Page 82 of Cameron's Contract

After exchanging texts, I found her hiding out in the library. She’d dressed for dinner in a black halter dress and she’d slipped into delicate heels. Her hair was neatly tied back to subdue her locks, pulling back on her feisty style.

Mia sat in a corner chair near the fire.

She peered up from her book.

“What are you reading?” I neared her.

She raised it. “Your mom gave it to me. It’s about the museums and galleries here. I think she’s trying to make me feel at home.”

Now that was progress.

“What’s that?” she said excitedly, staring at the box.

I glanced down at it. “A box.”

“A collar?”

“Perhaps.”

Her cheeks flushed brightly.

I hid it behind my back.

She laughed at that.

“Ready to fly out tonight?” I said.

“All packed. How’s Henry?”

“Doing great, considering the pressure we put him under.” I shook my head. “I put him under.”

“You can’t blame yourself.”

“It’s all such bad timing. Had this happened a few years down the line…”

“Your father told him the door’s always open.”

I sat on the arm of her chair and peered down at the book. “The Museum of Natural History is worth checking out. We’ll go.”

“I’m excited.”

“We’ll fly Bailey and Tara out to visit.”

“I’d love that.”

“Good.”

“Cameron, can I ask you something?”

“Anything. You know that.”

“Everything happened so fast. We never got to talk about it.”

“It?”

“What went wrong with you and Zie? It’s just that you both seemed so happy once.”

I gave a nod. “It became complicated.”