Page 45 of Among the Stars
Chapter Eleven
Cam should have knownthat the last Saturday of the year would be a fucking nightmare. The band broke up during their set, leaving him without an act on the main floor. Then the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission picked tonight to do a house check. That pulled Cam away from the band debacle to prove that his permits and liquor license were in order. The clincher was the plague that appeared to be running through his staff. He’d had to send three home sick after another two called out.
All of this left Cam stuck behind the bar until close. At nine forty-five, he’d taken two minutes in his office to call Veronica. She’d been disappointed, but understood the cancellation was unavoidable. He’d been surly the rest of the night, and by midnight, his employees were well aware that the boss was not in a good mood.
At least he would see her this morning.
The wedding rehearsal started at nine Sunday morning so the restaurant could open in time for lunch. Cam arrived to open the door at eight and verify the staff had arranged the third-floor tables per his instructions. The bride and groom and their families, plus the maid of honor and best man—who were both women—arrived at eight forty-five. He hadn’t realized how on edge he was until Veronica walked through the door. Once her hand was in his, the stress of the previous night faded.
“Good morning,” she said, looking beautiful and well rested. “You look tired.”
His lack of sleep was partially her fault. “Bad night.”
“I’m sorry.” She lifted onto her toes to kiss his cheek.
Cam squeezed her hand. “I’m the one who had to cancel.”
“You had to be here. I get that.” Tucking in close against his side, she whispered, “I’m free once this rehearsal is over. How about you?”
“I’m available,” Cam replied. “Did you drive here?”
“Nope. I rode with Ash’s mom.”
“Which one is she?”
Veronica pointed to a tall woman standing away from the others. “The unhappy-looking brunette. Kathleen has forgiven Jesse, but she hates her parents.”
If this turned into a family feud, Cam was kicking them all out. He wasn’t in the mood for more drama. “Forgiven her?”
“Long story,” she replied. “The short version is that Ash and Jesse were high school sweethearts. The Rheingolds—that’s Jesse’s parents—are the reason they were separated for more than a decade.”
A decade during which Ash had married Veronica. Cam didn’t care what the in-laws thought of each other. He only cared about the woman beside him. “What about you?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know Jesse’s parents, but they seem nice enough to me.”
“I meant about doing this. Being part of the wedding.”
Watching the happy couple, she said, “I’m actually fine with it.”
Not the answer he expected. “Fine?”
“I don’t know what happened. I was helping Ash with his song yesterday, and something snapped.” Her gaze lifted to his. “They belong together, and I’m okay with that.”
An abrupt turnaround, but he couldn’t say he wasn’t pleased. Their connection had begun as Cam serving as a distraction from the man she wanted but could no longer have. He hadn’t feared the groom would change his mind, but he appreciated knowing that Veronica had.
“That’s quite mature of you,” he pointed out.
She smiled. “Maybe, but figuring out that he was never really the right guy for me also helped.”
“How did you figure that out?”
Wrapping her arms around his torso, she said, “Lucky for me, a better fit came along.”
Before Cam could respond, the officiant arrived, and the gathering moved to the third floor to start the rehearsal. As the outsider, he watched from the back of the room. The pastor called out a series of orders, and then the mock ceremony began. From her place at the front beside the groom, Veronica caught his eye and wiggled her brows.
Cam pulled his phone from his pocket, typed out a text of exactly what he was thinking, and looked forward to watching her read it.
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