Camden's Redemption (Gloves Off #4)(9)

“You two just break up?”

She shook her head. “Damn, you’re nosy. But no, it’s been about six months now. Last night was just the first time I’ve seen him in a while. I’ve been away on business.”

“Where do you work?”

She laughed even though it didn’t touch her eyes, and then she folded up the newspaper. “I guess you can say I’m a babysitter. A traveling nanny of sorts.”

She said it jokingly, which told me it wasn’t the truth. All it did was make me even more curious about her. “So where all have you traveled?”

Noncommittally, she shrugged her shoulders. “Here and there. It’s been an adventure for sure.” Holding her cup, she blew the steam off her coffee and took a sip. “Why don’t you tell me a little bit about yourself, Cameron? Like what made you want to come here this morning. Not many men do.”

“Yeah, I can see that,” I grumbled, glancing around the room. “I just moved here and my friend told me I should check it out.”

“Is your friend a girl?”

I shook my head. “Nope. In fact, I’m gonna kick his ass the next time I see him. Pretty sure he did this to humiliate me.”

“Hmm . . . I see,” she said, setting her cup down.

“Good morning, are you two ready to order?” the waitress asked, glancing at us both. She was a middle-aged woman wearing a pink apron. There was way too much f*cking pink in this place. It was like dining in a giant vagina.

Brooklyn looked up at her and smiled. “Actually, do you mind giving us a minute? I don’t think my friend here’s had a chance to look at the menu.”

“Sure, take all the time you need.” The waitress smiled and walked off to another table.

“So, I’m assuming this means you’re not running me off?” I inquired.

She pushed her seat back and pulled out her phone. “Not at the moment. I do need to make a phone call though. Can you give me a few minutes?”

“Sure.”

She marched outside and stopped by the front door. I half expected her to run off, just like every woman had done for the past few months.





I WAS GOING to kill Mason. He knew I was at Macie’s and he sent Camden down there. What was he trying to do? As soon as I was out of the café I dialed his number.

“What’s up, B?” he answered.

“Don’t what’s up me. What are you doing? I talked to you this morning and you didn’t say anything about sending Camden down to the café.”

“You also didn’t tell me about getting drunk and having him rescue you. I heard about that through him.”

I groaned. “It wasn’t one of my finest moments, but I got through it. What I want to know is, what do I do now? We’re getting ready to eat breakfast and my shift starts in an hour. How the hell am I supposed to do my job?”

“Simple. Eat breakfast and take him for a tour of Charlotte. I think this will all be easier if you befriend him. I told him to get out and sightsee.”

“This isn’t part of my job description, Mason. It’s dangerous to get involved like this.” I was already too invested in Camden’s life.

“I know, but I need you in this. He needs this.”

“What if things get complicated? Camden’s not going to want me as just a friend. I know what he’s like. He’s already flirting with me.”

He chuckled. “I figured as much. I have no doubt you can handle him. Besides, he’s a ticking time bomb. He needs someone to keep him out of trouble.”

“Why can’t my brother or one of the guys buddy up with him? Why does it have to be me?”

“You may not like the guy, but you two have a lot more in common than you think. Trust me in this. There’s a reason I agreed to put you on this mission.”

“Why?” She thought he was being awfully cryptic.

“Get to know him and you’ll find out. If in the next couple of weeks you want out, then I won’t stop you. I’m just asking you stick this out until then.”

I looked in the window and Camden was getting antsy. He probably thought I wasn’t coming back. It reminded me of the night I was supposed to meet Blake for dinner and he never showed. It was the night I went back to his place and found him with another woman. That was a horrible f*cking night.

“Fine, I’ll do what I have to do. Have fun explaining this to my brother when he sees me with Camden.”

“It’s already been done. He’s not happy but he’ll have to get the f*ck over it.”

“Great,” I mumbled.

“All right, get back to Camden. The guy has enough shit to deal with without being stood up.”

“It’s not a date.”

“Whatever you say, B. Now go.”

Camden got up from the table so I hung up the phone and rushed back inside, stopping him. “Hey, I’m sorry it took so long. You weren’t leaving were you?”

Thankfully, he sat back down, but his jaw clenched. “Yeah. I’m getting used to it by now.”

It was in that moment when I saw a hint of his insecurities. When he first showed up to the café he was all confident, facing me head on. There were times in the past when I’d watched him turn his face to the side to talk to people, trying to draw attention away from his scar. He was doing that now. Little did he know, I had scars too, ones I was lucky enough to keep hidden.