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“That’s true.” The guilt continues to gnaw at me. My grip on my empty glass tightens as I recall the last screaming match I’d had with my father.
“Speaking of family… Jas still avoiding you?”
Bless Jackson Anton’s soul for knowing me so well.
I sigh. “Like the plague. She won’t even answer my texts. I swear to you Jackson, I had no idea she felt that way about me. Jas has been like a little sister to me. She was Ana’s best friend.”
“I know Emory.” Jackson takes a sip from his glass, shaking his head in amusement. “You’re oblivious as hell.”
I laugh. “I swear it’s only where women are concerned.”
Jackson’s expression sobers. “I hear Adam has been in contact with the board about getting a seat with the execs?”
I sigh. “I don’t get it. He’s never wanted anything to do with the business before. He hates it. Always has. He’s an engineer at heart. So, why now? Why show interest now? We haven’t spoken to each other in over a fucking year.”
“Maybe he’s finally feeling guilty about letting you handle everything with your father, on top of Aunt Lucy and Ana’s, um, passing.”
I scoff. The last time Adam spoke to me he helpfully reminded me that it was my fault they were driving in the first place. “I doubt that.”
“Hey, that’s still your little brother. Maybe he was coping differently from you, but he still lost them, too, Emory.”
I swallow. Jackson’s eyes are on me, but mine are scanning the room again. The double doors on the opposite end of the room that lead to the kitchen open, and my heart rate increases when I catch a glimpse of brown hair. I frown when a waiter steps out with a platter of food. It’s not her.
“Hey, have you noticed Camry and her friend haven’t been out of the kitchen?”
Jackson frowns. “You can’t avoid this topic every time it comes up, Emory. You’re going to have to talk about it someday.” He sighs. “Which one is Camry? The one you made cry?”
A dull ache starts in my chest that I dutifully ignore. “Yeah, I hope I haven’t ruined her night.”
“You definitely have,” Jackson muses. “Go find her and apologize properly.”
“I tried,” I huff.
“No, you tried to throw money at them like you do every other inconvenience in your life. And it didn’t work. Piece of advice, try usingwords.”
I roll my eyes as I stand. “I’ll go find her. Hopefully, I can get a second alone with her friend. I haven’t seen her either.”
Jackson’s smile is sly.
I quickly explained. “So I can properly apologize to her too.”
“That’s the hot one that called you out for being a prick, right?” Jackson grins salaciously. “Of course you’d be attracted toher.”
I ignore him. I stop one of the waitresses to ask about Camry’s whereabouts. She tells me to check near the entrance. I find Camry near the restaurant’s entrance speaking to the maître d’. The same wiry blond woman who’d tried to get me into her office earlier. Camry doesn’t look like she’s in distress, so I wait until their conversation is over and the woman has left before approaching her.
“Camry,” I call to get her attention.
She swivels and freezes when she spots me.Have I potentially traumatized the waitstaff because I couldn’t get my temper in check?Quite possibly. “I’m not trying to cause any more trouble for you,” I explain, as I stuff my hands in my pockets. “I just wanted to apologize for my behavior, and the way I spoke to you before.” I pause and scan the room. “Is your friend around? I’ve been looking for her.”
Camry takes a step back and blinks at me. “She’s got about thirty minutes left till her next break. You’ll find her in the staff bathrooms then.”
“Oh, I haven’t seen her serving—”
“She’s working the VIP tables upstairs,” she says, her eyes flitting around the room.
I immediately look up to my left, where the ivory balcony disturbs my view of the patrons sitting in that section. I frown and turn back to Camry.
She’s looking everywhere except at me. She doesn’t seem anything like her friend. Her friend is obviously the brasher of the two with her sharp tongue and unforgiving glare. Her friend would’ve looked me in the eye. My lips twitch thinking about it.
