Finally.
The longest fucking week of my life was over.
And there we were, together at last, frozen in time.
How badly I wanted to jump across that counter and kiss her. She looked so goddamn beautiful, eyes shining, long hair shimmering, flawless skin radiating. The tops of her breasts drew my eyes in, the way they jiggled so firmly in her dress with every movement …
“And who's this?” Camille asked politely.
I'd gotten so caught up in the moment, I'd almost forgotten why I'd come here.
“Oh, right. Dave, I want you to meet Camille Kennedy, an old high school girlfriend of mine.”
“High school girlfriend,” she muttered under her breath with a laugh.
“And Camille, this is Dave Leroux.”
Camille's eyes suddenly narrowed. “Dave … Leroux?” She turned those slit-eyes at me. “The guy who hityou last week?”
“Erm,yeah,but babe it's okay—”
She turned those angry eyes back on Dave. “You really almosthurthim, you know? He could've been paralyzed!”
Dave held up his hands. “Whoa, hey. Believe me, I get it. I have a wife and kids at home myself, so I know what it's like. I—”
“Then how could you possibly hit him like that?” she asked, shaking her head. “What the hell came over you to do such a thing?”
I smacked my forehead. This was going wrong.
“Cammy—don't—he's not a bad guy. I asked him here for a favor.”
She folded her arms, looking as stubborn as an ox. “A favor?”
“Heh …” Dave laughed uncomfortably. “Tell you what. I'm gonna go grab a breather out front real fast. Grab me when you're ready.”
When he stepped outside, I explained. “Dave's a vegan, sweetie. I asked him and he agreed to do a little photo-op. He'll grab a cupcake, we take his picture, he posts it on Twitter and recommends it to all his vegan followers and Scouts fans.”
“Why can'tyoudo that instead? You're a professional athlete too.”
“People still hate me, sweetheart. Especially New Yorkers. I'm not going to help you sell any cupcakes to a bunch of 'sewer rats'—remember?”
She stifled a laugh. “But all week, everyone was talking about how you've turned your game around.”
“Sure. But not everyone's convinced just yet. These things take time. Plus, Dave's a hero here in New York. And like I said, he's a vegan! C'mon, can't you see this is a perfect opportunity?”
She went quiet and stared at Dave as he stood on the sidewalk watching traffic go by.
“I still don't like him,” she said sternly.
“I know. And believe me, I'm flattered by that. But I'm telling you. He's a good guy and I really do respect him.”
She sighed. “Well … okay. I trust you. Let's do it.”
I went outside and grabbed Leroux.
“Hey bud. I'm really sorry about that.”
He laughed. “Don't worry about it. My wife's the same way. You should've heard what she had to say aboutyoulast week.”
