Cameron: What? Oh! No!
Two seconds after the last text came through, Asher’s phone rang, a picture of Cameron’s smiling face filling his screen.
“I’m sorry,” Cameron said as soon as Asher answered the call. “I just got home, and I haven’t had a chance to read the chapters yet. I was talking about the stuff you’re donating to my sister’s shop.”
Asher couldn’t decide if he was disappointed because Cameron hadn’t read his partial manuscript yet, or relieved that his comments hadn’t been about Asher’s writing. Mostly, he was just happy to hear from the guy at all.
Fuck, he was so screwed.
“I didn’t donate anything. We made a fair trade.”
Cameron scoffed. “Right. I saw the price tag on that writing desk during the estate sale. It’s worth more than everything you traded for combined.”
Asher shrugged, even though no one could see him. “I wasn’t using it anymore.”
“And those Tiffany lamps,” Cameron continued, raising his voice to talk over him, “are worth half a million at auction.”
They were worth that muchapiece, but Asher didn’t correct him. “It’s really not a big deal.”
“It is a big deal, Asher.” Cameron spoke quietly now, and there was a tenderness in his voice that made Asher’s chest tighten. “The lease on the store is up at the end ofthe year, and the owner wants to sell. Natalie has been looking for a new space, but the increase in rent was going to hurt. This…what you did…I don’t know how to thank you.”
Asher hadn’t known any of that when he’d offered the pieces to Natalie. He’d just wanted to cheer her up and maybe score some brownie points with Cameron. Still, he had to admit that he felt kind of warm and tingly knowing that he’d helped provide a security blanket that would make the transition into a new location easier.
“I would have given her more, but she’s as stubborn as you are.”
“That’s actually really sweet.”
Asher’s grip on is phone tightened, and he tilted his head back to stare up at the stars again. “Don’t tell anyone. I do have a reputation, you know.”
Cameron chuckled. “Your secret is safe with me.” He paused, then asked, “Are you writing?”
“Not yet, but I’m going to try to get a couple of hours in before I crash.” He pulled the phone away from his ear to check the time. “Wait. You said you just got home?” Cameron usually left his office by five, not that Asher paid attention to his schedule or anything.
“Yeah, a potential client called as I was getting ready to head home. Normally, I would have set up a meeting for tomorrow, but…”
“Big fish?” Asher guessed when Cameron didn’t continue. “You had to reel them in while they’re still on the line.”
“Huge,” he confirmed. “As in Braxton and Nash.”
Asher whistled low. Forget the city, Braxton and Nash were one of the top law firms in the entire state. “Congratulations.”
“It’s not official yet, but I have a good feeling.”
He knew Cameron had worked with attorneys on high-profile cases before, but not much else about what he did. Still, even he understood this was a big damn deal. It seemed strange to have pride in someone else’s accomplishments, but he realized that was exactly what he felt.
“We should celebrate. Are you coming over this weekend?”
He expected Cameron would come to his house after work on Thursday like he had for the past two weekends, but maybe that was too presumptuous. If he did land this account with Braxton and Nash, that would likely mean a heavier workload for the foreseeable future.
“Uh, about that.”
Asher’s heart sank, and his stomach twisted with disappointment. “That’s okay.” He smiled, hoping it would come through in his voice. “I get it.”
To his annoyance, Cameron laughed. “Knock it off, Asher.”
“What?”
“Stop trying to pretend like you don’t care. I see right through you.”