CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO
Beaufort, South Carolina
January 9
Cam sat at the far end of the cherry wood table and drank in the scene. Nathan and Emily's dining room was illuminated by the candles flanking a centerpiece of white roses and vintage sconces emitting a romantic glow. Evan was on his right, her hand resting absently on his thigh. Calliope sat to his left, watching Emily tuck a pink blanket around the baby. He’d have to be blind not to see the longing in Calliope's eyes.
“Is anybody going to eat that?” On Calliope's left, Tox eyed the last piece of chocolate cake on the plate in the center of the dining room table.
Maggie Bishop had provided the cake—along with enough frozen meals to feed an army for a month—and taken the twins for a sleepover. Evan and Cam had brought dinner and wine. Calliope had arrived with flowers and yet another stuffed animal for baby Charlotte, and Tox had brought his appetite.
“It's all yours. I haven’t eaten this much in months.” Emily shifted the baby in her arms. “Thank you for bringing dinner, Evan. Everything was delicious.”
“And the wine is exceptional. I wasn’t familiar with your father's vineyard,” Nathan added.
“Treasure Trove winery only produces about forty thousand cases a year. They also make a nice zinfandel along with this pinot.” Evan held the wine glass by the stem.
“I can’t wait to taste it.” Emily followed the movement of the liquid in the goblet.
“A sip won’t hurt.” Nathan slid his glass to his wife. “My mum says a little wine in the breast milk does wonders for their sleeping.”
Emily pushed the wine away. “Your mother also thinks martinis and espresso are two of the four major food groups.
“True.” Nathan polished off the pinot noir.
Calliope forked a bite of cake from her husband's plate. “Evan, when are you heading back to California?”
Cam had been silent for the last several minutes, content to listen to his friends talk and overjoyed with how easily Evan had meshed with the group. She turned to him then and leaned closer. “I’m not.”
All eyes shifted to them. Cam looked at Evan. “We want to be together.”
“I’m changing my dissertation to focus on the antiquities of the Moors lost during the Crusades. Unfortunately, that means delaying my Ph.D. The good news is, I can work remotely.”
Tox ran his fork along his dessert plate, gathering the last of the buttercream. “That's awesome.” He pointed the tines at Cam. “Just you and Evan and Steady in that dilapidated beach house. It's a sitcom come to life.”
“Not exactly,” Evan clarified. “I’m a little more, um, practical than Cam.”
“What Evan means is that she thinks it's crazy to move in together after knowing each other for six weeks, which, I might add, is exactly how long my parents knew each other before they were married, but I get it.”
“Cam, you’re my first real relationship.”
“No querida. I am your last real relationship.”
Cam looked up to see four sets of eyes on them.
Calliope pressed her temple to her husband's shoulder. “Wow. Gold star, Cam.”
Nathan took the sleeping infant from his wife, switched on the baby monitor, and disappeared down the hall.
“So basically,” Tox wiped the chocolate from his mouth. “You’re going to blow a lot of rent money on an apartment you never use and stay with Cam every night.”
“Wrong, “Cam corrected. “I’ll spend every night at her place. We don’t need Steady popping his head in every ten minutes to see if we want to binge-watch The Mandalorian.”
“Evan, what's happening with the diamond?” Emily asked.
Sparked by the topic, Evan leaned forward. “The Panther's Eye was officially certified as the world's largest yellow diamond at two hundred and ninety carats uncut. The estimated value is two hundred eighty million dollars.”
Tox gave a low whistle as Nathan walked back into the room and set a steaming mug in front of Emily. She tilted her head up to him, offering her lips, and he obliged.