“It’s beautiful,” she replied. “A sprawling ranch on an acre of wooded property in a great neighborhood with lots of shops and galleries in town. It’s perfect for us. No need for Jordan to worry about elevators and staircases. His office is a five-minute drive from the house. We even got a dog! An Australian shepherd we named Hudson. He’s big and goofy, and he’s got plenty of space to run around the grounds. Or we can take him through the wildlife preserve down the road with its wide paths and walking trails. Some days, if you’re there at the right time, you can see deer. It’s an entirely different way of life: slower, quieter, and infinitely more relaxing. Wait ‘til you see it. You might like it so much you decide to move there yourself.”
Mom gave a delicate shiver. “Don’t be ridiculous, Cameron. Why would I ever leave the city for the sticks?”
“Ahem!” Mr. Ellison’s not-so-subtle interjection caused her mother to duck her head.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to suggest—that is, I’m sure it’s lovely, and I can’t wait to see it. But you know I’m a creature of habit, a metropolitan denizen from the day I was born. I have my routines and my showroom and my vendors. Everything I know is here. If I want quiet, I take a few days out at the summer cottage in the Hamptons. I don’t think I could ever live like that full-time, though. You and I are very different that way. You’re far braver than I am. And a lot more flexible when life throws you a curve.”
Wow. Cam had never seen her mother back down so quickly. And with such graciousness. Maybe Mr. Ellison would finally be the husband Mom needed, the man who took control and kept it, pushing her out of her comfort zone and keeping her on her toes. She hoped so. She really did want her mother to be happy—and settled.
She let loose a laugh, subtle but joyful. “You’re probably right. I’m still anxious for you to see the place, though. And should you decide you need quiet in the future, you could come and visit. You’d be more than welcome. We’ve got plenty of space. And we could have a few mother-daughter outings in the area. I’ve been ceding more and more of the day-to-day operations of the New York office to Val. She’s a godsend, I swear. The foundation’s in very good hands with her. I’m actually considering opening a satellite office out by us, a new project for me to focus on. You know how hard it is for me to sit still. Of course, that’ll only happen if Jordan can find us the perfect location again, the way he did with the Loughlin building.”
“So everything’s worked out for you.” Her mother waited for Cam to nod, then turned her attention to Mr. Ellison. “There. See? I told you it would be all right.”
“Tell them, sweetheart.” Mr. Ellison’s tone, while soft and sweet, was laced with steel.
Uh-oh. Cam stiffened, braced for some horrible news. Tell them what?
Her mother planted her hands on her hips. “I don’t see why it’s such a big deal. I was right, wasn’t I?”
Cam’s nerves skittered and popped. Oh, Mother, what did you do?
“Tell them,” Mr. Ellison repeated. “Go on. They have a right to know.”
Know what? Whatever it was, Cam wasn’t so sure she had the right or the desire to know. She gripped Jordan’s hand, nearly crushing his bones as dread tightened her every nerve ending.
“It’s about the Loughlin building,” her mother said with a defeated sigh. “Technically, Jordan didn’t find the place. I used my influence on the board to insist we only sell the site to the Delgado Foundation and that Jordan Fawcett was to be the agent of record on the deal.”
“So you were the anonymous board member!” Susan Harwich exclaimed with a finger of accusation. “Of course. It all makes sense now.”
Her mother nodded, but she kept her focus pinned to Cam. “I knew it was perfect for your needs, and I knew that if I brought it to your attention, you’d be against even looking at the place simply because I was the one to suggest it. You would’ve remained too stubborn to see the potential.”
Cam would’ve liked to argue, but how could she? Her mother was, sad to say, one hundred percent right. She would never have considered a site her mother pushed, always looking for the ulterior motive behind the offer.
Luckily, her mother didn’t wait for an agreement or a denial.
“All I’ve ever wanted,” Mom continued, “was for you to be happy. And you are, aren’t you? I did the right thing, didn’t I? Cam, I waited years for you to bounce back from what happened between you and Jordan. When you didn’t, and it seemed like you weren’t ever going to look for love again, I assumed you two might have unfinished business between you. I did some research. Found out that, like you, Jordan had never married, wasn’t dating, and I was thinking, maybe you two needed a push. Then I learned he had actually returned to New York and I knew what I had to do.” She shrugged. “It seemed like fate to me. So obvious any idiot would see it. And now you two are together and you’re happy, right?”
“I was,” Cam said. “But now that I know you manipulated us both...” She shook her head.
The hurt on her mother’s face stuck a knife in her heart. And she reconsidered what she planned to say.
The treasure is love. Her mother loved her. So, okay, in her twisted way, she’d set them up, in order to bring them back together. But after that initial bit of meddling, she’d left them both to their own devices to sink or swim. In the end, they had created their own happily ever after. All Mom had
