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“Frankie?” Cameron frowned. But then her entire face lit up with recognition and a hint of triumph. “As in the Frankie you saved from a bad date? The Frankie you swore up and down you’d never see again?”
I tried to ignore the amusement curling around every single word. “You’re never going to let me live this down, are you?”
Cameron threw her head back and let out a full-bellied laugh. “Are you kidding? How many times have you found entertainment at the expense of my formerly sad love life? This isgold, wait until the girls hear about it!”
I glared at Cameron but her laughter was infectious, especially because she so rarely did it without Elliot by her side.
“I guess it is a little bit funny,” I conceded, embarrassment sitting high on my cheeks and darkening them. “But I could do without you telling the girls for now, please. I have enough to deal with now that you know.”
Cameron struggled to compose herself and dabbed at the corners of her eyes theatrically. “You still haven’t told me what the issue is,” she pointed out. “So the store you bought was owned by her parents. So what?”
“So,” I began, sitting up on the sofa and turning my body to face Cameron, “her parents aren’t the problem. She is.”
“Go on.”
“She’s stubborn,” I said, my hands batting at the air around me. “And she’s being so difficult about the simplest stuff. On my first day there, one of the suppliers fell through and couldn’t deliver fresh stock. Simple fix, right? Get a newer, more reliable supplier. But sherefusedto listen to me and walked away when I was trying to find a solution that would benefit both of us. And then, in the cold room-”
“Woah, slow down, Hayden,” Cameron said, not unkindly. “You’re letting your emotions steer the train here. Take a breath and then continue.”
I did, knowing Cameron was right. She was the pinnacle of detachment in business. At least until Elliot came along. But she never allowed her personal feelings to interfere with business.
It was something I admired very much and wanted to emulate in my own life.
“Thanks,” I murmured. “So, afterward, I found her doing stock take in the cold room. But it was the middle of the week so I knew something was up, and we argued. I didn’t realize we were getting so close and, fuck, Cam, I wanted to kiss her. It was such a wild, irrational urge that it almost took control.”
Cameron nodded in silence, her lips pressed into a thin line. She didn’t tease me, didn’t berate me.
I loved her for it, because my own mind was awash with guilt and regret.
“I know you don’t want to hear this,” she began, and I groaned. “But she might be the right person to help you get over what your ex did to you. If you’d just give it a chance.”
“I don’t get what you and the girls see in her,” I argued, brows knitting together in confusion. “Like I get it; she’s pretty and works in the same industry as I do, but why are you so hellbent on the idea that she’s the one?”
Cameron looked at me for a long moment, her gaze softening infinitesimally.
“You talk about her like she is,” Cameron said. “You’ve known her for little more than a week, and she’s got you venting in my office. Don’t you think that means something?”
I shifted, discomfort twisting in my chest because a part of me thought that maybe Cameron was right. Maybe Frankie could be something more.
But the rest of me curled up, hauling up walls to protect against that very idea.
I was a businesswoman. I had no time for relationships.
Nor did I have any interest in them.
“I wonder when you’ll get tired of hearing me say this; I’m not like you, or the others. I don’t want the picket fence and the happily ever after. I can give myself those things.”
“Hayden, it’s not about money or materialistic crap,” Cameron said, exasperation thick on her tongue. “You’ve already got everything you could possibly want, and you’re ambitious and terrifyingly intelligent. But you have wounds that won’t heal because you won’t let them. I learned the hard way. I wish you’d see that some people want to be around you because you’reyou.”
“Cam, I learned the hard way that words and smiles don’t mean anything where money is concerned,” I said evenly, trying my best to keep my voice steady. The urge to fidget or get up and leave rubbed me raw but I remained seated. “I get what Frankie might look like to you, but I can’t let my emotions guide my business decisions. I’m not like you.”
“You don’t have to be like me.” Cameron chuckled drily. “You can just be Hayden. Why won’t you give this woman a chance? She could surprise you.”
“Because I’m not interested in giving her a chance, Cam.”
“I think you are,” Cameron countered with a pointed look. “And I think that’s what’s scaring you the most. Part of you wants to let go and be a little irresponsible.”
“If there is a part,” I cut in, “it’s minuscule and not worth the hassle or the heartache. I won’t be seen as some pathetic, lovesick fool who got hurt again because she wasn’t smart enough to see the signs.”
