treated Cameron like they’d once shared a bed; maybe they still did, and that’s why Elizabeth was so close to Cameron. She knew what he liked to eat. She talked to him like they had a history, and she treated Emma like she was her own daughter. Maybe they had a relationship and that’s why Emma called her “Aunt”.
“Elizabeth is like a sister to me. She’s Jenna Turner’s sister-in-law. Jenna and Elizabeth are married to twin brothers, Jack and Sam.”
“Jenna the CEO. Wow.” She scanned the expensive and lavishly decorated restaurant. “It must be nice to have an in with the owner of the Merrick International building. Elizabeth didn’t do too bad for herself marrying into the Turner family and the Merrick wealth.”
Cameron took exception. Elizabeth worked hard and was a great restaurant owner. Her bakery alone was renowned. The fact that Shelly assumed Elizabeth would use her marriage to Sam to get something from Jenna just showed how shallow she really was.
Cameron had made a huge mistake. It kept getting thrown in his face what a jackass he’d been for a piece of ass who reminded him of Caroline. Maybe he was just as shallow as Shelly, since he’d obviously looked past her mind and used her solely for the purpose of a face and body that looked like his former wife’s.
“Elizabeth is Judge Hamilton’s daughter. She runs this business and Decadence Bakery because she likes to, and because she’s good at it. She didn’t need Jenna’s help to start this restaurant. She already had the bakery. She did it as a favor to Jenna. It’s part of my perks that I get to eat here whenever I want. A few of the other executives have a standing table too.”
“Well, you do know some interesting, wealthy, and influential people. Never hurts to be friends with a judge’s daughter. Not to mention the Hamilton fortune. Wow. I completely misjudged Elizabeth.”
The misjudgment was in how wealthy and influential Elizabeth was and had nothing to do with how nice and kind she was. He ran his hand over the back of his neck and tried to work out some of the tension.
“Listen, Shelly, we need to talk.”
Shelly didn’t like Cameron’s definite brush-off tone.
“Cameron, darling. This night hasn’t turned out like you hoped. I want so much to spend time with your Emma. She’s such a pretty and smart girl. Too bad she had her heart set on helping in the kitchen. I’m sure if we spend some time together, we’ll be fast friends.” Cameron gave her a skeptical look and she went on quickly, “How about dinner again tomorrow? She can’t possibly get to know me in just one night. She probably sees me as a rival for your affections and doesn’t want to give me a chance. Let’s try again tomorrow and see how it goes.”
Cameron didn’t want to put his daughter through another dinner, but Shelly seemed so intent on getting to know Emma. He didn’t know what to do. He rubbed his hand over the back of his neck again.
“Come to my place tonight. I’ll wear the pink negligee you like so much. We’ll have a wonderful evening together and it’ll take the tension right out of your neck,” she said and cocked her head, indicating his action.
He dropped his hand and grabbed his ice tea. He liked the pink negligee. It was exactly like one Caroline had worn for him. The color made her skin look like porcelain and her golden hair glow. The pink made her eyes look deeper blue, the blue of the greatest depths of the ocean.
Cameron thought about the sailboat he’d seen in the distance from his office window earlier and wished again to be onboard, putting out to sea.
“Fine, we’ll have dinner again tomorrow. If I know Emma, she’ll be in the kitchen through the rest of dinner.”
“That’s wonderful, darling.” She brightened her words with excitement, even though she could care less about another dinner with the child. It was the man she wanted, and a proposal. The sooner the better.
“You know how important you are to me. I want a chance to show you Emma and I can be close.”
She almost choked on the word. The only person she wanted close to her was Cameron. Well, Cameron and his bank account and big penthouse, and the lovely limo and driver, and all the other perks she’d have at her disposal when she became his wife. He was having second thoughts about their