“Be nice to your uncle.”
“I’m an adult. I don’t have to be nice to himorhis girlfriend.”
“Fair enough. And I’ll ask Cameron next time I see her. Although that goes against every bit of good manners I know to invite myself over to someone’s Christmas dinner.”
“Yeah, but the rules go out the door once your tongue’s been in their mouth.” Jade winked, making Melanie laugh again.
“Now you sound like Hunter.”
“She’d agree with me.”
After the two finally said goodbye, Melanie called Lucy over as the two headed home. She made dinner for herself and fed the pets before plopping down on the couch to watch TV. Her phonebuzzed on the armrest, and she half expected it to be Cameron. But instead, it was Jade.
Have you made Christmas plans yet???
Melanie smiled, typing back a message.
Not yet, but when I do, you’ll be the first to know.
See, I knew I was your favorite niece.
Chapter 13
Cameron
Although she hadn’t lived there since high school, a part of Cameron would always call Tennessee home. She’d loved growing up there, playing on her grandparents’ farm with her siblings and cousins and all their animals. Cameron loved the creaky old front porch swing at her mama’s house and still remembered rocking both of her babies on it when they’d go for a visit.
The Tennessee Valley offered Cameron a solace that the Cove never could quite match. Maybe it was the way the autumn leaves seemed to whisper a lullaby passed down from generations as she stood on the front porch with a hot cup of coffee in her hands. The gentle breeze blew her blonde hair softly, making Cameron close her eyes as she savored the smell of the crisp autumn air. Although they had leaves in Maine, they were never the same as in Tennessee.
Maybe Cameron romanticized the state in her head since it wasn’t often they made the journey south anymore. Cameron’s work schedule on top of the kids’ endless extracurricular activities kept the West family beyond busy in the Cove. Trips to Cameron’s mama’s house were reserved for Thanksgiving.
And the occasional funeral.
There had been more than enough of them over the last few years, starting with Cameron’s dad just over three years ago. Each funeral was like a mini family reunion, making each death a little easier knowing her family was surrounded by so much love and support.
Of course, as she got older, Cameron missed the simplicity that was her childhood in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains. Those days were so carefree and fun; nothing like the always busy life she had now in the Cove. Sighing, Cameron leaned onto the white porch railing of her childhood home and sipped her coffee. The front door opened as her mama stepped out onto the porch.
Wilma Dean West had always been a spitfire. Her strawberry blonde hair—now from a box—was just as iconic as Lucille Ball’s red hair to their small town. She had a standing appointment every two weeks at the local beauty salon to have her hair done, and Wilma Deannevermissed an appointment. Not even when her daughter and grandchildren were in town.
“Is that what you’re wearing?” Wilma Dean arched an eyebrow as she looked Cameron up and down. “I thought you were driving me into town.”
“I am, Mama.” Cameron set her coffee mug down on the railing and looked down at her jeans, hoodie, and tennis shoes. “What’s wrong with what I have on?”
Cameron’s question was onlymildlysarcastic. Not that Wilma Dean picked up on it. She was probably too busy wondering how her former beauty pageant daughter was now more content in a hoodie than a crinoline. Wilma Dean sighed dramatically, taking her car keys out of her small handbag and handing them to Cameron.
“Well, it’s too late for you to change now, anyway. Come on. I can’t be late.”
Not that you’ve ever been late to your hair appointment, Cameron thought to herself as she opened the door to the old Lincoln and got inside. The car was like a time capsule, stuck in the early 2000s when Cameron had purchased the car for her mama for Christmas. She’d offered several times to get Wilma Dean a new car, but her mama wouldn’t have it.
It was a good thing Cameron knew her way around their small town like the back of her hand because the car’s cassette player wouldn’t be helpful as a GPS. She passed the high school where she graduated valedictorian; drove past the grocery store where she worked after school to save money for college.
“I love that nothing’s changed here,” Cameron commented as they drove through the town’s historic downtown.
“What do you mean?” Wilma Dean laughed, sarcastically tossing her hand up as she pointed out the window. “We have seven new coffee shops on this street alone. Ain’t nobody needs that much coffee.”
“You drink coffee every morning, Mama.”
“At my house.” She nodded firmly. “Not at some new age, hippy coffee shop where they charge you ten dollars for a little cup of coffee that has very little coffee in it.”
