Chapter 10

Samantha

It’s been over a weeksince I ran into Cameron at the grocery store. After talking with Momma and searching every inch of the farm for the ice cream churn, I’ve come up empty. After church, I give in and call Christine, who admits she had taken the churn with her after she got married. She laughs as I tell her about running into Cameron and how he remembers her and the cheer squad making ice cream for the team.

“Oh Sam,” Christine says through the phone. “I’m so glad you called. I hadn’t thought about that in ages. Cam’s right, I landed Warren solely on my ability to make homemade ice cream.”

I laugh at her admission. “Yeah, I’m sure your flexibility and ability to do the splits had nothing to do with it.”

Christine laughs. “I’d deny it, but then I’d be lying, and Momma didn’t raise me to lie.” Our conversation continues, Christine catches me up on the latest accomplishments of my nine-month-old niece and I fill her in on all things Blossom Creek. “So,” Christine draws out. “Cam Hutchinson is back in town.”

I smile like I have all week at the thought of Cameron. “Yeah.”

“Well?” Christine prods. “How’s he look? What’s he doing back in town? Tell me everything.”

A smile creeps back onto my face as I compare the Cameron I now know to the one I knew in high school. “He was recently discharged from the Army, so he came home to help Craig and Kenny run the farm. As for how he looks, he’s about twice the size he was in high school.”

Christine’s voice drops in amazement. “Seriously?”

“Yeah. I almost feel sorry for his T-shirts, they are stretched so tight on his body.”

Christine practically swoons on the other end of the line. “Oh, sweet mercy.”

“He’s as easy on the eyes as he always was. So, I’m definitely not complaining about seeing him around town.”

“I should say not. You realize I’m going to need a picture, right?”

I scoff. “Yeah, like that’s going to happen.”

“Why wouldn’t it? When are you seeing him again?”

“I don’t exactly have plans to see him; we’ve just been running into each other.”

Christine sighs. “I should have spent more time with you teaching you how to flirt and accidentally on purpose run into guys. Obviously, I’ve failed you as a sister.”

“Hey! I do okay for myself.”

“When was the last time you were on a date?” I begin to answer, and she cuts me off. “And going out with Craig does not count. We both know he’s basically your wingman.”

Exasperated, I sigh. “Fine. It’s been a while, okay?”

Her voice softens. “Sam, I know how much you loved Alan. We all did. But I know he wouldn’t want you wasting away on the farm. You deserve to find love and happiness again.”

I draw patterns on the quilt covering my legs with my finger, my voice barely above a whisper. “I know. Losing Alan almost broke me. How can I be sure I’m ready to start something new?”

“Oh honey,” Christine coos soothingly into the phone. “No one is ever sure. We just take a leap of faith and hope our hearts don’t get shattered in the process. I’m willing to bet, if Cam’s the same guy I remember, he’s not going to let anything happen to yours.”

“Well, as much as I appreciate this pep talk, I’m afraid it’s all a little premature. Cameron hasn’t even asked me out yet.”

“Don’t you have weekly lunches with Kenny’s wife?”

I answer cautiously. “I do.”

Christine’s voice takes on an insistent tone. “Then make sure you cross paths the next time you are at their farm.”

I laugh. “I’m sure that won’t be a problem, Aubrey’s already zeroed in on my reaction to seeing Cameron. I think we’ve become her special project.”

“Thank goodness there’s someone there to prod you along.”

“Yeah, yeah,” I reply with a roll of my eyes even though she can’t see me.

Christine laughs, “I know you just rolled your eyes at me, but we are only pushing you because we love you.”

I smile because I know it’s true. “I know. I love you too.” In the distance, I hear Claire begin to cry. “Sounds like it’s time to wrap up our call.”

“Yes, duty calls. I love you, Sam. Keep me posted on how everything goes with Cam.”

“I will. I love you too. Give my sweet niece a kiss for me.”

We say our goodbyes and I end the call.

I toss my phone on the bed beside me as I think about what Christine said. I should know better than anyone, Alan wouldn’t want me hiding out on the farm. He and I had that conversation more than once when we got his diagnosis. He told me multiple times he didn’t expect me to be alone once he was gone. Of course, I would end up in tears, just thinking about losing him.

Before I can fall too far into a dark mood, I hear Momma’s voice call upstairs for me.

“Samantha, dear? You have a visitor.”

“A visitor? I wonder who it could be?” I say aloud to myself. I climb off my bed and tuck my phone into the back pocket of my denim shorts and head downstairs. My steps slow when I reach the foot of the stairs and see Cameron sitting on the couch talking to my parents. “Cameron?”

He stands immediately at hearing his name. He sweeps the cap off his head, a smile touching his lips as his eyes work their way up my body before meeting my eyes.

“Hi, Samantha. I hope I’m not bothering you?”

I blink and it dawns on me he’s waiting for me to answer him. “No, not at all.”

He grins. “Good. I have a surprise for you.”

I glance over at Momma and see her smiling before my gaze returns to Cameron. “A surprise? For me?”

He closes the distance between us and grins. Placing one hand on the small of my back, he sweeps the other out in front of him. “It’s set up on the porch.”

I walk toward the door and Cameron steps to the side to open the screen door, holding it open for me to walk through. When I step out on the porch, I see an ice cream churn setting on top of a cooler. A smile breaks out across my face as I turn to him. “You found an ice cream churn!”

“I did,” Cameron says as he dips his head and replaces his ball cap. “I thought we could make a batch and see how much we get.”

“What a great idea! I’ll get some milk.”

Before I can take a step, Cameron stops me. “No need. Everything we need is in the cooler.”

I glance over at the cooler and then back to Cameron, and if possible, I smile wider than before. “Let’s get started then.”

I take a seat on the top step on one side of the cooler, while Cameron takes a seat on the other. I lift the lid to find a container of milky liquid, two bags of ice, and a box of rock salt. My eyes widen as I take in the contents of the cooler. “I have no idea what to do with any of this.”

Cameron chuckles. “I didn’t either. Luckily, Aunt Jane gave me a lesson and made the custard for us.”

“That was sweet of her. So, what do we do?”

Cameron goes over the instructions as he demonstrates. “According to Aunt Jane, we place ice around the container along with some salt, pour the custard into the container, and then securely latch the lid in place.” He tests the lid to make sure it’s secure. “Then we crank the handle until we have ice cream.’ He raises a brow at me. “Do you want to start?”

“Yes!” I say, as I begin to turn the handle.

Cameron chuckles at my enthusiasm.

“You know, I called Christine this afternoon and asked her about the ice cream churn she used.”

His gaze flicks to mine before returning to the churn. “Yeah? What did she say?”

“Well, first she said she took ours with her when she got married. Then she said you were right, Warren married her strictly for her ice-cream-making skills.”

Cameron laughs. “I doubt that. Warren has been smitten with Christine since the first grade. He used to threaten any guy who got within three feet of her.”

I laugh, shocked by this revelation. “Really?”

Cameron grins and nods. “Tell me about you. What did you do after high school?”

I feel a heaviness creep into my chest as I contemplate his question. “After graduation, I went to Auburn and graduated with a bachelor of science degree in accounting.”

He nods. “Impressive. So, it was always your plan to come back here and help with the farm?”

A sad smile touches my lips as I decide to tell him my story. After all, it’s best to be honest in the beginning and give him all the information rather than keep anything from him. This way he can either continue to pursue me or walk away. I take a deep breath to ready myself and begin. “Not exactly. I met my husband my freshman year. He was studying law. We were married the summer before my junior year. He had one year of law school remaining by the time I graduated. I took a job at an accounting firm while he finished school. Before he graduated, he was offered a job at a law firm in Montgomery, so we moved there. Once we were settled, we started talking about having a family. We both went for physicals and when Alan’s bloodwork came back, the doctor asked to meet with us. Turns out he had stage four liver cancer.” With tears in my eyes, I glance up at Cameron. “I lost him six months later.”

“I’m so sorry, Samantha.” He whispers the words roughly as he brushes away a stray tear rolling down my cheek.

I take a steadying breath and blow it out slowly as my eyes find his again. I swallow hard as I apologize. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to break down on you. It’s been a while since I’ve told anyone.”

Cameron’s hand cups my cheek as his thumb gently caresses my skin. “Hey, you have nothing to apologize for. Thank you for telling me.” We sit quietly for a moment, before Cameron breaks the silence. “How about we check and see how the ice cream is coming along?”

I smile at the way he tries to lift my mood. “I think we’re close; it’s getting harder to crank.”

He unlatches the lid, and we peek inside to see the ice cream still has a little way to go. Cameron adds more ice and salt and then secures the lid once again. “Want me to take over?”

“Yeah, we might as well put those muscles of yours to work.”

Cameron laughs as he turns the churn so he can turn the crank for a while. We make small talk while he churns the ice cream. When it becomes obvious the ice cream is finished, Cameron looks up at me. “Ready to try this?”

I nod excitedly, “I’ll get the spoons!” I jump up, run into the house, grab two spoons, and then run back outside.

Once I’m seated on the step again, Cameron removes the lid, scrapes the ice cream off the paddle with one of the spoons, and then sets the lid aside. My mouth waters as I eye the frozen treat. We each dip our spoons into the ice cream and take a bite.

My eyes close as the flavor hits my tongue. “Mmm, I think this is the best ice cream I’ve ever had.”

Cameron glances up at me before he goes back in for another bite. “I haven’t had ice cream this good in a very long time.”

I dip my spoon back in for a second bite. “I can’t believe how good it is. I also can’t believe my sister didn’t share this with me.” Savoring the next few bites, I check the time on my phone. “As good as this is, it took us almost an hour to hand crank and it’s only enough for the two of us. We’d never be able to make enough to share at the fair. Not even if we started tonight.”

Cameron chuckles as he goes in for another bite as well. “Good point. I guess we’ll have to think of somethin’ else.” He takes another bite, “Think we should share with your parents?”

I look up and grin, “Maybe next time.”

He glances up at me as he loads another bite on his spoon. “Does that mean I get to see you again?”

I take another bite of ice cream. “Yeah, I think I would be okay.”