The Real Me (How to Tame a Heartbreaker Book 4) (2 page)

"Cam, I actually feel bad for you that you don't do picnics," Hannah said. "There's something about eating outside. You really should try it."

"I would, it's just that I'm so busy with making hit records and going on world tours that I don't really have time to go frolic in a meadow somewhere."

"That's what I'm saying," Hannah said.
"You really should make time."

"We don't frolic," Jason clarified. "We just sit there and breathe fresh air and eat food."

"Then I guess I'll make time in between the tour and the hit records to eat my food outside sometime," Cam said.

"You seem to have no trouble making time to play dress up," Jason said.

That drew a curious glance from Hannah. Cam grabbed the collar of the shirt he was wearing. "I wore this and a fake mustache to a bar last night and nobody knew who I was."

"I
was wondering what was up with that shirt," Hannah said, stifling a laugh. "It's, uh, fancy."

"I know it's gay," Cam said, "but that's the whole point. Nobody's supposed to know who I am, so it's gotta be something I wouldn't usually wear." He shrugged. "
It's better with the mustache and glasses. The ladies loved it."

"Did you hook up with someone," Hannah asked. Her expression was utterly stupefied.

"Hell yeah I did. Or Owen did."

Hannah didn't focus on the fact that he
actually
had a fake name to go with his disguise. Instead, she said the thing that surprised her the most. "Did you sleep with a girl while wearing a fake mustache?"

Cam laughed. "Damn straight I did."

Hannah gestured to her own upper lip with a twist of the hand. "Weren't you scared it would tilt to the side or fall off while y'all were going at it?"

"Not really. What'
s the worst that could happen—she finds out she's with me instead of a regular guy?"

Chapter 2

Cam was out of town for the next month. The first two weeks of April he had back-to-back tour dates, and the last half of the month was spent at his family's farm in Iowa. Cam had an unbelievable amount of money—a ridiculous amount of money. There was no need for his family to run the farm he'd grown up on, and there was certainly no need for he and his two brothers to drop everything and go work planting season every year, but that's exactly what they did. It was tradition. They did it as a family, and there was no plan to change.

His parents were in their 40s and had built the
small family farm into a thriving business. They made it possible for his brothers to go to college and for Cam to chase his dreams, and he'd always been thankful for that. Of course, he paid his father back and then some when he made it big and gave the farm an overhaul, including all new equipment.

Cam was the youngest of three boys and had gone to
Nashville with his entire family believing in him wholeheartedly. Their support was what gave him the confidence he needed. He was only in Nashville for four months before he got noticed and signed. There's a reason some people make it in show business—it's because they're good. Cam was one of those people—one who was just destined to make it. He was meant to be on the stage and that was obvious to anyone who saw him.

That was two years ago, and he still hadn't missed a planting season. He and his brothers made a promise to their father when they were
young boys that they would always help him during that time of year and Cam didn't really care what his manager or agent thought—mid to late April was off limits. 

The
Bishop boys were all in their 20s now, but still competed and fought like they were kids, and the memories they made each year during planting season were priceless.

Cole, the oldest, married his college sweetheart and settled down in Chicago. He and his wife ha
d a two-year-old and they both came with him to Iowa this time.

Chase, the middle, came back home when he graduated college
a few years ago and had been helping their dad run the farm.

Cam, born Cameron Lee Bishop,
the youngest of three boys, had worked on the farm, putting off college while he made his mind up about going for it in Nashville. He moved to Nashville at twenty and the rest is history. He could basically buy the whole state of Iowa now, but there he was… sore, bruised, and exhausted from two weeks of intense work.

Cam was no stranger to the road, and
for the most part, he traveled with his assistant and road crew. This time, however, he was alone. He'd just finished the two weeks at his parents' house and he was arriving in Nashville by himself. He was fine on a regular airplane just like everyone else, and he found the change was refreshing. Delta did their best to get him in and out quickly but there was no way to avoid being recognized in the airport. He caught himself wishing he had his mustache girl there to provide him with a disguise.

Cam's
driver, Reggie, was waiting when he arrived and they left immediately for Cam's apartment. It was the first time in a month he'd slept in his own bed, which made him relieved and lonely in equal parts. He would be in Nashville for the entire month of May and the first part of June before he had to leave town again. He'd still be working like crazy while he was home, but at least he'd be coming home to his apartment every night for a while. Fan Fair, an event that happened every June, would mark the end of his time home before he'd to go to Europe for a month.

He had nearly six weeks
to hang out in Nashville, and one of the first things he wanted to do was get his mustache girl to fit him for a full beard. Being fitted with a custom piece was a time-consuming process, so he was planning on getting her to come by the next day so she could get started.

Du
ring his time in Iowa, he told his brothers about experimenting with disguises, and they thought it was a hilarious idea. His whole family had ideas about different things he could try, cracking up when one of them mentioned something particularly funny like pirate or Arabian prince.

Macy
, the mustache girl, was at his apartment less than 24 hours later to fit him with a full beard. It would take her a day to make the piece, but they'd be able to reuse it once it was done. It wasn't something he could just put it on himself, though. Macy would have to apply it each time since it required the little individual hairs at the edges of the piece to make it more believable.

Cam told her to be available on weekends for the next six weeks in case he felt like putting it on.
Macy was excited at the prospect of Cam calling her some during the next six weeks. She said she hoped he decided to use the beard all the time, which made him go ahead and set an appointment for that coming Friday evening.

Macy came over
right on time with the custom-made beard piece. It took her almost two hours to get everything just how she wanted, but the results were amazing.

"It won't take me quite that long from here on out," she said. "I had to do a little exp
erimenting to get it to look natural, but next time I'll remember and it won't be such an ordeal."

Cam had becom
e accustomed to sitting in makeup chairs and didn't even blink at the two-hour application time.

Macy gave him a handheld mirror and Cam regarded his reflection. He couldn't believe it. He
only looked at it for a second before handing her the mirror and taking off toward the bathroom so he could really get a good look at it. He hovered over the sink, leaning in so he could closely inspect her handiwork.

"That's not even me," he murmured
, looking it over.

"I know. I
t's amazing how much facial hair can change your appearance."

"I'm not even gonna have to wear that Austin Powers shirt with this thing."

Macy laughed. "You could just about wear a shirt that said 'Cam' on it, and people still wouldn't catch on."

"You aren't lying," he whispered. He was sitting there trying to fin
d a flaw in it, but couldn't. "I just grew a full beard," he said, stroking it gently. He gave it a tiny little tug, testing it. "It feels like it's on good."

"I did my
best," she said. "I still wouldn't recommend getting too frisky with it."

He smiled, and she could see how handsome he still was even though he looked nothing like the Cam Bishop she saw when she arrived. The beard was light brown with red tones
and looked perfectly natural next to Cam's dirty blonde hair. It had been a few months since his last haircut, and he was thinking he'd let it grow out a little bit. He almost got fed up with it when he was working the farm, but he was glad he hadn't. He liked how it looked with the beard and knew the ladies would too.

"Where
are you going with that on?" she asked.

"I'm not even sure," he said. "I'll probably try a pla
ce I've never been to before."

Macy smiled
at his back since he was totally preoccupied with checking out his new face.

"I'm gonna get packed up
as long as you're happy with it," she said.

"Are you kidding? I love it.
"

She was just getting ready to come
back in the bathroom and tell him goodbye when he came out into the living room.

"What do you think about these?" Cam asked. He was wearing the black glasses he'd worn the night he tried the
mustache.

She studied his face seriously. "You look awesome like that," she said. "I mean I like the regular Cam too, but that look is really hot on you."

"So, you think I should wear them?"

"Definitely."

They had a brief conversation about Neil sending her a check before she left so he could get dressed to go out. This time, he wore one of his own outfits—a pair of jeans and a button-up shirt. The beard and glasses made him look so different that he knew he could get away with wearing his own clothes.

He chose a bar he'd heard of, but never been to before. It wasn't the type of place that played
much country music, and he felt pretty confident that he'd go unrecognized.

The bar was called Bing's. He got there at 10PM. There was a band
scheduled to play and it was packed. Cam had to wait in line at the door like a normal person, which was oddly refreshing. He saw some hot little honeys in line with him, and felt pretty good about the possibility of taking one home. Cam got a little nervous when he was carded, but thankfully the guy at the door barely glanced at his ID.

Walking into the crowded bar alone would be a daunting task for most people, but Cam was so desperate to blend into the background for a change, that he loved being ignored. He
was completely content with no companion, and smiled as he surveyed the room.

The music was loud.
A song he recognized called Crime was playing while the band got set up. It looked like it was going to be a four-piece rock band—at least that's what he assumed when he took in the tight leather pants. He didn't recognize the name, but they obviously drew a crowd, and Cam was up for just about anything.

It was packed, but the bar was huge, and there were about five or six open barstools
left. Cam chose one closest to a group of pretty young ladies. All three of them looked like they were ready for a little male attention, and Cam was certainly happy to oblige. Under normal circumstances, Cam would assume he could bring them all home at the same time. As Owen, however, he knew he'd probably have to settle for just one.

There were four bartenders—three guys and a girl. Cam could see the female bartender from where he was sitting, but it was one of the guys that took his order. She was hotter than any of the three he'd just sat beside, and he looked down the bar to see if there was a spot directly in front of her. Not only was there not a single spot anywhere near her, but the majority of the people standing in front of her were also men.

"It's not going to happen," the bartender said as he put a coaster in front of Cam.

Cam looked at him with a confused expression as if he might not have heard him right.

"It's not gonna happen," he said with a smile. He cocked his head in the direction of the girl who was tending bar. "Jax doesn't date customers. They never stop trying, but she's been here for over a year and she's never once given any of them the time of day. Plus, you'd have to get in line behind me."

Cam
had been looking in the girl's direction the entire time the bartender was speaking.

"Jax?" he
asked, distractedly.

"Short for Jacqueline," the bartender said. "I'm not
kidding, though, partner. She's locked up tighter than Fort Knox. Your time would be more wisely spent pursuing other options."

Cam glanced at the bartender who cut his eyes towards the three girls he was originally focused on. Cam didn't even bother denying he was curious
about Jax.

"Is s
he your girlfriend or something?" he asked, thinking the guy was just being protective of her. The bartender laughed and looked like he was about to say something, but had to pay attention to other customers before he could respond.

He served Cam a beer, but was too busy to say any more about Jax. Just as Cam was finishing his drink,
the bartender made his way back to him. He'd been watching the girl the entire time, and that hadn't escaped the bartender's notice.

"
You should just hang it up. She's like Mother Theresa or something. I think she's celibate. She works at a women's shelter or some shit like that. She only tolerates working here because she makes a ton of money and only has to work weekends."

Cam glanced back at her
. She was beaming at her customers like she'd been doing the entire time—hardly looking like she was just
tolerating
being there. Cam's gaze shifted back to the bartender who shrugged.

"Go for it if you like. I'm just warning you. It's not gonna happen."

Cam considered his options. He decided to sit back for a little while and see if anything happened organically. He'd caught Jax's eye a few times already, and wasn't gonna count her out just yet.

"I like your beard," the girl in the little white dre
ss next to Cam said, turning to face him.

A
ll three of them had on little dresses, but the one in the white was standing closest to him. She had glanced back a few times, but this was the first time she said anything. He was noticing people noticing the beard. It wasn't anywhere near the attention he was used to, but a beard got it's fair share of attention all by itself, and Cam wore it well.

He
smiled at the girl in white and stroked it casually. "Thanks," he said.

She looked behind him and he took that to mean she was wondering who he was there with.

"I was supposed to meet my friend here, but he got called into work. He's a surgeon, so he couldn't really say no."