Page 27 of A Matter of Time
“You still care about her.” He phrased it as a statement rather than a question, but I nodded anyway.
“Yeah. Not in a ‘I want to get back together’ way, but I still think she’s a great person and I really didn’t mean to mess things up for her, or for you either. So please, don’t hold it against her, and I’ll just crawl back to my office and hide for the rest of the month.”
He cracked another smile. “That won’t be necessary, Cam. Thanks for clearing things up, though. I appreciate a guy who takes responsibility for his mistakes.”
“I’ve had a fair bit of practice at that.” The conversation seemed to be drawing to a close so I got to my feet. “Have a good night, Jason.”
“You too.” I almost made it to the door before he spoke again. “Hey, if you’re not busy tomorrow, I’ve got this industry party I’m meant to go to. I was going to ask… well, it doesn’t really matter, but the point is, I haven’t asked anyone yet, and I think it’s too late now. Do you mind coming along for backup?”
A moment earlier, I’d felt lucky just to be leaving with my job intact, so I quickly jumped at the opportunity. “Yeah, of course. What’s the dress code?”
“I’ll send you the details. Good night, Cam.”
I couldn’t help smiling as I left the office. A chance to mingle with some industry bigwigs and impress my boss at the same time, even after making a fool of myself? Maybe my luck had finally started to change where Tonia was concerned.
I had another two hours with Tonia the next afternoon but she kept strictly to business and so did I. She didn’t bring up Jason and I didn’t mention that I spoke to him. After everyone else went home, I changed into the slightly more formal suit I’d brought for the night, and Jason and I got a cab over to the Sam Houston Race Park where the event was being held.
“My dad’s going to be here,” Jason confided in me. “But I really want to show people that Barnly Oil is its own business, and I’m not just riding on my dad’s coattails.”
I understood that completely. “I’ve got your back,” I promised.
The night passed quickly as we did our best to work the room. Whenever anyone had questions about our projections and operations, I stepped in to provide answers, and I could tell that Jason appreciated having me there. The night turned out to be a good one for both of us.
Just as things were winding down and the drinks we’d had were starting to kick in, a couple of women approached us, obviously interested in more than just a chat.
“That’s my cue to leave,” Jason told me. “Enjoy the rest of your night and charge your cab home to the company.”
He walked away before I could protest, leaving me with the two women.
“You look familiar,” the darker-haired one said to me with an inviting smile. “I’m sure I’ve seen you somewhere before.”
“That’s possible. I do go outside once in a while.”
I hadn’t thought it was all that funny, but they both laughed like they’d never heard anything wittier.
“I think you live in my building,” she continued, naming the address of my apartment building.
“Yeah, I guess I do.” I didn’t recognize her, but then, I had made a resolution not to get involved with anyone in my building, so it didn’t really surprise me. “And I actually better get heading back there now. I’ve got work in the morning.”
“I’m about to leave too,” she told me quickly, though it hadn’t seemed that way a moment earlier. “We can split a cab. It’s better for the environment.”
I couldn’t think of a good reason to say no, so I waited while she went to the restroom, said goodnight to her friend and picked up her coat from the coat check before we headed out to the waiting taxis together.
We had a friendly enough chat during the cab ride home; a little flirty, but not too much, but I simply wasn’t interested. Even if she didn’t live in my building, which made her off-limits in my mind, I just wasn’t feeling it. Something in the back of my head suggested that had something to do with Tonia, but I quickly shut that voice down. Tonia hadn’t been an option for me for a long time, and I couldn’t let her hold me back from anything.
There just wasn’t any spark there, I told myself. You had chemistry with someone or you didn’t, and between the two of us, I felt none.
I paid for the taxi when we arrived and helped her out of the car to be polite, and she quickly grabbed hold of my arm and held onto it as we walked into the lobby. Just as I wondered how I could manage to get rid of her in a nice way before she invited herself back to my room, an unexpected voice called out my name.
“Cam?”
~Tonia~
The reply from Marley came through on my phone, ironically, just as I left Cam’s office. After my conversation with Shawna the night before and the prospect of speaking to Marley later, I wanted to keep things with Cam strictly business-like, and I’d done so. He hadn’t attempted to draw me into any other kind of conversation either, so it seemed for the time being, at least, we were on the same page.
Marley’s text said that she would be available for a late dinner tonight if I wanted to eat, but I responded and said that a drink would be better. I couldn’t see the point of being stuck with her for a whole dinner. How much could she possibly have to tell me?
She was busy until nine, so we met just afterwards at a bar downtown, not too far from the Barnly Oil offices. I still had my work clothes on, a pretty white blouse with a blank pencil skirt, while she wore jeans and a flannel shirt, looking out of place among the other businesspeople. It didn’t seem to bother her, though, as we found a quiet table in the back and ordered our drinks.
