Against Her Rules (13 page)

  “Well,
what is it?”

  “Nothing.
It’s stupid. I’m not going to tell you.”

  Miraculously
the tears had stopped, and her voice was coming back to normal.

  He
pulled a tissue from the box and handed it to her. “Blow.”

  She
did, and was appalled at the noise. Was she getting ready to start her period?
Was this why she’d turned into such a freak? Part of her was relieved. She
still couldn’t believe they hadn’t used a condom when they’d been in the
washroom. Talk about the heat of the moment. Bathroom sex! Who would have
thought she was capable of such a reckless act?

  “Come
on, beautiful.” He took her hand and led her back to bed. “I’ll be right back
with some food alright, and we can talk about it.”

  “I’m
not going to talk about it,” she said, getting back into bed.

  “Oh,
we’ll see.”

––––––––

  I
f
there was one way to drive Campbell Scott from a room, crying was it. He just
didn’t know how to deal with it. His family were all pretty stoic people, with
the exception of Daphne, who had gotten all the emotions of the entire Scott
clan.

  As
he piled breakfast onto a tray, he tried to figure out why Elsie was crying.
She didn’t strike him as the type of woman who cried for no reason, although he
had witnessed first-hand how he seemed to bring her emotions, normally anger
and exasperation, to the surface. Had he done something to make her cry? He
didn’t think so. So it must be something else. The really shocking thing for
him was that a) he cared, and b) he wanted to make sure whatever it was that
upset her was taken care of.

  He
and Daphne had had a long chat the previous evening about his feelings for
Elsie. He’d stopped short of admitting that he was falling in love, but Daphne
was perceptive enough to figure it out, and smart enough not to linger on it.
She just moved from the declaration of love stage (he’d have to figure that out
on his own), to the ensuring they ended up together for eternity. He was a
little worried by her thinking she had a role to play in that, but knew better
than to bait her.

  Right
now his biggest concern was that there was something bothering Elsie. And he
needed to figure it out.

  “Now,
I hope you’re hungry, because I think I cooked too much food,” he said, coming
into the room. “I’d just planned on making sure you had plenty of energy for
whatever the morning might bring,” he winked, “but I think I went a little
overboard.”

  At
least she wasn’t crying any more. And her eyes were no longer red. If anything,
she looked adorable. Sleepy even.

  “I
don’t know how hungry I am,” she said. And then she hiccuped. She covered her mouth
with a look of shock. And hiccuped again. And again. And again.

  “Oh.”
hiccup
. “No.”
hiccup
. “I hardly ever”
hiccup
“get the hic”
hiccup
“hiccups.”
hiccup
. “But when I do they last”
hiccup
“a long”
hiccup
“time.”
hiccup
. She moaned, and lay back on her
pillow, cute little hics popping out of her the whole time.

  “Try
eating, that might help.”

  But
it didn’t. Instead she nearly choked on a piece of scrambled egg.

  “Drink,”
he said, passing her a glass of juice. No luck.

  “I
know the trick.” And he kissed her. But she just hiccuped more.

  Breakfast
was getting cold, and she couldn’t eat. He munched on bacon while googling
cures for hiccups.

  “This
says to try drinking with your head turned upside down so it’s pointing towards
the floor.”

  It
was amusing to watch from his perspective, especially since she was a sight to
behold in that sexy nightgown. But it didn’t work.

  “Here’s
a website,” he said. “The Ultimate Guide to Curing Hiccups. It has over a
thousand known remedies.”

  “A
thousand?
hic
I could try them all
hic
and it would make no
hic
diff—
hic—
erence.”

  Still
they tried a few. Cam particularly liked one that encouraged her to meow like a
cat as she hiccuped. That just caused her to laugh. And hiccup harder.

  After
forty-five minutes it had gone from cute, to funny, and back to cute. But now
it was just irritating. And if it was driving him mad, he could only imagine
how she felt. There was only one thing left to try, but it wasn’t the ideal way
to do it. It certainly wasn’t what he’d envisioned. But she was in misery. And
he was miserable watching her, unable to help.

  “Come
here,” he said, pulling her into his arms. He rubbed her back, trying to ease
the ache she’d told him about. Apparently her hiccups were painful. Who knew?

  He
kissed the top of her head. “It’s going to be alright. They’ll go away. You
just need to think about something else.”

  “I’m
trying!”
hic.

  “Shhh. I know. Don’t talk. Just
listen. Listen to my voice and my words and try and forget about it. Now close
your eyes.”

  He
waited.

  “Are
they closed?”

  “Yes.”

  He
pulled away from her to check. They were open. He touched her nose with his
finger. “Close them. This is only going to work if you pay attention to
everything I say.”

  Her
long eyelashes touched the tip of her cheeks as she closed them. He kissed her
forehead. “Thank you.”

  He
pulled her close again and resumed rubbing her back. The fabric of her gown was
like melted butter, and his hand slid over her body with ease.

  “Now,
the important thing to keep in mind here is that I’m not making any of this up
just to make you feel better. Hiccup if you believe me.”

  A
small laugh was punctuated with a cute little
hic.

  “Now
let your imagination flow. It’s fifty years from now and there’s a beautiful
woman sitting on a chair overlooking the ocean. She has long flowing hair,
that’s turned white with age. Can you see her?”

  Elsie
nodded.

  “Good.
On her lap is a little girl, maybe she’s six, maybe she’s ten. It’s hard to
tell because she’s a petite little thing, just like her granny. The little girl
has black hair and grey blue eyes.”

  Cam
had his eyes closed as well, trying to picture the scene. It was far easier
this way. Although he wondered how Elsie could hear him, over the steady
thumping of his heart. His chest felt full. Still, he continued with his tale.
Elsie was still hiccuping, but they weren’t coming as quickly. That was a good
sign.

  “So
the little girl looks at her granny, and asks, ‘Do you love grandpa?’ And the
old woman doesn’t say anything. She just looks towards a cottage where there’s
an old man, teaching a little boy to draw a robin.”

  He
felt her body tense. Should he continue or stop now before he would live to
regret it. His pause must have been noticeable because Elsie tightened the hold
she had around his waist. And hiccuped.

  “The
woman finally nods and the little girl says, ‘Tell me a story about the first time
he told you he loved you.’

  ‘Well,
she says to the child. I had the hiccups one morning and nothing worked to cure
them.”

  Elsie
pulled away and looked up at him. “Cam?”

  He
had to say the words. He knew he did. But they were stuck. He closed his eyes.
Why was it easier with his eyes closed?

  “Campbell.
Look at me,” she demanded.

  He
opened them again.

  “Do
you know why I was crying this morning?”

  He
wanted to know but somehow he’d lost the power to speak.

  “I
woke up and you weren’t there. And I thought you’d left me.” She ran a hand
down his stubbly cheek. “I thought you had come to your senses, and decided
that you had somewhere better to be than next to me. And I was terrified.
Terrified that I’d lost you when I’d just come to realize that I was falling in
love with you.”

  “You...”
Relief and joy and trepidation all coursed through his body at once.

  “Yes.
I know it’s crazy. We hardly know each other at all. But I do. I love you. It’s
the only thing that makes sense for how I feel. All these emotions boiling
over, and a general feeling of insanity. That must be love, right?”

  He’d
heard enough. He rolled her onto her back, sending the tray of food and coffee
flying off the bed and onto the floor with a crash. He didn’t care, and she
didn’t seem to have noticed.

  Slowly
he grazed his lips across hers. “I love you too, Elsie.”

  “I
know,” she said. “You cured my hiccups.”

  I
t
appeared the people of Heart’s Ease were more excited about birds than he’d
realized. Cam had expected maybe a handful of people to show up. He’d set his
easel in the library, thinking it would be sufficient for a cozy, fireside chat
about birds. Instead, Elsie and her mother were expanding the dining room,
sliding back the walls that separated the formal dining space from the more
comfortable dining room they used for breakfast and lunch.

  “Hope
you’re not prone to stage fright,” Ida said, handing him a cup of coffee.
“Although, we’re not a bad lot. I’d dare say you’ll only be corrected six or
seven times.” She cackled and patted him on the arm.

  “Where
did all these people come from? I didn’t think there were this many people
living in Heart’s Ease.”

  “That’s
because you haven’t really been paying attention to anything other than my
niece,” she said. “But there’s a whole community full of people not in this
house, and they love any chance they can get to come up here and have a gawk
around. No offence, my dear, but you could be talking about bugs, or driftwood,
or toast and they’d come out in droves. ‘Course it doesn’t hurt that there’s
all kinds of talk about you and Elsie. They want to catch a glimpse of you to
see what that’s all about too.”

  Small
towns, it seemed, were the same regardless of what side of the Atlantic you
were on.

  Several
residents made their way over to introduce themselves to Cam. They were a
chatty crowd, and wanted to know all about him. Where he was from. Had he heard
of Newfoundland before. Did he like it here. What did he think about the
weather. What did he think about the inn. What did he think about the Walsh
family. Did he know that they had never known for Elsie to have a boyfriend. In
fact, some folks thought she might prefer ladies, but then again, she didn’t
have any girlfriends to speak of either. And did he think Elsie worked too
much?

  A
lot of the questions were more statements, and they didn’t really seem to care
if he answered them. He quickly discovered that they preferred it if he just
nodded or spoke as little as possible. The only saving grace was that Ida
didn’t leave his side, and managed to steer most of the awkward questions,
namely those about Elsie, on to another topic.

  He
thought about what it must be like for Elsie, living in a place that for all
intents and purposes was a throw-back to a lost time. Sure, there were modern
conveniences all around, and the people were as in tune with what was happening
in the world as anyone else thanks to TV and the net, but if you looked past
those glaring reminders that you were in the twenty-first century, you could
also be forgiven for thinking you had travelled back in time.

  Earlier
that day he and Elsie had gone for a walk through Heart’s Ease and he’d met
some of her neighbours. They were cutting wood for their stoves, storing
vegetables in root cellars, mending fishing nets by hand. A handful of kids
were drawing on the road with chalk, despite the Nintendo DSs and iPods he
spotted sticking out of their pockets.

  “I
love the smell of this place,” Elsie had said, squeezing his hand as she
inhaled deeply.

  He
hadn’t noticed, but she was right. The crisp air was a harmony of salt water,
wood smoke, and the mingling of flavours from various kitchens, wafting through
open windows as everyone took advantage of the warm day. Combined, they filled
the air with a warmth that spoke of homeliness.

  “When
I was away at university I missed this smell so much. Before I’d head back I
would always take a walk and try and fill up on it. When the smog and din of
Toronto would get to me, I’d close my eyes and try and recall this smell.”

  “Did
it work?”

  “Nah,
it just made me homesick. I knew even then that I wasn’t meant to be far from
home. I mean, I love to travel and see new places. But this is home for me. You
know?”

  He
didn’t. While he considered Glasgow his hometown, he’d spent as much time in
recent years in London, and even some time down under in Sydney. He enjoyed
each place, and was happy to live there, but there was no place that really
called him back. Nowhere that spoke to him as if he belonged there.

  Now,
as he looked around the room, he saw more than a group of people that lived in
the same place. They were more than neighbours. They were like family. For all
the good, and bad, that comes with it. Sure, they were a little nosy and
judgmental, but Cam thought it came from the heart. They weren’t malicious.
They were just concerned about Elsie, and wanted to see her happy. He could
tell they were proud of her.

  Suddenly,
this talk became more important to Cam. This was his chance to make an
impression on the people of Heart’s Ease. He intended on spending a lot of time
in this community, and it wouldn’t help if they started off hating him. No. He
had to have these people on his side... in case he needed it.

  They
proved to be an attentive audience, for the whole fifteen minutes that he
actually talked about the sea birds he’d observed this past week. Then the
topic shifted. Thanks in no small part to dear Aunt Ida.

  “Now,”
she said, standing up in front of the room after an argument over what had
actually happened to the Great Auk, an extinct penguin once native to
Newfoundland. “Enough of this bird talk. Who here would rather learn about how
a world famous artist goes about drawing?”

  No
one seemed that enthused.

  “Elsie,”
Ida called, looking around the room for her great niece. “Elsie, come up here.”

  Cam
watched as Elsie gave her aunt a wary look as she slowly made her way to the
front of the room.

  “Now,
who’d like to hear how Cam would set out to draw a picture of Elsie? Norman
Smith, I knows you likes to paint. You did that mural at the school.”

  A
portly man with a bad comb-over nodded.

  “And
Olive Norman, you draws those flower pictures for the garden party. Wouldn’t
you like to learn how to draw people?”

  Cam
blanched. He wasn’t an art teacher. He didn’t know the first thing about
showing others how to draw. He didn’t know how to describe what he did. It just
came to him. He didn’t think about it at all. If he could have wrung the old
woman’s neck and gotten away with it, he would have gladly done so.

  “I
don’t know, Ms. Walsh,” he said to Ida. “It’s not that interesting watching
someone draw. And I’m really not a teacher.”

  He
shot a pleading look at Elsie.

  “Why
don’t we make this interactive,” Elsie interjected. “Who here would like to
learn how to draw?”

  A
few hands went up in the air.

  “Alright,
then here’s what we’ll do. We’ll set out some paper and pencils and leads, and
those who want to learn can take some supplies. Those that don’t can be models.
And if you don’t want to draw, or model, then you can just enjoy the food.”

  She
smiled at Cam. “Better plan?”

  At
least he wouldn’t have all eyes on him, so yea, that was better.

  Before
long more than half the people in the room were either drawing or posing. Cam’s
teaching was a bit unconventional, especially his advice to not try and draw a
replica of the person before them. Instead, rely on feelings about the person
to try and capture their personality.

  “It’s
okay if the finished product isn’t spot on. Just have fun.”

  Cam
was having fun sketching Elsie. He was amazed at how different parts of her
personality shone through depending on what she was doing. When he’d sketched
her in the boat, she was excited and almost childlike. Now she was calm and
inviting, looking away from him to chat with various people and see how they
were doing.

  She’d
told him earlier that it was important that the community not resent the inn.
It was her hope that eventually she’d find other ways to open the house up to
them. Cam looked around at his art class. Men in jeans and ball caps, women in
sweater sets, and a couple of teenagers who looked like they were actually
enjoying spending a Monday evening with a bunch of old people learning to
draw... and they were all smiling. And laughing at themselves as they compared
their fledgling attempts at portraiture.

  I
could do this all the time!

  There
was no reason he couldn’t start teaching art here. Maybe every couple of weeks,
if Elsie was cool with it. They could do it in the inn during the winter, and
once the summer came he could have outdoor classes. By then, they might be
ready to tackle birds and landscapes. And he wouldn’t charge anything. He
didn’t need the money. It would be his way of giving something to the town.

  There
was only one thing standing in his way. He needed to convince Elsie that he
belonged here. All the time. With her. Because it was clear to him that he’d
found a place to call home. It was with Elsie. And if this was where she wanted
to be, it was where he belonged as well. Now all he had to do was convince her
that they belonged together. Forever.

––––––––

  T
he
night was turning into one surprise after another. When it became clear to her
that Cam’s talk on birds was quickly taking a nose dive into awkwardness and
boredom she struggled to find a way to save him. But Ida had beaten her to it.
God love Aunt Ida. Her idea was brilliant. Elsie would never have thought an
art lesson would appeal to everyone, but as she looked around it was clear that
this might be the most fun people had had at the inn. She normally went out of
her way to create lavish events. Everyone dressed up, and she tried to create
an elegant night. Afterwards, people would comment on what a lovely time they’d
had, but Elsie wondered if that was the case. But tonight everyone seemed
content. They were laughing, and talking, and didn’t seem as in awe of the
house as they normally did.

  “Paddy
Doyle,” Elsie called out to a man in his fifties who was chatting with her Dad.
“What are the chances you brought your guitar with you? I think a song or two
might not go astray right now.”

  A
few people cheered.

  “Come
on, Paddy, play us a tune,” her mother said, sending a smile towards her
daughter.

  Before
long the drawing had ceased, and a real Newfoundland kitchen party was in the
works—although it was happening in a dining room fit for a queen.

  Paddy
was joined by Elsie’s cousin Nipper Walsh who was also a decent guitar player,
and her Dad, who brought out his old button accordion. Chairs were pushed back
against the wall to make room for a small dance floor, and as they started
playing a slow traditional song, a number of couples began dancing an old-fashioned
waltz.

  Elsie
turned down the bright lights, and stood against the wall watching. Without a
doubt her neighbours were having a better time than she’d ever seen them have.

  “What’s
going on in that head?” Cam slid his arms around her waist, and she leaned back
onto his chest.

  “Just
thinking about how I’ve tried so hard to plan every little detail to ensure
everyone has a good time whenever they come over, and yet all it took was an
impromptu kitchen party to make them happy.”

  “Well,
we know a fascinating talk on birds isn’t their cup of tea,” he laughed.

  “In
my defence, that idea wasn’t well thought out.”

  “No?”

  “No.
I was just trying to cover my tracks when you caught me not paying attention.”

  “You
mean you weren’t interested in my vast bird knowledge?”

  “Not
in the least. And if you only knew the thoughts that were going through my mind—
well, let’s say most of them have now played themselves out.”

  He
nuzzled her neck. “Really?”

  She
pushed herself against him and shifted just enough for her back to stroke his
crotch.

  “Most
of them. But there’s lots of time to get to the others.”

  “Tease,”
he mumbled. “Any chance we can sneak out of here and you can tell me more?”

  She
shook her head. “I’m the hostess. Have to make sure everyone is having a good
time.”

  “Elsie,”
he turned her to face him. “You’re always so worried about everyone else having
a good time, or a good meal, or a good rest. Who makes sure you get all those
things?”

  “I...”

  Hmph.
I do.

  And
that was depressing. Really depressing.

  “Why
don’t you stop worrying about everyone else for a little while, and just have
some fun for yourself?”

  He
took her hand and led her to the dance floor. She was surprised to see Asher -
Ted - had joined the band, sitting behind the others and just strumming along.

  “I
thought he was hiding out upstairs?” she said.

  “Who
could hear this music and stay locked away?” He nodded towards the doorway,
where her mom and Daphne were chatting. “Even Daph stopped working and came
down.”

  Elsie
didn’t want to point out what seemed obvious to her, but Cam’s sister and
friend had been conspicuously absent all day at the same time, both reappearing
within minutes of each other and vanishing in a similar fashion. Knowing Asher
like she did, she thought it unlikely that they were spending their time apart.
But some things were better left unmentioned. She imagined Cam had mighty
strong big brother reactions and didn’t want to see them come to life tonight.

  But
whatever Daphne and Asher might be doing in their spare time was the last thing
she wanted to think of. Instead, she basked in the joy of dancing with Cam. He
was a master of the two-step.

  His
powerful arm encircled her waist while he gripped her hand in his. With a
smooth step he led the dance, leaving her to glide in his wake. They spun in
time to the music, the dining room a blur of lights and dancers. The only way
to prevent herself from succumbing to the dizziness of their motions was to
focus on his face. His strong, rugged face with deep dark eyes that just
refused to break contact with her own gaze. They were eyes that compelled her
to let down her guard and live in the moment. Eyes that implied steadfastness.
Eyes that commanded she see her future in them.