In Her Arms (Indigo Lounge #4)

3. Cameron

3

CAMERON

“ I don’t think I’ve ever worked with somebody more arrogant, and I’ve worked with some truly awful people.”

Cameron sat at the Indigo Lounge’s bar while nursing a coffee. She was tired to the bone and had desperately needed a friend whose ear she could talk off. Cameron knew that when Indigo Lounge was open during the day, Esme didn’t mind the company. She especially didn’t mind the gossip.

Cameron let it loose. “She’s unbearably entitled, treats you like you’re a…a vending machine and that’s it! As if you’re not a whole person with thoughts and feelings and an entire day of work ahead of you. No, to her you’re a little flying monkey whose job it is to fetch coffee for her at all hours of the morning, which would be fine if she bothered to thank me or acknowledge me at all in a way that isn’t insulting. I don’t know if she’s capable of that. Absolutely ridiculous!”

“She sounds like an absolute nightmare! All of this after one day of work, and it sounded like a long day, bless you. Maybe she’s putting on a facade.”

Cameron lifted her elbows up as Esme sprayed natural citrus cleaning solution onto the bartop and wiped it with a rag. Her wedding ring shone. Cameron decided to try and change the subject.

“Nora really lets you use that natural stuff to clean the bar? I kinda thought she’d find a way to object to it.”

“First off, Nora may be my wife, but she does not ‘let me’ do anything because this is my bar, smartass.” She whipped the rag at Cameron as she laughed.

“Secondly, I don’t see any use in wasting perfectly good product. How many oranges do we go through a week, Cam?”

“Oh, easily half a dozen boxes at least.”

“Exactly! That’s a lot of peels to be throwing out, and I have a lot of countertops and tables that need cleaning. Now, I wouldn’t use this in the kitchen?—”

“Because Sasha would never allow it.”

“Because this stuff isn’t food-safe, excuse you! That, too, though. I listen to Sasha because she has the state-mandated food hygiene training, and I know she knows what she’s talking about. Nora, on the other hand?—”

“Nora is the absolute sweetest, and I would never badmouth her to my friends first thing in the morning. That’s what you were going to say, right, darling?” Nora came down the stairs in a blazer with a pair of chinos.

“Now, honey, I wasn’t badmouthing you! I was simply saying that I trust you on money issues—or I would have said that if you’d let me finish. Not my fault you’re such a sleepyhead joining us this late.” Esme pressed a kiss to Nora’s temple, smiling.

Nora smiled back, clearly enamored. Cameron sipped at her coffee as Nora turned to face her.

“How’d your first day at work go?” Nora asked.

Cameron shrugged, but Esme grimaced and shook her head.

“That bad, huh?” Cameron sighed, cradling the cup in her hands so she didn’t have to set it down on the clean counter. “She’s not like her public persona at all, and look, I know most of them aren’t, but the difference here is really stark.”

“She’s always come across as very easygoing in interviews, very funny,” Esme added, nodding emphatically.

“Yeah, well, maybe she’s that way when she’s getting paid to talk to you. She was actually really rude to me. If I’m being honest, she’s pretty abrasive and full-on demanding all day,” said Cameron.

And also weirdly flirty, but in a backhanded way.

She was certain that this wasn’t something Goldie would want made public, which made sense. She wasn’t out publicly and Cameron could respect that, but she had to be able to talk about it because it was the strangest part of the whole day. She felt like this confusion would keep her awake because she couldn’t deny that Goldie was drop-dead gorgeous. She hoped that she hadn’t come across as too starstruck, but the second she had entered the trailer, she had been taken aback. Goldie hadn’t been wearing any makeup, and her hair was tied up in a silk headscarf. The smell of the trailer had hit her, too, a strong woody-scented candle mixing with hairspray. That first impression was a striking image that would stick with her. Cameron shook her head lightly, remembering that she was supposed to be complaining.

“She made these jokes to me, about assistants with the company being like...grown in a lab? I think she sees the people she works with as disposable or something. Hell, she even called me by the same name as her old assistant once!”

“Cam, sweetie,” Nora said, pouring herself a glass of water, “I say this with all of the love in my heart, but rich people are insane and famous people are insane. I think being rich and famous does a certain amount of damage to the brain that scientists haven’t managed to figure out yet.”

Esme nodded and Cameron gave Nora a sideways look as she sipped her coffee.

“What I’m saying is that you need to put up a little mental block in your head where you would normally get mad at people for saying stupid, out-of-touch things. Sure, you can get mad—please don’t repress yourself—but know that in a few weeks when this is all over, you’ll be able to move on with your life. Trust me, in twenty years time, you’ll be telling this story like it’s the funniest thing in the world.”

“I guess you’re right,” Cameron said. “Still, that won’t make right now any easier. She’s so demanding, but Deborah hooked me up and I wouldn’t let her down.”

“Oh, trust me, I know all about demanding clients. They’re all hiding something. A couple years ago, before I ever came to L.A., I was working on developing an ice hockey stadium,” Nora began and talked at length about planning permission and sponsorships.

Cameron loved her, she really did, but it was far too early for that kind of talk. Nora was very good at development, and she had in-depth knowledge of the industry that she assumed other people would pick up on automatically. It was too much jargon for a layperson to understand.

Instead, Cam took notice of the way Esme and Nora interacted. They were no longer newlyweds, and it seemed like time had just strengthened their relationship instead of pushing them apart. They were open and affectionate with each other, especially in the Lounge. Even on busy days, they would make affectionate eye contact across the room, the kind that held entire silent conversations in their own language. On quiet nights, you would see Nora at the bar having a drink with Esme while she cleaned glasses, making small talk and smiling fondly. It was clear to anybody who saw them that their love was all-consuming. Now, Nora wrapped an arm around Esme’s waist and gave her a kiss on the cheek while she talked.

Had Cameron ever been that openly affectionate with a partner? She thought back to her most recent relationship, which had lasted about a month. No, she realized, she really hadn’t been at all. She thought back to the relationship before that, and, again, she found that she hadn’t had any sort of PDA at all. Any affection between them had been kept private, out of public view, and the relationship had only lasted for a couple of weeks. The idea of a gesture of affection, however small, seemed alien to her. She had, for the most part, private, whirlwind, romantic, filthy flings. They had been mostly sex and pillow talk with no promises of the future or security, but they had meant something… hadn’t they?

She had been on a handful of proper dates over the course of her life, and sure, while she hated stuffy, formal environments, she quietly wished for something more intense than a hookup after a night of dancing. There wasn’t anything wrong with that, she reminded herself, but she genuinely didn’t think she was built for anything longer than a few weeks. She knew she was... good— there was only so long you could deny that for—and Holly hadn’t been wrong that night at the Lounge. She did have a little bit of a reputation. That part was certainly unintentional, though, and it had been a bit of a stain on her social life. The people who knew her well clearly knew her intentions, but the way this had been spread around meant that every so often she would see a group of women staring at her, turning to whisper to each other. It stung.

Esme and Nora were obviously completely and utterly in love with each other, and they made that love known in the smallest ways. The touch of a hand or an arm, silent help when the other was busy, fond smiles when they thought nobody was looking. Cameron had seen it all.

That was what she wanted.

This was a startling revelation to come to at eight in the morning, but it was probably as good a time as any, she thought. She wanted love. Not a hookup, not a whirlwind relationship that ended in heartbreak. Long-term, dedicated, till-death-do-us-part love. She wasn’t sure she was built for it, which was terrifying, but she couldn’t ignore it anymore. It would be difficult with people whispering about her, but she wanted to fight for it.

She turned back to Nora, who was still talking.

“Anyway, that’s the last time I agree to hold a press conference on an ice skating rink. Seriously, I can’t believe he came up with the idea, only to blame me!”

“It’s terrible. It really is,” Esme replied. “Cam, if she asks you to help organize a press conference on a rink?—”

“Say no, gotcha,” Cameron said, laughing. They led such interesting lives, and the stories never got old.

“So, what’s your plan for today, Cam?” asked Nora.

“I’m gonna head home for a few hours, maybe take a shower, and I’ll be back at the shoot this evening.” She downed the rest of her coffee, the sweet caramel flavor a welcome treat after an early start. Yesterday, she had finished work at two p.m. then called back in for a night shoot that had lasted until about five this morning. She had known Esme would be up early, so as the sun rose, she had walked to Indigo Lounge, knowing that when she knocked on the back door, she would be let in. Now, she had gotten all she needed.

Except for sleep. What she really needed was sleep.

“Cameron,” Nora said, “if for whatever reason the job isn’t for you, let us know when you’ve put your notice in. We’ll give you a few extra shifts here to make up the money.”

“Nora, no?—”

“Cameron, I insist. If you need the money, we would be more than happy to look after you. You know that.”

Cameron couldn’t help but smile. Nora hadn’t known her for as long as Esme had, but it was clear that they both really cared about her. It was sweet, knowing she had a chosen family she could turn to if she needed anything.

“Nora, I really appreciate the offer, I do, thank you. Money’s not the issue actually.”

“No, it is not,” added Esme, looking at Nora with raised eyebrows. Nora raised her eyebrows back, before turning to Cameron.

“I’m mostly living off of a distant relative’s inheritance. It’s a funny story, actually, but I got most of the contents of her will, even though I’d never met her. I made my way out here to L.A. looking for something to do after I got sick of lazing around and wandered in here. Ez ended up sticking me behind the bar, and I’ve been helping her ever since. She pays me for the longer shifts, but honestly, I don’t see this as a job so much as an excuse to help out.”

“Charity bar work? I can’t believe my ears,” Nora said incredulously. Esme laughed.

“It’s not charity!” Cameron insisted, knowing Esme would object. “I love it here, and even if I wasn’t working the bar, I would probably be sitting in the corner orannoying Ruby while she’s trying to write.”

“Alright, I trust you.” Nora seemed satisfied. “So you’re telling me you’re here for the greater good of the L.A. lesbian scene?”

Esme laughed again, a snort that made Cameron laugh too.

“Again, I’m not sure I’d describe it that way but—you know what, sure. I’m a rich lesbian messiah. I’m sure saying that will do great things for my ego.”

“Ah, hang on a second. I never said that. ”

Cameron ended up staying for breakfast, eating a wonky croissant with Sasha while she took inventory for the day and ordered the stock for the week.

She went home once breakfast service ended at eleven, getting a good afternoon’s sleep before her night shift began at seven. Night shoots tended to be indoors, at least, and away from the heat of the sun. Exterior shots took ages to film, with everybody on set working to make every shot as beautiful as possible. This meant that the end product would be exquisite, but it also meant that everybody not directly involved with cinematography had to stand around for a few hours. Goldie’s ribbing hadn’t slowed down. In fact, it had gotten more intense, and Cameron was understanding more and more why her last assistant had quit.

Thinking about it more, she supposed she could deal with Goldie for a few more weeks. The job would be for just over a month, the pay would be very good, and Cameron would be able to move on with her life after. Besides, there was no way Deborah could have actually known that Goldie would be this difficult to work with. Otherwise, there was no chance she would have sent Cam. Deborah looked after Cameron, and Cameron had looked after Deborah in return, helping her out when she needed it. Surely, she wouldn’t have sent her in without warning if she had known. Would she?