“I told my agent the same thing,” he said, pointing at me. “He thought I was crazy, but I know what I’m worth.” He glanced at Rick. “Masters, this lady has a good head on her shoulders.”
Rick was almost glowing with pride. I was doing it. I wasreallydoing it. I could hang with these people. It was something I would have relished a week before. Now, I just wanted the night to end. Giving Rick this last night may have been the worst decision in my entire life.
“Is this the young lady we’ve heard so much about?” a voice said from behind me.
My eyes bulged in surprise. I hadn’t met the man, but I’d seen him on TV enough to recognize his voice immediately. Lincoln Masters. Rick’s father.
Turning, I tried to make sure my smile was as bright and confident as ever. I didn’t want these people to think I was intimidated by them. Lincoln had his arm around his wife Madison’s waist. She had the look of a woman who’d once been a supermodel or actress and was aging gracefully. Lincoln looked like he’d been cut and pasted from an internet search for amulti-millionaire silver fox. His perfectly groomed beard and the five-hundred-dollar haircut were both peppered with gray. Even though he was in his mid-fifties, his shoulders were still broad and strong.
Rick grinned at them. “You would be correct, Dad. This is Cameron. Cameron, this is my mother and father.”
“An honor to meet you both,” I said, extending my hand.
Madison ignored my hand, instead waving down a passing server, who swooped in and handed her a glass of champagne. I suppressed an irritated sigh.
“What is it you do for a living?” Lincoln asked, also ignoring my offered hand.
Doing my best to put my hand down without feeling too embarrassed, I straightened my shoulders. “I’m a reporter forThe Chronicle.”
“Yes, that’s right.” Lincoln nodded absently. “I remember now. You cover the parades and whatnot, hmm?”
Heat rose in my cheeks, but I continued smiling. “I was. Well, I still do, but I’ve started working on the story of the murders that have occurred in the area. Young women who?—”
“Darling,” Madison said to Rick. “Deirdre Hudson is over there. I need to introduce you to her; she just finalized her divorce. You remember him, don’t you? Senator Johnson. She’s looking for someone to take her to the opening of that new opera next month.”
I swallowed hard, unable to keep the embarrassment from welling up inside me.
“Mom,” Rick said, his smile was now more wooden, “don’t you want to get to know my girlfriend?”
Finally over it, I said, “Rick, we are not?—”
“Hang on, Cam,” Rick said, cutting me off, then turning to his mother. “Mom, you’re being rude.”
Madison gave him a placating smile, but instead of looking at me or apologizing, she simply nodded as if she hadn’t heard him. “I’ll let her know to have her people call your people.”
Hot shame washed across me. This had all been a mistake. I never should have agreed to this. Everything was going as poorly as my worst nightmare. Not only was Rick obviously not taking the breakup seriously, his parents were assholes to boot. It looked like I’d dodged a hell of a bullet, but now I was standing here, being made into a fool. Deciding to salvage as much of my pride as I could, I cast aside my attempts at being cordial and put on my reporter persona.
“Mr. Masters,” I said, gathering myself. “I’m incredibly interested in the new development you’ve started. We drove by the other day to see the initial construction. What do you think the economic impact on the surrounding area will be once it’s complete?”
Lincoln smiled benevolently at me, but his eyes remained hard, like he was suspicious of me in some way. “I’m surethat’s all a little more than an entertainment reporter could understand. No reason to bore you with numbers.”
“Dad,” Rick said, putting an arm around me, but I pulled away. “Did I tell you that Cameron graduated at the top of her class in college? She’s really brilliant. She moved up through the ranks atThe Chroniclequickly. What she’s done is impressive.”
I rolled my eyes. I needed to get out of here. Desperately. The whole thing was beginning to suffocate me. The situation, the people, Rick. This was the biggest disaster ever, and I couldn’t help looking for an exit. Maybe I’d go to the bathroom and sneak out from there.
When the phone in my clutch began to ring, I almost sighed in relief.
“So sorry,” I said, giving Rick’s parents a bitter smile. “Ineedto take this.”
Turning away from them, I set my wine glass on the tray of a passing server, but before I could get far, I overheard a hissed conversation between Rick and his parents. Some of it was obscured by the noise of the ballroom, but I caught most of it.
“...the one Iwant, Dad,” Rick said.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Madison chuckled. “The girl is obviously… can’t hold a candle to… not worth your time.”
“...mother is right, son… This woman your mother mentioned… much better match.”
Picking up my pace, I hurried away, not wanting to hear anymore. I hated it, but tears threatened to ruin my mascara. The way they’d basically ignored and belittled me stung, regardless of the situation. Rick’s family came from money, all of it from his mother’s side, more or less. Their family was important, yes. But they didn’t need to be assholes. And who was this chick they were so gung ho on Rick taking out? Christ, they’d tried to set him up with her right in front of me.
