year. The Winding Road nonprofit was the main sponsor, so Kameron and I worked together to help the festival organizer with everything. Earlier this year, he offered me a job to help with some administrative work on the farm.”
“Oh,” Lilliana said, raising her eyebrows to show her intrigue. “And when did you figure out that my son was the most handsome young man you’d ever laid eyes on?”
I choked on a laugh right as Kameron re-appeared with two cups of tea. He handed one to each of us before pulling one of the smaller chairs over to our little corner and settling in behind us.
“I’m not sure,” I said honestly. When had I first realized that I was interested in Kameron? I’d known from the beginning that he was attractive—there was no way for anyone in their right mind to deny that—but I couldn’t place exactly when I’d started wanting more.
“Don’t torture her, Mom,” Kameron teased.
“Well, what about you? When did you first realize?”
“There was a party last fall. The five of us were meeting each other for the first time, and when Imogen walked in the door. . . I couldn’t take my eyes off of her.”
My lips parted as my heart galloped in my freaking chest. I remembered that night, but that was also thefirsttime we’d met.
The knowledge that Kameron’s eyes had been on me from that very first night had butterflies fluttering to life in my stomach.
