Thank God, Val must have been keeping an eye out for her. “Hey,” she said as she slapped the latch to open the storm door. “Come on in.”
Her assistant wore a knee-length, faded blue nightshirt with the maroon Vanguard logo above the words, “2010 National Champions.”
Cam gave a curt nod. “Cool shirt.”
“Thanks. Work perk.” She led the way past the cozy, traditional-style living room with a cream-colored stone fireplace and furniture full of soft, curved edges in muted textile patterns of beige and gold. Giving Cam a wink over her shoulder, she added, “I can get you one of these nightshirts, if you want. I’ve got a friend on the inside.”
“Yeah, totally not necessary. I have my own inside man with the team.” Cam glanced at the bookshelf near the wall separating the living room from a small formal dining room. She noted the assortment of paperbacks, mostly romance, but a few mystery and suspense titles mixed in, so totally Val. If they weren’t boss and assistant, she and Val could be close friends. They seemed to share a lot of the same interests.
Well, that was what she came here for, right? To disconnect from work and be with a friend?
Val stopped short at the doorway to the kitchen, and Cam, still focused on the bookshelf, walked pizza-box-first into Val’s chest. Both women gasped. The box collapsed like an accordion, and only Val’s quick reflexes caught it before the pizza fell out and landed on the carpet.
With the box cradled between them, Val looked up at Cam, brows knitted. “Crap. I’m sorry. I guess I’m not used to having ‘The Boss Lady’ in my house.”
Desperately trying to balance her hold on the box and the bottle of wine, Cam shot her gaze over Val’s shoulder toward the interior of the kitchen. “Can we put this stuff down and then talk?”
“Sure. I mean, I guess. I mean you’re the boss.”
The confused hesitation Val displayed almost had Cam second-guessing this decision. Almost. But she’d come to some tough conclusions in the last hour or two, and a moment’s nervousness on Val’s part wouldn’t shake her.
“Tonight, don’t think of me as the boss, okay? Please?” After placing the pizza on the set table in the middle of the eat-in kitchen, Cam held up the wine bottle. “Got a glass for this?”
“Yeah, sure.” Val sidestepped the table and stood on tiptoe to reach a cabinet above the built-in microwave.
Crap, the last thing Cam wanted right now was a fuss. She wanted tonight to be easygoing, lazy and just plain fun. “Oh, don’t go out of your way,” Cam insisted. “Please. Anything is fine.”
“No, don’t worry. I got it.” She retrieved a cut-glass water goblet from inside, then twisted to hold it out toward Cam. “This okay?”
Though she would’ve preferred something smaller and simpler, she sensed her new friend was trying to make a good impression. She wouldn’t make her even more anxious.
“It’s perfect. Thanks.” She took the glass, filled it about halfway then passed the bottle to Val, who waved her off.
“I’m good, thanks.”
They settled at the table, and Cam flipped the lid to the pizza box, surveying the damage with a critical eye. “Minor casualties. A few of the slices on one side are a little crushed. We’ll save those for after we’ve had more wine.”
“Umm... I can eat those. You don’t need to have a bad slice—”
“Val.” Cam’s patience frayed at the ends. “Stop. Relax. Have another glass of wine. You’re still going to have a job on Monday, no matter what happens tonight. I repeat. I’m not here as your boss. I’m here because...” She took a deep breath and sat at the table in the window nook. “Well, because I need a friend.”
Val’s eyes widened. “And you called me?”
Cam sipped her wine before answering. “Don’t look so surprised. You’re one of the most level-headed people I know. You’re honest, discreet, and trustworthy. I value your opinion—”
“You do?” Cam’s exasperation must have shown on her face because Val added, “I’m sorry. This is just... weird, you know? I mean, in all the years I’ve worked for you, you’ve never popped over for pizza and wine before. I don’t know how to handle this.”
Neither did she, to be honest. So, maybe that was the way to move forward: by being honest.
“Remember how you talked to me on the phone a little while ago? When you gave me your list of conditions if I planned to come over?”
Her cheeks flushed pink, and she shrugged. “Well, yeah, but that’s when I thought there wasn’t a snowball’s chance in hell you’d come here.”
Shoot. She hadn’t considered the possibility Val only said yes because she feared she might lose her job or be punished in some way for saying no.
Her tone roughened to an embarrassed whisper. “Did you not want me here tonight, Val? Be honest. I swear, this has nothing to do with your job. The thing is...” God, how could she explain where her head was at? She took a deep breath and plowed on. “The thing is, I just left my mother’s house and, as usual, it didn’t go well. I mean, you know how she gets me amped up. And I really needed someone to talk to.” Her throat tightened enough to limit her speech and, blinking back tears, she gulped some wine to loosen her tongue and drown her pride. “I realized I needed a friend, a confidante, and I don’t have too many of those. But of all the women I know, you’re the one I trust most. You’re the one I’d like to be my friend. But I
