Page 69 of Out on a Limb

He crammed as many clothes as he could into the washer, colors and whites. The larger the load, the less he had to pay for. He smiled to himself as he slid his quarters into the slots. Cameron remembered Walker at his door, and how the second he saw him, he knew he was going to jump his bones. Last night was more intense than any sex he’d had in the past. He savored each moment, like eating dinner at a fancy restaurant. Sex with feelings. Who knew?

The problem with the scary basement, aside from the obvious, was the lack of cell phone reception. When Cameron returned above-ground to his apartment, he had a voicemail waiting from his mom.

“Cam, it’s Mom. Call me back please. Thanks.”

Her stern tone gave him pause. He redialed immediately and leaned against his living room wall. “Mom? Are you okay?”

“Hey, Cam. Yeah, I’m fine.” Her voice said otherwise. Cameron always worried about his mother as much as she worried about him. They were the only immediate family they had. They were a duo. “I saw some pictures on your Instagram. Are you dating someone?”

Cameron’s mom was the only one of his friends’ parents on a current social network. She was always in an in-between spot because she was usually the youngest mom, and in a way, that bonded them. She had him straight out of college. Now that he thought about it, she was less than a decade older than Walker. He didn’t want to think about that again.

“Some pictures on my Instagram? That’s why you left one of those nervous mom voicemails?” Cameron huffed out a breath of relief. “You know, I don’t have to keep you in the loop on every aspect of my life.”

“But you do, my son. I gave birth to you.”

“You can’t use that line everytime.”

“Yes, I can. If you ever experience the pain of childbirth, you will understand. Who is that man and his son?”

That man and his son.That didn’t sound like Walker and Hobie. They weren’t strangers or neighborhood weirdos.

“His name is Walker, the son is Hobie. They’re good people.”

“Are you dating that man?” She asked. Usually, their phone calls were full of inside jokes and gossip. He overshared with his mom about boys and college life. Cameron hadn’t told her a thing about Walker, but there technically wasn’t much to tell up until twenty-four hours ago.

“It’s complicated.”

He could hear the disappointment through the phone.

“He seems a lot older than you.”

“He isn’t,” Cameron said, and ended it at that. “We’re not dating. We’re just friends. I mean, we had sex, but we know that this is just a friendship thing.” He wasn’t sure what he was saying. None of it sounded correct. “Like I said, complicated. For now.”

“It shouldn’t be,” she said. “Cam, you don’t want to be getting involved with a family. Not now.”

“I know that.”

“Do you? Becase the pictures I’m seeing say otherwise. They tell me you’ve been spending a lot of time with this guy and his young son. Do they know you’re leaving?”

“Yes!” Cameron banged his head back against the wall.

“You’re a college senior. You’re supposed to be having fun, screwing around. And yes, I’m probably the only mother telling her son to do that, but I settled down with your father when I was your age. I didn’t get to experience this freedom, and I realize how precious it is. You only get this time in your life once. Don’t squander it trying to play stepfather.”

“But what if I like him?” Cameron blurted out. That must be one of those speaking from the heart moments.

“You’re young, Cam. He’s sweeping you off your feet.”

“He is not. He’s a horrible dancer.” They hadn’t gone on any real dates. All this just…happened. Like losing weight. One day, the jeans weren’t as snug.

“I can hear you smiling through the phone,” she said. Cameron checked out his reflection in the TV. Yep, he was. Like a fool. “Are you still moving to LA after graduation?”

“Of course!”

“Good. I don’t want him to talk you out of going. This has been your dream. There have been countless men and women before you who’ve given up their dream at the last minute to chase something foolish.” The weight of her words hit Cameron.

“I know,” he said softly. “Just trust me, Mom.”

CHAPTER twenty-two