Frigate Cove Ch. 09-10

"So ... what can you tell us about your relationship?" Donald asked.

Glynnis and Cam looked at each other, wondering who should go first. Cam decided he would tell both her parents and Glynn just how he felt about her.

"I've fallen in love with Glynnis, and I will ask her to marry me. I hope she will say yes."

"Oh!" Glynnis said, wide-eyed. "You didn't tell me you were going to do that now."

"Isn't it a natural step after we decided we are in love with each other?" Cam said. "Beside, you've already told your parents that you hoped I would be your future husband."

"Yes ... I guess it is." Glynnis was clearly flustered.

"Well, go ahead Glynnis," her father prodded, "give the man an answer."

Cam could see Margaret chuckling in the background.

"Yes ... I do want to marry you, Cam. I was hoping you would ask me ... but not quite this way."

"Don't worry, dear, I'll make a formal proposal to you, complete with a ring. I promise in front of witnesses," Cam grinned.

"Well, should we plan to come out to your place for the wedding?" Donald asked.

"I think that's a great idea," Cam responded immediately. "That gives Margaret and Glynnis plenty of time to plan. This is my first, by the way, just as it is for Glynnis. It took me a long time to find just the right woman, and now I have. She's worth the wait."

Glynnis had been silent listening to the plans and comments passing back and forth. When she regained her composure, she leaned over and wrapped her arms around Cam's neck and gave him a long, glorious, deep kiss.

"Does that mean you'll marry me?" Cam grinned as they separated.

"I guess so," she said in mock resignation. "I can't seem to find anyone else who'll have me."

"Hey ... what kind of talk is that," Cam said, pulling her back for another long kiss. "You know perfectly well you love me."

"Yeah ... I suppose," she snorted before giggling. "Are you okay with me and this galoot, Mom and Dad?"

"Absolutely," Margaret said immediately. "He's twenty times better than that Brad character. Besides, you told us in so many ways over the last few months just how important he is to you and Jamie. I can't remember a call from you that you didn't mention just how kind and generous Cam is. So ... I'm not surprised. This is a good decision on both your parts. I know Jamie will be fine with it too."

"Yes, I've already tested the water," Cam admitted, "and he was all for putting this family together."

"Wonderful," Donald said. "I congratulate both of you for keeping our pure Scottish bloodlines intact."

"I'm sure we'll be talking regularly over the next few months. It's been a delight meeting you both," Cam said.

"It's been a pleasure meeting you too, Cam," Margaret responded with Donald nodding his agreement.

They signed off and Glynnis immediately threw herself into Cam's arms.

"Take it easy, Glynn. You're in recovery mode, remember?"

"I know. I wasn't expecting that ... your proposal, I mean," she said, a tear showing at the corner of her eyes.

"Well, I think they already knew how you felt about me, but they didn't know how I felt about you. I know it was unconventional and maybe a little disappointing for you, but I promise I'll make it up to you," he smiled.

"There was nothing disappointing about it at all," she reassured him. "I love you, Cam. And you love me. That's all that matters. Oh ... and Jamie, of course. But you already knew how he felt about you."

Chapter 10 A Bad Penny

Frigate Cove 2013

They didn't make love that night. Cam was still mindful of Glynnis's recovery and didn't want to cause her any stress. But they did sleep together in Cam's bed. Her nightwear consisted of a sleeveless t-shirt and panties, while Cam wore t-shirt and boxers. Nothing could stop them from cuddling and fondling, however. Cam's erection was painfully evident to both of them, and Glynnis made things better when she decided to take his situation in hand. Not long afterward, they slept.

It was a week before they were able to consummate their new relationship. In between, Glynnis teased Cam with oral and manual sex, while he was confined to fondling and nibbling on her breasts. But when the day came that Glynnis decided that she wasn't going to wait any longer for her fiancé, he was in for a surprise.

Cam had no idea that his wife-to-be was quite so uninhibited. No wonder she was cautious about initiating sex. She wasn't noisy, but she was very active, and very little seemed to be off-limits to her.

"We're going to christen every room in this house except the Crowsnest," she told him after a strenuous bout. "I hear sitting on top of the washing machine when it's in spin cycle can be very entertaining," she giggled.

"I think I'd better extend my time at the fitness center," Cam said, wheezing as he came down from their most recent joining. "I had no idea I'd proposed to a wildcat."

"Wildcat, eh? Part kitty and part wild," she laughed. "Admit it, you love it this way. And by the way, you are the best ever."

"Hmmmm ... maybe you'd better explain just how big the sample size is," he groaned, tickling her ribs.

"I have no intention of going into all the gory details of my sex life, but you can take it to the bank that you are the best ... bar none."

He grinned. "Aw ... you're just saying that."

"I am ... and I mean it. You know, the real difference is ... you make love to me. It isn't just fucking ... pardon my language. I know our first time was pretty frantic, but after that ... well ... I've never had anyone make love to me until now. I just realized the difference. I thought sex was sex ... but you taught me a lesson. I love you for that, Cam ... among all the other things I love you for. You give and don't take. We are going to be so happy together. I just know it."

"There's a big question yet to be answered," Cam said, continuing to stroke her lovely backside.

"What question?"

"Children."

"Oh ... yes ... you're right. Do you want to have a child or two with me?" she asked tentatively.

"Yes ... but only if you want that too," he said.

"I do," she smiled. "See ... that's just another reason why we are perfect for each other."

"Good, then it's settled. Two children, if possible."

"Jamie loves you, you know," she said seriously.

"I know ... and I love him too," Cam smiled. "He's a wonderful boy and I hope our future children will be just as perfect as he is."

"Believe me, Cam, he's not perfect. But he is pretty good for a boy," she smirked.

"Ah ... sexism rears its ugly head. I suppose you would prefer nothing but girls."

"Well, we already have a boy, so wouldn't that make sense?" The smirk remained.

"We'll see. It's not exactly predictable. I have two older sisters before I came along. There's a seven year gap between me and my younger sister. Almost ten years to my older sister. Hell, she could be the same age as your parents."

"I'm anxious to meet them. Do they live in Ontario?"

"Yes. Donna is oldest and lives with her husband in Etobicoke. He's a contractor. Their two daughters are grown, one is engaged and the other in third year at York. Pamela is married with one son, about to be a teenager if I remember correctly. She lives in North Bay. Her husband is in the mining industry."

"Do you think they'll come out to the wedding?"

"I'm counting on it," he said. "I'm the last to get married. I think my mother had given up hope. If I have to finance the trip, I'll do it. Which reminds me, I need to get my stuff together for my third quarter tax filing."

"Don't worry about. I'll do it for you. You're not worried about me finding out about your finances, are you?"

"No ... of course not. What's mine is yours ... or at least, it will be. You might as well know the whole picture right off the bat. Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yes, dear," she smiled. "It's a little something I can contribute to the household expenses."

"We can get started on that over the weekend, if you want."

"Sure," she agreed. "In the meantime, have you had enough time to recover? I really would like to finish off the evening with nature's perfect sedative."

"I'm positive there's a little left for you," he chuckled. "You make me young again."

"Now cut that out! I don't want to hear that young-old stuff. I have the man I want and I don't care what his age is any more than how big he is ... and you can rest assured, you are plenty big," she grinned, sliding down his torso towards her target. Restoration was imminent.

~*~

"Cam ... I had no idea that your books produced this kind of income," Glynnis stammered in surprise. "Is this a once-a-year payment schedule?"

He shook his head. "No, it's quarterly, but it's variable according to reported sales. That's the income from the first two 1812 novels which are now in paperback, as well as the first Gascoigne novel in hardcover. The statement will show the breakdown for each book, plus any other income. The second Gascoigne will be out near Christmas and I'll be gone for a while on a promotional tour. I understand the first Gascoigne won't go to paperback until late next year. We want to get as much as we can from the hardcover before going to softcover. Marjean says the sales of the Gascoigne series are much stronger than the 1812 novels."

Glynnis sat with her mouth agape. "My God, Cam, you're going to be a very wealthy man. Hell, you already are. Just looking at the income from your investment portfolio, it won't be long before you could live on that comfortably for the rest of your life."

"Don't you mean the rest of our lives, Glynn?" he smiled.

"Of course. Forgive me. I don't want to sound mercenary or ... well like that former girlfriend of yours."

"Andrea. I think I know you well enough that I can be confident that you aren't anything like her. Besides, you're much better looking and ... of course ... a wildcat, too."

"Yeah ... well ... you're just sayin' that because you went without for so long," she chuckled.

"I don't care to continue this discussion in that direction," he groused. "Suffice it to say, I'm more than happy that you're happy."

"And I'm going to do everything possible to keep it that way," Glynnis promised.

~*~

Cam had been working on the first draft of Gascoigne #3, as he termed it. It would be couriered to Marjean within a couple of days and they would meet in New York at the beginning of his promotional tour right after Christmas. His agent wanted him to start before Christmas, but Cam refused, saying he didn't want to split the tour up and ruin his chance for a nice holiday with his fiancée and her son. The agent grumbled, but reluctantly agreed. The tour was scheduled to kick off December 28th and would last three weeks.

Cam knew it wouldn't be popular with Glynnis, but she was very supportive of his career and understood this was all a part of the job. After all, she would have him home and in their bed almost all year long, so it wasn't as if it would be a regular occurrence. He would have invited her along, but Jamie was in school and that made it impossible. Glynnis was still shaking her head over his income. Now, there was a rumour of either a movie or a TV series on Gascoigne. She wondered what that might do to their lives. She had no longing for a Hollywood lifestyle.

Cam was working away at his word processor late one morning when the doorbell rang. He rose, stretched and headed for the front door. He opened it and did a double-take. Standing on his porch was an almost forgotten face: Andrea Delahey.

"Well, aren't you going to say hello and invite me in, Cam?" she smirked.

"Hello, Andrea. I'm surprised to see you. Needless to say, I wasn't expecting you ... ever," Cam finally managed.

Despite his less than welcoming tone, Andrea pushed her way past Cam and entered the house. She unbuttoned her coat and hung it on the coat tree.

"You seem to have done quite well for yourself, Cam. This is a very nice house," she noted, gazing at the interior. "And I see you're now a successful author. Congratulations."

"How did you find me?" Cam asked, ignoring her comments.

"It wasn't hard. I got the receptionist at Hunter to tell me you lived on Vancouver Island and the rest was just a matter of finding out where. Once that was accomplished, I decided you'd appreciate a visit from your fiancée," she said, flashing the engagement ring Cam had given her over five years earlier.

"We aren't engaged, Andrea. The last time I saw you, you were grinding your belly into some guy on the dance floor of a tavern. Not exactly the kind of behaviour I would expect from a fiancée. As far as I was concerned, you broke our engagement right then and there. I left you the pictures as a reminder. I didn't want any more to do with you then, and I haven't changed my mind. Let me assure you, we are not engaged."

"You aren't getting rid of me that easily, Cam. You promised to marry me and I have the ring to prove it. I can sue you for Breach of Promise. So what if I danced with some guy when you were working late. That doesn't mean I slept with him. You moved out and abandoned me, leaving me with credit card debt and that month's rent. You owe me, Cam."

"I owe you nothing, Andrea. I can see you haven't changed a bit. Still the money-hungry woman. Well, I'm not longer your cashbox."

"We'll see about that. I have a lawyer, and if you make it necessary, I'll sue you. How would that look to your loyal readers, huh?"

"I hope your lawyer is on contingency, because you can't afford one any other way. And I will fight this in court. I think you'll have a very difficult time proving your suit. Now, if you don't mind, I'm busy and I'm asking you to leave."

Cam could see her face getting red, just as he remembered it when she got angry. "You haven't heard the last of this," she spat.

He wasn't the least worried about her threats. He already had a lawyer on retainer and could let him handle the greedy Ms. Delahey. If nothing else, she was showing her true colours.

Andrea stomped to the coat tree and knocked it over as she grabbed her coat. "I'll see you in court," she snarled, attempting to slam the door behind her. Cam grabbed it out of her grasp and prevented allowing her the satisfaction. Instead, she slammed the door of the car she came in.

Cam closed the door behind him and returned to his study. He picked up the phone and pressed a speed dial number.

"Juliet, may I speak to Aaron, please. It's Cam Stuart calling."

"He's in court, Cam. Can I get him to call you back? Is it urgent?"

"No, just ask him to give me a call when he gets a chance. Thank you, Juliet."

He hung up and leaned back in his chair. He couldn't bring himself to take Andrea seriously, but he'd let Aaron Silber know about her threat. He had an idea what Aaron would tell him.

~*~

"Just wait and see if it's an idle threat, Cam," Aaron advised him later that afternoon. "Where do you suppose she got the money to travel all the way out to see you?"

"Who knows? Maybe she got herself some new credit cards to max out."

"Yes ... well ... that's entirely possible. Anyway, do nothing until you hear from her or her lawyer. Then we can make some definite plans."

"Thanks, Aaron. I'll let you know the minute I hear anything.

Again, he leaned back in his chair and sighed. He didn't need the distraction. There was a lot going on and he wanted to concentrate on getting ready for Christmas, the promotional tour, and first edits of Gascoigne #3, and whatever else might be coming his way. Perhaps the tour would give him a chance to sketch the outline of #4. In the meantime, Christmas was coming and he had some serious shopping to do. He'd made a list and checked it twice. Ain't nobody in this house being naughty ... just nice. He chuckled at the thought of the look on Glynn and Jamie's faces on Christmas morning. It was going to be something to see.

An hour later, he got another call from Aaron Silber.

"I had one of my clerks check the civil statues, Cam. Your former girlfriend can't sue for breach of promise either in Ontario or B.C. She's out of luck on that idea. I'd say forget it. They could file, but the court wouldn't accept the filing. I think you can forget about it."

"That's good news, Aaron. Thanks for getting back to me so quickly. I'll look forward to seeing you sometime in January when I'm in Toronto."

"Any time, Cam. Just let me know when you are coming. Angie and I are planning a vacation in the Bahamas this winter. They don't do slush down there," he laughed.

"Sounds like a good plan. We've got Glynn's son in school now, so we can't get away. I'd love to take the two of them to Hawaii. Maybe someday," Cam said wistfully.

"I'm sure you'll find a way, Cam. Your work schedule is a lot more forgiving than mine."

"Talk to you soon, Aaron, and thanks again for your help."

As much as Cam was sure there was no merit to Andrea's threat, he was relieved that she wouldn't be able to launch a suit in either province. He could relax and tell Glynnis all about it when she got home that evening. He wondered if there was any chance that Brad Lester might show up unexpectedly. He wouldn't have bet two cents that Andrea would have appeared. Perhaps it would be worthwhile to find out just what Brad was up to these days.

~*~

"Inland Security Services," came the pleasant young female voice.

"Hello, my name is Cameron Stuart and I wanted to discuss hiring a private detective with someone. How would I go about that?"

"I can see by your phone number that you aren't local. Where are you calling from?" she asked.

"Vancouver Island."

"I see. Should I assume that the work you want done will be in this area ... Kamloops?"

"Yes, that's right. I'm trying to determine the whereabouts of an individual without him knowing. I want to find out what his situation is."

"Sir ... Mr. Stuart, if you'll give me the name of the person you are looking for and some background information, I'll make sure it gets to the appropriate person. How do you plan to pay for the service?"

"I'll wire a retainer and we can discuss final payment when I have what I'm looking for."

"How detailed do you want this information to be?" she asked.

"Location, job, any criminal record ... that sort of thing. Just the basics. I'm doing this on behalf of a woman who lived with this man for a couple of years. He became abusive toward her and her son and she had to leave. I just want to make sure he isn't likely to come looking for her."

"I see. What's the name of this man?"

"Bradley Lester. I have what was his last known address. He's a white male, about thirty-five, over six foot tall, muscular build. Last we heard of him almost a year ago he was unemployed and living in an apartment on Vidette Road. That's about all I have on him."

"Okay. I have enough to get someone started. If you would wire $500 to the following address, we'll get started. We should be able to get you some information fairly easily."

Cam was satisfied that the receptionist was taking the necessary information and would e-mail their address. The risk was a few hundred dollars, but if it was as simple as the young lady seemed to think, it would be worthwhile for peace of mind if nothing else. The agency had come well recommended as legitimate and responsible. If he could conduct this business at arm's length, so much the better.

He made arrangements with his bank to wire the money to the address of Inland Security Services, with a request for a receipt. Then it was a matter of waiting for their report. This was one task that Glynnis need know nothing about.

An hour later, Glynnis walked in the door and saw Cam sitting in his favourite chair. He rose and went to meet her, helping her with her coat and then wrapping her in his arms for a loving kiss.