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Chapter Four
“Will you and Mr. Hamilton be eating this evening?”
“No.” Antonio smiled at Rodney. “We’re just meeting for a quick drink. We won’t need the table for more than an hour.”
“Very well.”
Antonio spotted Cameron making his way through the bar and smiled. He’d decided he was going to be completely honest with him.
Cameron made to shake his hand when he reached him. Antonio grinned and pulled him in for a hug.
Cameron grinned back. “It’s good to see you, too. I can’t stay for long. Piper’s getting back from Phoenix tonight and I haven’t seen her since Monday morning.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t keep you. And give her my love, won’t you? I bet she hates being away with all the wedding planning you two must be doing.”
Cameron laughed. “I think she’s glad to be away. She’s not much of a planner.”
Antonio raised an eyebrow.
“It works well for us. I enjoy it, and she doesn’t have to deal with the stress. But that’s not what we’re here to talk about. What’s going on? What’s your interest in David Sterling?”
Antonio shrugged. He felt a little embarrassed. Was it really his place to tell Cam that he shouldn’t hire a guy? He knew full well that it wasn’t his place to talk about Mary Ellen’s private business. “Let’s get a drink first.” He beckoned to the waiter who had been hovering since Cam came in.
Once he’d gone, Cam jerked his head toward the bar. “Am I right in thinking that you’d rather talk about him than to him?”
Antonio followed his gaze, not understanding. “To who?”
Cam frowned. “David. He’s standing right there at the end of the bar.”
“Oh.” Antonio scowled at the guy. So, he was the one who’d broken Mary Ellen’s heart? It gave him a little hope. Ifthatwas her type, thenhemight be in with a chance. David was good-looking. He was tall and dark with an olive complexion. He looked like he must have some Latin blood.
“Why do you look like you want to kill him?”
He turned back to Cameron who was giving him a puzzled look. “What? No! I … I just. Well … Oh, you know what? Fuck it. I’m going to tell you. But you can’t tell Mary Ellen, okay?”
Cameron looked baffled. “What the hell is going on? What do you know about Mary El that I don’t? That just seems so unlikely to me that it’s hard to believe, and what does David have to do with any of it?”
Antonio blew out a sigh and explained the events of the night before. He glossed over what he’d heard Mary Ellen say, and he glossed over what he’d told her afterward, but he gave Cam the basic idea of what had happened. “So, you see. That guy.” He jerked his head at David. “Broke Mary Ellen’s heart and I don’t think you should hire him.”
Cameron nodded. “Are you sure it’s him? Are you sure that’s the David she was talking about? She’s never mentioned him before and she sure as hell hasn’t said anything about knowing him while we’ve been going through the selection process.”
Antonio shrugged. “That’s why I feel like an asshole. I’m sharing a secret that I shouldn’t even know. And no. I’m not even sure that he’s the guy. I put two and two together, and I might be coming up with five. But come on, Cam, what are the odds?”
Cameron nodded and looked back over at David. “I think it has to be him. And if it is, then I don’t want him on the team. He might be great for the job, but if it’d upset Mary Ellen, then it’s just not worth it.”
“Do you think he would be great for the job?”
“I don’t know. I told you at lunchtime he was in my top two. When you look at his resumé he’s perfect. He interviewed well, and he should be a good fit, but I didn’t quite click with him. He said all the right things, he was impressive, but I don’t know. There was just some disconnect. I thought it was just me, but now I’m more inclined to trust my gut.”
Antonio grinned. “Good.”
“Why’s it so important to you?”
Antonio froze. He’d been so happy that David wouldn’t get the chance to worm his way back into Mary Ellen’s life that he hadn’t stopped to think about why. He shrugged. “Mary Ellen is a good person. You couldn’t do what you do without her. I’d hate to see things get messed up. That’s all.”
“That’s all?” Cameron held his gaze, the hint of a smile playing on his lips.
Antonio stared back at him. Damn. “Last night, Chelsea stared me down. Now you’re doing it! I don’t know what to tell you. Last night, hearing her talk, she was upset, she was hurt. I just … It hurt me for her, you know? She deserves better than some guy dumping her and making her feel bad about herself.”
