Six Months Ago
CAMERON
It might have been a mistake to buy this woman a double pour of my favorite whiskey before taking better stock of her alcohol tolerance. Because I was starting to have a sneaking suspicion that she didn’t sip shots of neat alcohol often.
But maybe her comfort level was just shifting, too. Her body was looser, swaying toward me, her smile a little easier. Maybe it wasn’t just the alcohol.
I liked that thought, even if maybe it was wishful thinking.
“Are you originally from the Boston area?” she asked, swirling her whiskey glass as she looked at me with interest.
I shook my head. “New York.”
She thought about that for a second before shaking her head. “I don’t know about that.”
“You don’t know about that?” I repeated with a chuckle.
A twinkle appeared in her green gaze. I wanted to figure out how to capture it. Keep it.
“You seem awfully nice,” she said.
A louder laugh escaped me. “Well, to be fair, I was born in California. Moved with my family to New York later.”
“Ah,” she said, as though that explained it.
“And you?” I prompted.
“Minnesota,” she said before taking a sip of the whiskey and closing her eyes, like she was appreciating the burn as it went down her throat.
“Makes sense. You’re also awfully nice,” I said with a grin. “I’ve never been, but I’ve heard. I have a friend from there.”
“Yeah?” Her gaze darted to me, as though she might know who I was talking about.
Well, she probably would know exactly who I was talking about, considering Noah’s reputation in Boston. But I didn’t exactly want to risk the chance that she’d suddenly seem more interested in a professional football player than me.
My ego wasn’t fragile, but I understood the pecking order of things. And famous athletes—especially the ones at Noah’s level—usually came above attorneys.
“Yeah, he’s a nice guy,” I said, keeping it as vague as I could.
“Mmm.” She pressed her lips together. “There are times in life where I wished I was born to be less nice, you know?”
I considered her carefully, undeniably curious.
“Tell me about it.”