Chapter 8
“Christ,” Wade mutters under his breath.
Camille glances up as she follows him outside. “What is it?” she asks, following his gaze to the garage. A low-profile, black sports car parks in front of the first garage bay. Buck, who was waiting outside of the gate, walks up to the driver’s side door.
“He bought another car.”
Camille hangs back while Wade walks up to the back of the car. Reflective lettering from the rear license plate catches her eye. She clamps a hand over her mouth as she stifles a laugh. White shining letters at the top of the custom license plate reads ‘Wade Sucks.’ The words glitter in the reflective sunlight. She is about to ask Wade if he noticed it when the car doors lift up.
Tan, muscular legs emerge. An early twenty-something man wearing flip flops, khaki shorts, and a black, deep V-neck t-shirt, complete with a long brown rope of a necklace, climbs out. Wade smiles, walking up to him with his arms out wide.
“Bout time you showed up.”
Easton grins, walking into his brother’s open arms to give him an equally big bear hug. He comes up a few inches shorter than Wade. “I didn’t know you’d be here.”
As they release each other, Easton eyes Camille, a frown passing over his features. It’s gone a second later. Wade doesn’t notice, turning from him to wave her over.
“This is Camille Lee.”
She walks up to them, smiling politely. “Nice to meet you,” she greets, not sure if she should offer him her hand.
He closes the space between them. “The pleasure is all mine,” he replies, giving her hand a peck.
Wade grins. “Slow down, cowboy. We can’t afford for you to scare her off. You’re looking at one of the up-and-comers in the medical field. We’re hoping to have her on the team by the end of the weekend.”
“That’s a relief,” Easton says, letting go of her hand. “I thought I was going to have to spend the weekend ignoring the constant moans of a new fling.”
Camille freezes, staring straight ahead between the two of them. Wade doesn’t bat an eye.
“Mom flew Camille in yesterday.”
“That’s great,” Easton waves the comment away, turning toward the car; his interest in her already waning. “Mom’s always loved empowering women. What do you think about the car?”
Wade takes a deep breath before looking the car over. “It looks like you’re blowing through your trust fund.”
She holds back a snort. It’s true that a car like that costs more than most peoples’ homes and yearly salaries.
“Aw, come off it. You should be proud of me. I bought it used out of Singapore.” Easton runs his hand down the back of the matte black sports car. “It’s a McLaren P1 carbon series. I got it off the boat last night.”
As Buck leans inside the driver’s side, something catches his eye, and he pops up. He clears his throat, looking at Easton. “There’s a woman in your car.”
“Yes,” Easton confirms, stepping lightly around the car to the passenger side. He holds his hand out. “Are you done with your lipstick, dear?”
Buck, Wade, and Camille crane their necks to see the well-manicured hand that floats out of the passenger side, taking Easton’s. “I am.”
Easton looks over at all of them. “Allow me to introduce the love of my life, Sadie Quinn.”
A blonde with long curls emerges from the passenger seat as thin as she is tall, matching Easton inch-for-inch in brown leather sandals, dark green pleated shorts that show off her long legs, and an oversized black t-shirt cascading down her hips. The sleeves are rolled into cuffs at the top of her sculpted arms. They look like models returning from vacation, sharing the same golden tan.
Camille’s eyes land on the front of Sadie’s shirt, and she can’t help but smirk. A white box across the front has the Balenciaga brand name plastered in large letters. She’s wearing two identical brown necklaces made of the same rope-like material as Easton. Hers, however, are not nearly as long as Easton’s. Maybe they came in a set. Wade doesn’t walk over to greet her. Instead, he eyes her wearily, squinting.
“Wouldn’t be the Quinns from New York, would it?” Wade asks in a low voice.
“That’s right,” Easton waves in Wade’s direction as Sadie loops her hand into the nook of his arm. “This is my brother, Wade.”
“Ah,” she says, eyeing him with equal trepidation.
“Sadie was telling me the other day that you know her sister Victoria,” Easton continues, oblivious to the way they seem to be examining each other.
Sadie purses her lips, raising an eyebrow at him. “You remember my sister. The two of you were an item up until recently.” Her eyes cut over at Camille before flicking them back to Wade.
It takes all Camille has to keep her composure as Sadie’s last name clicks.
Quinn. V. Quinn.
They couldn’t be talking about the same person she and Wade were laughing about over breakfast, could they? She looks up at Wade, who keeps an even gaze on the beautiful blonde on his brother’s arm.
“I wouldn’t call two people who went on one date an item.” He forces a smile as he steps forward to offer her his hand.
She lets go of Easton’s arm, meeting him halfway and offering her hand with a mischievous grin. “If you say so.”
Easton isn’t even looking at them. Instead, he’s turned, admiring his car.
“You got any bags?” Buck asks.
“Two carry-ons,” Easton answers from beside the front passenger tire. He leans over and pops the hood.
Wade turns to Camille as Sadie sets her sights on her. “And this is…” Wade pauses to glance at Sadie. “You signed an NDA, correct?”
She gives him a sly smirk. “We exchanged non-disclosures before our trip to Bali.”
“Good, we’ll get you an updated one from Delilah for the weekend. This is Camille Lee.”
“Great.” Sadie’s eyes widen at Camille. “This weekend’s going to be fun with another girl around.” Her brow furrows at Wade. “Who’s Delilah?”
“My mother’s assistant.”
“What?” she asks, spinning around. “Easty,” she calls, strutting to where Buck and Easton are admiring the front of the car.
“What’s up, babe?” He opens his arm, wrapping it around her slender midsection.
She flings her arm over his shoulder. “You didn’t tell me that I’d be meeting your mother this weekend.”
Easton looks to his brother, his brow pinching together. “You didn’t tell me that Mom’s here.”
“She just had surgery,” Wade says, frowning at his brother. “Why else would she fly in a potential partner while she’s recuperating?”
Easton frowns. “When did Mom have surgery?”
Wade sighs loudly, shaking his head in frustration. Camille scratches her upper lip to conceal her amusement.
Sadie glances down at herself. “I can’t meet your mother looking like this,” she says in distaste. “I have to get cleaned up.”
Easton’s shock from learning about his mother’s surgery is gone in less than a second, replaced by an appraising gaze of Sadie. “You look fine. You don’t have to put on airs in front of Mom. She isn’t like that.”
“You might not have to, but I do,” Sadie retorts, already walking around the car. “Where’s our room? I’m changing.”
Camille looks at the two tiny bags Buck and Easton are holding, wondering what all she could have packed in them. “I’m going to head to my room,” Camille says, glancing up at Wade.
Wade breaks his weary stare on Sadie, his mood lifting as he looks at Camille, the corners of his lips curling. “I’ll walk you.”
Camille stops one step up the stairs, bringing her closer to Wade’s height. She doesn’t know what she’s going to say to him as she faces him. Thank him, maybe, for being so kind to her. Tell him how great he looks, even in the harsh L.A. sun. She can’t hold his gaze for long.
“I, um,” she looks down at his feet, “wanted to thank you for uh…” she forces herself to look up at him. He’s staring at her. She can see him looking over her eyes, then her nose, then her lips. His eyes linger there, and he moves closer. Her stomach leaps, and she grips the handrail, words spilling from her. “Thank you for not trying to kill Leah last night.”
A smile spreads across his face. He tilts his head back, chuckling. Relaxed, he slides his hands into his front pockets. His eyes are bright in the sunlight. “You’re welcome,” he chuckles. “You don’t have to worry about that when my mom’s around. She’s got security with her everywhere she goes.”
A phone ringing in the distance jolts her, and she recognizes it as Evelyn’s ringtone. “That’s my phone,” she says, turning to look up the stairs. She’d left her phone sitting on the kitchen counter earlier.
“I’ll catch up with you later,” Wade nods, backing away from the stairs.
As she hurries up the stairs, she glances over her shoulder at him. “Thanks for lunch.”
He waves a hand in the air, heading toward the pool.
In the guesthouse, she answers her phone before it goes to voicemail. “About time,” she exhales, walking over to the windows to look out over the pool. Wade is walking past, and she wishes she could go back to the moment at the stairs. She should have stayed quiet, should have let him lean in.
“Hey you,” Evelyn says faintly.
Wade disappears under the back patio of the main house. Camille turns her back to the windows, dipping her head toward the phone.
“What’s wrong?”
“You’re going to do so good at the meeting.”
Camille looks at the phone a second and then returns it to her ear. “Have you been drinking?”
She hears Evelyn make a hissing noise through her teeth. “That hurts,” she groans, away from the phone.
“You have to sit still, Ms. Sykes.”
Camille doesn’t recognize the voice.
“Lynn, what is going on?”
“I don’t want you to freak out,” Evelyn says, her voice sounding groggier by the second, “but there was a teeny tiny accident at the restaurant.”