She really did love her body, but that didn’t make her mother’s words sting any less, and she was in a bad mood by the time she made it to the restaurant, which happened to be much fancier than she was expecting, and she began questioning her casual appearance.
Drew didn’t seem to mind, smiling warmly at her as he met her in the lobby of the restaurant.
“You look lovely,” he whispered into her ear as he leaned over to kiss her cheek. “Our table isn’t ready yet,” he said a little louder, glaring at the hostess, who was within hearing distance.
“That’s fine,” Cami replied, both to Drew and the hostess. She was trying her best not to start the date off in a bad mood.
“Your table will be ready in just a moment,” the hostess replied with a polite smile.
“I had reserved a specific table,” Drew told Cami, still loud enough to be heard. “But due to some slight incompetence—” he emphasized the word with a glare towards the hostess stand—“it was given to someone else. They are taking forever to get another one ready.”
Cami, who had waited tables in college and understood what it was like, cringed. She offered the hostess an apologetic smile and didn’t reply to Drew’s biting words. It wasn’t the poor girl’s fault, after all, and Drew taking it out on her was embarrassing—and slightly out of character for him. She’d never seen him be outright rude to anyone.
But, she reminded herself, she had seen him laugh at the elitist jokes she’d overheard at the Emerson’s beach party. She had never heard him say anything condescending or rude himself, but the comments and jokes of others hadn’t seemed to offend him either. She’d thought he was a stuck-up snob at the time. Perhaps her first impression had been correct. He obviously thought he was better than the poor girl working at the restaurant. Maybe she should have just stayed home with Madison.
Before she had the opportunity to turn and flee, however, the hostess was approaching them.
“Your table is ready,” the girl said with a smile, leading them towards the back of the restaurant.
“I asked for a table by the window,” Drew growled as the hostess stopped at a table in a corner.
“I’m sorry, sir. This is what we have available.”
Drew opened his mouth to argue, but Cami stepped in front of him and smiled at the girl.
“This will be fine,” she said. “Perfect, in fact. Very private and romantic; right, Drew?” She turned towards Drew with her eyebrow raised.
“If you like it, that’s all that matters,” he replied, pulling out a seat for her.
Cami sat in silence for a while, staring at the wine list.
“See anything you like?” Drew asked in a more gentle tone.
“I’m not really much of a wine connoisseur,” Cami replied curtly.
“How about I just order a bottle for both of us?”
“Fine, whatever,” Cami answered.
She knew she should try a little harder to be polite or the entire date was going to be miserable, but she just couldn’t help herself. She was too upset over the way he’d treated the hostess. In that moment, he’d reminded her a lot of Ken—just another spoiled rich guy who thought he was so much better than the working class.
Cami buried her head in the menu and barely paid attention as Drew ordered their wine from the server. She did note, however, that he was much more polite to the server than he had been to the hostess. He’d probably picked up on her distaste and was trying to get back into her good graces. But she didn’t want him to treat people well just because of her…she wanted him to do it because it was the right thing to do.
If this date really was a test, he’d already failed.
The waiter brought the wine, and Cami had to fight the urge to chug the glass in front of her. She and Drew sat in tense, awkward silence for a few minutes, each sipping their wine. She hadn’t eaten since breakfast, and it was quickly going to her head. When the waiter returned a few minutes later to take her order, she had finished her first glass and was halfway through her second.
“Ready to order?” the man asked with a smile.
“Give us a minute,” Cami replied, feeling bold. Once the server had left, she leaned forward and continued speaking to Drew. “Listen—maybe we should just leave. I can pay for the wine and have the rest corked to go. We can just call it a night and go our separate ways.”
“What?” Drew replied, surprised. “No! Why?”
“This is awkward, and we both seem miserable,” she stated.
Drew took a large sip of his own wine, practically finishing off the glass, before he replied.
“Look…I’m sorry. We got off to a bad start. But I like you a lot and I want this to work.”
“It doesn’t seem that way right now. Why did you even ask me out? We’re just sitting here in silence.”
“I asked you out because I like you…a lot. And then the stuff with Claudia made it all awkward and weird. I’m sorry…let’s start over. I like you. I like you a lot.”
There were a lot of confusing things about that statement, so Cami decided to take them one at a time.
“Why?” she asked.
“Why?” Drew repeated, obviously confused.
“Why do you like me?” Cami clarified. “Because sometimes, it seems like you like me, but other times, you seem pretty apathetic. You’re hot and cold. It’s confusing. So I want to know why you think you like me.”
“I don’t just think I like you. I know I do,” Drew assured her while finishing off his second glass of wine. He topped them off before continuing. “Listen, I don’t really date often. No…that’s not true. I never date. Not anymore. In fact, I haven’t dated anyone since my divorce.”
“You were married?” Cami asked. This was news to her.
“Yeah. It’s been about four years now, since the divorce.”
“Why didn’t you say anything, when I was talking about my ex?”
“I didn’t want to impose on your problems. And…I just don’t like talking about it.”
“Why? What happened?”
Drew winced and finished off his third glass of wine. The server was hovering in the corner, waiting to take their order, so Cami ushered him over in order to give Drew a moment to organize his thoughts. Drew also ordered another bottle of wine, which Cami was totally okay with. They were going to be there a while—they’d have plenty of time to sober up. Drew was so much more open when he was buzzed.
“So…” Cami prompted once the server was gone.
“I really did think we were in love,” Drew admitted, staring down at his napkin. “We began dating right after my company started making money. That should have been the first clue. She said she wanted kids—that she wanted to start a family with me. But after we were married, it became apparent that she really only wanted to spend my money. She didn’t even like children, as it turned out. And children were something I couldn’t imagine my life without. We started arguing and, eventually, we split up. It was pretty ugly there at the end. It was so weird. You think you know someone—love someone—then they just become this whole other person.”
“Sometimes, I think they were always that person,” Cami said, “and we were just too blinded by love to see it.”
“Yeah,” he said with a sad smile. “You’re right. I mean, take Claudia, for example…the hostess.”
“You know the hostess?” Cami asked, confused again.
“Yeah…she’s my ex’s best friend. She was really rude to me before you came in. She purposefully “lost” my reservation and sat us back here in the corner out of spite. And I don’t even know why… Gwen—my ex—came out on top in our divorce. I thought Claudia and I were friends. Who knows what Gwen has said about me? I really don’t see any of our old friends anymore.”
Cami thought about the altercation with the hostess in a new light now, grimacing at the way she seemed to have stuck up for the woman that was treating Drew poorly. Reaching out, she squeezed Drew’s hand.
“
I don’t really talk to anyone from my old life with Ken,” she admitted. “But I’m okay with that. I’ve made new friends. I didn’t really get any money in the divorce, which was okay—I got Madison. But our mutual friends didn’t really have much to do with me after I was no longer on their income level.”
Now it was Drew who was squeezing her hand.
“That, to answer your question, is the reason why I like you. One of them, anyhow.”
“What is?” Cami asked.
“That you don’t care about money. I don’t get the sense that you’re only after me for my money. I mean, I haven’t really talked about my business with you, and you haven’t asked. I’m sure you know a little bit from Maggie, but you haven’t been trying to impress me or anything. You’re never anything but completely yourself and I really appreciate that about you.”
Cami felt the smile spread across her face at those words. She still had some doubts—this didn’t explain his erratic, hot-and-cold personality—but he definitely seemed sincere in the moment.
The food arrived before they could say much more, and they ate in comfortable silence.
“So,” Drew said after a while, “how did the meeting go yesterday?”
All of the calm and contentment Cami had evaporated at once as her mind went back to the distressing reality of her life. She let out a little sigh.
“Awful,” she replied after a moment. “Just awful.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Drew said, voice soft and gentle. “Do you want to talk about it?”
Cami wasn’t sure she did, but the mood had already been ruined, and she wasn’t going to be able to get it out of her head now anyway, so she nodded.
“It was so weird, sitting across from Ken and his new fiancée. It’s like we were talking about before—you think you know someone so completely, then you find yourself sitting across from a stranger.” Drew nodded in understanding, so Cami continued. “You know what was really awful?”
“What?” Drew asked.
“He was holding Natalie’s hand—that’s his new fiancée. She was there, and he was being so sweet and comforting towards her. He’d never been like that for me. And I can’t help but wonder if it was me…if he was capable of love and compassion, just not with me, you know? And it didn’t help that Natalie is younger and thinner and taller and all around more perfect.”
“You’re perfect,” Drew replied.
Cami was about to tell him to quit flattering her because it wasn’t helping, but when she looked up, the utter sincerity and passion in his eyes cut her off short. So she only smiled and looked away again.
“So, what happened? What was decided?”
“Absolutely nothing was resolved,” Cami said with a sigh. “Which means we’ll have to go to court. Which will waste a lot of time and money, and he’ll have the upper hand. Ugh…and that isn’t even the worst part.”
“What’s the worst part?” Drew grabbed her hand and gave it a soft squeeze.
“He called me right afterwards, while I was still in the parking lot. We didn’t say one word to each other during the meeting, then he calls me five minutes later. And he was so warm and friendly, and I thought maybe he’d come to his senses. In fact, I was completely convinced that he was calling to tell me he was dropping the case. He was going on and on about being mature and reasonable and handling things like a couple of adults, and I agreed. So then he was, like, ‘Good, so you’re just going to give me primary custody.’ I was, like, ‘What? No!’ I ended up telling him not to contact me except through my lawyer and hanging up on him.”
“Good,” Drew said, still holding Cami’s hand. “Is that when I called? You were a little upset on the phone.”
“That’s an understatement,” Cami said with a laugh, thinking of the way she’d chewed Drew out before she realized he wasn’t Ken. “Sorry about that. It’s just really frustrating to know that he thinks I have such a bad case that I’ll just give up and give in without a trial. It really undermines my confidence.”
“That’s probably exactly what he’s doing,” Drew told her. “Maybe he’s scared. Maybe he doesn’t actually think he has much of a chance, which is why he called and tried to intimidate you into giving up custody.”
Cami considered what Drew was saying. She thought about the steps Ken and his lawyer had taken to intimidate her. Perhaps they were only relying on such techniques because they knew they didn’t actually have much of a case. For the first time in weeks, Cami felt better.
“Maybe you’re right,” she said. “I just need to remain positive. I’m a great mother. There’s no way I’m going to lose custody.”
“That’s the spirit,” Drew replied with a smile.
The rest of dinner passed easily, with no more serious conversation. Drew kissed her on the cheek as they left, promising to call her the following day.
Cami was in such a good mood that she even put up with the annoying questions her mother bombarded her with when she went to pick up Madison.
Perhaps things were going to be all right, after all.
5
Cami
Cami didn’t really expect Drew to call the next day. Following the pattern of the way that things had worked with Drew so far, Cami almost expected a cold shoulder. That had really been Drew’s MO since she’d met him.
Upon first meeting, they’d clicked and spent an hour flirting, then he’d turned into a complete snob. They’d spent a passionate—albeit drunken—night on the beach, then the following morning he’d practically ignored her for some skinny model.
She’d seen him be sweet and compassionate with his sister, only to witness him being rude and cold later—laughing at jokes about the poor. Then they’d spent a ridiculously hot night together, then he’d fled in the morning without even leaving a note.
So yes, their date last night had been fantastic, but Cami was still unsure. She was waiting for the other shoe to drop. In fact, she pretty much expected not to speak to him for another week or so.
Which was why she was thrown for a loop when, right after she’d put Madison down for her nap the following day, she received a call from Drew.
“Hello?” she’d said hesitantly into the phone, almost unsure whether he’d meant to call her or not. She was half expecting to find he’d dialed her accidentally.
“Hey, Cami. How are you today!”
“Good,” she replied, slightly caught off guard and surprised to hear his voice. “Just put Madison down for a nap, which is why I’m talking quietly. In case you were wondering.”
“And how is Madison?” Drew asked, surprising Cami even further. He had never asked after her daughter before. He’d asked about the custody suit, but never about Madison herself.
“She’s good. We stayed at my mother’s last night, since I got back so late. Then we all went to brunch this morning, then to the park. She’s had quite a day.”
“Sounds like it,” Drew replied with a laugh. “I haven’t had nearly as exciting of a day. I spent the morning doing paperwork, now I’m returning emails.”
“Sounds boring,” Cami offered.
“It is,” Drew replied. “But at least I’m talking to you, so that’s something, at least.”
Cami didn’t know how to respond. She was flattered, but still unsure.
“I had a lot of fun last night,” Drew said after a moment of silence.
“Me, too,” Cami agreed, thankful that Drew couldn’t see the goofy smile on her face.
“So…does that mean you would be interested in seeing me again?” he asked.
That was the problem. Cami had agreed to last night’s date because she’d told herself it was just a bit of fun—that she wouldn’t get attached. After last night, Cami knew that wasn’t possible.
On paper, Drew seemed absolutely perfect. He was rich and handsome, sweet and funny. And, most perfect of all, he wanted a family. But in reality, he was unpredictable and unreliable, and moving any further in the relationship would mean Cami woul
d end up heartbroken.
“I don’t know,” she said after a moment. She could hear Drew deflate over the phone.
“But,” he began, “I thought you had a good time yesterday. You said you’d give me a chance, and I thought I made it up to you.”
“Last night was great, Drew. It really was. But, like I’ve said before, I’m not really looking for anything casual. And I don’t really know if a relationship with you is a good idea.”
“Why not?” Drew asked.
“I’m just not sure,” Cami replied. “I know that’s not much of an answer, and I’m sorry. But I just need a little more time. Give me a day or two to think it over, okay? Just a few days.”
“Okay,” Drew replied. “I really hope you decide to see me again, Cami.”
“I’ll let you know, Drew,” she said before hanging up the phone.
She sat in silence for the rest of Madison’s nap, deep in thought. Things had just become much more complicated. Drew seemed like he really wanted things to become serious, but could she be in a relationship with someone if she was always waiting for something unexpected to happen? She just wasn’t sure.
Thankfully, Madison woke up not too long afterwards, pulling Cami from her thoughts. It was almost impossible to be contemplative with a three-year-old in the house. So Cami spent the rest of her weekend ignoring the Drew dilemma as well as the impending custody battle and simply enjoying life with her daughter.
Monday was extremely slow in the ER, leaving Cami, Maggie, and Ashley loitering at the nurses’ station with nothing to do. After Maggie finished telling the girls about her exciting weekend in New York City, she turned to Cami.
“So,” she said, her face turning serious. “How was the meeting?”
Cami didn’t even have to ask in order to know exactly what meeting she was talking about. It must have shown on her face, because Maggie responded without waiting for an answer.
“That bad, huh?”
“Yeah,” Cami said, struggling to be positive so she didn’t break into tears at work. “The meeting itself was awkward. Ken and I didn’t say one word to each other. And Natalie was there.”
The Stubborn Suitor, Book Two (An Alpha Billionaire In Love BBW Romance) Page 3
