Here for You (3 page)

“I will convince your friend that you’re fine.”

“Why would you do that?”

“Just put her on speaker.” I tilt my head to the side and hold her gaze. “Please,” I add softly.

“Quinn. I’m going to put you on speaker.”

She hits the button on her screen and lays the phone down on the couch between us. She gestures toward me.

“Hello, Quinn.” I make sure to let my full drawl come out for good measure. “If I promise to make sure Ashley here is fine tonight, will you stay on your vacation?”

“Wait! What? Who the hell is this? Ash!”

“It’s my next door neighbor.” She shrugs again.

“Wait.” Quinn hesitates for a moment. “Oh, you mean Mr. Hottie!”

I lift my head and raise an eyebrow at Ashley. Even in the dimly lit area I can see red creep across her face.

“Q! Cut it out.”

“Well, I’m just sayin’. If the face and body match that glorious voice, I may fly home so he can take care of me.”

Ashley rolls her eyes and shakes her head. “Quinn. You’re on vacation with Francis. I don’t think trying to pick up another man is what you’re supposed to be focused on.”

“That will be over when I get home anyhow. So, Mr. Hottie, do you promise to take real good care of my girl?”

“Yes, Quinn. I promise to make sure Ashley is just fine before I go home tonight.”

Her friend laughs. “Damn. Now I found your flaw. You’re a good ol’ boy. I bet your momma is real proud.”

I smile at Ashley, who looks even more mortified. “You got me. Nothing but manners and chivalry here.” I laugh and so does Quinn, but Ashley still looks embarrassed.

“Fine. Ash, I will accept that you’re going to make it through tonight. But just so you know, I will come home immediately if you need me. I’ll be back in three days, but if you need me before that you call. I’m serious. Understand?”

“Yeah, I got it. Thank you for checking on me. I love you.”

“Love you too.” She pauses. “Hottie, I owe you one.”

I laugh at the nickname and can’t wait to hear Ashley stumble over an excuse. “No problem. I’m happy to keep Ashley company.”

She’s laughing again as she hangs up her phone.

“I’m really sorry about her. I love her to death, but she can be over the top for some people. About the nickname, she just does things like that.”

I wave my hand at her. “Don’t worry about it.” I smile wider. “So you told your friend about me?”

I can see her torn on answering and at that second her phone lights up with a text. I can’t read it before Ashley’s hand flies out to snatch it up. I did see a lot, I mean
a lot
, of exclamation points but that’s about it. Ashley has turned an even more vibrant shade of red and I would give anything to see what Quinn texted her.

“What did she have to say?”

She looks up from her phone, the light of the screen casting a personal spotlight on her. God, she’s beautiful. Even though she’s obviously been crying for a while I can’t imagine anything taking away from her beauty.

“Honestly, even if I knew you very well, I couldn’t repeat what she typed. Let’s just say she sent a Quinnism. Sorry, but it’s not meant for anyone else’s eyes or ears.”

“Fair enough. So what do I need to do to make sure you’re okay before I leave you tonight? After all, I did promise Quinn, and I never back out on a promise.”

“Cam, you don’t have to stay with me. I’m not good company right now.”

I don’t know why, but I’m happy she chose Cam over Cameron.

“Can I be honest with you, Ashley?”

She doesn’t say anything but nods. Those eyes are gazing at me expectantly now.

“I’m not good company right now either. I only came over to introduce myself and if I’m being one hundred percent honest, also because I had to see you up close. You’re a very beautiful woman.” Her eyes get a little wider at the comment but she doesn’t say anything. “I’m sorry that I walked up when you were obviously upset, but for some reason I can’t leave. I promise that you’re safe with me, and I will not take advantage of your vulnerability. I could use a friend right now, and I think you need the same.”

I sit back against the pillows and wait to see how she’s going to respond.

Wine. I know I had too much last night, but I need a glass right now. I’m not sure what has happened in the last ten minutes but I need something to relax me. I move to get up, and his eyes follow me. I see him start to move to stand up, probably thinking I’m going to ask him to leave, but I motion for him to stay seated.

“Beer or wine?”

He hesitates, and I wonder if he doesn’t drink. “Um, one beer if you have it.” He shrugs his perfect shoulders. “Sorry. I have to work tomorrow.”

I furrow my brow. “On Sunday?” He nods but doesn’t say anything else. “You’re not a priest, are you?”

He drops his head back and laughs. The sound hits a nerve in me, and I realize I want to hear more of that beautiful rumble.

“I’ll be back in a minute. Do you need a blanket or anything?” He shakes his head.

When I come back outside a few minutes later, he’s shifted so that he’s leaning back against the stack of pillows on his side of the couch. He has one hand behind his head and the other resting on his stomach. He appears absolutely relaxed and in his element. For a moment, I just take in his flawless body and absolute masculinity.

“Hey,” I say as I hand him the beer. “I was pretty sure you were a beer out of the bottle kind of guy, but if you prefer a glass just let me know.”

“You’re correct.” His nod is quick but his lids dip with it and the movement exudes sex appeal.
Shit
.

I sit down with my glass of wine and pull my blanket back over me so I’m fully covered and tucked in. I play with an invisible thread on the blanket while thinking how to approach the start of this conversation.

“I think we need a few ground rules.” He raises that damn eyebrow. I say damn because it lifts into a perfect arch, and it does the same thing the sound of his laughter does to me. I want more of both. “First, you said we’re here just as friends, right?”

“Yes. For me it’s what I need, and I think it’s the same for you right now.”

“Perfect. Second, we stick with first names only.”

The speed with which Cam nods is almost alarming. It makes me rethink my decision to stay anonymous. How could he be that concerned about me knowing his full name? If he was that famous or whatever, wouldn’t I already recognize him? Or is he still messing with me? Is he looking for a one-night stand and not the friendship he claims? He senses my hesitation.

“How about a few basic questions out of the way?” I nod, encouraging him to continue. “Nothing too personal that gives away our identities.”

I quickly nod again. Depending on what he does for a living, he may recognize my last name immediately. If he did recognize it, he mostly like would already know everything about my family and the company. I don’t want that right now. I want to get caught up in this moment and forget about the hell I’ve been through.

“Age?”

“Thirty-two. You?”

Something causes him to hesitate, but then he answers. “Thirty. Is this your house?”

“My mom’s. Where are you originally from? Because we both know it’s not California.”

He laughs. “Texas. Born and raised until I left for my first career at nineteen. You?”

“Here. Well, San Francisco to be more specific. I was born and raised there. Occupation?” He shakes his head no, and I’m not going to argue. I don’t want him to share anything he doesn’t want to. “I’ll go with a very generic answer on that one and say business for me.”

“Fair enough. Family?”

“Shit. Can we go with something easier first?”

He opens his mouth and then closes it again. Then he asks, “Favorite memory?”

Screw this. That crap is way harder to answer. “Forget it. I’ll answer the other question. For some reason I trust you.” I eye him over my wine glass and he nods. His eyes are studying me, and I think he cares—or at least he’s putting on a great front that he cares. “But I’m not going to tell you the full story about both my family and the most recent disaster. I can’t handle that much emotion in one night. It will be your choice which one you want to hear.”

“Got it.”

“Both of my parents are dead and I have one sister. She’s six years younger and the quintessential brat. She’s been handed everything on a silver platter. My mother had no siblings, and her parents passed away a couple years ago. My dad didn’t see eye to eye with his family, so he hadn’t talked to them for the last thirty years of his life. Therefore, I don’t know any of them. Actually, what’s really sad is that I don’t even know how many of them there are.”

“Shit,” Cam whispers. “Sorry, Ash.”

I know he picked the Ash up from Quinn, and for some reason it doesn’t bother me. Very few people shorten my name. In my world, everyone uses full names. It’s like shortening a name takes away some of the class or wealth or something crazy like that. I actually prefer the shortened version with close friends because it feels more intimate.

“Do you want me to give you the high level summary of the current situation so you can decide if you want more details on my family or the current issue?”

He takes a sip of his beer and shakes his head. “No. I already know I want the current situation. I know some asshole hurt you, and I just want to understand how that’s possible. Family is family, and we all know they have issues. Although I would love to hear about all of them I want to be here for you now. I want to make you realize this guy is a jerk and doesn’t deserve you anyhow.”

“How do you know a guy hurt me? What if I left him? Or what if it’s something completely different?”

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but I can read it in your eyes. I know someone betrayed you, and I just want to understand how and why.”

I sigh and lean back into the pillows. I curl my legs under me and pull my blanket tighter. “Do you want the short or long version?”

“I want whatever you want to tell me. I’m here to listen as your friend. Remember I’m here as Quinn, although I can’t possibly imagine how she could be better looking than me.”

His full smile is unnerving. It’s beautiful. No, not normally a word I would use to describe a man, but I swear he’s perfect, on the outside at least. Inside is yet to be determined—although he’s doing a pretty fantastic job so far.

“You have no idea how much Q appreciates you being here. She’s in Bora Bora, and even though it would take her almost a day to get to me, she was about to fly home just to listen to me bitch in person.”

His hand starts to move my direction but then he immediately pulls it back. Much like he did earlier when I hesitated for a second before shaking it. “I’m glad I can be here.”

“Thanks. So the short version is that I caught my fiancé—well, I guess ex-fiancé at this point, with another woman.”

Something crosses his eyes and he drops them momentarily. “I’m sorry.”

I take a sip of wine and wave my hand at him. “It’s okay. I just need a little bit of time to get over it. I’m not sure that I ever would have actually gone through with the wedding. I don’t think he’s the person I was meant to spend the rest of my life with, but it still hurts.”

He nods but doesn’t say anything. His pale blue eyes are so intense that he doesn’t have to say a word. They could pull information out of anyone.

“I’ve been with the jerk for ten years. It’s hard for me to accept that the last ten years of my life have been wasted on him. There’s no way I’ll ever go back. Even worse, I have to work with him, at least for now. He works for me, and seeing him every day is going to make me sick. Don’t worry, it gets even worse. Are you sure you still want to listen to me?”

“Yes.”

When I realize he’s not going to elaborate on his answer, I continue. “I caught him in bed in
my
house. It’s not even
our
house, but mine. Not that I didn’t want it to be ours, but when I found it, he wasn’t ready for that commitment. At least that’s what he said. Now I’m thinking it was so he could still have his own place to sleep with other whores. God, it makes me sick. Are you ready for the final fact?”

His eyes close for a moment and then he slowly nods like he’s ready but deep down he knows the final blow is painful, as in painful beyond the average person’s comprehension.

“The person in bed with him was my sister.” And there it is. I haven’t even admitted this out loud to Quinn yet. I was afraid if I told her while she was there in tropical heaven, she would’ve jumped on the first plane home.

“Shit.” He lets out a long breath and looks at me with eyes that aren’t just sympathetic but understanding. “I’m really sorry.”

“Quinn is going to go crazy when she finds out that part. She would be here right now if I had told her. She already dislikes both of them, and this is going to push her over the edge.” I manage a small laugh. I don’t know why it feels so much better telling him everything. But he just listens with no judgment and doesn’t even try to pretend like he can say something to make it better or easier. “What about you?”

“Me what?”

“Why do you need a friend right now?”

“Don’t worry about me. My job tonight is to make sure you’re okay.”

I shake my head adamantly. “Uh-uh. That’s not fair and you know it. I’m sharing my story and it would make me feel better if I can also be here to listen to you.”

I sit quietly and watch as he peels the label on his beer bottle. He doesn’t look away from it for at least a minute and for some reason the silence is not uncomfortable. Finally I see him swallow hard as he closes his eyes. When he opens them back up and looks at me the pain is unmistakable. That’s what my eyes must appear like to him. It’s seriously painful to see the hurt. No wonder why he stayed.