5. Chapter Five
Chapter Five
Nila
“So, you came from New York City?” Carl says to me as he forks a bite of fettuccine into his mouth.
I nod. “That’s right. I have an apartment there. I grew up in northern New York, though. That’s where my family’s from.”
“I see.” He nods. “What do you think about Atlanta?”
I shrug. “It’s a nice change of pace. I only have qualms with the humidity in the summer months.”
He laughs, deep and heartily. “That’s what my wife used to say. She was always making comments about the humidity and her hair. I swear, it never looked bad though.” His eyes glisten with an air of distance, and my heart squeezes at the recognition of grief .
Cameron clears his throat. “My mom passed away from breast cancer seven years ago.”
“She would’ve been real proud of Cam.” Carl beams, and I can’t help but melt at the pride in his voice.
To have a set of parents that care like that...
It must be nice.
“Anyway.” Cameron looks at me, making an embarrassed face. “You haven’t taken any pictures.”
“Oh, right,” I say, setting down my fork and grabbing my phone. “I was too busy enjoying the food.”
“This is Cam’s favorite place,” his dad adds.
“It’s really good,” I agree, swiping to the camera function. “I’ll make it a point to mention the restaurant in the post. It’ll drive traffic here. You’d be surprised what a quick shoutout can do for business.”
“Oh yeah?” Carl tilts his head at me. “I guess I never thought about it all that much. Cam doesn’t like to live life in the public eye. He’s a pretty private guy, like me.”
I nod, taking a few shots of Carl, the food, and the warm atmosphere of the place. As much as I want to say that Cameron is like Carl, I don’t see the resemblance. Carl is warm, friendly, and hilarious. He also welcomed me with open arms. Whereas Cameron seems to be distant and broody...
He doesn’t look a lot like his father, either.
Which makes me wonder what his mom looked like...
“You done?” Cameron shoots me a terse smile .
“Let the woman do her job,” Carl chides, patting him on the shoulder. “Don’t make her job any harder than what it has to be.”
I stifle a giggle as Cameron looks away, rolling his eyes out of his father’s sight. There’s something endearing about the way the two of them interact. However, my attention drifts as my phone vibrates in my hand. I glance down...
Aaron: Nila, can we talk?
I grit my teeth as I quickly dismiss the message from my ex-boyfriend. The thing is, we have talked. And it’s clear we’ll never be on the same page. He expects me to give up my career to be with him. And that’s never gonna happen.
My phone buzzes again.
Aaron: We had a good thing.
Aaron: Come on. Just one phone call, Nila. I just wanna hear your voice again. Don’t you miss me?
I lock the screen, forcing a smile as I internally cringe.
“So, do you like hockey?”
I jerk my head up from my phone, meeting Carl’s eyes. “Um ... I guess. I never really watched it much.”
“It’s an underrated game, I think,” Carl muses, glancing over at Cameron. “I hadn’t ever given it much thought until Cam decided he wanted to play. He was good at it the moment his feet hit the ice. And let me tell you, he was like a Zamboni on those skates—smooth and unstoppable. But hey, when you’re on thin ice, you might as well skate through it!” Carl chuckles at his own cheesy dad joke, winking at me as if to say, “I’ve still got it.”
I smile, wishing I could’ve caught that story on video. Honestly, everything Carl says is charming and endearing.
I pick up my fork and push the gnocchi around my plate as my heart squeezes. There’s only one person in my life who was like Carl...
And she’s not here anymore.
The grief never fully leaves, though my phone buzzing again with a call from Aaron is an instant distraction. I silence it before shoving it into my purse.
But I know he’s not going to stop. So I take it back out and type one message:
Me: Aaron, we’ve been over this. There’s nothing left to say. Let’s move on. Please don’t contact me again.
I drop my phone back into my purse, put on a brave face, and finish my food.
“It was really lovely having dinner with you tonight, Nila,” Carl says to me as we exit the restaurant. “I have to say, you’re a breath of fresh air.”
“That’s sweet of you. I enjoyed having dinner with you as well.” I avoid Cameron’s gaze, feeling his eyes on my face. He didn’t say much at dinner tonight, and I have a good feeling that’s because I’m here.
“I hope we get to do this again.” Carl gives me a side hug as we step outside and part ways. “I’ll see the two of you later. Love you, son,” he directs to Cameron.
“Love ya, Pops,” Cameron shoots back in a light tone as he leads the way to his Lamborghini. I follow quietly, taking in the sight of the hockey player and his sports car. I’ve never really been one to admire cars—or hockey players—but there’s something about Cameron that I just can’t look away from.
He opens the car door and then looks over at me, making a face. “Are you coming?”
“I don’t know. Are you going to kill me with your race car driving?”
“Oh, come on, I’m a good driver.”
“Yeah, that’s what they all say,” I mumble under my breath, heading toward the passenger side. Suddenly, Cameron is there, opening the door for me. “Um, thanks.” I avoid his gaze—which I’m realizing is something I do a lot with him.
“My dad really liked you.” His tone is difficult to read, and before I can say anything, he slams the door .
Was that a bad thing?
I watch him trudge around the front of the car, and I catch myself staring at the broadness of his shoulders. He’s tall and lean, but obviously strong. He’s built in a way that would intimidate a lot of men.
I bet he could carry me a long way if he had to .
I shake my head at myself, nearly laughing at how ridiculous the thought is.
“Sorry you had to go through all that.” His words catch me off guard.
“What do you mean?” My brow furrows. “Your dad is a total sweetheart—and he’s hilarious.”
Cameron’s jaw tenses as he starts the car. “Yeah ... he can be pushy though. I’m pretty sure he’s ready for me to settle down and all that. And I’m sure he now thinks you’re the perfect person to settle down with…”
I nod, smiling as I think of my grandma. “I think it’s just a parent thing. Now that we’re grown-ups, they want to have grandkids. Which I’d imagine is kind of like having kids all over again—but only the fun parts.”
Unless you’re forced to raise them on your child’s behalf like Gran was.
“I don’t know...” His voice trails off as he exits the restaurant parking lot and roars down the street toward my hotel. “Can I ask you a question?”
My heart flip-flops in my chest. “Um ... sure?”
“Don’t you get tired of your phone blowing up all the time? I mean, you couldn’t even sit through dinner without it ringing multiple times.”
“I’m sorry. That was rude of me. Which is why I put it on silent mode.”
Cameron shakes his head, giving me a weird look. “No, no, not at all. I’m just genuinely curious how you put up with it.”
“Oh,” I say with a sigh. “Well, to be honest, other than social media, it doesn’t usually go off all that often. Tonight was just my ex-boyfriend blowing it up.”
“Oh. Is this like … a stalker situation, or?”
I chuckle, shaking my head. “No, nothing like that. Just a guy who can’t seem to accept that we’re over.”
Cameron nods, his grip tightening on the steering wheel as we hit a red light.
“So what happened between you two?” he blurts out and then immediately backtracks. “Sorry. You don’t have to tell me. That was inconsiderate.”
I laugh. “It’s not a juicy breakup story if that’s what you’re after. We dated for about six months. But I’ve been trying to grow my career, and ever since I became an independent consultant, I have to travel a lot more.”
“What does that have to do with a relationship?”
I tilt my head. “Um, distance makes things difficult.”
Cameron shrugs. “I guess. ”
“It’s just that Aaron wanted my attention every waking moment. He said if we got serious, I’d have to quit my job.”
Cameron’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise. “Quit your job? Just like that?” His disbelief is evident in his voice as he navigates the Lamborghini through the busy Atlanta streets.
“Yeah, it caught me off guard, to be honest. I’ve always been passionate about my career, and I never expected someone I cared about to ask me to choose between them and my job. Not to mention, he got super jealous whenever I had to work late or travel for a project. It just became too suffocating.” I shake my head at the memory. Of course, the one time I finally put myself out there after losing Gran, the relationship turned out to be a dud—it’s just my luck.
I’ve learned it’s so much easier to be alone. I can just focus on my career, which is the one thing in my life that has never let me down. It’s what helped me find my way after losing Gran. It’s what brings me joy and purpose.
“Sounds like you dodged a bullet,” he says, his voice low.
I glance over at him, surprised by the empathy in his eyes. “You got that right. And it’s for the best. My sole focus right now is on building a successful career. Once I achieve my goals, maybe I’ll consider dating again. But for now, it’s much more trouble than it’s worth. I don’t want to be tied down or stuck with another ultimatum like Aaron’s.”
Cameron chuckles but otherwise stays quiet as we pull into the hotel parking lot. My stomach knots up, unsure if I’ve shared too much. I don’t usually talk about my personal life when I’m on the job, but he asked...
And it all came flooding out.
“I’ll walk you to your room,” he finally says.
“You don’t have to do that.”
He glances around as he pulls up under the awning of the luxury hotel. “It’s kind of late, and I feel responsible for ensuring you get back to your room safely.”
“Okay,” I say, my voice coming out quieter than I intended as he puts the car in park.
I climb out of the car before he can open the door for me again and lead the way into the hotel lobby, trying not to let his gesture get under my skin. He’s probably just that type—the kind of guy who wants to play “protective big brother” for every girl they come into contact with.
“Do you actually like this place?” he asks. “It feels like some weird kind of art museum…”
I glance over my shoulder at him as I smash the up button on the elevator. “I guess. A hotel is a hotel. As long as it’s clean, I don’t really care.”
“I see.” He chuckles, letting me step onto the platform first once the doors open. “That’s a very practical way of looking at it.”
“Are you surprised?” I raise a brow at him as a grin sweeps across his face .
“Yeah. I thought all social media influencers were into luxury.”
I laugh and then smooth out my dress. His eyes follow my hands and then dart away, quickly diverting to the elevator wall. My face flushes with heat, but I don’t let myself turn it into anything.
“After you.” He places his hand on the threshold as I step through.
I nod and make a beeline for my hotel room, my heart beating unevenly in my chest. It might’ve just been a small moment, but the way he was looking at me had me flustered.
I cannot let myself be attracted to Cameron.
That would be bad.
Bad for work. And bad for my heart.
“This is me.” I clear my throat as I come to the door, fishing out my hotel key card.
“Are you staying here long term? Or are you going to move to an apartment or something?” Cameron’s question catches me by surprise.
I look up at him, seeing genuine curiosity in his eyes. “I think I’m going to just stay here for now. The Glaciers are paying for it.” I shrug. “Although, I do have a meeting with them next week to see how things are going—they said we’d discuss housing then, based on what I think your case needs.”
He makes a face. “My case? You make it sound like I’m a criminal. ”
I can’t stop the giggle from slipping past my throat and out my mouth. “Maybe when you drive.”
“You’re never going to let that go, are you?” He laughs as I swipe the key card and push the door open. “Goodnight, Nila.”
I turn, his deep, husky voice jarring my senses. His gaze is locked on me, and it takes all I have not to stare at his slightly parted lips.
But I stop myself.
Business and pleasure don’t mix.
“Goodnight, Cameron.”
And with that, I slip inside and lock the door behind me.