Page 40 of Things We Fake
“Sweetie, I’m not sure we’ll have a free evening this week to entertain our old acquaintance.” I stressed the wordold. “Between work and our… personal time together, our schedule’s a little tight. And then of course there’s my family arriving Friday.”
“You heard the lady.” Cam turned back to Brittany, smug and unbothered. “We’re busy.”
“I didn’t invite your little friend to join us,” she snapped. “Since when do you need a social secretary, Cam?”
He laughed—tight and sharp, no amusement in sight. I could see the flicker of fire behind his eyes.
“Susanne isn’t my secretary; she’s the woman I love, so choose your words carefully.”
I almost choked on my own tongue, but Cam’s gentle pressure on my hand begged me to roll with it. I would have agreed to marry him in that moment, just to watch Brittany implode.
“The woman you love?” she scoffed. “The only thing you’ve ever loved is that little company of yours. Her gaze dropped pointedly to my hand, to Nana’s ring. “What’s that? A promise ring? Is that all you can afford, Cam? Careful, promises are easy to break.”
“You’d know,” Cam said flatly.
Britt didn’t even flinch.
Cam turned that devastating smile on me again, eyes warm and glinting with admiration. Honestly, if I hadn’t known better, I would’ve believed him, too.
“A man knows when he’s met the right woman.” His voice was low, meant just for me. “And when I met Susanne, I knew.”
My breath caught in my throat. I couldn’t look away. If Brittany had vanished into thin air just then, I might not have noticed for a full minute.
Britt’s eyes narrowed to slits. “Really?”
Cam spared her a glance. “Really. I’ve been flying back and forth for almost a year, getting things set up. Sue and I met through a mutual friend, and I’ve had my eye on her a while. The timing finally clicked.”
He lifted my hand and kissed it. My brain short-circuited. I could barely process what he was saying, and the words of his drunken friend on the night of the porn movie fiasco rang into my head.Cam has his eye on her.
“I should thank you for letting me off the hook when you did,” he told Brittany, voice turning cool again. “She knows all about you, by the way. We don’thave secrets. She doesn’t care about my net worth, and I’m not interested in hers. Some people believe in love. In friendship. In respect.”
Brittany’s mouth tightened. “Respect doesn’t heat the sheets, and you do like it hot in bed.” She turned to me. “I’d be careful about getting my hopes up if I were you. Computer software is here today and gone tomorrow. By this time next year he could be flat broke once more, and you’ll be stomping grapes together in your daddy’s back yard.”
I smiled, sweet as sin. “If his company tanks tomorrow and we’re left barefoot and bankrupt, I’m still good. I’m not afraid of hard work or stained hands. My dad always says, you can’t make good wine without getting dirty. And I love getting dirty with Cam.”
Did I just say that?
Yes. Yes, I did. And I would say it again. I watched her nostrils flare and her face tighten like she’d bitten a lemon stuffed with rage. I hoped I wasn’t going too far, but this woman brought out the worst in me.
She turned to Cam. “So, when do you plan to pop the question? I hope there won’t be a reason to rush it.” She stared point blank at my gut. “It’s hard to tell when a woman is pregnant or just fat.”
Oh. Hell. No.
That bitch had crossed the hardest line I had.
My cheeks flamed, and rage pricked the back of my neck. My hackles rose and I started to rise from my chair, hands clenched into fists, ready to launch myself across the table and claw that smug look right off her face.
Before I could go full gladiator, Cam stood. He let go of my hand and stepped forward, eyes blazing.
“Brittany, that’s enough.” He grabbed her arm hard enough to leave bruises. “Let me walk you back to your table before you embarrass yourself further.”
“I’ll find my own way,” she snapped, yanking her arm free. But she dropped her voice, probably realizing half the restaurant was watching and she didn’t have the moral high ground here. She leaned in, eyes glittering with malice. “This isn’t over, Cam. I don’t know what kind of twisted game you’re playing, but I’ll figure it out. You’d never end up with someone like her—not after me. You’ll come crawling back. You always do. I’m the best thing that ever happened to you.”
Cam’s reply was laced with finality. “You didn’t even crack the top ten.”
The color drained from her face, then rushed back in a deep purple wave. She spun on her sky-high heels and stormed off, fury in every stomp.
Cam dropped back into his chair, jaw tight, hands trembling slightly as he reached for mine.
