the two men. “Hey. Erm. Andrew this is Cameron. Cameron this is Andrew,” I mutter nervously.
Cameron smiles warmly. “Hello.”
Andrew nods and shakes Cameron’s hand. “Hello.”
Are you freaking kidding me? Of all the people to see tonight, it had to be him.
“I thought you moved to LA?” he asks flatly.
Oh God. Don’t start being snarky now. “I did.”
Cameron interrupts, looking happy with a cheeky grin. “I stole her away for the weekend so she could show me her home town.”
Andrew looks between Cameron and I, while I hold my breath. Don’t say anything. Please don’t say anything.
“So… you just met this week?” Andrew sneers.
A frown crosses Cameron’s face as he sums up the situation.
“Cameron and I are old friends, Andrew. No need to be snarky. Now, if you don’t mind leaving us to it...” I turn back to my drink. I don’t need his shit tonight. Why the hell is he here?
“Yes. I do mind, actually. Why haven’t you returned my calls.”
“Listen, mate, I don’t know what your problem is…” Cameron starts.
“My problem is that my mother has cancer and she wants to see Ashley before she dies, but Ashley has gone missing and isn’t replying to any of my messages.”
My face falls in horror. “Oh, Andrew, I’m so sorry. I thought you were messaging me about us.”
“No.” He screws up his face.
“I’m taking it you are the ex?” Cameron asks.
“Ex fiancé,” Andrew snaps, annoyed.
Cameron’s eyes meet mine and I swallow the lump in my throat. “Andrew, is it alright if I come and see her tomorrow?” I ask as I turn to Andrew.
His eyes hold mine for a moment. “Tomorrow isn’t a good day.”
“When is a good day?”
He shrugs. “I’ll let you know.”
I stand and give him a hug. “Thank you, that would be great. It will be really nice to see her again.”
He holds both of my hands in his and looks at me. “You look really well, Ash.” A sad smile crosses his face.
I smile in return as my eyes flash to Cameron. He seems unimpressed with Andrew’s hands on me, but he’s keeping his mouth shut. “Thank you.” I give Andrew a peck on the cheek and with a last lingering look, he walks away through the crowd without saying goodbye to Cameron. Rude.
I sit down, rattled by what’s just happened. Marie has cancer. Fuck. She’s only young, too—maybe fifty-five at the most.
“So… he’s the ex?” Cameron smirks.
I smile as I sip my drink. “Yes.”
He rolls his lips to hide his emotions.
“And?” I smirk.
“And what?” he asks.
I raise my brows. “What’s your verdict?”
He shrugs as he sips his Scotch. “He’s not good enough for you.”
“And you are?”
He purses his lips. “Probably not.”
Our eyes lock as the chemistry swirls between us. “I think I’ll be the judge of that.”
“How am I’m doing so far?”
I smile broadly as I tap my fingers on my chin. “Hmm. Rankings could be dangerous.”
He chuckles at the challenge.
“I wish I had some paper and a pen. I would do a full tally of the scores,” I add.
Cameron’s eyes dance with delight and a waitress walks past. “Excuse me, do you have a pen and a napkin we could use, please?”
“Sure.” She shuffles about in her pockets and pulls out a pencil and then grabs a napkin from a nearby table.
“Thank you.” Cameron smiles, before he then gets to work. “What are the categories?”
He starts to rule lines and I laugh.
“The categories?” I ask.
“Yes, you know. Like different categories you can judge me on. Let’s call it a performance appraisal.”
I burst out laughing and choke on my drink. “A performance appraisal?” I repeat.
Oh Lord. This man kills me.
I smile, though. I like this game. “Okay, so there’s conversation.”
He scribbles down the word conversation.
“Brain power.” I smirk.
He adds it to the list with a broad smile, he likes this game too.
“Swoon factor.”
He looks up with a frown. “Swoon factor? Is that a thing?”
I widen my eyes. “Oh my God, yes. Swoon factor is the most important one.” He cocks a sarcastic brow in question. “Well, not the most important thing,” I add.
He writes the word sex.
I narrow my eyes. “Hmm, what else?”
He frowns as he thinks.
“Romantic.” I smile.
He grimaces. “Do we have to put that one down?”
I laugh. “Yes.”
He rolls his eyes and scribbles it on the paper.
“Body,” I add.
His eyes rise to meet mine again and he licks his lips. I feel it all the way down there. I already know he’s getting a hundred out of ten for that one.