AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Why are you still here at almost midnight?” he asked. “Why didn’t you take the job that Russell offered?”
“I’m here tonight because I’m a perfectionist,” she said. “As for your other question, why do you care?”
Cam walked farther into the room and stopped in the middle of it. “I care because my employees are like family to me. I want to make sure that you’re okay.”
“I’m fine,” she said.
“Even though you and Nate are no longer dating?” Cam asked.
“I don’t want to talk about this with you,” she said. She started gathering up her things. “I’m going to go home now.”
“Not yet. Since you’re still here and I know my brother isn’t sleeping…what happened between the two of you?”
Jen didn’t think she could do this. Marcia had tried to get her to talk but she hadn’t been able to. She didn’t want to tell anyone that Nate didn’t love her. Though his constant partying since they’d broken up was evidence enough.
“I can’t talk about this. Seriously, what are you doing here? It doesn’t matter how exhausted I am. I can always dance. I’m going to make sure your show rocks.”
“I have no doubt about that,” Cam said, moving around the room with a casual grace. “What happened to break you two up?”
“Please don’t make me rehash this. Why don’t you ask Nate?” she asked.
“I can’t. Lately he’s a total jerk to anyone who tries to ask him anything personal.”
Jen soaked up this information. Saddened to hear Nate was having as rough a time as she was. “He seems to be recovering nicely.”
“What?”
“He is out partying every night. The women are more beautiful than ever and I saw an interview with him from New York…he didn’t seem that broken up about not having me in his life.”
“He’s good at hiding what he feels. You should know that by now.”
Jen crossed her arms over her chest. “I do know that, but I can’t make him feel something he doesn’t, you know?”
Cam nodded. “He asked me to check in on you. Unlike Nate, you aren’t in the papers every day and he has no idea if you are okay.”
“I’m okay,” she said.
“Truly?”
“No, Cam, I’m not okay. I have a broken heart and I have to be in the same physical location as the man I love and not see him every day. It’s torture, but there’s nothing I can do about that.”
He nodded slowly. “I see your point. So you’ve been working a lot.”
“What else can I do?”
He gave her a self-mocking grin. “You are asking the wrong guy. All I do is work because it keeps me from being alone with myself.”
“I’m sorry. At least I can blame this bout of workaholism on Nate.”
“True enough. I have my own demons and they don’t come from a place of love.”
“I’m sorry,” she said, realizing the slick golden boy had his own issues and problems.
“Don’t be. I have no regrets.”
“Me, either, Cam. Tell Nate I don’t have any regrets.”
Jen gathered her bag and slung it over her shoulder. “Did you want me to take that job that Russell offered?”
“Only if it was something you wanted. I’m not sure what you want from your career here. Working for Russell will give you exposure to a different world of people.”
She started walking toward the exit and Cam followed her.
“I do know that. I could maybe even try my hand at dancing in another part of the world,” she said to him. “Thank you again for helping out with that Carlos mess.”
“I’m just glad that he is being prosecuted and will have to spend some time behind bars. That should make him think twice before he tries to come after anyone again.”
“I agree. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. I know that you could try competitive dancing if you moved to New Zealand. Why aren’t you?”
“Cam, why are you asking me this? Frankly, it doesn’t seem like the sort of thing that would be on your mind.”
Cam put his hand out and touched her shoulder. “It’s not for me. It’s for Nate. He can’t figure out why you are staying and he’s tearing himself up for maybe making you give up the chance of a lifetime.”
She blinked at Cam. Nate would try to make this all about him, and in a way it was. “I decided to stop running away. Money and prestige aren’t important to me. Roots and family are and I’m not about to give either of them up.”
