04

“Cameron clearly bothers you. Russell will be a distraction,” Emilia explained.

“Cameron doesn’t bother me,” I replied. “He’s just…irksome.”

“Irksome, and six foot three,” Brooke teased.

"And as strong as an ox,” Emilia added.

They exchanged smiles.

I rolled my eyes. “I’m not talking about this again,” I said, picking up my drink and taking a long sip, relishing the hit of alcohol.

“I don't know why you're so embarrassed about this kind of stuff,” Brooke said. “Granted, he's not my type.” That was an understatement—her type tended to be red flags, often twice her age.

“He's not my type either,” Emilia added, “but if I knew for certain that you wouldn't start a catfight, I'd ask him out. He’s cute.”

“I wouldn't start a catfight,” I said indignantly. “You can have him.”

The two of them exchanged a look, which irritated me even more. “Actually, no one can have him,” I amended, “because he’s not available to have. He's my employee,and I won't have him complain about his boss’s friends harassing him. Or his boss, for that matter.”

“Come on, he's a man. I'm sure there's nothing more he'd want to do than unbutton those white blouses you always wear,” Brooke said.

“Brooke,” I groaned, and this time I didn’t feel just irritated, but pained too. There was nothing I hated more than wanting something I couldn’t have.

Her expression softened. “Sorry, babe. We’ll drop it.”

“Thank you,” I said. For a moment, I felt embarrassed for exposing my emotions so clearly to my friends, but at the same time, I knew I could trust them with anything.

“Be honest with us,” Brooke said. “Are you excited to see Russell tomorrow? Because if you really don't want to go, then you can call it off. There's no point wasting your time.”

I considered it. “No, I’ll go. I know you two were half joking before, but it would be a good distraction. Besides, I should probably fix my work-life balance,” I said, thinking of Cameron’s words.

Brooke smiled. “I think it’ll be good for you.”

“Good stress relief too,” Emilia added, raising both of her brows playfully.

I couldn’t suppress the laugh that escaped me. Emilia was right — I was high-strung all the time, and maybe Russell would be a good way to work out all of my frustrations.

The following night, I regretted everything.

I sighed as I stared at myself in my bathroom mirror, seeing a woman all dressed up in a gorgeous blue cocktail dress, her long brown hair perfectly curled. She should be excited about her date tonight.

But she wasn’t.Iwasn’t.

I indulged in a daydream of ditching my dress and makeup for a hot bath and an early night, but then I thought of my friends’ disappointed faces. They wanted me to go out and have fun because they knew it was good for me. I wouldn’t be able to work twenty-four seven forever.

What would life be like, five, ten, fifteen years from now? Would Firth Marketing still be successful? Would I still be working late hours? Would Cameron still be my assistant?

No, of course not. He was clever, charming, and hard-working. Someday, he’d leave my side to be a high-powered executive at a different company. He’d have a beautiful wife and children, probably three daughters with the same light blue eyes.

I shook my head. I needed to stop thinking about Cameron. Who knew? Maybe Russell McArthur would be the most alluring person I’d ever met in my entire life. I wasn't particularly optimistic about the fact, but the least I could do was try.

I glanced at my phone and realized I was running late. I was never late. Being on time was late in the business world. I quickly spritzed on some Dior perfume that Emilia had bought me as a birthday gift, grabbed my handbag, and dashed out the door.

I arrived at the restaurant five minutes late.

The Cavallino had only opened two months ago and its cuisine had been lavished with praise in all the local publications. Russell had chosen it for our date. To be honest, I was impressed he’d been able to get a reservation.

My heels lightly clicked against the sleek, wooden floor as I strode through the restaurant, my eyes sweeping left to right over the faces of other patrons. Couples. Business partners. Friends.

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