I sigh, and she rolls her eyes at me. She doesn’t care that I notice. She’s such a brat. Fuck, my dick twitches. I pretend to look at the menu, but I don’t have to. I get the same thing every time. I look up and see that she’s nervous. Why?
“They have really good pancakes,” I tell her while pretending to look at the menu.
“Do you come here often?”
I place the menu down and look at her. Those big blue eyes. “Not really,” I lie and look away. What the hell is wrong with me? I focus on the wind chimes right outside our window. Then I look in her direction, but she avoids my gaze. “Everything is delicious.”
“Why am I here, Cam?”
We are here for business, Cam, I remind myself and get down to it. “Well, in addition to getting a very good tax credit for my donation. I’ll also be covering half of the cost.”
“I’m aware. I read the fine print,” she sasses.
I continue. “That means I’ll have a say about everything.”
“I never heard of someone donating land and wanting to be active in the buildout, but if it saves us money, then, okay.”
The waitress walks over to us and takes our order. Veronica orders scrambled eggs with a side of ham and avocado. I, on the other hand, order eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns, and plain pancakes. She looks at me, surprised.
“What? I’m starving. I haven’t eaten.”
We keep the conversation neutral, mapping out the timeline and discussing the contractors. When the food arrives, I dig in right away. She doesn't; she grabs her fork and merely pushes her food around the plate. That sight frustrates me. She must notice me staring. She stabs some of the food with her fork; it’s a small amount. I know she’s hungry. I focus on my plate so she doesn’t think I’m a creep who likes to watch people eat. I ask for an extra plate, and when it arrives, I put a pancake onto it and pass it to her.
“You need to try a bite. It’s delicious.”
She gives me a fake smile. “Just a small bite.”
“Why do you do that?” The question just comes out of me. “Why do you pretend with the fake smile?”
She stutters, unable to answer, but after a couple of moments, she speaks. “People have always judged me, regardless of how much I try to prove otherwise. I figure if I smile and pretend their words and opinions don’t affect me, after a while, I will start to believe the lie myself.”
I feel like a piece of shit. I don’t know what to say to her. So instead of saying the wrong thing, I don’t say anything at all. She slices a small piece of pancake and puts it between her lips. I try not to stare as she chews. I hear her moan. Goddamn it. My dick won’t take the hint. I sip my orange juice, then I see her tongue lick the maple syrup from the corner of her mouth. I cough and spill the rest of my drink on my perfectly clean white shirt. She breaks into laughter. It’s infectious and genuine; I can’t help but laugh along with her. The tension in the air seems to finally dissipate. I try to clean my shirt, but it’s a lost cause.
We schedule weekly meetings to share updates. She opens up about the other project she’s helping put together with the other volunteers. It’s a community event that will provide information about the resources Nina’s Hope offers; in addition, sponsors will offer free or discounted services. I can tell this is something she’s very passionate about. Her blue eyes sparkle when she talks about helping people. I’ve never seen this side of Veronica Kayde, and I’m glad to be part of the selective few.
I hear my phone ring, and I ignore it. It rings again. When I pull my phone from my suit jacket and see who it is, I don’t bother to pay it any attention.
“Do you need to get that?” she asks as she takes another bite of the pancake.
"No, it’s my assistant. I really must head out to my next appointment.”
“Right, I need to head to the office, update Andrew, and get to work on the event.” She digs into her purse and pulls out her wallet.
I take it from her hand. “No, I invited, so I pay.”
“Fine with me. You have more money than I do.”
Such a smart-ass, but she isn’t wrong.
“Wait, I’ll walk you to your car.” I pull out some cash and leave it on the table. Before I can get over to her, she’s pulled her chair out and is already on her feet, ready to go. I hand her the wallet, and we walk next to each other as we walk to her car.
The driver opens her back seat. Before she enters the car, she turns to me. “I don’t know what made you change your mind about the vacant lot, but thank you.” She gives me a warm smile and moves close to me. Her soft lips kiss my cheek. When she pulls away, I still feel her lips on my skin.
Fuck my life.
I feel my phone buzz. A message flashes on my screen, a reminder for an appointment I’m missing. I don't even bother to reply. I have bigger problems than a blown schedule.
It’s been a week since our breakfast. Since then, Chaos and I have only managed one video call while I was buried in work. Now, our second meeting is finally underway. I’m sitting beside her, keeping a safe distance, while the contractor across from us struggles to look at anyone else. It’s fucking pissing me off.
